“Plan a wedding and choose a college,” I say. “Once we’ve settled on a place, I’ll find us a house—something out in the country, maybe, where you can have a garden. Anything you want.”
“I think that sounds just about perfect.” Cherry smiles and squeezes my hand.
We have a plan. A good plan. A plan that doesn’t involve violence or anything illegal. In fact, it involves new life and new opportunity. For the first time since I took over this family, I feel like I can truly, completely relax.
As we approach the front door, the house doesn’t seem as foreign to me as it did only a few hours ago. In fact, it seems strange that I could have seen it as anything other than the inviting place where my family lives. Maybe I don’t want to live here in this environment, leading the family business, but the house feels good. No matter where Cherry and I end up living, this house will always be a home to me.
Nora greets us, and though she immediately starts yapping about photographers and guest lists, her expression is off. There are dark circles under her eyes, and when she smiles, her eyes don’t shine.
“Nora, what is it?” I ask.
“Do you really have to ask?” She glares at me for half a second and then quickly looks away. “You’re leaving me.”
“I’m not leaving you, Nora. I’m leaving this lifestyle.”
“Leaving is leaving.” She shrugs. “Whatever. I’ll get over it.”
I reach out and pull her close to me. I close my eyes, trying to ward off my own tears as Nora sheds hers. After a minute, she pushes me away.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her, “but it has to be this way. We’ll come back to visit—I promise. I’ll call you every day if you want, but I have to do this.”
“I know.” Nora wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “I don’t like it though.”
“I’ll miss you,” I say. “You’re still my sister, right?”
“Of course I am, you jackass.”
“That’s what I’m talking about!” I laugh, and Nora’s smile finally reaches her eyes.
While Cherry and Nora go heads down into wedding plans, Antony approaches me.
“Nate,” he says softly, “can we talk?”
“Of course.” I’m pretty sure I know what he’s going to say. We head into my office, and I wait as patiently as I can for Antony to speak.
“I’m not sure I can do this,” he says.
“Do what?”
“Lead this family.”
“Nora told you she didn’t want it, huh?”
“Yeah, and I’m not surprised. She’s never been that deep into the day-to-day stuff. She’s always been someone who will mouth off when she has an opinion about something, and I don’t expect that to change, but Nate…I don’t think I can do this.”
“Yeah,” I say, “you can. I didn’t think I was up to it, and I leaned on you a lot. I probably should have leaned on you a little more, but I had someone in my head yelling at me all the time.”
“I don’t even have that.” Antony chuckles nervously.
“You don’t need it.” I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder. “You can do this, man. I have total faith in you to protect our interests and our family. In fact, I’m glad it’s going to be you. If I had a brain in my head, I would have asked you to do that right after Pops died.”
“I don’t know.” Antony shakes his head as he stares at the desk. “I can’t even imagine myself sitting in that chair.”
“I couldn’t either,” I admit. “Weirdest thing in the world. Why don’t you sit down there and see how it feels?”
With a little coaxing, Antony takes a seat.
“Well?” I ask.
“It feels weird.”
“You look good though.”
“Do I?”
“Hell yeah!” I laugh. “Much better than I ever did.”
“Are you blowing smoke up my ass just to make yourself feel better about leaving?”
“Maybe a little.” I shrug. “Obviously, I am much better looking than you are.”
“My ass.”
We both laugh. Antony gets up from the chair and comes back around the desk. He stands in front of me and gives me a long look.
“I don’t want you to leave,” he finally says.
“I know.”
“You can step down without leaving.”
“I could,” I say, “but that’s not what I’m doing. Cherry isn’t made for this life, and I need to get her away from it. I don’t want to be around it anymore. We have a child to protect, and to do that, I need to get her away from this town and start a new life.”
“The choice I didn’t make,” Antony says with a nod.
“With Maddie and her mom?”
“Yeah. She wanted me to leave, but I stayed…for the family.”
“I’m not forcing you to do this,” I say. “Work it out with Nora. Threes can take over, or liquidate everything and get out. I’m not going to keep you here.”
“No, I don’t want to do that,” he says quickly, then grins. “Baby Mama would never take me back anyway. I did cheat on her.”
“Twice.”
“Three times, but who’s counting?” He laughs, and then his face becomes serious. “I’ll miss you around here.”
“It’s not like I’m never coming back,” I tell him. “This is still home to me, and it always will be. We’ll come back for holidays, and you sure as hell better show up when it’s time to name my kid’s godfather.”
“I get to be the godfather?”
“Who else?” I reach out and hug my cousin. He grips my shoulders tightly for a moment before releasing me.
“It’s not going to be the same,” he says, “but I’m happy for you, Nate. Happy for both of you.”
We head back to the kitchen, where Andrea has put out sandwiches,
