Gina gasps when Nathan gets up from his chair, towering over all of us. "What the fuck, Angelo? What did you say to her?"
Jillian and Gina try to calm down the men, but Nathan and Angelo are both spitting fire. Angelo gets up from the sofa as well, looking just as menacing even though he has to look up to meet Nathan's gaze.
"I don't care if you want to fuck her," he hisses, gesturing at me. "I get it, she's young and hot. I'm not saying you don't deserve a treat like that every once in a while, but why the fuck did you bring that slut into my house?"
"If you call her that one more time, we're going to have to step outside," Nathan yells, his hands balling into fists. "Don't you dare talk about my girlfriend like that!"
"Nathan," I say soothingly, pulling at his shirt to get his attention. This was a mistake. I should have just pretended that nothing was going on and use this weekend to gain Angelo's respect. Now I've fucked up everything. "Sit back down. It's okay."
"It sure as hell is not okay," Gina says, standing up and grabbing Angelo by the back of his neck. "You. Me. Kitchen. Now."
She all but drags him away from us, letting out a stream of curse words. Gina way be small and nothing but nice to me, but I have a feeling I am going to see the fire in her veins that Nathan told me about. The minute they are out of sight, Gina starts yelling at Angelo in Italian. I have no idea what she's saying to him, but she sure sounds pissed. Angelo replies just as angrily, his voice low and menacing. He's speaking Italian as well, making it impossible for me to know what they are talking about. The only thing I understand is my name, that comes up every other sentence.
"Well, that escalated quickly," Sean says, grinning despite everything. "I guess I owe you twenty dollars, Jill."
His wife laughs along. "Yeah, I can't believe you thought Angelo would be calm and collected for an entire evening."
I feel horrible and I open my mouth to say as much, to apologize even, but Jillian won't let me.
"This is not about you, Caroline," she assures me. "You did nothing wrong. He's just very protective of Nate. He's been this way ever since Nathan got out of prison twenty years ago and it's gotten worse every time Elise fucked him over. The fact that you actually bite back doesn't help, of course."
"Yeah, I should have just kept my mouth shut," I say with a sigh. "Sorry."
Nathan shakes his head and sits back down so he can put a hand on my knee. "Don't you dare apologize, honey. He never should have said that to you. And I swear I will punch him right is his smug face if he ever treats you like that again."
"That won't be necessary," Gina's voice sounds from behind us. "I told Angel to go and have a cigarette and to not come back until he's calmed down. This won't happen again, not on my watch."
Honestly, I could use a cigarette as well, but I know that I shouldn't smoke just because I'm stressed. Besides, going out and talking to Angelo would definitely not be a smart move. Instead, I just sit there, listening to the others talk about their kids. There is still some tension in the room, but Nathan has calmed down enough to smile again, so I guess I should try to relax as well.
Angelo takes half an hour to show his face again and he doesn't so much as look at me when he sits back down next to his wife. He drowns his beer and puts an arm around Gina, smiling when she leans into him while she tells a story about their son. It's insane how sweet they look together, even though they were just yelling at each other. If I hadn't seen and heard it myself, I never would have believed that Nathan hadn't been exaggerating when he told me about these two.
After another hour, Jillian starts yawning, so we all decide that it's time to go to bed. Gina shows me and Nathan to our room. It's their daughter's room and it's pink from top to bottom. Her toys are all stacked on her bed so that there's room for two mattresses on the floor, pushed together.
"I know it's not much, but Sean needs the extra bed in our guest room for his bad back," she explains with a rueful smile. Nathan is in the bathroom across the hall for a quick shower, so it's just the two of us. "And there's no way I can convince Angelo to give up our bed, no matter how loud I yell at him."
"It's fine," I assure her. "Trust me, I'm used to crashing on couches, air mattresses, futons... This is perfectly fine. I can't thank you enough for the invitation."
Gina moves over to pull me in for a warm hug. "You're welcome, sweety. I know Angelo is an asshole sometimes, but trust me when I say that it's got nothing to do with you. He will come around. I do have to ask..." She bites her lip, pausing for a minute. "No, never mind."
"Come on," I urge her on with a smile. "I think we're past trying to be polite after everything that went down tonight, don't you agree? Ask me anything you want to know."
She nods and mirrors my smile. "I'm just wondering what a girl like you is doing with an older guy with a daughter. Surely guys your own age must me throwing themselves at you. I mean, look at you..." She gestures at my dress. "You're beautiful."
"Thanks." I hesitate before answering, not sure what will convince her that I'm serious about Nathan. "Everyone seems so focused on the fact that Nathan is older than I am and that he has a daughter," I start my explanation, trying to find the right words. "He's so much more than that, though. Does Angelo's age have anything to do with why you love him?" When she shakes her head, I go on. "Nathan's age doesn't matter to me either. And it's not like I'm dating a grandpa. He's 41, I'm 25. We're both adults. I've got a stable job, my own apartment, friends, my own life... Angelo is acting like I'm a 16-year-old girl with pigtails and braces. I'm not. I'm a grown-ass woman."
Gina grins. "Fair enough. Still you could-"
"Yes, I could date a guy my own age," I go on. "And I have, before I met Nathan. I'm not gonna lie to you, Gina. It would be easier if Nathan was 25 was well and completely unattached, childless and not someone that I could end up losing my job over. Fact is that he's not. And I think that his age and his daughter are not reasons to break things off with him."
"But why do you-"
"Love him?" I finish her question. "He's your friend too, isn't he? Why do you like him?"
Gina's eyes twinkle. "Because he's awesome. Nathan is one of the most loyal and kind people I've ever met and he's always there when you need him."
"Exactly. Is it so difficult to believe that I see those things in him too? That I'm not just with him because I'm looking for a distraction or because it's thrilling to sneak around with him? I could get that from some other random guy. But I don't want a random guy." I take a deep breath, trying to keep my voice down. I'd been slowly talking louder and louder, wanting to convey just how serious I was. "I want Nathan."
"Good answer." Gina reaches out to squeeze my arm in a motherly manner. "I promise I won't question you again. It's obvious that Nathan is crazy about you and I'm starting to see why. I know that we've not exactly been welcoming to you, especially Angelo. It's just... You weren't there when he and Elise finally got divorced. He was heartbroken. In fact, he'd already been broken for a long time before he finally left that bitch." Her expression hardens. "Nate told me that he's already filled you in on everything, so I think you can agree with me when I say that he deserves better than her. I never want to see him like that ever again."
"Yes," I agree immediately. "He does deserve better. And I'm sure that he could find someone better than me in a heartbeat, but as long as he wants me, I'm not going anywhere. And trust me when I tell you that I would never cheat on him. I've never cheated on anyone. Ever."
Her eyes narrow at the change in my voice. "You've been cheated on too, haven't you?"
"My last boyfriend..." I trail off, remembering how horrible I felt when I found out he'd kissed Emily. "It wasn't nearly as bad as what Elise did to Nathan and we weren't married or anything, but I do know a thing or two about someone ripping your heart from your chest and stomping on it." Jordan's face pops into my mind as well, screaming at me to get an abortion. "I would never treat anyone like that."
Again, Gina pulls me in for a hug, stroking my back tenderly. "You're alright, Caroline. And I think you're wrong. I don't think that Nathan could do better than you. You might just be what he needs."
Nathan chooses that exact moment to walk into the room with a towel around his waist, his hair wet and his chest bare. He takes in the sight before him with a happy expression on his face.
"She sure is," he says with a smirk. Apparently, he heard Gina's last words. "Now if you could just convince your darling husband of that, we might just have a nice weekend after all."
Gina rolls her eyes and lets go of me. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try. He knows that I'll kick him out of bed if he dares to be that rude to Caroline again. If need be, I will gladly yell at him a few more times over the next two days."
"Good," Nathan replies, winking at her. "Now get the hell out so I can kiss my girl goodnight."
"No funky business in my daughter's bedroom," Gina warns him. "Or at least be quiet about it, because if Angelo hears you having sex through the wall, I can't promise I'll be able to stop him from barging in here to yell at you again."
She takes off, closing the door behind her firmly. I feel a little embarrassed about her warning, but Nathan's laughing it off already, pulling me in for a kiss. I sigh into it, moving my hands over his back before moving to his chest, enjoying the way his muscles move underneath my fingertips. He grunts and leans back a bit.
"Don't," he says, his eyes burning into mine. "Gina wasn't kidding. If Angelo so much as hears a moan, he's gonna be even more of an asshole in the morning."
"Fair enough," I reply, taking a step back from him. "This is his kid's room after all. I think we can refrain from having sex for a weekend. I'm gonna pop into the bathroom for a moment and when I get back, you'd better have on more than a towel, because you look way too good right now."
He wiggles his eyebrows, grinning. "I know right? Total sex god."
Rolling my eyes, I grab my toiletries and pajamas before making my way across the hall. The others are all in their rooms and the only light still on is the one in the room I just left, so I think I'm saved from running into Angelo until the next morning. As I brush my teeth, I silently vow to myself to be on my best behavior tomorrow. Even though Nathan had my back today, I know that he still wants this weekend to end with me and Angelo at least tolerating each other. He is his best friend, after all. And since Angelo isn't going to rise above his pettiness and be the better man, I guess I have to the better woman.