“Yes.” I felt almost embarrassed. For some reason, I was never comfortable with my success around other people. I liked that it let me do the things that mattered, like helping Jose’s daughter go to school, the BBQ, and starting a winery, but it always embarrassed me when people realized who I was.
“That Gentry then. You do excellent work.” It appeared the conversation was over. Giovanni turned around, took another caddy of shots from Stone, and set them on the table.
“It’s a bit of a surprise to see Rinalto here. He’s never used the chef’s table, so please forgive our bad manners.” I noticed how his son said almost the same thing. “Let me know if you need help keeping my boy in line, and I’ll slap some sense into him.” He looked so much like River. He was handsome and lean like his son, though he had a full head of gray hair.
“I will keep that in mind, Sir. Though we haven’t run into any problems so far.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” He looked at his son and grunted. You could see how this family loved each other.
Tony handed each of us a shot. I eyed it warily. I’d eaten a few garlic knots, hoping it soaked up the alcohol. Regardless, I wasn’t about to refuse a shot from River’s father, no matter what.
“Welcome to the family! Salute!” Everyone drank.
“Enjoy your meal. We’ll see you Sunday.” Both men walked back over to the stoves. Their sous chefs all went back to their stations.
Cecelia stood up. “Aaron, it's lovely to meet you. I am sure we will talk often. I assume you have an assistant. I’ll get together with them to coordinate schedules." River and I grinned at each other. "You’re part of an Italian family. Now, there is time for work, and there is time for play. River works too hard. It seems you have already gotten him to play a little more.”
His mom was the only one left. She put her hand over mine. “Rinalto here, he is my baby. As Cecelia said, he works too hard. He has never brought a man around before, so you must be special to him. I never imagined this day would come when he seemed to spend his life married to work. Now, a dragon and a boyfriend in the same week. Ihave hope that he will start enjoying himself and spending that money he has on fun things.” She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
“I’ll see you Sunday. I’ll tell you some of his secrets.” She grinned at her son. She slid out of the booth and walked around to him. He got up and hugged her.
“I love you, Madre. Thank you.” I’ll be at the family dinner this week.
“I better see you both. Aaron is family now. He needs to be at family dinner.” She looked at him seriously, and he bowed his head.
“I’ll try, mama.” She walked back over and started working on the pasta again with Cecelia.
He sighed deeply. “That should be the worst of it. My father told Stone to keep everyone else away. There are cousins that I am sure would love to come back. You met Maria. We’ve all worked here at one time or another. It’s a family business first.”
“I can see that. River, all of them are wonderful. I’ve never experienced a family this size before. They are so welcoming to me, like I am part of the group.”
“Oh, you are! I am sure some of it is because I’ve never introduced someone as a boyfriend. The other thing, though, is if a person is important to one of us, they are important to all of us. It’s cultural, I think. I’ve never known any different.” He looked at me almost bashfully.
“I like them.” I was excited to get to know his family more.
Chapter twenty-three
River
I looked at Aaron. He smiled and seemed perfectly content. Meeting my family could be overwhelming, but I loved them so much. They cared about me and had my back when I walked in on a date, which surprised them. I could see how happy they were for me. I go to my family for the best and worst things. I recalled when I signed my first mid-level athlete. Mama didn’t know who I was talking about but was so excited for me. They seemed to like Aaron. In some ways, I felt relieved even though I knew there was no way they wouldn’t. He was charming, caring, thoughtful, funny, and sexy.
He leaned over and kissed me gently. After the whirlwind we went through, his kiss made everything realign.
“So that’s some of my family.” I chuckled. “You didn't meet two of my brothers. Many other family members, including my grandma and thirteen cousins.”
“You have a big family. I have no idea what that is like, but based on how welcome I feel, I will like it.”
“Our family's lifeblood is this restaurant. Dad and Uncle Sal didn’t even try to get their Michelin stars. They just cooked their food, and it happened. I’m not even sure they understand the significance of what the stars mean.” He laughed and shook his head.
“That’s amazing.”
“They are twins and do everything together. Cooking is just an extension of that. My mom and Aunt are sisters, so two sisters married two brothers.” Being around them made me smile. Ultimately, I was glad I brought Aaron. Delizioso is authentic Italian food. The portions were generous, and the food was delicious. I was proud of my family for what they had done.
“You didn’t mention this was your family’s business.”
“I never brought someone here, so I wasn’t exactly sure what would happen. I am sorry it was a little overwhelming.”
“It was fine and fun to see you stumble through.” Our food arrived. There were dishes of pasta with beautiful homemade sauces. They also brought a piece of lasagna, braised artichokes, and zucchini. I took the empty plates and served up everything, setting one of the plates in front of Aaron.
