Page 24 of Marcus

Cella followed the path her daughter had taken, hearing the familiar noise of her family coming from the kitchen. Always the gathering hub in an Italian family’s home, it was the first place to make her feel the safest in this house. She leaned in the entryway, surprised to see her sister and brother-in-law were already there with her parents.

Jordyn and Lucian, her mother and father, stood on one side of the island while her youngest sister, Lucia, and her husband, Renzo, stood on the other. Unsurprisingly, Tiffany sat right on the kitchen island between the four, already stuffing her face full with what looked to be cookies that her mother had probably baked just for the girl.

Her daughter at least had the nerve to look sheepish when Cella raised a brow at the sight. “What is that?”

“Aw, Ma.”

Cella laughed but gave her mother a look. “Limit them, please?”

Jordyn shrugged. “I make no promises.”

So was the way of grandparents.

Laughter filled the kitchen.

She soaked it in.

Needed it, really.

Yeah, Rochester was better for Cella because it allowed her time to figure out the things she really needed and wanted in her life, but at the same time … she missed being able to have moments like these with her parents and the rest of her family every day.

“So, what is this weekend away for again?” her father asked.

Cella shrugged. “The penthouse job for the Guzzis.”

Lucian nodded. “All weekend, though? Never knew you to—”

“It’s supposed to be a surprise for Gian Guzzi’s wife—problem is, they want the space designed for her personally. I need to get to know her. And so, her oldest son—”

“Marcus, right?” Renzo asked suddenly.

Usually, the guy was pretty quiet. All in all, though, Cella liked him, and he treated her sister like a fucking queen. Even her own daughter adored him because he just had a way about him. Easy natured, and kind-hearted. And at the same time, Cella knew Renzo was capable of great violence, given his profession … strange how that worked.

“Yeah, Marcus.”

Renzo gave Lucia a look. “Met him a couple of times. He’s a good guy.”

“And handsome,” Jordyn added.

Cella cleared her throat. “He is, but—”

“So you noticed,” Lucia noted.

Her father chuckled, but thankfully, said nothing. He was apparently the only one in the bunch who didn’t want to get in on this pile on Cella moment they were all having. Well, excluding her daughter, but she blamed that on the fact the girl had just snuck two more cookies.

“Tiffany, enough cookies, babe.”

“But—”

“Too much sugar gives you bad dreams, remember?”

Tiffany let out a huff. “Fine, Ma.”

Cella winked.

Her daughter blew her a kiss right back.

“Back to the young man in question here, please,” her father said. “I’m invested in this conversation and where it’s going.”