Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Gio

Gio took a slow swig of his beer before smiling at Noah. “Because she keeps your ass in check.”

Noah laughed. “Whatever. She’s never even had to try.” He turned to Bianca. “Speaking of, dinner is gonna be few more minutes but Roni asked me to send you in, Bianca. She’s in there finishing up, and she wanted to meet you.”

Bianca stood up, smiling. Felix stood with her. “I wanna say hi to Roni too.” They both followed Noah back in the house. Gio barely waited for them to be out of earshot before looking back at Abel. “Look, I hear where you’re coming from, but don’t even go there with him. It will not go over well. I’m telling you.” Abel frowned, making Gio shake his head again. “All right, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Gio always knew Abel had his reservations about Noah dating someone so much older, but he’d kept it to himself for the most part. This is why it surprised him that Abel was being such a hard ass about it now. Gio knew Abel just had Noah’s best interest at heart, but Abel couldn’t be that blind. Noah wasn’t changing his mind about Roni—not now, not ever.

A top-of-the-line SUV pulled up in front of Noah’s house, distracting them all momentarily. Gio continued to take sips of his beer as the girl in the SUV stepped out and walked around to the passenger side of the truck. She wore all black—a black sweater dress, black tights and black heels. Even her hair that she wore in a sophisticated sleek bob looked black in the evening light. She leaned into the passenger side door to get something, giving them all a clear view of a very nice ass.

Hector, who’d been leaning back on the stairs, sat up. “Who’s that?”

Both Gio and Abel shook their heads. Unlike Abel, who seemed just as interested as his brother, Gio was curious more than anything. Neither Noah nor Roni had any family that he knew of. As she walked up the walkway and Gio got a closer look, his jaw dropped. “Nellie?”

Abel’s head literally jerked back to Gio and was back on Nellie in an instant—Roni’s best friend. She’d done a complete one-eighty since the last time they’d seen her. “Hey, guys,” she said, walking up the stairs.

Gio got up to hug her. “Wow, Nel. You look so different.”

Abel and Hector weren’t as affectionate. They both just smiled, nodding their heads to greet her.

“Yeah, I finally put the weight back on that I lost last year.” Gio tried not to stare too hard as he took all of her in. She was the epitome of sophistication. Her nails were perfectly manicured, she was draped in expensive jewelry, and her makeup was as flawless as the times Bianca said she’d had hers done. “It was a rough year for me, but I’m better now.”

Gio smiled in agreement. “Well, you certainly look all better.” Neither Hector nor Abel said much, but Gio caught the way Abel checked her out several times. Gio couldn’t help but smirk as he got the door for Nellie. “Roni’s inside. They said dinner is almost ready.”

Gio watched her walk all the way in then turned to Abel. “Damn!” He chuckled. “Too bad she’s eight fucking big ones older than us, huh?”

Abel rolled his eyes, leaning back on the railing. “Even if she weren’t, she’s not my type.”

“Bullshit!” Gio laughed. “I saw the way you were eatin’ her up with your eyes.”

Abel shrugged with a smirk. “I didn’t say she didn’t look good. I’m just saying she’s not my type. I’ve talked to her before, and on top of being too old for my taste, I heard she’s got tons of drama going on in her life. No thanks. I’ll pass.”

Noah opened the door. “Perfect timing.” The guys all turned to look behind them at whoever he was talking to and saw Jack walking up the walkway. “I was about to tell these guys dinner is ready. So you’re just in time, Jack.”

“Good ’cause I’m starved.” He held a paper bag with a bottle of some kind of booze in it.

Gio smiled, reaching out to hug him as he stepped onto the porch. “How’s it going, old man?”

“I’m still kicking.”

“And punching,” Hector added laughing. “You should’ve seen him take a swing at me the other day.”

Jack pretended to swing at him now, and Hector dodged out of the way. “I’ll swing at you again if your brother tells me you’re still gettin’ in trouble at school, you wise ass.”

Gio turned to Hector. “You still getting in trouble?” Hector shrugged, glancing at Abel, who wasn’t smiling. “What’s your problem?”

“His problem is he needs to stop wasting that brain he’s got on bullshit.” Abel shook his head, glaring down at Hector. “He can ace his AP Stats class, but he can’t figure out how to stay out of trouble.”

Hector rushed by Abel and into the house before Abel who looked ready to take a swing at him got a chance.

Gio laughed as they all walked in together. Roni looked as adorable as ever with her long tight ringlets hanging down around her face, and as expected, their announcement wasn’t much of a surprise. Nellie still stood up and hugged Roni with a squeal. Then she hugged Noah. “I already knew, but still, I’m so excited for you guys!”

Noah rolled his eyes but laughed. “I figured that much. She swore me to secrecy, but she told you?”

“I had to tell someone!” Roni explained.

Watching them as they talked about babies and marriage and their future, there was no doubt in Gio’s mind Noah was not making a mistake. Abel’s mom was just old school, but to Abel, she could do or say no wrong. Whatever the woman said was golden as far as he was concerned. As much as Abel could kick some ass for the most part, he stayed cool unless provoked. But the one thing that would light his fuse faster than anything was saying something bad about that boy’s momma. You couldn’t even mess around with Yo Momma jokes with him unless you wanted your ass handed to you.

It made sense now. If his mom had told him she thought eight years was too much of an age difference, no wonder he was so damn adamant about it.

Roni and Noah spoke of their plans to turn one of the extra bedrooms in the house into a nursery as soon as they found out the gender of the baby.

Gio’s eyes locked with Bianca’s a few times as the dinner went on. At first, he thought he’d imagined it. Maybe she’d just looked his way, and their eyes had just so happened to stop at the same time. But it happened several times after that. As nervous as it made him that someone might notice, he could not bring himself to stop looking her way.

She may as well have been glowing, because regardless of where his eyes focused in an effort to keep them off her, she always stayed in his peripheral view. He was aware of her every movement. Anytime she lifted her glass or wiped her mouth was reason enough to look her way. It came as a bit of a surprise, but it was almost annoying too that he had so little control over something so simple—staying focused on whoever was speaking. What surprised him most was how indiscreet she was. Thankfully Felix was too busy yapping and catching up with the guys to notice her wandering eyes.

“So, Abel, I hear you’re finally getting rid of your truck?” Roni said as she stood, lifting her plate from the table.

“Get rid of it? No way. Old Nellie still has a few years left in her. I’m passing her on to this guy if he ever stops getting in trouble.” He pointed to Hector, not noticing the room suddenly felt as if someone had pulled the plug on the cheery buzz that had filled the air just before his comment.

Finally, something drew Gio’s attention away from Bianca, and he turned to Nellie, who was now on her feet also lifting her plate, her lips pressed tightly together.

Gio caught the murderous glare Noah gave Abel.

“I … I didn’t mean it like that,” Abel stammered, understanding now the error of his choice in words. “It’s a saying. You know, like old Bessie.”

Nellie nodded with a smirk but lifted a very telling eyebrow. “No worries. I have a few good years left in me too.” She took her plate and glass and walked away to the kitchen. Jack, who sat next to Gio, shook his head, chuckling as he dug into his slice of pie.

“What the fuck’s the matter with you?” Noah hissed at Abel under his breath.

“It’s okay,” Roni tried to assure them, continuing to gather more empty plates atop of hers. “I’m sure she knows you didn’t mean anything by it. And her middle name is Bessie by the way.” Abel’s jaw fell open and Roni giggled. “I’m kidding!”

Jack laughed even louder now.

“What’s the big deal?” Hector asked. “She ain’t old.”

“No, she’s not.” Roni agreed, walking off to the kitchen.

Felix laughed a little, and Bianca jabbed him with her elbow, but he could tell she was having a hard time holding it in herself. As tempted as Gio was to say something, he kept his comments to himself. He could tell Abel was already feeling like a dumb ass the way he glanced around as if he was trying to think of a way to bolt out of there. Served him right for what he’d said earlier about Roni.

Wisely, Abel didn’t make things worse by commenting further about “Old Nellie.” He cleared his throat and took a drink of his beer. Then he turned to Noah, who was still glaring at him. “I, uh ... I thought I’d stick with another truck, but when I saw this car my uncle had told me about, I had to have it.”

“What kind of car is it?” Felix asked.

“Nineteen seventy-two Gran Torino.”

“What?” Noah laughed.

Abel smiled, obviously glad Noah was laughing now instead of glaring.

“Figures you’d get a muscle car.” Gio chuckled, still struggling from keeping his eyes roaming into dangerous territory, especially since all eyes were on him for the moment.

Roni and Nellie strolled back into the room and sat down. Roni reached for a dessert plate while Nellie reached for her glass of wine and took a sip. Gio couldn’t help but smirk at Abel’s noticeable discomfort.

“So when do you get it?” Noah asked.

“In, uh…” Abel cleared his throat again.

Gio’s eyes were on Bianca again as she tried to hide her smile under her napkin. Apparently, she was having as much fun with Abel’s discomfort as Gio was. He smiled at her then turned quickly away, his eyes now stopping on Roni who’d caught the exchange. She smiled and turned back to her dessert.

“. . . a few days.”

Unlike Gio, who couldn’t go more than a few minutes without looking in Bianca’s direction, Abel did an excellent job of looking everywhere but in Nellie’s.

After grilling Abel for a few more minutes on the specs of the car, Bianca wiped her napkin over her evil little grin and addressed Nellie. “You said you just bought a new car too, right? What kind did you get?”

Gio laughed inwardly. Way to have fun by pointing out that these two had something in common albeit it was minimal. And doing it in front of everyone, especially given the fact that Abel was already uncomfortable, was genius.

Nellie seemed surprised. Bianca hadn’t said much up until now, and to speak up suddenly and address the other person who’d hardly said anything clearly threw her. Everyone’s attention was on Nellie now. Everyone that is except Abel who had a sudden interest in reading his beer label. Gio almost threw his balled-up napkin at him so Abel could see that Gio knew what he was doing. He wasn’t fooling anyone. But he had to remind himself they were all adults now and refrained.

“It’s a Denali.” Nellie smiled.

“Her divorce-is-final gift to herself,” Roni added with a big smile and a wink at Nellie.

Now they had Abel’s attention.