Sold To the Grizzly Don (Alcee and Bruno) novel Chapter 179

Chapter 179

Torq stood in the mirror behind his son and fought to keep from laughing at how serious the little boy was. He was back at the hotel, dragged there by his Bastiano at his father’s urging. Bastiano was sitting in a chair, his foot bouncing nervously in anticipation of Raniero. Antero, however, was their focus at the moment. They were trying to figure out how to avoid the temper tantrum which was likely to happen.

“I’m not sure your mother is going to agree with this. I don’t even know if we’re allowed to bring her.”

“If she doesn’t come, I don’t want to go.” Antero shrugged pettily with his little fingers trying to clip the bowtie he managed to get from someone in the hotel around Avalanche’s neck.

“Can you bring a dog to a church?” Bastiano asked with one eyebrow up high in his forehead. “I feel a dog in a church would cause my mother’s fingers to make several fast rounds of her rosary.”

Cicciu was looking up the website for the church, “only support dogs.”

“Sorry buddy, but unless you want to fight with the priest on it, I think Avalanche needs to stay here.”

“What if it’s an emotional support dog?”

The quiet question from the doorway made them all slowly turn. Raniero standing in the entrance with Tito behind him. Raniero’s eyes watered as he looked at Bastiano who seemed to freeze with his presence and then look away from him. He cleared his throat, the sting of rejection

evident.

“What did you say?” Antero glared at him, “why are you here?”

this. think

“I’m here to watch your father marry your mother,” Raniero said gently, “he is my big brother after all, and I wouldn’t want to miss you can find someone to grab you a service animal in training jacket for Avalanche, you can pass her off as Antero’s emotional support dog. It would get her into the church. Crisis averted.”

“The crisis would be my wife leaving me at the altar when she sees I brought the dog,” Torq grunted and moved to his brother and pulled him into a hug. He slapped him on the back.

“I’m sorry,” Raniero whispered against Torq’s chest. “I fucked up. I am sorry.”

Torq hugged him tight, “you did fuck up, but it takes a man to admit it.”

“I love you, brother. I will prove my loyalty. I will.”

“I have no doubt.”

“Dad!” Antero pushed in between the men. “You can hug later. I need you to find me a training jacket for Avalanche.” He looked at Raniero, “I still don’t like you, but you have good ideas.”

Raniero squatted down and looked Antero in the eye, “I don’t like me very much right now either, little man but how do you feel about second

chances?”

Antero shrugged, “everyone makes mistakes but don’t make the same one twice. My dad told me that.” He looked up at Torq, “right? When we brought Avalanche home without asking Mom first. You said we needed to learn from our mistake.”

“Exactly.”

if

Raniero held his hand out to Antero, “I would very much like an opportunity to be your uncle. I feel I was not the best version of myself when we last met.”

You were a jerk.” Antero reluctantly shook his hand.

Torq bit his lips together to keep from laughing as Antero bluntly called Raniero out. He touched the top of Antero’s head and hugged him to his thigh, “you aren’t wrong, son. He was a jerk. A big jerk.”

“Don’t do it again, Raniero, You were mean to my mom, and I’ll kill you if you do it again.”

The choked laughter from Cicciu at the bold statement from the child was punctuated by Tita turning his face and smacking his palm against a

Chapter 179

wall as he stifled his laughter.

“Someday, Antero Lozano, you are going to make an incredible boss of this family,” Raniero said seriously. “You already know in here,” he touched Antero’s chest with a finger, “the difference between right and wrong and who to hold accountable. I might need lessons from you.”

“You do hear yourself, correct?” Bastiano spoke angrily. “Asking a five–year–old boy for lessons on how to be a man?”

Raniero slowly rose to his feet and nodded, “I feel given he was far more mature than was when I was last here, it makes the most sense.”

ther

“I can’t argue your logic.” Bastiano didn’t even bother to get up from his seat as he glared at his lover from across the room.

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