Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
The exact same way everyone in town did whenever they saw him.
It was the first time I’d ever had social anxiety in my life.
Constantine was immediately overrun with people giving him hugs and embraces, sharing jokes and pleasantries. “Guys, this is Aurelia.” He didn’t explain further who I was, if I was a friend or something more. But how would he explain to people that I was basically a vacation fuck buddy?
They all seemed thrilled to see me, like I was automatically included in this club just by knowing Constantine.
A bunch of ice chests were scattered on the patio, so he walked over to one. “Sweetheart, what do you want to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
“We don’t have water.”
“You don’t have water?” I asked in mild surprise.
“We aren’t really water-drinking people. How about wine?”
“Sure.”
He grabbed an already uncorked bottle of white wine from a chilled bucket and poured two glasses. A group of guys came up to talk to Constantine, and I recognized one of them from the beach, Francesco.
He greeted me with a tight hug. “Aurelia is cool. She jumped off the rock with us at the beach the other day.”
Constantine introduced me to the rest of the guys, and they all seemed to be first, second, and third cousins. They talked about tennis and football, and they joked they’d heard his mother screaming from the kitchen earlier.
It was definitely casual, and I didn’t feel on display as I’d feared I would be. Looked at as an outsider. Judged for not being pretty enough for Constantine. Because, let’s face it, the guy was way out of my league.
A woman I assumed to be his mother, because her voice sounded the same, stepped onto the terrace. “Dinner is ready.”
Everyone raised their glasses and cheered.
It was definitely the most energetic and festive party I’d ever been to.
People filed into the house, and we joined the line.
His mother was in the hallway when we passed, and her eyes lit up at the sight of Constantine. It reminded me of the way my mother used to look at me, like I was the light of her life, the only thing that mattered.
“My boy.” She hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek several times.
“You drunk, Ma?” he asked as she continued to hold on to him. He rubbed her back as she remained buried in his chest, a foot and a half shorter than him. She had to be five feet tall, and I didn’t know how she’d pushed him and his brother out of her special place.
She pulled away without answering the question, and her eyes immediately landed on me, absorbing me with a slightly glossy stare. Analyzing me like every mother did to make sure I was good enough for her son, even though I was just fucking him at the moment. “Oh my god, Con. She’s beautiful.”
“I told you.”
“Oh, you’re so beautiful!” She hugged me hard and squeezed me tight.
The gesture was so unexpected I let out a laugh as I looked at Constantine over her shoulder.
He shrugged.
“That’s sweet of you to say,” I said. “Thank you. And thank you for having me.”
“No, no, no.” She pulled away and gripped both of my hands in hers. “You’re welcome here, honey. I’m so happy you’re here. Your hair is just beautiful. And you’re nice and tall—”
“Ma.” Constantine put his hand on his shoulder. “We’re holding up the line. Can’t let people go hungry, right?”
“Of course,” she said. “You’re right. We’ll catch up later.” She moved farther down the line, letting everyone else get their food first.
We walked a few steps forward, the people ahead of us slowly making their way to the kitchen, where the food was on display so people could load up their plates. All the dread I’d felt at meeting his family suddenly felt ridiculous because they’d all been so lovely. The matriarch was usually the least accepting, but she’d brought me into her arms like I was welcome before she even met me. “You have a really nice family.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty great.” He moved into me, his arm curling around the small of my back, embracing me in the presence of his family the way he did when we were alone. “A little bit drunk and crazy, but still great.”
“I’m excited to meet your dad.”
There was a quick hesitation on his face, his eyes shifting away.
I knew him well enough to know that wasn’t the right thing to say. “Oh, did he pass away?”
“Yeah, he’s been gone awhile.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. You didn’t know.”
A man had never called me sweetheart and he probably called everyone in his bed by the endearment, but I still loved it when he called me that. It made me feel special, even if it was overused.
He quickly changed the subject. “So, if you really want my family to like you, I have some advice.”