Rialto (Unbreakable Bonds 8)

When he reached the main open floor of the building, he found Rowe and Noah setting up a couple of long tables they pulled out whenever Ian brought in a meal.

“Ian! You should have called ahead,” Rowe admonished as he straightened from securing the last table.

“Did you eat already?” Ian asked. It was not even noon yet, but he guessed that some people could have taken an early lunch.

“No, of course not. We just would have been set up and looking for you.”

Ian snorted. “If I’d have called ahead, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”

“I would have still acted surprised.”

“Me too!” Noah chimed in.

“You’re both insane,” Ian said before hugging Rowe and then Noah.

He’d grown accustomed to seeing them close. It was rare for them to be far apart at any time, and Ian was glad for it. A day didn’t go by when Ian didn’t miss Rowe’s wife, Mel, who’d been killed in a car collision, but he was glad that Rowe had found love again with Noah. He deserved to be happy, and Ian knew that Mel would have been ecstatic to see Rowe so happy and loved.

Stepping away from Rowe, Ian set the box in his hand on the floor under the table and out of sight so he could work on setting everything up. The men had learned the hard way to stay back during this process. Ian knew just what needed to be done to get his food set just right. The presentation wasn’t ideal, but these guys didn’t care about the look. It was all about the taste, and Ian was determined to always have his food taste amazing.

Once everything was laid out, he looked up at the men standing dutifully before him, waiting for the okay. “I made a duck confit stuffed ravioli with a spicy red sauce as well as a crab and creamy vino ravioli. There’s a fall salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and roasted root vegetables in a new spice mix I’m trying. Garlic bread with a nice cheese mix is on the end. And, of course, cannoli for dessert. Enjoy!”

“Damn, Boss.” Garrett groaned. “Can we reschedule the training sessions for tomorrow? I don’t think I’m gonna move after this lunch.”

“We’ll push it back an hour,” Rowe said and then added under his breath, “Maybe two.”

Conversation filled the room as employees from the various departments gathered in the main room of the company. They all chatted while they loaded up their plates. Ian kept his eyes open for the triplets—what Rowe lovingly called his IT team. All reformed hackers…sort of…they knew their way around anything tech.

He was briefly distracted by the appearance of Andrei at his side. The former Romanian bodyguard turned COO of Ward Security had a knack for just sort of appearing out of nowhere. Ian couldn’t decide if he was the more dangerous one to watch out for or Rowe. Probably both.

But that was hard to remember when Andrei didn’t even look at the silver dishes as he walked to Ian’s side and pulled him into a hug.

“This is a nice surprise!” Andrei said as he released Ian.

“I was in the mood to try out some new recipes,” Ian said with a smile.

“We’re always happy to be your test subjects.”

“How’s Daci? Ready for my cooking yet?”

Andrei chuckled, his expression changing from joy to pure poppa pride. “We’re getting there. I think she’s going to be ready for at least a little of Ian’s infamous Thanksgiving.”

Ian clapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn’t even given a thought to Thanksgiving. Where the hell was he going to put all the people? It wasn’t just the addition of Andrei’s daughter to the table in her adorable high chair, but Lucas had mentioned having his sister and niece fly in for the holiday. Ian also wanted to bring in Hollis’s family. He’d become quite close to Hollis’s mother, mostly over the phone.

“Already planning it in your mind?” Andrei teased.

“I was just thinking that there might not be enough room at my place, and I hate to think of people being forced to sit in separate rooms.”

“Lucas and I would like to offer our house. The formal dining room will be big enough, I think.” Andrei hesitated, looking a little unsure. “We know how important Thanksgiving is to you, and we don’t want to upset your plans.”

Ian wanted to laugh. What Andrei was trying to say was that Ian was completely irrational and bit of a high-maintenance diva when it came to Thanksgiving. Ian always wanted the holiday meal to be perfect, and he refused to let anything stand in his way. Okay, yeah…so maybe Hollis was a little right about his quirks.

“Having it at your house would be perfect. There will be plenty of room for everyone without us feeling cramped.”