“Is this about last night?” Stupid question, considering I knew the answer. I guess part of me simply wanted that slight confirmation.

“What do you think? I’m proud of you for kicking his ass, cara mia, but I think it has more to do with the conversation you had with your brother afterward.”

I grabbed some eggs and bacon, placing the bacon in the pan and scrambled up some eggs. Then I popped some bread in the toaster to sop up all the booze.

“Great. Mom, you know I’m right. They shield every move I make. That you know of, how many guys have they beat the hell out of when they showed the least bit of interest in me or paid off to leave me alone?”

“They are trying to keep you safe.” She completely ignored either question, which was her way. If she didn’t like where you were going with something, she steered the conversation in a different direction.

“I know that, but how am I ever going to meet someone? I’ll never give you grandkids. They won’t allow it.” Low blow, but Mom had groaned on and on about how she couldn’t wait for little babies running around again. I was so not ready for that, but using it just might help my case.

“That’s absurd. There just hasn’t been anyone good enough.” The seriousness in her voice didn’t soothe me. She was totally on their side in this, even with the baby thrown in. Damn.

I scoffed. “What about the lawyer I met? He was a freaking lawyer! Great job, good family, and had a heart of gold. Don’t think I don’t know what happened.”

My blood pressure spiked merely thinking about Chris. He would have been perfect, but no. He was a prosecutor, and my family thought it would be horrible for me to get with him. Then there was the excuse that he wasn’t part of the family. Newsflash! I needed to find someone outside the family because I was related to everyone.

It didn’t matter anyway, because my brothers had scared him off. I wished he hadn’t been such a pussy to allow it to happen. It pissed me off, but I just kept telling myself that, one day, it would happen. One day, a man would have the balls to stand up to my father and brothers. I had to keep telling myself that, or I was going to lose my ever-loving mind. I sounded like such a fucking loser. I needed to knock this self-loathing crap off fast, or Kiera would definitely kick my ass.

“I know. Your brothers are just protective. They only have your best interest at heart. They see it as their job,” Mom said.

The need to laugh grew, but I held it in. How long was this job going to go on? That was what I wanted to ask.

“I know, Mom. I do. It’s just hard. I’m getting older. I can’t have Daddy and the boys taking out every potential man. You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes. Be here at eleven. We will talk then.” Mom was curt, which meant she was done with our conversation.

“Yeah, Mom, I’ll be there.”

Hanging up, I then piled food on a plate and dug in, each bite helping to soak up the rest of the booze. After eating, I headed upstairs and got ready for this meeting.

The drive to Mom and Dad’s house was less than a mile. If I wasn’t so damn hungover, I would have walked, but Scraper hated it when I did that. He said it was safer to drive, and he was right. I just liked to walk sometimes.

Driving up to the estate my father had built, I saw my brothers’ truck and jeep lined the driveway almost like a taunt. Scraper pulled up to the front door of the large, circular drive.

At three stories tall and the width of a football field, my parent’s home had always been huge and grand, but I didn’t see it that way. I saw it as home.

I didn’t bother knocking as I opened the door, and my mother greeted me immediately like the wonderful hostess she was as I entered the foyer.

“You’re here, cara mia.” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed hard before pulling away to kiss both my cheeks. Affection and love flooded through me at my mother’s gentle touch.

“I’m here, entering into the firing range,” I joked—well, sort of.

“Nonsense. You’ve done nothing wrong, so stop worrying.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room. “Go in. I’ll get the espresso and croissants.”

I nodded, turning to the room where all conversation ceased as my family looked up and into my eyes. There was no anger or disapproval in them, only concern.

I breathed in deeply, never wanting to disappoint them, especially my father, though I always seemed to walk on that edge.

My dad was the first to rise and greet me. “Rina, I’m happy to see you. You did me proud last night.”

I blushed as he wrapped his arms around me, tightly hugging me. I always loved hearing Rina come out in his faint Italian accent. My father had salt and pepper hair and the most breathtaking blue eyes that stood out amongst his tan skin. I had seen pictures of when he was younger, and I swear he looked the same except for the hair. However, the thing I loved the most was his heart. He loved us kids with everything he had in him and never hid it.

“That little pissant will never hurt you again.” His words were tinged with venom and not something that I regularly heard, but I didn’t allow that to dig deeply.

“I know, Daddy. I won’t let him.”

He kissed me on the cheek before pulling away. Then my brothers greeted me in the same manner, and I laughed, letting the happiness seep through me.

“Sit,” my father commanded, and I immediately took an open spot as Mom came in with a tray of goodies. I reached for mine, and then she moved on to my brothers and father.

I sat there quietly, waiting ... wondering…

Finally, my father reclined in his chair, setting his espresso to the side of him on the table, then interlaced his fingers and rested them on his chest. His eyes were warm, helping that knot that had grown deep inside me to loosen a bit. He was relaxed and not angry in the slightest.

“Some of what you said to Val last night is true. We do guard you, but we didn’t get rid of Antonio, now did we?”

I shook my head, feeling the guilt of my bad decision weighing on my shoulders. I knew they hadn’t liked him from the start, but I had always thought Antonio would one day fit in. He belonged to a well-respected Italian family, and he was respectful to my family, never giving me any inclination he was a douche.

“I knew what a pissant he was. Did I know he was a cheater? No, because I would have never allowed that.” His tone turned harsh and determined in the blink of an eye.

“I know, Daddy,” I tried to reassure him. I’m not sure why I felt the urge to do that, but I did. I knew he wouldn’t have allowed Antonio to cheat if he had known.

“What did you learn from that little shit?” My father asked while my brothers stared at me like I was a freaking science experiment waiting to blow up. My mom sat quietly, drinking her espresso next to Dad, every once in a while looking up at me reassuringly yet not saying anything, surprisingly.

“Not to trust,” I grumbled under my breath because seeing Antonio’s dick in that skank had fully showed me a reason never to trust anyone.

“No,” my father said curtly, clipping off my thoughts and making me jump slightly. “Trusting someone is a very special gift that you share with another human being. It is when they break it that they are completely unworthy. Try again.”

I racked my brain, pondering for a few moments. It was so damn quiet you could have heard a pin drop in the room, everyone waiting to hear my answer. I hated being on display, and it unnerved me a bit. I had gotten better with it over the years because of my job, but with my family, it still bothered me.

When it hit me, it struck like a raging bull, knocking me dead on my ass. When I spoke, my voice was quiet and subdued, completely embarrassed. “Don’t settle. Just because I’m ready, it doesn’t mean I need to jump into anything. I have time. Even though it doesn’t feel like it, I do.”