Authors Note: This chapter is set out differently but I hope you enjoy it non-the-less. Thank you to everyone left comments or sent me feedback about previous chapters of this story. Thank you again to Margaret who proofread for me. ~ellie
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"I was thinking," Dante said as he and Josh returned to his apartment late one night after leaving the hospital. "If we started the renovation now, we could turn Lio's apartment into a place for you and Peri to stay when you're in the city or at least a place for the babies and nannies when and if she decides to come back to work with me. I don't want to sell it or rent it out, and it's just sitting there."
"Where did that come from?" Josh asked grabbing a couple of beers. "I mean it sounds like an ideal solution to being able to spend a night in the city without being away from the children, but that place is yours to do what you want with." He was tentative feeling that Dante was still grieving for his twin.
"You know Lio was happy with his secret life. He and Matteo loved each other deeply, cared about each other deeply. They knew they wouldn't ever have their happily ever after, and he was good with that. They were content with what they had, and they were happy. You know?" Dante asked.
"Yeah I hung out with them quite a lot before I met Peri, it was easy to see how in love they were," Josh nodded. "They were good together. It's a shame not everyone got to see that side of him."
"Yeah Lio and I both kept our emotions pretty well hidden. Possibly only Charles knows the real story of what happened between Celeste and me after she ran from the farm. Though Papa has made it clear he knows all," he gave a rye smile and told Josh the story he hadn't ever spoken about since the day he had walked away from the woman who all but destroyed him.
"Fucking bitch! Screw this beer we need a drink," Josh felt his anger rise not just at the story but at himself for not realising there was more to the story of Dante's dark moods than just a broken heart. He was pleased at least that Lio and Charles had done something about the gold-digging tramp. He grabbed a bottle of Sambuca and two glasses returning to his brother. "Salute!" he said after pouring two glasses and downing the two finger amount in one gulp.
"Salute!" Dante echoed him and gulped down the fiery liquid.
"It's good to have Bridgette staying at the hospital during the nights now," Josh said refilling their glasses. He and Dante had been there close to forty-eight hours until Peri had all but kicked them out to sleep, shower and change. They'd managed to shower and cat nap at the hospital, but changing meant coming home. "Alright, so what does your sad sack story have to do with turning Lio's apartment into a playroom for my kids?" Josh chuckled as he sat back nursing his beer again.
"Well I guess you might have noticed that my dark, brooding, family grouch persona has lifted over the last year or so," Dante said downing another Sambuca before picking up his beer.
"Yeah there's been more than one comment about it. I just assumed you met someone new. At first, I thought maybe Louisa but that fizzled pretty fast," Josh mused. "I'm guessing after what happened with Celeste you weren't letting anyone new near any of the family. Lio would never force you to make it public like Nik did to me," he said with feeling. "Yet another fucking bitch," he took a slug of his beer and feeling unsatisfied poured more Sambuca.
"Yeah," Dante agreed, "But she was our bitch, and we helped create her," he said sadly.
"Izzy's a self-absorbed bitch, I can't imagine she would kill anyone," Josh said disgustedly.
"I imagine it could come to that if Giovanni ever took a Kept. You let Nik treat you like a surrogate boyfriend, as far as she was concerned Peri was the other woman, and she was protecting her territory," Dante shrugged. "I wouldn't have been surprised to find that you two lost your cherries together."
"Fuck no," Josh scowled at his brother. "I like my women softer and curvier and far more feminine than Nik ever was," he admitted.
"Lio and I lost ours together. I mean not together-together but with the same woman at the same time. His heart was never in it though I think he did it just for me," he admitted as Josh chuckled. "He hadn't declared himself back then and how would he know unless he tried it," Dante explained. The conversation took another turn away from what Dante had been psyching himself up to say to his brother bust Josh brought it back on track.
"So your mood changed last year," Josh frowned. "A woman finally mend that broken heart of yours?"
"In a manner of speaking. More like restored my faith in the female race," he chuckled not sure now about opening himself up to Josh's possible rejection. It was highly improbable at this point; he consoled himself, but he wasn't sure about risking his place within his brother's life now that they had left the hospital and Peri. Her radiant, smiling face as she held all three of her babies filled his mind.
"So do I know her?" Dante prompted further swilling the last of his beer and getting up to grab another. "Someone at work maybe?"
"Yeah," he answered honestly, "She belongs to someone else though so I am just happy being close to her every day. She makes me happier than I have been in years, probably since Celeste destroyed me if I think about it. She's smart and sassy and gives as good as she gets, but she has a submissive side that just makes me wonder..." his voice drifted off as if his mind took over for his mouth. "Anyway, she's married now, and I respect that, it's enough to be close to her and I have a Kept that has a similar sort of look that I can work out my frustrations on."
