I knew we’d just had a similar conversation in the guest room, confirming our feelings for one another, but still . . . when he said it like that and in front of everyone, I forgot all over again to be frustrated at whatever he was keeping from me.

Angela pointed her dark eyes at her son as if waiting for him to publicly declare his feelings for me. Spell everything out for her in black and white.

I was seconds away from pouring a glass of wine when two men walked into the dining room with Izzy and Hudson behind them.

“You started eating without us?” Enzo asked, appearing mildly offended.

Enzo could be the body double for the actor from the movie 365 Days. I recognized him immediately from the photos Angela had shown me while Constantine was with his sister in the office.

“Of course not,” Angela responded while greeting her sons. They did the European kiss thing I’d only ever seen in movies, and she turned away from them as they did the same with their father.

“They don’t know yet, right?” Colin pointed over at his uncles.

“Know what?” Alessandro remarked, lifting a questioning brow when his eyes landed on me. His gaze cut to Colin next, then volleyed between Colin and Constantine as he grumbled something in another language.

Note to self: learn Italian.

Alessandro took a step backward, bumping into Hudson now standing behind him. He was putting it together just as fast as Angela had.

Constantine slowly stood, discarding a deep breath as he did.

I understood why he’d hoped to get through this introduction to his family all at once. It wasn’t easy to tell everyone they’d also missed out on so much of Colin’s life.

“Hi,” I finally spoke up while standing. I hooked my arm with Constantine’s to give him my support. To let him know I had his back the way he had mine. Forever and always. The plea I read in his eyes told me he was hoping I’d take the lead this time, and so I did. “Constantine and I met in Aruba seventeen years ago, and I⁠—”

“Wait a second,” Alessandro interrupted as Enzo came up alongside him to stare at me, too. “You’re her? The her from Aruba?” His grayish-colored eyes flew back to Colin to confirm what I was sure he’d already guessed about him. That he was his nephew.

“I am. Yes, this is our son, Colin, and no, he didn’t know about him. I couldn’t track down Constantine after I found out I was pregnant.” I did my best to make this as quick and painless as possible.

“He left you a note,” Alessandro snapped out, his voice low and cutting. “You messed my brother up . . . and now you’re here? I don’t understand.”