“Or movies,” Jake adds.
Luca nods. “Exactly.”
“And you would know this how?” Gio asks, not even breaking a sweat as we hit the one-mile marker.
“Reading romance novels. They’re surprisingly enlightening.” Luca says this like it’s completely normal. For others it is. For Luca Rossi—fuck no.
“Is that right?” Marco muses. “Let me guess. You’ve been stealing Mama’s bodice rippers? The ones with that long-haired, shirtless guy on the front?”
I turn my head. “Wait, are you talking about Fabio? My mom used to have those too.”
“Are we seriously running five miles talking about fucking romance books? Or are we gonna find out the goods from Rhodes about his love life?” Gio says, sounding far too interested in whether I’m getting laid or not.
Thank heavens for Jake tagging along. “Hello? Son here. Don’t wanna know deets about what Dad is or is not getting up to. As long as he’s happy—that’s all I need to know.”
Marco snorts. “Dude, you wanted your dad to meet someone.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t mean I need to hear the locker-room talk. Jeez,” he says, running ahead and leaving us in his dust.
“What’s that about?” Gio asks.
“He’s all good.”
Gio looks from Jake to me, arching a brow. “You sure it’s not all becoming too real for him?”
“What do you mean?” It hits me. Lily.
I shake my head. “He’s good. He’s even told me what to wear for my dinner with Dee on Monday. Right down to booking me in for a damn haircut in the afternoon.”
That makes my friends chuckle.
Marco smirks at me. “Then he really doesn’t wanna hear how you made out with Dee against your car.”
I narrow my eyes at him.
Gio spits out his mouthful of water. “Damn, Rhodes. Keep the goods from Jake, but don’t hold out on me.”
“Yeah. It’s not like G has anything going on in his love life. He has to live vicariously through yours,” Marco teases as we pick up the pace to catch Jake and Luca. My muscles are starting to burn in a good way.
“Better than listening to Luca’s exploits. That guy needs to look for quality over quantity.”
I snort. “Maybe not hitting the clubs with Scotty would be a good start.”
“He’ll figure it out,” Marco says, sounding all sage-like. For a man who waited years to find his showstopper, he’s a relationship man now through and through, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
Seeing him fall in love gave me hope, and the more time I spend with Dee, the more hope I have that we do get a second chance to find happiness.
It doesn’t take away from what Lily and I had. It’s just a different path with another fantastic woman, who could potentially change my life for the better. Only time will tell.
I’m looking forward to finding out.
By the time we do six miles then walk a couple more back to the parking lot, we are all dead on our feet.
Then it’s home to chill out with Jake and do chores as per our usual weekend routine when I’m not working or sleeping.
It’s when we take a break from working in the backyard that I tackle Gio’s point about Jake and Lily and how he feels about Dee and I dating.
I sit down on the porch steps and nudge him with my shoulder. “You all good, kid?”
He screws his lips up, looking at me strangely. “Well, yard work sucks and my muscles are a bit tight, but other than that, I’m good. Why?”
“G seems to think you might be feeling a bit weird about me dating Dee.”
He jerks back, his brows lifting so high they almost touch his hairline. “God no,” he says, and I let out the breath I was holding. “I wanted you to start dating. In a million years, I didn’t expect Uncle Marco to set you up with Dee Duncan, but she seems nice, and I hope I’ll get a chance to know her better. She obviously makes you happy, so how can I be weird about that?”
“Because of your mom . . .”
He shakes his head. “Look, Mom is a hard act to follow, but I want you to meet someone and be happy. In a few years, I might go away to college, and I don’t like the idea of you being in this big empty house without me. You’re not that old, you’ve still got a lot of life to live. And I appreciate you working hard and focusing on me, but you’re a good-looking dude. You deserve a good woman who’ll be there for you, just like you’re here for me and like you were for Mom.”
“Damn, kid. Hit me right in the feels,” I mutter, lifting my beer to my mouth and taking a long sip to swallow the growing lump in my throat.
“Besides, she’s a good cook. What else could a growing kid ask for?” He pats his flat stomach. “I am jealous that you get to go to Delish before me though.”
“You wanna tag along? I’m sure Dee won’t mind.”
He snorts. “And be the proverbial third wheel? Thanks, but no thanks. Seriously, Dad, I want to see you happy again. If that’s with Dee, all the better. If it doesn’t work out and you meet someone else, so be it. The main thing is that you start living again, because you’ve put in the hard yards with me, and Mom wouldn’t want you to be alone. She said that.”
My head spins around so fast I almost keel over. “You remember that?”
“Of course, I do. She also made me promise that we’d look after each other, and this is me doing that. Mom was a rock star. What’s to say Dee won’t be the next headline act in the concert that is your life?”
What on earth did I do in a past life to deserve him. “Love ya, Kid.”
Jake’s lips quirk up on the side. “Yeah, Dad. Love you too. But are we
