Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
I sighed and pointed as I introduced the group. “My oldest brother, Christian, I’m next in the lineup, then Luca, the twins Tristan and Gavin, and the baby, Adam.”
Each one stood and scooped her up into a big bear hug, forcing me to growl, “Get away from my woman, dipshits.”
“Brandon!” A gravelly, yet feminine voice brought my head around and my mouth turned up as I spied my mother walking into the room from the kitchen. Maria DeLuca was a petite woman, with dark hair and whiskey-colored eyes, which were currently dancing with joy.
I grabbed Carly’s hand and dragged her over to meet the second most important woman in my life. “Mamma,” I greeted warmly, letting go of Carly’s hand to kiss my mamma’s cheek and gently hug her. “Where is Dad?”
Mamma rolled her eyes and patted my cheeks, as though I were still her baby. “Working, but he’ll be here for dinner. He’s as anxious to meet your lady as the rest of us.”
Twisting, I took hold of Carly’s hand and tugged her over to stand in front of me, wrapping my arms around her waist. “This is Carly, my fiancée.”
Carly stuck her hand out but my mother was having none of that. She pinched my arm, forcing me to open my arms, and embraced my beautiful girl. My ma was quite a bit shorter than Carly and she had to bend over slightly to return the hug, her sexy ass pushing back into my groin. Shit. It was one thing to show off my woman’s thoroughly kissed lips, but I wasn’t very keen of spending an afternoon with my mother and brothers, sporting a hard on.
“Welcome to the family, my dear.” Standing back, my mother scowled at me and I squirmed uncomfortably under her stare, my erection quickly deflating. “While I’m beyond excited to be getting a daughter, I don’t understand the rush.”
“It’s Family business, Ma.” The stress on my word making it clear which business I was referring to. Then, Carly took the love I felt for her and made it grow so big, I felt as though I would either burst or simply float away.
She took my mamma’s hands and said quietly, “I promise the haste is necessary, Mrs. DeLuca. But I was hoping you would be willing to do me a favor. My mother passed away when I was very young. And honestly, this girly stuff is kind of lost on me. Would you help me? I don’t think I could get a wedding together in a year on my own, much less a few days. I would be so grateful.”
Mamma clasped a hand over her mouth and a few tears escaped her eyes. I understood they were tears of happiness, but fuck, I hated it when she or Carly cried.
“Please, none of this ‘Mrs. DeLuca’ stuff, call me Mamma”—she pulled Carly in for another hug—“I’d be honored to be a part of planning your wedding, dear girl.”
They beamed at each other, and then my mother threw me a look of dismissal and took Carly into the kitchen with her. I was tempted to follow, reluctant to let Carly out of my sight, but I loved the idea of the two of them getting close. So, I tamped down my desire and strolled over to the couches, plopping down next to my seventeen-year-old brother, Adam.
“She’s hot, bro,” he smirked. I slapped him on the back of the head. “Ouch! Harsh, dude.”
I ignored him and focused on my older brother, Christian, happy to see him. “It’s great to see you. How long are you in town?”
Christian was twenty-five and a professor at Oxford, where he’d done his doctoral work English Literature. He was definitely the most . . . refined of our Italian riff raff. He’d lived there since he’d graduated from Harvard at twenty-one and we only got to see him a couple of times a year.
“I decided not to teach summer sessions this year, so I’m home for about a month.” He raised a speculative eyebrow at me. “It seems it was a lucky decision or I would have missed your wedding.”
Shrugging, I looked him straight in the eye when I answered, “Why delay the inevitable and give her the opportunity to second guess her decisions?”
Luca laughed and shook his head. “You’re such a fucking DeLuca. No patience.”
I smirked at him. “Talk to me when you’ve met the woman of your dreams, brother.”
He scoffed. “I’m twenty-fucking-years old, Bran. I’m not going to tie myself down for a long fucking time.”
“Amen!” Tristan and Gavin, nineteen-year-old twins, high-fived Luca. Stupid motherfuckers.
Just as I’d thought, my family adored Carly and when I took her home that night, she was practically floating on a happy cloud. I knew it was because she’d finally found a family, the one she’d longed for as a child, the one she should have had all along.