Conway and I shared a drink together in the study at his father’s home. Sapphire and Aunt Pearl were with Reid in the living room, and Crow was working on the yard outside preparing for the wedding tomorrow.
“Did you get the house?” Conway and I didn’t spend as much time together anymore, not since his life changed with a wife and kid. Now that I had Mia and Luca, I understood how much priorities shifted.
“We did.” He drank his scotch then licked his lips. “We’ll get the keys on Monday.”
“You must be eager to get out of here.”
He shook his head slightly. “Not really. It’s been nice spending time with my parents since I’ve been living in Milan for so long. Sapphire loves it. Honestly, she would want to live here forever if she could have her way.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised since Conway was such a solitary person.
“My mom has been doing a lot with Reid, and that’s really made it easier on both of us. Sapphire adores my parents. I can tell she sees them as parents…sees them as the family she never had. That’s made me more patient about living here.”
“Uh, what about sex?”
“My mom takes care of Reid, so that’s not a problem. Since we’re on different floors, we have our own privacy.”
I loved my parents, but I could never live with them again. Even if Mia and I had a baby, I wouldn’t want my mom to move in with us to help. “It’s a shame we don’t hang out the way we used to. We’re two miles apart, but we never see each other.”
“It is a bummer. But in a few months, it’ll be easier. Reid needs a lot of attention right now.”
“That’s fine. You should treasure this time with him.”
“And I do.” He poured more scotch. “I love that kid so much. I didn’t think I’d love anyone more than Sapphire, but I do. I’d take a bullet for him in a heartbeat. Sometimes I can’t sleep at night because I worry about him…even though he’s perfectly safe with my mom. Fatherhood was never appealing to me, but once he was here…it all clicked.”
That was exactly how I felt about Luca. “I’ve fallen hard for Mia’s son. Nice kid.”
“Yeah, he seems like a sweetheart.”
I finished off my glass before I told him my news. “So, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“You knocked up Mia?” he asked, dead serious.
“No. I asked her to marry me.” I watched his expression, unsure what he would think about my quick engagement. I hadn’t known Mia that long, but it seemed unlikely I would ever feel something for another woman again. Mia was special in more ways than I could express.
“You’re serious?” He slowly lowered his empty glass to the table, his eyes stunned.
“Dead serious.”
“Jesus.” He slammed the glass onto the table. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”
I shrugged. “We haven’t talked in a while, so wanted to break the ice a bit.”
“I can’t believe it. Carter Barsetti takes a wife.” He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes showing his surprise but his lips showing his smile. “I’ve seen you ass-fuck two women in one night. Now you’re marrying someone—with a kid.”
“Yes…pretty crazy. And do me a favor and don’t mention that story to Mia.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like she would be surprised, man.”
“Whatever. I don’t tell Sapphire shit. That goes both ways.”
“Like I’d ever sell you out. But she’d love you anyway. It doesn’t matter what kind of nasty shit we did before we met them. When you meet the right woman, it’s like that stuff never happened.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.” It wasn’t like Mia hadn’t seen the worst of me in the past. She loved me anyway, despite my horrendous crimes.
“So, what about Luca?”
“He’s okay with it. We’ve gotten pretty close over the last few weeks.”
“That’s great, man. Looks at us…all grown-up.”
“I can’t believe it either.” I shook my head before I refilled our glasses with scotch.
“When’s the wedding?”
“Not sure. It’ll be something small, something simple and quick. Maybe just a courthouse type thing.”
“Our wedding was small but perfect.”
I nodded, remembering how elegant Sapphire looked on their wedding day. And I’d never forget how happy my cousin looked. “Regardless of what we do…you’ll be my best man?” Conway was more of a brother to me, a best friend. Cousin didn’t describe us appropriately. We’d been through a lot together, our ups and downs, and we carried the Barsetti name with pride. We’d made our parents proud, and now we were starting a new generation, a new legacy for all of us.
Conway looked at me differently, clearly touched by the question. He took a deep breath before a slow smile crept onto his lips. He brushed his nose with his thumb, sighed, and then responded. “You know I will.”