Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80014 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
After we shook his hand and exchanged greetings, Jack asked, “Are your kids here, too?”
“No,” Trevor said, as he took Vincent’s hand. “We’re just here overnight, and Josh and Darwin are babysitting for us. Mike’s three teenage sons are ‘helping’ babysit, too. That means gorging themselves on pizza and staying up way too late playing video games.”
Dante turned to the couple who’d just joined us and said, “Mikey, meet your brother Adriano, and his boyfriend Jack.”
Mike looked a lot like Dante and Vincent with his big build, dark hair, and olive skin. He frowned at his older brother, and then he surprised me by grabbing me in a hug as he said, “I’m so happy to meet you. Just FYI, everyone calls me Mike except for Dante and Vincent, because they’re assholes and refuse to let me outgrow Mikey.”
Then Mike let go of me and introduced us to his husband Yoshi, who was a handsome Japanese-American guy with an intricate black ink tattoo on one arm. He studied me curiously as we shook hands and said, “Wow, this is wild. I could barely believe it when Vincent told us about another brother, but you’re definitely a Dombruso. The resemblance is hard to miss.”
“There’s one more brother to meet,” Dante said, as we moved from the entryway into the suite’s spacious living room.
I asked, “Is Gianni here?”
Vincent nodded. “He and his husband are in the bedroom. Dante felt it was best to give him the news about potentially having a different dad in person, so he only found that out an hour ago.”
I asked, “Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He’s just taking some time to process it,” Mike said. “I’ll go tell him you’re here.”
He left the living room while the rest of us took a seat on the white leather couches, and Yoshi told us, “Gianni’s husband is famous, by the way. I’m just throwing that out there so you don’t freak out when you meet him.”
Jack asked, “How famous are we talking here?”
Yoshi considered the question before saying, “Well, he was huge about twenty years ago, and then he took a hiatus from his musical career for a while. He’s made a comeback in the last few years though, so he’s pretty much back to being recognized everywhere he goes. You’ve probably heard of him. His name’s—”
Jack whispered, “Zan Tillane. No fucking way,” as the pop star came into the living room. He looked like he was about fifty, with greying, slightly long hair and a beard, and he was holding hands with a blue-eyed brunet, who was eyeing me curiously.
There was another round of introductions. Instead of shaking my hand, Gianni held it between both of his and said, “Dante called and told me about you a few days ago. Apparently there was a bit more to the story, though. I found out the rest earlier this evening.”
“I’m sorry I stirred things up like that.” I felt guilty, even though I hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
“No, don’t apologize. I’d wondered about something like that over the years, since I’m the only member of our family with blue eyes. Plus, Mike, Dante, and Vincent look so damn much alike, and I just don’t match.” He was trying to act casual about it, but there was no question this news had rattled him.
I asked, “Do you think you’ll take a DNA test?”
He shrugged. “Maybe at some point, just to satisfy my curiosity. Really though, whether or not Paulie Dombruso was my biological father doesn’t change a thing. I’m a Dombruso, and I love my family with all my heart.
“But I don’t want that bombshell to overshadow this moment, because holy shit, I have a new brother!” It surprised me when his eyes began to fill with tears, and he grabbed me in a hug. “I’m so fucking sorry it took this long for you to be welcomed to the family. That’s not right. Our parents should have told us about you.”
I was touched by that outpouring of emotion, and as I embraced him I said, “It’s all in the past. What matters is that we’re here now, and I’m really grateful for it.”
22
Jack
It was overwhelming to find myself with all of Adriano’s new brothers and their husbands, so I could only imagine how he felt. Also, my god was there a lot of gay in that family!
As he and Gianni hugged it out, I snuck a glance at the very famous pop star in our midst. That was just surreal. I’d never met a famous person before, and I was actually a huge Zan Tillane fan. But for both my sake and Adriano’s—because I didn’t want him to seem dorky by association—I tried to play it cool.
One of the husbands, a super cool guy dressed all in black named Yoshi, asked me if I’d like a drink, then handed me a gin and tonic when I nodded. I thanked him before slamming it back in one go, and he grinned and refilled my glass. “This must be a lot to take in,” he said, as he took a seat beside me on the couch.