Page 81 of Vow

“Are you going to sit?” Andino asked Kev.

Kev glared. “Are we going to have a problem, Andino?”

“I don’t know—are we?”

The man didn’t respond.

Andino figured … that was self-explanatory.

He glanced over at Ginevra. “Cheesecake, then?”

The young woman stared at him for a while, saying nothing. He could see the questions in her eyes. He wondered if she knew just by looking at him that he was in pain, and that the love of his life had just walked away from him.

Maybe forever.

Who knew?

Ginevra swallowed hard, and then nodded subtly. “Cheesecake sounds great.”

Smart woman.

Andino might be able to still help her yet. But how in the hell was he going to help himself? And Haven?

That was the better question.

• • •

“Damage control,” Dante said, shooting Andino a look that burned.

Andino didn’t need that fucking look from his uncle. He’d been hearing Dante rage at him all week about Haven showing up at the restaurant. The first thing Kev had done was call Dante and ask about the blonde, tattooed whore—Kev’s words, and ones he would probably die for—that Andino was involved with.

Dante had made his feelings more than clear to Andino. He was disappointing his uncle at every turn. Big fucking deal.

“Damage control is what we need to focus on right now,” Dante continued.

“How do you suggest we do that?” Lucian asked, dropping into the chair beside Andino’s father. “Give them something else they want, brother?”

Dante didn’t miss Lucian’s cutting tone if the way his gaze sliced to his brother was any indication. The older men stared at one another for a long time without saying anything. That whole cut the tension with a knife came to mind.

So was their life lately.

The Calabrese were good for that—fucking shit up. The Marcellos weren’t immune to that nonsense, either. For as strong as their family unit could be on a good day, it only took one single issue that could bring up a differing of opinions on all sides to make them put a bit of distance between each other.

“I do not have the patience for this tonight, son,” Antony said, pushing out of the chair behind the large oak desk. “This is for you and your brothers—” Andino’s grandfather stopped talking as he shot him a look. “And Andino, I suppose, to figure out now. You don’t need me here to do it, and I don’t care to listen to you all bicker back and forth for hours on end.”

“We’re not—”

Antony held up a hand to quiet Dante. “I don’t care.”

Apparently, they were back to using Antony and Cecelia’s mansion as a meeting hub. Really, it was supposed to be their usual Sunday family dinner. No business on Sundays was the rule, but exceptions could always be made. Andino was a reason for a lot of exceptions lately.

Or that’s what Dante had pointed out time and time again this week. Andino was starting to become numb to this shit.

Once Antony was gone from the office, Dante turned his attention on Giovanni instead of Lucian. “And what about you?”

Gio quirked an eyebrow high. “What about me?”

“Do you have anything you want to say about all of this?”