Chasing Di'Maggio: a BWWM romance (5 page)

Nicolette didn’t even bother saying anything back; she simply rolled her eyes and walked off. The Di’Maggio brothers were left there just staring at her walking away.

“So Matt?”

“Yeah?” Matt answered Michael.

“When are you going to let her know how you feel?”

“Look, Michael, not today. Not now, man.”

“Come on, bro. You’ve been back and forth on this already. Look, Mom and Dad gave you a push. Now it’s your choice to either keep going in that direction or give up like a big wuss, and when you do that, I’m stepping in.”

“What? Michael, what the hell?”

“What? Nico is beautiful, intelligent, has a really nice body, I know she can cook, she’s got spunk, and she is sweet. She might be the best thing that ever happened to you. What else do you want?”

“I’m still shocked that you said that you’d step in.”

Gabe chuckled. “Don’t be so surprised. I would jump in too. I mean have you guys seen her dance?”

“Really, Gabriel? Really?”

“What? I’m telling you, Matt, if you do not want to go for it, step aside, bro. I wouldn’t mind making her the future Mrs. Gabriel Di’Maggio. Plus, she’s nice and curvy… hmm.”

“Okay, guys, I’m going to walk away from you pervs.”

Matty couldn’t believe that he was having a conversation about this with his brothers. What the hell were they thinking? They wanted him to step aside so they could have Nico? As far as he was concerned, Matty would never give up on her. Even though it was hard to let her know how he felt, he would never intentionally give her up, especially not to his brothers. He would have to suffer and watch one of them with her. Hell no!

“Big bro, we both know that you’ve checked her out more than once,” Gabriel told Matty.

“Of course I have. Have you seen her?”

“Haven’t we all? Well, not in that sense. She is beautiful, especially in that ‘take me’ dress.”

“What?” Matty replied with a shake of his head. “Gabe, you’re not normal in your head.”

Gabe ignored his brother’s insult. “Don’t you agree, Michael?”

“Do I? I think the dress was made just for her. It’s like ‘Take me, Matty. Take me,’ but Matty is thinking with the wrong head. What a fool. Come on, Gabriel. Let’s go be with the rest of the family. Matty is boring me.”

“She kissed me.”

Both Michael and Gabriel stopped in their tracks and turned back to look at Matty.

“What’d you say?” Gabriel asked.

Michael was just as shocked. “Who did what?”

“You heard me,” Matty answered them with a sly smile. “The future Mrs. Matthew Di’Maggio kissed me.”

“You’re lying,” Gabe insisted. “Mike don’t listen to him. He is just bluffing.”

“Why would I, Gabe? I’m serious. She kissed me hard.”

“And what’d you do? Run away like a little girl?” Michael asked.

Matty couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his brothers. Did they think he was some kind of shy loser in front of Nico?

“No, idiot. I tongued the hell out of her. Claimed what’s mine like a boss.”

“Oh my God, my boy is turning into a man,” Mike teased.

“Shut up. Let’s go.”

“How was it, Matt?” Michael asked.

“Yea, how was it?” Gabe urged.

Matty ignored both his brothers and walked into his parents’ grand living room filled with Christmas decorations, photos of both families, and a Christmas tree. It was so breathtaking and there Nico was talking to his mom, making her laugh. She was so pretty when she smiled. The way she was with his mom made him feel a bit less nervous about this whole arranged marriage thing. His mom was so fond of her.

Gabe couldn’t have better timing, stepping into the grand living room and putting his arm around Matty. “So, how was it?” he asked with a grin laced with perversion.

“Shut up, Gabe.”

“I’m just curious ‘cause I’ve always wanted to know.”

Gabriel was such a troublemaker, speaking so loudly with Nico in earshot. Nico knew instantly what he was talking about. The way Gabriel looked at her; she tried avoiding his eyes. No one else seemed to know what was going on so that helped her relax a bit. She just hoped Gabriel didn’t say much about it in front of her parents. Nico looked at Matty, who was staring her dead in the eyes. She didn’t know whether he was angry or what. The look that he was giving her was so intense; it gave her goosebumps and butterflies. Oh man, she was going to get herself caught. Nico decided to break the eye contact and concentrate on everything else.

The two families did their usual present exchanges. As always, Nicolette got the most gifts from everyone, being that she was the only girl and the baby of both families. Everyone was having a great time. Nico was trying her best not to concentrate on what Matty was talking about with the guys, but she knew it couldn’t have been that bad since her brother was there. Whenever the guys started to talk, she always felt left out because she had nothing to say to the older women when they switched up the subjects and she couldn’t really talk to the older men either. She sat there on the couch spaced out, sipping her coffee. Then, not knowing what made her turn her gaze, she ended up locking eyes with Matty. Although he was talking, he still gave her that intense gaze. This time Nico ended up thinking about the kiss and she couldn’t help but lick her lips.

That made Matty twitch. Thank God the other guys didn’t notice, as he would never hear the end of it. As Matty continued to talk, Nico couldn’t help but stare at his lips. All she wanted to do was walk over to him and kiss him senseless, but maybe that wouldn’t be the most appropriate thing to do here.

"Nico.” Nico’s mom called for her with no answer. She was still spaced out, imaging that kiss. “Nico… NICOLETTE!"

“What?” She realized that it was her mom calling her and quickly corrected herself. “Oh, sorry, mom. Yes?"

"Your phone."

She felt so embarrassed. Was she really that much into Matty that no one else seemed important? Thank God no one noticed, and good thing it wasn't Andrew calling. She wasn't really in the mood to talk stuff over. It was Roxy calling her. She’d broken up with her boyfriend and needed to talk.

"Hey, babe. What's up?"

"I need to see you, Nic."

"What's wrong, love?"

"Dave and I called it quits. Seriously this time. I can't do it anymore. Like am I his charity case, am I just some girl on the side? I'm not trying to be some extra thing. I want to get married, have kids, and I’m freaking twenty-four already. Why does he have to be so cruel to me?"

“Aww honey, hold on. Let me go somewhere quiet, okay?” Before leaving, she told the room. “Uh guys, I’ll be right back.”

As she left the room, she hoped Matty’s eyes were on the sway of her hips that she magnified just for him. “Okay girl, go ahead and vent.”

“Okay, so get this; we went out to his parents’ house and they loved me, but then he was talking some nonsense with his dad, saying that I wasn’t anything serious. Like why would I stay?”

“So where are you now?”

“In Miami at some diner.”

“Do you have a ride back here?”

“No, I’ll just take the bus back to my place.”

“Umm no. I’m coming to get you. You don't need to be alone today, so text me the address, okay? Bye. Don’t move either.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Nicolette just couldn’t understand why Roxy didn’t leave that idiot she was with sooner. He didn’t care for her as a boyfriend should. He basically just used her all the time and that bothered Nico a lot. Plus, even if she had to drive for an hour and a half, she would go get her friend because they’d been there for each other more than enough times.

Roxy was not only her friend, but her right hand; her personal assistant at work. Roxy was a good friend to Nico. She was there from the beginning of Nico’s business and still was now.

“Umm, mom, I have to go pick up a friend,” Nico announced when she rejoined the group. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Wait, Nicolette, we have to discuss the issue from yesterday.”

“No, we don’t. It’s fine. Matthew and I will get married, okay? I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Di’Maggio, about the unexpected answer but yeah, we will. You can discuss everything with Matt, and I promise I will be back.”

“Oh, no troubles, love. We sure will talk to Matthew, right, Antonio?” Matty’s mom said.

“Yes, Katerina.”

Nicolette felt bad answering to Matthew’s parents like that but she had to leave and get her friend. It’s not like she was running away from them, she was actually being honest about coming back.

Two hours later, everyone was still waiting for Nicolette. Everyone decided that it was best to wait around for her because everyone knew she would complain and cry if no one waited for her. Everyone just knew her a little too well. Unlike everybody else, Matty was getting frustrated waiting for Nico, only because he wasn’t used to waiting for someone for so long. Good thing she ended up walking in with her friend, Roxanne, a petite woman who was much taller than Nico. Roxanne had olive skin, hazel-green eyes, and beautiful auburn hair. She was a beautiful woman.

“Uh, sorry everyone. I had to get Roxy. Umm, Roxanne, meet everyone. You know mom and dad. That’s Mr. and Mrs. Di’Maggio, Matthew, Gabriel, Michael, and my older brother, Tommy. So everybody get to know each other while I go use the bathroom.”

Nico knew that everyone would get along with Roxy because she was a lovable girl.

Everyone was having a good time at brunch. While everyone was just chatting, Nico decided to sneak a glance at Matty, but he was involved in his debate with Roxy. Nico didn’t understand why it was bothering her so much, but she guessed it was because Matty didn’t pay her any mind. She wasn’t the type to demand attention, so why did she want his attention so much? Nico was lucky to have Gabriel there because she felt alone. Everyone was here and she felt more isolated than before. Even Michael and Tommy were way too interested in Roxy. Was it the short strapless dress she had on? Or how beautiful she looked with red lipstick compared to Nicolette?

“Nico, come with me real quick,” she heard Gabe say.

“Umm, okay.”

As Gabriel pulled Nico outside, she couldn’t understand for the life of her why Gabriel pulled her away from the group at that moment. She wasn’t making a big fuss. She was super quiet and well behaved, so what was it?

“What is it, Gabe?” she asked once they were outside the room.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, why?”

“Number one, you’re too quiet. Two, you look sick. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Now come on, let’s go in.”

“No.... wait.” When Nico kept walking, he insisted by gently grabbing her arm. “Wait. It’s Matt, huh?”

“Gabriel, we’ve been through this for how many years now? Let it go.”

“But Nic-”

“No, Gabriel. I don’t want to hear about what I should do or say. I’m tired. Let me just not say anything for everybody’s sake. I don’t know why I got into a foul mood all of a sudden, like I think Matty is interested in Roxy and I don’t know why I’d be upset about it… We’re nothing to each other; this whole marriage thing is going to be a fake, so why am I letting my feelings get involved? Why didn’t they just have you and I get married? We wouldn’t be having this problem at all.”

Gabe laughed. “You think so? I’m sure we would.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Because secretly you want this. I see the way you check me out when we’re working out.”

“Oh my God,” she chuckled. “You’re such a liar. I do not.”

“I should go to my mom and say, ‘I’d like to take Nicolette’s hand in marriage because she wants me the most. The way she looks at my tattoos, the way she loves my big, strong hands, the way she looks at my body while we’re working out. Oh and for the cherry on top, she loves the way we intertwine when we’re dancing, our bodies become one.’ What do you think, Nic?”

“Yeah, let’s do it. Come on, let’s go.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

Nicolette knew she could count on Gabriel to make her smile as always. He was like her twin. He knew what was wrong with her all the time. She thanked God for him all the time. As Gabe and Nicolette entered the dining room, everyone was looking at them mysteriously. Matty didn’t seem to mind at all. He didn’t look at them; he just continued to chat it up with Roxy.

“What were you guys doing outside?”

“If you must know, Mike, we were making out,” Nicolette teased.

Nicolette couldn’t help but smile at everyone’s reaction; that sure did get Matty’s attention, though.

Matty didn’t know whether Gabriel was joking or not. He wasn’t smiling or anything, and Nicolette smiling wasn't helping either. He didn’t even understand why he got so furious at the moment. It’s a good thing that no one was paying attention to him; the only person still looking at him was Nico’s friend, Roxy. He could care less what she thought of him.
Should I be mad?
he thought. He didn’t want to cause a scene by getting up or storming off. He didn’t have any escape, so he chose to sit there and put up with it until brunch was over. For the moment, he needed to calm down somehow.