Page 159 of Alessio

He had a million reasons she shouldn’t want to be with him. The same way he could list the whys that Alessio shouldn’t be his, too. And yet, here they all were.

They didn’t fit alone.

They only worked together.

“Corrado, right?”

Behind Ginevra, he found which of her two sisters asked the question. The tallest, and oldest, of the two.

“Greta, right?” he returned.

The girl flashed her teeth in a smile. “That’s right.” She jerked a thumb toward the girl next to her, saying, “And this is Giulia.”

Corrado nodded. “Very nice to meet you.”

Greta arched a brow. “You’re very different from the other one.”

“Greta,” Ginevra admonished.

“What, he is. I thought he would be like Les, Ginny.”

Alessio chuckled behind him. “Where is the fun in two people who are the same?”

Giulia’s cheeks turned red, but Greta glanced between the two men like she wanted to take in all their differences, from the different style of clothing, to even the cut of their hair.

Corrado understood, then. Ginevra must have explained about this situation to her sisters, and they had to process all of it. That meant awkward questions, or comments at the wrong time.

He didn’t mind.

“Alessio is the fun one,” Corrado told Greta.

“Is he?”

Alessio scoffed. “Yes.”

“Girls,” Cara called behind them, saving Ginevra from saying anything, “do you want to see which rooms you’ll be using for the weekend?”

Just like that, Ginevra’s sisters were thoroughly distracted. It let Corrado take all her attention again.

“You’re staying?” he asked.

She nodded. “I left some unfinished business here. So, yes, if you’ll have me.”

“We both will,” Alessio said.

Corrado tipped his head in Alessio’s direction. “What he said, of course.”

“The girls—”

“Are fine in the mansion with Cara and Gian,” Alessio said quickly.

Corrado unlocked the front door to the Guzzi guest house, adding, “My mother rarely has girls she can spoil, so you’ll be lucky to get them back tomorrow.”

Ginevra let out a little laugh, but Alessio could still hear the stress there. Corrado didn’t miss it, either, if the look he shot Alessio over his shoulder when he pushed the door open was any sign.

Sliding an arm around Ginevra’s waist, he pulled her in close while keeping the overnight bags he held back so they didn’t get in the way. Then, he pressed a quick kiss to the side of her temple, saying, “Really, they’re good. And if they need you, then you’re not very far away. But better for us to do all the talking we need to away from everyone else, right?”

She smiled up at him.