“I don’t, but Chava does,” she explained squeezing his hand. “I told you he was my cousin’s friend for a long time before anything happened between him and I. They’re still friends.”
“Chava didn’t tell anyone he was bringing him today.” Sienna added then went on quickly. “They got here right before you two did. Otherwise, I would’ve given Vannah a heads up. B-but he has a new girlfriend now.”
“He does?”
Instantly Byron’s eyes were back on Savannah beyond annoyed at her obvious curiosity about this. “You wanna go ask him about it, Savannah?”
“Uh, I think I’ll go help mom,” Sienna said before her sister could respond. Clearly, she sensed they might need some privacy. “You know what a hot mess she is in the kitchen.”
With her sister slinking away, Byron turned back to Savannah searching her eyes and waited for a response. To his utter exasperation even this brought humor to her eyes.
“This is funny to you?”
“No.” She shook her head adamantly squeezing his hand but grinned. Fucking grinned! “Okay, this is new to me too. I’m sorry and before you ask, no I couldn’t care less about his new girlfriend. But I could tell my sister was trying to assuage the situation, and that was my way of following her lead. Stupid I know, but I blurted it out without thinking.”
She let go of his hand and hooked her arm into his instead, wrapping her arms tightly and leaning against it. That he could go from zero to sixty in a second when it came to this shit, and then she could so easily bring him down, spoke volumes about how he felt for her now.
“You can’t be mad at me for my cousin inviting his friend to this thing.” She looked up at him with those big eyes that would be the end of him. “But you heard my uncle. Hasn’t seen him in years because it’s not like he comes around often.” Her big eyes went even wider. “Only you can’t say anything. No one except my mom, Nena, and Chava know there was ever anything between him and I. Not even my brothers or dad. I was younger then, remember? Would’ve been such a bigger deal back then, than me bringing you here today now that I’m all grown up. And.” She leaned in smiling silly and kissed Byron’s bicep. “You also heard what Chava said when we walked out here. That no one told him anything. Which means had he known he wouldn’t have invited him, which also means he likely won’t in the future, and I’ll be making sure he doesn’t. So, this is probable the last I’ll ever see of him. I don’t even plan on talking to him today.”
“Good.”
Savannah giggled squeezing his arm again. “You’re so silly. If only you knew how insignificant what he and I had, feels now that I’ve met you.”
This was music to Byron’s ears and if they weren’t in a yard full of her enormous family, he would’ve kissed her. But he didn’t dare. He’d save that for tonight. She’d just confirmed not only that she had zero interest in even catching up with her first everything, but that she didn’t consider what they had nearly as significant as what she had with Byron. She may as well have said the L word and that she was all for a serious relationship.
“You ready for more?”
The blissful relief Byron had begun to feel once again came to a screeching halt when he followed Savannah’s gaze to see what she meant. Despite meeting her uncles being fairly painless thus far, his heart nearly gave out when he turned to see not just her two uncles, but Papa Bear himself walking straight to them with a purpose. Her aunt Sofia hadn’t been kidding when she mentioned to her husband that he’d get to see Savannah’s dad out there brooding soon enough. You’d think having a brother like Beast and Byron being such a broody fuck himself this entire past year before Savannah, he’d know how to handle her dad. Yet, that menacing near glare, as the man approached them, had Byron trying to calm his breathing.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered as Savannah tightened her hold on his arm.
As usual, Savannah laughed under her breath. “Relax, they said they wanted to ask more about your brother. Oh.” She nudged him. “And it gets better. Just wait until tomorrow when all my other uncles, the hotheaded but also hilarious Romero’s will be there. That’s gonna be so much fun.”
Byron turned to her once again flabbergasted by her tranquil demeanor when it came to this shit. Gets better? Fun? Was she fucking kidding him?
Twenty-Three
The P.I. and the Influencer
Vannah
Okay, so yesterday hadn’t exactly gone on without a hitch. Byron meeting her uncles, and then Richard being there, was not an expected addition to the already intense setting. But at least they’d gotten past it all without too much drama. Richard hadn’t even attempted to approach or talk to Vannah, and even left early. Thank God. Now they had the easier uncles to get past and she’d be home free. Though Byron didn’t seem to share her optimism about this being as easy peasy as she was trying to make it seem.
They’d barely been at the restaurant a few minutes when Byron got his first loud dose of the Romero’s. Vannah was still showing him around, and they weren’t even upstairs yet in the banquet room where the party was taking place when she heard the unmistakable wheezing laughter. It was followed up by equally loud and obnoxious snorting.
Both she and Byron turned at the same time toward the stairwell that led to the banquet rooms. Uncle Max was at the bottom holding his wife Aunt Pat’s arm who’d apparently nearly lost a shoe on her way up. Uncle Manny and his wife Aunt Aida were just behind them busting a gut over it.
“That’s why I don’t like stairs,” Manny said through his laughter. “They’re always up to no good.”
More wheezing, as Pat turned to give Manny an unamused look, before shaking her head and finished putting her shoe back on. Max turned back to Manny trying to look annoyed but couldn’t help smirk. “It’s up to something, Manny. If you’re gonna make corny ass jokes at least get them right.”
“Still works my way,” Manny protested.
Just then, Max spotted Vannah. “Hey, is that Thing One, or Thing Two? I can never tell.”
Manny turned before Vannah could respond and smiled big at her. “Hey, Sweetheart. How ya doin?” He tapped Max’s arm with disapproval. “What are you, senile? This sweet thing is Vivianna.”
“Nope,” Vannah shook her head. “Vivianna is my cousin. Uncle Sal’s daughter.”
“Ha!” Max scoffed as they all started toward her and Byron. “At least I got the right dad. She’s one of Alex’s twins, ya old goat. I just can never tell them apart.”
“Savannah,” she clarified as she started toward them to meet them. “But my siblings call me Vannah.”
Manny snapped his fingers as they reached her. “See, that’s what I meant.”
“No, you didn’t,” Max said as he leaned over and hugged and kissed her.
While Manny and Max argued about it, Vannah proceeded to greet the rest of them one by one then introduced them to Byron. “Yeah, yeah,” Manny said taking Byron in wide eyed. “Moe told us you was dating Beast’s brother. How ‘bout that?”