Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
His kids—becoming a father gave Lucian purpose he didn’t know existed—kept him laughing and looking forward to what was yet to come. And then there were his brothers ... who let him be weak because his body didn’t give him a choice. Late night chats and some of the best bud he’d ever smoked had him chowing down greasy fast food when he was doing chemo once a week and hadn’t been taking in nearly enough calories before.
He didn’t wonder how he got through it ...
Just that he did at all.
“What is it?” Jordyn asked him.
All at once, he thought he might know exactly how to explain what that call did for him.
“I didn’t realize how hard it’s been just to breathe. It’s not so hard right now.”
Her gaze met his and she slumped back into the passenger seat. Lucian stared out the street, their car still running on the side of the road where he’d pulled over to take the call from Ralph.
He could breathe.
It was like he could finally breathe.
Giovanni Outtakes
Famous Last Words
“Ma!” Catherine barked. “I wants that, now!”
“No,” Catrina replied.
“MA.”
“Catherine Cecelia, the answer is no.”
“But, Ma—”
Catrina gave her daughter a raised eyebrow and that was it, the girl scampered off with a pout that could rival any puppy dog.
“Find Daddy then,” Catherine mumbled on her way out of the kitchen.
“Do that,” Catrina said.
At nearly two-years-old, Gio’s niece was her mother all over. Gio knew better than to tell Catrina that, though, not unless he wanted one of those looks to be leveled on him.
“The attitude from that one is strong,” Kim said.
Catrina pursed her lips and tapped her nails to the tabletop. “I know.”
“Wonder where she gets it from,” Jordyn said with a sly grin as she turned away from the stove. She was heavily pregnant with her third child and ready to go any day. Why Lucian wasn’t hovering over his wife like a hawk, Gio didn’t know. His brother was bad for that whenever Jordyn was pregnant.
Catrina simpered with a smile. “Not me, of course.”
“Of course,” Gio drawled.
“Watch it, Giovanni,” Catrina warned. “Or I’ll have you washing the dishes with Dante later.”
Gio shot the stainless steel dishwasher a passing look. “What’s that there for, to look pretty?”
“I just cleaned it,” Catrina defended.
“It’s supposed to get dirty. You wash dirty dishes with it.”
Jordyn snickered into her hand.
Even Kim laughed.
Catrina shrugged. “There’s a man in my kitchen talking. You’d think after all these years, they would learn to stay away.”
Gio smirked. “I’m not very good at following rules.”
“Where’s Andino?” Catrina asked as she surveyed her nails.
Gio swore his sister-in-law only did that shit to annoy people. She was the only female he knew who could act as sweet as sugar with the evilest intentions behind it. He supposed that was why Dante adored his wife so much—people misjudged Catrina Marcello and then were left picking up the bloody pieces when she was done with them.
He’d quickly learned to tread carefully whenever her smartass came out to play.
“With Dante,” Gio replied.
Or at least, that’s where Andino muttered about going when they arrived. The toddler was quiet for his age, Gio liked that about his son. The boy was also terribly attached to his uncle Dante, for whatever reason. Gio didn’t mind that, either.
“Dante is working on changing the oil in my car,” Catrina informed.
Grease.
Oil.
Dirt.
Shit.
Gio could see the look of horror on Kim’s face starting to form before Catrina even got the words out. Andino could slip the eye of any man, even if he was in a room full of them. It was even worse when he was told not to touch something and the kid knew he could make a mess of it.
Andino found trouble that way—he was damn good at it.
“Dammit,” Gio grumbled.
“Language in my kitchen,” Cat chided.
Just like his mother ...
Gio scowled and flipped his sister-in-law with the middle finger as he left in search of his—likely messy, now—son.
“That was easy,” he heard Cat say.
Kim laughed. “He’s learning.”
*
“Stop fighting, Andino.”
“But, Papa—”
“Stop it. If you get that crap all over me, I’m not going to be very happy, kid.”
The toddler’s squirming ceased. Gio continued his trek down the hallway toward the bathroom, holding Andino under his arm like the kid was a football.
“Did you see the picture I made, Papa?” Andino asked.
Gio tried to hold it back, but he still laughed. “On the side of your uncle’s nice white Mercedes? Yes.”
Poor Dante.
He’d just had that car painted, too.
Once Dante realized what Andino had done while Michel watched on and said nothing, Gio’s brother looked like he was ready to explode. Gio kindly pointed out that the toddler couldn’t be blamed when the adult was less than twenty feet away with his head stuck under a car. He then proceeded to point out that Michel couldn’t be blamed either, considering the kid didn’t have a lick of grease or oil on him.