Romani Prince

Chapter 37: Marry Me

"Gabs?"

My brother's trembling voice makes me jolt and I almost drop the bottles of liquor in my hands.

"What are you doing?"

Frozen in place, I stare at my mess of a brother. "Tony?"

"Here..." Luka takes the bottles from my hands.

Luka places the bottles in one of the boxes in the back of my car and steps away after leaving a kiss on my head.

"What the hell, Gabs?"

I take Anthony in my arms since he doesn't seem capable of moving from where he stands.

This time, I am not the one crying.

"Oh, Tony..."

He grabs on to me so hard. "I still can't believe it!"

My hair, my neck quickly getting wet with his warm tears.

"I should have been there!"

It's nonsense and we both know that, but he needs to say it, anyway.

Tony is angry with himself for not being there for his family... For not being the one to make the tough decisions, instead of me... For not being able to say goodbye to his father.

I let him cry while I can also hear Camille and Luka whispering by the kitchen's door.

Luka helps Camille with their luggage, following her inside the house.

For the last two days, Luka has rarely stepped inside the house. The first time mother saw him, she screamed that it was her home and that she would call the police.

To avoid more drama, Luka decided to spend the days on the veranda with me and Zed, and sometimes even all by himself.

He refuses to leave me alone.

But the nights... We spend them together in Mina's pool house since the nurse stays home with my mother.

Our nights are sacred.

It doesn't really matter where we are, at night, as long as we are in each other's arms. It's that time of the day when we hide from all of our problems and recharge in each other's caresses and long, loving kisses.

Only six more days...

Now, how to explain all that to my brother?

Zed whines softly at our feet and my eyes meet with Camille's that is watching us from the kitchen's window.

Her eyes are red and, knowing my brother, I am sure that she has been crying for him until this very moment when he is finally allowing himself to let go.

Calm, finally, Anthony wipes his face and we sit side-by-side on the open trunk of my Pathfinder.

Frowning, he stares at the boxes filled with all the liquor bottles that I could find in the house. Luka and I have been loading them in the car all morning.

"What are you doing with all of this?"

"Mother... has been drowning herself in alcohol during the night, when no one can see."

"But she's a diabetic! She can't!"

I wave a hand at the boxes behind. "Which is why we're removing it all out of from the house."

Tony turns his attention to the house, seeing Camille and Luka through the window, talking.

"So, that's your gypsy prince..."