“No.” He looked over his kids, my dog, me. “No, there’s nothing bad about any of this.”
Salvatore kicked his father out of the chair beside mine at the table and took it for himself. When everyone was seated around us, he threaded our fingers together and put our joined hands on the table.
My heart stopped.
His forefinger stroked the space between my knuckles, giving me a kick start.
I looked at him and whispered, “We’re doing this now?”
“Yes.” He brushed my chin with the pads of his fingers. “I love you. You’re part of this family. The sooner they know how much a part you are, the better.”
“Okay.” My heart jumped and jittered, doing a wild, excited, terrified dance. “I love you too.”
He smiled. “I know.”
Lacey, sitting directly across from us, was the first to notice. Her big brown eyes grew impossibly wide as she gasped, her hands flying to her cheeks.
“Oh my goodness. Uncle Sally and Bea!” She shoved Scarlet’s shoulder. “Look at them! Oh my goodness.”
Scarlet brushed her off then looked at us with narrowed eyes. When she saw our joined hands, her gaze lifted to mine. “What? Really?” I couldn’t quite get a bead on what she was thinking. Her poker face was just as refined as her uncle’s.
I nodded and leaned into Salvatore. “Yes. Really.”
Lacey squealed like she’d just been given her very own unicorn. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend?” She bounced in her chair, absolutely vibrating. “Do you kiss? Like, really kiss? With your mouths?”
Salvatore coughed. I choked on a laugh.
“Lacey,” Scarlet nudged her sister with her elbow. “That’s way too much information. And really gross.”
“It’s not gross. Boyfriends and girlfriends kiss,” Lacey shot back. “They kiss and hold hands and go on dates and maybe get married in a big wedding where I get to wear a sparkly dress and throw rose petals!”
Scarlet rolled her eyes. “I guess I can get on board with the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but I’mnotbeing a flower girl. I’m way too old for that.”
“No one will have to throw anything,” Salvatore said mildly, his voice tinged with amusement. “Unless Bea wants to make that part of the contract.”
“There’s a contract?” Talon asked, looking up from his plate. “Does Bea get paid to be your girlfriend?”
Salvatore blinked. When he didn’t answer, I took over. “No, Tally. It’s a volunteer position.”
“Then what do you get?” Talon tilted his head.
Salvatore looked at me. Just looked. Like he had the same question.
“I get him,” I replied, tightening my fingers around his. “That’s all I need.”
Talon considered that, turning to his uncle. “And what doyouget?”
Salvatore contemplated this as he wrapped his other hand around mine, trapping me firmly. He didn’t need to, though. I wasn’t going anywhere. I liked it here, with him—with all of them—far too much to want to leave.
“I get someone who brings laughter to my house,” he said softly. “Who makes everything warmer. Who accepts me for who I am. Who loves you guys—and me.”
My throat tightened.
Talon nodded and said matter-of-factly, “That’s true. Bea does love all of us.”
Throughout her siblings’ barrage of questions, Scarlet stayed quiet, taking it all in, watching us warily, like she wasn’t sure what to make of this news.
“You okay, Scar?” I asked gently.
