Lena was exhausted by the time she got home. Visiting her family was more of a hard labor position than a leisurely stroll. Her father was a blue-collar worker and a retired Navy man. He absolutely loved Cole. He was more on Cole's side than hers when she announced she was getting a divorce.
She didn't even dare tell them that Dylan was back in her life. She wanted to tell them how Cole had sought Dylan out and hired him just to bring him on board so that he could twist the knife before pulling it out of her back.
Dylan had been staying at the house for the last three weeks, even though he really had only needed to be there for several days. She knew that he was there the first week so he could spend time with Ash. She kept Ash home the next week so that he could get used to seeing less of Cole. She wasn't going to take him away from Cole, but he was not going to be there as much as he had been, and he really did like spending time with Dylan.
This past week, Ash was with Cole. Lena only needed Dylan one day to be here in the early morning, but he stayed all week.
She could see so many similarities between Dylan and Asher. It was kind of eerie. They had the same smile, they both scratched the back of their heads when they were stressed, they both ate their hamburgers upside down, and Dylan had converted Ash from Pepsi to Dr. Pepper.
They had yet to talk to Asher—actually, they had yet to even talk about Asher. The thought of it made her want to dig a hole, hide in that hole, and then throw that into a black hole. She didn't want to face what she had done.
When she came into the house, the place smelled amazing. "Dylan?"
"In the kitchen," he yelled out.
He looked absolutely adorable. He was shaking his hips to 'Get Luck' from Daft Punk. He was dressed in red basketball shorts, a fitted black Under Armour shirt, her 'Bakers Gonna Bake' apron, and the cutest pair of socks with pink bunnies on them.
"Nice socks, Ragazzone," she said with a chuckle.
He started grating a block of mozzarella cheese. "Ragazzone?"
"Ash gave you a nickname. I guess since you gave him one, he wanted to give you one."
Dylan smiled, but it fell. "I wouldn't mind him calling me dad, but I guess big guy will work."
"I guess we should talk about that, huh?" She toed off her red-bottomed shoes.
"I don't think we can avoid the conversation much longer. That may have been my motive for making dinner. Plus, I know you were at your parents and your mother is a horrendous cook."
She couldn't help but laugh. "I guess some things you can never forget."
"How Could I forget that I got food poisoning the first time I met your parents?"
"You didn't have to eat the chicken."
"I didn't want to be rude. I was trying to make a good impression."
"They loved you from the jump. Even my dad, and remember, he's retired Navy.
"How can I forget? Did they like me more than Cole?"
"Cole was Navy. My father would have married him if he could have. Cole was always perfect around them. My dad is still mad because I'm divorcing him."
He raised his eyebrow. "Do they know I'm Asher's father?"
"No. I told him. I had a one-night stand."
"What!"
"I'm just kidding. Like you, they can do the math."
"Do they hate me as much as you do?"
"We don't talk about you. You're worse than Voldemort was to the Potter family. My father said I should have known better than to marry an army man, and my mom hoped that your dick fell off. It hasn't, has it?"
He smiled. Why don't you find out for yourself? "No, it's still attached and fully functional."
"Well, I'm sure June will be extremely disappointed to hear that."
The timer went off, and he took the dinner out of the oven.
"Oh. My. God, you made your mom's lasagna."
"I made it for you on our first date, remember?"
"How can I forget? You were wearing a pair of black jeans and a burgundy dress shirt that had one too many buttons undone. You smelled amazing and had just a little bit of stubble on your perfect jawline. That made me want to drop my panties right then and there.
"You didn't find it sexy? I was going for sexy."
"Not as sexy as those Bunny socks." She pointed to his feet.
"I have to do laundry. Besides, I like my Bunny socks. My niece gave them to me."
"For Easter?"
"No, for Christmas, actually. I told her I thought her Bunny socks were cool, and she got me a pair of them for Christmas."
"How is Amanda?"
"Getting big. She's almost 10. She's excited about hitting the double digits."
"I was sorry when I heard about Linda."
"How did you find out about Linda?"
"I saw the article they wrote up on her in the post. I always did like her."
"She liked you too. She stopped speaking to me for two years after we broke up."
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
"OK, when I fucked up."
She curtly nodded. "That's better."
"She appointed me Amanda's guardian."
"Really. Then why is Amanda not with you?"
"Well, Sowa didn't want her with us, so my parents took her in."
He served her lasagna and set down a bowl of salad. She sat on the bar stool at the kitchen island.
Lena's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her skull.
"What? I don't like that look on your face."
"You chose her over your own flesh and blood! How could you do that to Amanda! She worshiped her you, Dylan."
"It's not that easy, Lena. It's complicated."
"Complicated. What could be so complicated that you couldn't respect your dead sister's wishes?"
He was visibly uncomfortable. "Can we just eat? I really don't want to get into this."
"But--"
He cut her off. "I'll tell you about it at some point." His face was flooded with guilt and pain.
"OK." She put her hand on his. "We've got time." He went to interlace their fingers, and she pulled away. She cleared her throat. "Is there bread? What kind of Italians don't eat bread with their pasta?"
"Oh yeah. I got a fresh from Aleci's."
"What? I haven't had that in years. The closest one is like forty minutes from here."
"Forty-three, actually. We had it with our lasagna on our first date."
"Wow, all that's missing is the cannoli."
"In the fridge."
"No fucking way! You thought of everything except--"
"The cheap bottle of red wine? I looked through your wine cellar and you have an excellent selection here. I didn't want to overstep and just open one without your okay."
"You're right. Grab the bottle of Kanonkop Red-Black Label. Glasses are--"
"I've been here for weeks; I do know where the glasses are, Tesoro."
She sucked in her lips and nodded.
When he left the room, her phone buzzed.
"How the hell did he get my number?" she mumbled while looking at her phone.
Unknown: Hey, beautiful. This is Evan. We met a couple of weeks ago at Trinity.
Lena: Of course, I remember you. How could I forget? How did you get my private cell number?
Evan: I have connections. 😛
Lena: Stephan gave it to you.
Evan: Don't be mad at him. I kind of went through his phone.
Lena: Don't let him know that because you know that he is a very private person.
Evan: I do. I didn't text you to talk about Stephan. I actually wanted to see if you would like to go out. Maybe this Friday.
She felt her face go warm. "Oh snap," she whispered.
"Are you okay?" Dylan returned with two glasses and the bottle of wine.
She jumped. "What? Umm." She turned the phone upside down. "Why would you think that?"
"You are all flushed. Are you sure that you are alright?" He poured the dark crimson-colored wine and took the stool next to her.
She put her hands on her cheeks. "I'm fine." She took a large drink of her wine.
"I know you, Lena."
She stuffed her face with a huge bit of lasagna. "Holy fuck this is even better than I remember. I forgot how excellent a cook you are. Why is this the first meal you have cooked? You've been here for weeks!"
"This is the first time that I have had an ulterior motive." He took a sip of wine. "Fuck this is a superb bottle of vino."
"Should be at least decent at two-fifty a bottle."
He started to choke. She slapped his back. "You alright Ragazzone?"
He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'm good," he squeaked out.
"This is one of the cheaper bottles that I have. I am an amateur collector."
"Amateur?"
"Yeah, I actually like to drink it after I collect it." She laughed. "Why save it for a special occasion? Every day we wake up is special."
"I seem to forget that you have money." He took a forkful of lasagna and a huge bite of bread.
"Dylan, slow down. No one is going to take it from you. I am not your drill sergeant."
He smiled. "Sorry," he said, muffled by his mouth full of food.
How can someone be so cut with their cheeks stuffed with food like a chipmunk? Then again, chipmunks are hella cute.
They sat for the rest of the meal in silence. Neither wanted to start the much-needed conversation about Asher. They went through two bottles of wine and half of the pan of lasagna. They did their best to shove the salad down, eating it last. It isa long-standing tradition in Italy to eat your salad last. It helps aid in digestion in case you were wondering. The more you know.
"That was really good, Diavolino," Lena said while wiping her mouth.
"What did you call me?" he asked, his handsome face confused yet amused.
Her heart started pounding. "I said that was really good, deliciouso! Now, I will do the dishes." She stood up and took his plate.
He raised his brows. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Tesoro. He took the plate and set it back down on the island. "No. I'll get them."
"You cook, and I do the dishes. That was always our deal."
"Tesoro, the dishes can wait."
"But..."
"They're not going anywhere."
"Alright." She got to her feet and swayed a little. "I'm going to slip into something more comfortable. Why don't you grab a bottle of Reif Vidal ice wine from the chiller."
"Are you sure? We've already gone through two bottles."
"I think we will be alright. I'm not planning on going anywhere."
"If you're sure. Meet me in my apartment?"
"I'll be right there."