You could hear a pin drop as Mary, Esther, and Tommy enter the house. I clear my throat. “Hi. Come on back. Dinner should be ready soon.”

Luciano runs straight past me, stopping right in front of Mary. “Are you my nonna?” he asks her.

“I… ah…” Mary looks past him to us.

“He’s mine,” Gabe says.

“And mine!” Daisy raises her hand. “I’m Daisy. It’s nice to meet you.” She walks over to her son. “Luciano, this is Mary.”

“Hi, Luciano. It’s really nice to meet you,” Mary says, bending to his level.

“You’re my new auntie?” He looks to Esther.

“Yeah, seems that way.” She nods her head. “I’m Esther.”

“I’m Luciano,” he tells her.

Chapter Nineteen

My hand squeezes Aria’s under the table. This is fucking awkward. I don’t know what my brother was thinking when he set up this dinner. I know we need to make an effort to get to know our sister, but surely there is a better way.

“So, Esther, what are you hoping to do after school?” Ellie asks in an attempt to break the silence.

“I’m not a hundred percent sure yet. I think I’m going to try out stripping for a bit. I hear they make decent money.” Esther shrugs.

“Fucking hell.” Tommy shakes his head.

“Relax. I’m joking, obviously.” She laughs.

“It wouldn’t matter if you wanted to become a stripper,” Gio tells her.

“Oh, you I like. You believe in women being able to do what they want with their bodies?” she asks him.

“Women, yes. You, not a fucking chance. It wouldn’t matter because there isn’t a strip club in this city that would give you a job.” He smirks.

“Meh, Australia’s a big country,” Esther replies, unfazed.

“You think our reach is limited to this city?” I ask her.

“Okay, she’s joking, and she doesn’t know about your family business,” Mary tells me.

I lift an eyebrow. “What exactly have you told her?”

“Nothing,” Esther answers for her. “But I’m not an idiot. I know who you all are. But just so you know, I don’t need five big brothers getting in my way of life.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Daisy chimes in.

“I have three. We have a reverse harem thing going on,” Esther says with a straight face.

“Esther, stop,” Tommy grunts. “She doesn’t date.”

“That he knows of,” Esther adds, and I’m suddenly glad I didn’t have sisters growing up.

“Okay, what are you into? Any hobbies?” I try to steer the conversation in another direction.

“What’s with the twenty questions?” she counters.

“We’re trying to get to know you.”

“Why? What’s the point? I vote we just go back to doing things the way we were before,” she says.