“Before you go, any idea when you plan on telling Mom and Dad about Colin? Alessandro and Enzo?”

I held the phone to my ear while resting my head on the pillow, shutting my eyes.

I was close to my brothers, always had been. But, selfishly, thinking about Enzo with his newborn twins and Alessandro with a baby on the way made me jealous. Jealous I missed out on my son’s birth and his entire life. I wasn’t sure if I could talk to them without feeling like a shitty human for harboring so much envy.

“I don’t know. When Colin is ready to meet them, I guess. I don’t want to keep this from them for long.”

“Thank God.” She sighed. “You know my lips are sealed, but I’m not exactly Fort Knox over here regarding secrets.”

“Yeah, don’t I know it.”

“Okay, okay. Go to sleep. Or don’t sleep, what do I know? Maybe play a video game or something with him? He’s sixteen. He probably likes⁠—”

“Call of Duty and Fortnite,” I said at the memory. “And you think playing video games is really the right move?”

“Dad taught you to fight and shoot before I was even born. But I’d say video games are on the safer side, and more in line with this new generation.”

“He’s supposed to be in trouble for sneaking out and hanging out with gang members. Not sure I can reward that type of behavior.”

“You’re becoming such a dad, and I am so here for it.”

I let go of a deep, exhausted breath. “At least I can rule out Colin being on drugs last night. He has the same strange reaction to meds that Alessandro does. Juliette confirmed that, too.”

“A blessing there, I guess.”

Yeah. “All right. I’m gonna go. Talk soon.”

“Okay, I love you.”

I swallowed at her use of that word. “Izzy?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t even know him, but there’s this strange feeling in my chest when I think about him. That’s love, right?” I couldn’t believe I even had to ask her that, but I didn’t trust my judgment regarding that four-letter word, especially with how much pressure built in my chest every time I was around my son’s mother, too.

“Oh gosh.” Another sigh from her. “Yes, I think it is.”

“I don’t even know him. I know him even less than I know her.”

“Well, Enzo didn’t know his twins before the doctor placed them in his arms, and he loved them right away.”

I clenched down on my back teeth at the painful memory of not being by Juliette’s side to hold her hand while she delivered our son. “I missed his birth. I missed all of it. I missed seeing the woman that I, uh . . . seeing her pregnant.”