"Dips.h.i.t, pay attention. Poker this week. Are you in?"

"Maybe," he answered then diverted his attention back to his phone.

Mike shrugged and rolled his eyes. "He'll be there. What the f.u.c.k else does he have to do?"

"Don't you guys have a shop to run? How the f.u.c.k are you going to play poker?" I asked Mike.

"Wednesday, we don't have any appointments after six so far. We'll just close the shop early due to a family event."

"Doesn't really qualify as an event," James said to Mike.

"Like f.u.c.k it doesn't. A boys' night out of poker with my brothers sounds like a family event to me. It's settled. Wednesday it is. You b.i.t.c.hes be there so I can take your money. Pop," he said, turning to face my dad, "you want to join us?"

Pop shook his head, laughing. "Son, it wouldn't be fair of me to play. I could never take my kids' money."

"That's a lot of s.h.i.t-talkin', old man-" Mike replied with a giant smile on his face.

Pop held his hand up. "I may be old, but I can still kick your a.s.s, son."

"Someone's feeling frisky." Joe laughed, standing from the couch and heading for the patio. "We gotta jet."

"Big date?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. With my bed and my wife."

"Dude, you still hit that when she's that big?" Anthony asked, placing his phone in his lap.

"s.e.xiest thing in the world is knowing a part of me is growing inside her," Joe responded, reaching for the door handle.

"My s.e.xiest part grows inside someone too, but I sure as h.e.l.l am not talking about a child."

"You're a sick f.u.c.k." Joe shook his head, walking outside and closing the door behind him. Then he crouched down next to Suzy, her eyes lighting up and a smile on her face as they spoke. When he helped her from her seat, he placed his hand over her belly and spoke to the rest of the table. Waving goodbye, he held her protectively against his side and led her through the sliding gla.s.s doors and into the living room.

"Bye, everyone," Suzy squeaked as she glanced around the room. "Don't get up. I'll see you next weekend."

I rose and walked up to her. "It was good to see you again, babe. You ever need anything, call me." I knew my brother was busy with the shop and couldn't always be there for her. I seemed like the obvious choice for right now. I'd do anything for Joe and, in turn, Suzy too.

"What about a Big Mac in the middle of the night?" She laughed, resting her hand on top of her stomach.

I shook my head. "That s.h.i.t Joe will have to get."

"Thought so. He gets all grumpy when I get a wicked craving in the middle of the night."

"Who wants to go to McDonald's at three a.m. for a Big Mac? The smell alone turns my stomach."

"It hits the spot."

"Tonight, you can have lasagna, not a Big Mac," Joe said, looking down at her with a smile.

"You know how to talk dirty to me, baby," she snorted, placing her hand on her stomach. "I'm hungry now."

"You're always hungry," Anthony interjected without glancing up from his phone.

He'd had his face buried in that f.u.c.king thing all night. What the f.u.c.k was so important that he couldn't put it down to spend time with the family? It was unlike him to act this way. Something was up, and he was being tight-lipped about it.

Propping her hand on her hip, Suzy glared at Anthony. "I don't know what crawled up your a.s.s and died, Anthony, but you better get it removed...and quick."

Anthony stared back at her with wide eyes until his eyes softened, small wrinkles formed in the corners, and a huge smile spread across his face. Pop started chuckling and Joe laughed, pulling his wife closer to his side.

"Why don't you tell him how you really feel, sugar?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Take me home, handsome," she replied, placing her hand on his stomach in much the same way he had done to her earlier.

Then they said goodbye, giving everyone a hug and kiss, including Anthony. When Suzy approached Anthony, she whispered something in his ear and he nodded. No one else seemed to notice, but it didn't get by me.

As they walked out, Anthony got up and headed into the kitchen. I followed him, thinking I needed to talk to him. I hadn't had a chance to get him alone and see how he was doing. Plus, I was nosy like everyone else and wanted to see what was stuck in his craw.

"Hey." I stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with my arms folded.

"What's up, bro?"

"Just thought I'd see how you were."

"Couldn't be better," he replied, pouring himself some coffee. "Want a cup?"

"No. I'm good."

"Suit yourself."

"You doing okay?" I didn't move, keeping his escape route blocked.

One thing I knew about my older brother was that he didn't like to talk about his feelings. When we were growing up, he was the most closed off of the Gallo kids, and it hadn't changed as he'd aged.

"Yeah, why?" he asked, keeping his eyes on mine as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Something's up with you. You're grumpier than your normal pleasant self, and your face is always buried in that d.a.m.n phone."

He stared at me for a beat before setting his coffee on the counter. "First, you haven't been around in ages, so what do you know about my normal self?"

Leave it to Anthony to hit below the belt. His comment was true but still s.h.i.tty. I'd lost touch with everyone in my family. I didn't know them anymore. People change over time. f.u.c.k, I was no longer the same brother I had been. I had a darkness inside me I'd never be able to shake.

I waved my hand at him. "Like that s.h.i.t. You're a grouchy b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You were never a grumpy f.u.c.ker. Crotchety, yes, but not a p.r.i.c.k."

"It's the new me." He smiled, crossing his feet as he leaned against the counter.

"Anthony, I know I deserted you-and the entire family, for that matter-but I can tell something is up with you. Talk to me. You always used to confide in me."

"I don't know, man. It's not worth my time to even talk about this chick." He hung his head as his shoulders slumped.

"Why?"

"She f.u.c.kin' drives me crazy."

I laughed, knowing the feeling well. "It's their job, Anth."

"One minute, she's begging me to be with her, and the next, she's pushing me out the door. She has my f.u.c.king head spinning."

"Do you love her?" I asked, pushing off the doorframe and moving toward him.

He scrubbed his hand across his face, moving it into his dark hair before pulling on the short strands. "I haven't been with anyone else in months. I don't know if it's love, but I just can't be with anyone else."

"You've been a one-woman man for months?" I asked in shock.

Anthony was a hound dog. While playing in the band, he'd developed a following and loved his groupies. Sometimes loving them too much.

Nodding, he brought his eyes to mine. "Figure that s.h.i.t out."

I wanted to keep him talking. Anthony was the type who spilled his guts when he was ready, and questioning him wasn't the way to go. Everyone in the family would question him, and he'd instantly shut down.

"She must be pretty special."

"I thought she was, but I don't know anymore, Tommy. I feel like I'm being led around by my b.a.l.l.s."

"What about your b.a.l.l.s?" Mike asked as he walked in the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator door, he paused and looked at us.

"Nothing, man." Anthony picked up his coffee and headed for the living room.

With that, the conversation was over. Mike had the s.h.i.ttiest timing. It was like his greatest gift. He'd f.u.c.king ruined s.h.i.t my entire life with his timing. It had started back in high school when I had Becky in my bed. That relationship had ended in a hurry.

"Way to go, numbskull."

"What?" he asked, pulling the milk carton from the shelf. Without thinking or giving a f.u.c.k, he brought it to his mouth and chugged.

"Nothing," I replied before walking out and leaving him behind.

Angel was standing in the living room, chatting with Anthony when I entered the room. "Hey," she said, touching Anthony on the arm before heading toward me.

"Ready?" I asked her, needing to get out of here and spend some time alone with her. I still had a promise from earlier to fulfill.

She nodded before walking toward my pop. Then she bent down, whispered in his ear, and kissed him on the cheek. A smile so large that his eyes crinkled at the corners spread across his face, showing the tiny wrinkles that had developed in my absence.

As we walked out the front door, I said, "Thank you."

She stopped, pulling me back toward her with her hand. "For what?" she asked, tilting her head and staring at me.

I looked into her beautiful, dark eyes. "For coming today. I know they're a lot to take in."

"I love them, Thomas. After we talked on the stairs, I let your words sink in. I needed to forget about the past and look to the future. They made me feel welcome, and that's something I've never experienced. For the first time in my life, I felt like part of a family." She smiled as pools of water collected in the corners of her eyes.

"They loved you. I knew they would. You're an amazing person, Angel. I knew that from the moment I met you. I knew I couldn't let go of you when my undercover work ended. The mere thought of it haunted me. Gnawed at my soul every time you fell asleep in my arms or professed your feelings about me. Toward the end, when you said you wanted to run away, it gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, you'd come with me when I left."

She blinked, the tears now streaming down her face. "I meant every word of it, Thomas, but only if you were by my side. Jesus, look at me. I'm a mess," she whispered, using the backs of her hands to wipe away her tears.

"No, you're not," I replied, pushing her hands away and using my fingers to catch the tiny teardrops. "You're beautiful and you're mine."

It felt good to finally say the words I'd held inside for months. Every chance I had, I said them to her, making up for lost time. I wanted to remind her how much I loved her and what she meant to me as often as possible.

"Take me home and make love to me, Thomas," she whispered, drawing the pad of my thumb into her mouth as I followed the path of tears to her lips.

I felt her tongue against my flesh. Drawing it deeper into her mouth, she sucked on it, with her mouth around it in a perfect O. My d.i.c.k twitched in response, coming to life and needing relief. I couldn't wait to get her home to finish what I'd wanted to do earlier.

"If you don't stop that, we won't make it home," I growled, sucking in a quick breath as she swirled her tongue around.

Opening her mouth enough to speak, she said, "Antic.i.p.ation."

"f.u.c.k. I was never good at waiting, Angel. You should know that about me by now." After removing my digit from her mouth, I grabbed her hand and pulled her down the walkway toward the car.

"What's your hurry?" she asked, trying to keep up with my quick pace.

The feel of her lips on me had made me impatient. "You have something to take care of." I opened her door, waiting for her to get in, but she stopped in front of me with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face.

"I don't remember having any plans."

I swept my thumb, still damp from her mouth, against her lips. "Something came up." I looked down, motioning to her with my groin before capturing her lips with mine.

Tiny moans escaped her lips, the vibrations ricocheting down my chest and making my c.o.c.k throb. Holding her by the neck, I devoured her mouth. My tongue mingled with hers, tasting the sweetness of the chocolate cake we'd had during dessert. Groaning softly, I knew I couldn't wait until we got home. The drive was over thirty minutes away from my parents'-way too long for my aching c.o.c.k.

"f.u.c.k," she murmured when I moved away, her eyes fluttering open.

"Get your a.s.s in the car."

"Bossy," she whispered before doing as she'd been told.

Once I'd slammed her door closed, I jogged to the driver's side and climbed inside. Then I coasted down the street, looking for the make-out spot so many of us had used in our youth. Down the street from my parents', there was a small trail into the woods that was used for mudding. It opened to a giant field filled with tall gra.s.ses and brush. It was the perfect spot when you needed time alone and were out of cash.

As we drove down the dirt trail, branches lashed against the windows, making a screeching sound.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby. I'm a sure thing. There's no rush."

"My d.i.c.k says otherwise."

She giggled, grabbing my attention and making me glance at her. She was slowly unb.u.t.toning her top, knowing what I wanted.

"Don't," I said, adjusting my rock-hard d.i.c.k as she revealed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Her laughter grew louder as her hands fell away. Then she turned toward me, leaning over and placing her warm palm against my length. Inhaling deeply, needing more than warmth, I tried to stay calm and not just throw it into park.

When we pulled into the field, I found a spot under the only tree, trying to block out the setting sun. At times like these, I was thankful for my muscle car. It didn't have any separator between in the front seat. It was the old-style seat that came in one piece and made f.u.c.king like this possible.