The smell in the kitchen was something that couldn't be described. It was better than any restaurant I'd ever set foot inside. I could almost pick out the individual dishes with each inhale. My mouth watered as the dishes were placed on the counter, waiting to be brought out to the hungry crowd.

"I'll do the meatb.a.l.l.s," I said, moving toward the stove. "In here?" I asked, grabbing a bowl.

"Yes, dear," Mrs. Gallo answered, testing a noodle over the sink.

When I pulled the lid off the giant pot, I was. .h.i.t by the smell of the most divine tomato sauce ever. It was a rich red color, with specks of spices and a hint of heat. Using a slotted spoon, I took a meatball out and placed it in the bowl. One by one, I removed meatball after meatball. I didn't bother to count.

"Jesus," I muttered, digging inside, thinking there couldn't be another one, but I was wrong.

"She cooks for an army," Izzy said. "But then again, there are five hungry men and a pregnant girl who puts them all to shame."

"Oh, honey. I always make extras. Anthony usually brings some home, and lately, I've been giving some to Suzy to fill her late-night cravings," Mrs. Gallo said as she dumped the pasta into the strainer, a plume of steam collecting above the sink.

"What's left, Ma?" Izzy asked, putting the garlic bread she'd pulled out of the oven in a basket.

Mrs. Gallo started to go down the list. "Salad, pasta, bread, sauce, meatb.a.l.l.s... Did you take out the eggplant?"

"Nope. Is it ready?" Izzy asked, placing the oven mitts on her hands.

"Yeah. It needs a moment to cool while I a.s.semble the pasta."

This must be what it's like to have a mother who actually cares about a family. I silently watched them as they interacted with each other, feeling a pang of jealousy for all I'd missed from being the unlucky SOB to have been born to my witch of a mom. Life would've been different if my father had lived, but it never would have been like having the Gallos.

"How are you and James?" Mrs. Gallo asked as she spooned the sauce over layers of pasta.

"We're better than ever, Ma," Izzy replied, setting the tray of eggplant on the trivet.

"He's a good man, baby. I'm so happy for you."

"Good isn't a word I'd used to describe him." Izzy laughed, tossing the mitts on the counter before snagging a serving platter from the cabinet.

"I have a feeling he's a lot like your father-"

"Stop right there," Izzy interrupted, turning to look at her ma. "There are things a child should never hear, and that's one of them."

Mrs. Gallo laughed a big, bellowing laugh, her body shaking as her cheeks turned pink. "Child, how do you think we got five kids?"

"You're like the Virgin Mary, Ma."

"Not after your father got his hands on me. I don't think I left the confessional for a month. I had a lot of repenting to do." Her laughter grew louder as Izzy winced.

"See the s.h.i.t I have to put up with in this house?" Izzy asked, throwing her hands up.

"Izzy, I don't feel sorry for you at all. Be thankful you have a mother to talk with like this."

Both sets of eyes looked at me, sadness written all over their faces.

"What do you need me to do next?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"That's it," Mrs. Gallo said, walking up to me and once again giving me a hug. This time, it was gentle and brief. "Let's get my future grandbaby nourished." She placed her hand over my stomach and looked up at me with a cheerful expression. "Maybe someday I'll be feeding one inside you."

Oh s.h.i.t. I couldn't imagine having a baby now-or in five years. I didn't even have my s.h.i.t together. I didn't have an education or a career, and the last thing I wanted to be was barefoot and pregnant.

"Don't start that s.h.i.t, Ma. You're going to scare her away. One baby at a time."

"You're next, Izzy. I can feel it."

"You better be feeling something else, because that is not happening anytime soon. I'm too young and having too much d.a.m.n fun to have a baby ruin everything."

"Izzy," her mother scolded her. "Babies don't ruin anything. They bring so much joy."

"Yeah. They also bring a lot of s.h.i.t and sleepless nights. I'll skip that mess for now."

"You're ridiculous. I love all my kids."

"Uh huh," Izzy muttered, grabbing the meatb.a.l.l.s and heading into the dining room.

I picked up salad and bread, following Izzy as we made a couple of trips back and forth. We filled the gla.s.ses with drinks and made sure everything was laid out to her mother's liking before Izzy yelled, "Dinner!" from the middle of the room.

Seconds later, everyone was jockeying for a spot at the table. Thomas casually strolled in, pulling out a chair for me and waiting for me to sit before he did the same next to me.

The conversation flowed easily as the family mercilessly teased each other throughout dinner. Joe seemed like a cool dude with a hint of scary. I'd seen his type around the strip club, but he seemed utterly devoted to his wife and future child. He doted on her, refilling her plate and paying close attention to her every need. He wasn't an a.s.shole biker, but a loving husband with that I'll-kick-your-a.s.s-without-apologizing quality about him.

The brunette-Mia, I learned-was a doctor who ran a local health clinic for the needy population in the area. The smile on her face never left while she talked about work. I wanted that feeling. I wanted the sense of doing something good with my life.

Mike seemed like a brute. He was huge, the beefiest of all the Gallo men. He was a jokester, though, and I could tell he had a big heart. But I couldn't figure out the Mia situation. I could tell he loved her, and everyone kept hinting about marriage, but he kept changing the subject. There was more to the story, and I hoped it would come out on girls' night out.

Anthony was the oldest and the only unattached of all the siblings. He seemed p.i.s.sed off about love, grumbling under his breath during dinner. Everyone gave him a lot of s.h.i.t, telling him that, someday, a girl would have him by the b.a.l.l.s. I swear I heard him say that they were already taken, but he'd spoken so low that I couldn't be sure.

Through the entire dinner, I kept glancing down at Mr. and Mrs. Gallo. Even after all the years they'd been together, they were still madly in love. It was evident by their constant touching and sideways glances. I envied them for having such a strong relationship, and wondered if that would be Thomas and me in thirty years. Allowing myself to think that way might be dangerous, but I could have a dream.

The love and acceptance in this room hit me like a ton of bricks as I took stock of those around me. No matter what they said or how they joked, behind it all was love. They accepted and loved each other.

Not once in my entire life had I sat around a table like this. I had been to huge gatherings-mostly biker parties or celebrations where members wandered about, scarfing down plates of food and bulls.h.i.tting-but nothing like this.

Wondering what Christmas would be like, I imagined happy children giddy to open their presents as they sat around the tree. When I was young, I'd been lucky to get a small trinket from one of the guys my mom had been f.u.c.king at the time. I felt robbed of my childhood the more I watched this family interact. h.e.l.l, I'd been robbed of the family experience in my adulthood too-and I was p.i.s.sed.

Feeling a need to be alone and wallow in my self-pity, I placed my napkin on the table and pushed my chair back. "Where's the bathroom?" I whispered in Thomas's ear.

He stopped moving, his fork touching his lips. "Are you okay?" he asked, turning toward me and looking me straight in the eyes.

"Yeah," I replied, nodding and praying that he believed my lie. "Just need to go to the bathroom, baby." I plastered a fake smile on my face, attempting to make my story more believable.

"I'll show you," he responded, setting his fork on his plate. "We'll be right back everyone," he announced, standing and tossing his napkin on the chair.

"I can go myself." I didn't want to pull him away from his family. I needed a moment to collect my thoughts.

"No, I'll take you." He smiled, brushing his fingers against my cheek.

"Don't be too long. Don't go pulling a Mike and Mia," Izzy told us before we walked out into the foyer.

"What's she talking about?"

"Long story. Don't worry about it." He stopped walking and turned to face me. "Are you really okay?" His eyes searched mine-looking for what, I didn't exactly know.

"I am," I lied again, not wanting to bring down the happy party at the dinner table. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin any moment he had with his family.

"It's a lot to take in. Remember, I know your mother really well."

"Please say you didn't-" I started before he put his index finger against my lips.

"No!" he growled, shaking his head. "I know what a s.h.i.tty person she is. I wouldn't let that woman near my d.i.c.k even if it would have been the only way to bring down the MC."

"Thank G.o.d." I dragged my hands down my face, trying to wash that image out of my mind. "I just needed a minute. I love your family. They're amazing. I feel like it's a crazy sitcom on television. You're one of the luckiest people I know."

"Hey," he said, lifting my chin with his fingers and forcing my eyes to meet his. "You may have gone without it for the first part of your life, but if you stay with me, they'll become your family."

Could I stay and feel like part of this family? I knew I wanted that. I wanted to be a Gallo. I wanted someone to call Mom and Dad, and a place where I felt I belonged.

"I know." I waved my hand at him, feeling my eyes fill with tears. "I need to stop focusing on what I missed and realize what can be mine."

"I'm yours," he whispered, catching a tear as it trickled down my cheek. "As long as you'll have me, I'll be yours."

His words gave me that mushy feeling as b.u.t.terflies filled my stomach. I'd waited forever for those words, and the more he said it lately, the more I truly believed them.

"I'm being a stupid girl," I whined, sniffling and wiping my nose with the back of my hand in the most unladylike fashion.

"Come here, Angel." He held out his hand, waiting for me to curl into his body like I often did.

I felt at home and completely at peace in his arms. So I rested my head on his shoulder and cried softly as he rubbed my back and whispered words of rea.s.surance in my ear.

I pulled away, leaving his shirt damp, and sniffled. After wiping my face, I was ready to face the family again, but I was sure I looked like a hot mess.

"Give me five minutes to get myself together and I'll come back in. Go eat, baby."

He grabbed my face and swiped my remaining tears away with his thumbs. "Don't take too long or I'm sending Izzy to find you." Then he smiled, pulled my face to his, and kissed me.

Wrapping my arms around him, I returned his kiss, letting my tongue wander inside his mouth for a taste.

"Sorry," I murmured against his lips as I sniffled. It hadn't been the s.e.xiest kiss I had ever given him.

"You can make up for it when we get home," he said, a small grin playing on his lips.

"Should we go now?" I offered, rubbing my hand against his chest.

"No. You'll have to wait. Antic.i.p.ation makes it better," he whispered, causing my insides to twitch.

This morning I'd prayed for death. But now I wanted him inside me. On top of me and all over my body.

"I'll let you know if it does." I winked at him before pushing away and climbing the steps.

Looking behind me, I saw him laughing and watching me sway my hips as I walked. The man was devastatingly handsome. I was the luckiest b.i.t.c.h alive to have him in my life. For once, the G.o.ds had picked me to hit the jackpot. Lord knows they owed me one for having given me an a.s.shole mother.

Chapter 17.

Watching Angel through the sliding gla.s.s door as I sat on the couch, I knew the internal struggle she felt. Although this was my family, I didn't feel like a true member. Being away had altered things, and I was still trying to find my place amongst the others. I couldn't imagine her feelings about being an outsider and walking into this insanity.

She threw her head back, grabbing her stomach as she laughed. Izzy, Mia, Suzy, and Ma were sitting outside, talking out of our earshot. It was great to watch them interact from afar and study Angel's body language. She seemed at ease and more comfortable with the girls than she had when she'd walked in the door. She fit in nicely with the women my brothers had brought into their lives.

Izzy was the ringleader, which wasn't surprising, but it could be a complete disaster. She didn't put much thought into s.h.i.t before she acted, which was the one thing that had scared me about her as she'd been growing up. Teenagers were already spontaneous and typically didn't think about the consequences, but Izzy had given sanity a run for its money. I'd thought she'd calm down as an adult and give the family some peace, but I had been wrong. She was the free spirit, living life by the seat of her pants.

"Nice sight, isn't it?" James asked from next to me on the couch, looking out the window with me.

"Yeah," I replied, staring at Angel and smiling. "Best f.u.c.king sight there is."

"She seems to fit in well, Thomas. You were right about her."

I glanced at him and squinted. "Did you doubt my judgment?"

"Nah, but it was some risky s.h.i.t."

"I wouldn't have fallen in love with her if she weren't an amazing woman."

"Hey," Mike interrupted as he rolled over on the floor to face James and me.

"What?" I asked, happy to change the subject.

"Let's do a poker night when the girls go out. I could use a night out too."

"In the mood to lose all your money?" Joe asked Mike.

"I'm going to kick your a.s.s, Joey," Mike responded.

"Not happening."

Mike laughed, slapping the floor. "Dude, you haven't beaten me at cards in five years."

"It's because your a.s.s cheats," I replied, speaking up for Joe.

"p.u.s.s.ies," Mike muttered, sitting up and looking over at Anthony. "You in?"

Anthony glanced up from his phone, his eyebrows knitted together as he stared at Mike. "What?"