Page 101 of From Rome, With Hate

West chuckles as he slides the bottle across the counter. I catch it and bring it to my lips, taking a sip.

“It’s just a beer, Holt.” He smirks and cracks open another one, taking a swig of his own.

I give him a smile and walk over to the large poker table my staff set up earlier. “Remember when we used to play poker on the yacht?”

“Yep.” Asher laughs, running a hand through his hair. He sits back in his chair and huffs. “That was before marriage and kids.” He nods toward Luca in my arms.

“Hey.” I cup my hand over his soft head, covering his near jet-black hair. “Selene is nervous about taking Luca out on the water so soon. But on the upside, once this guy is old enough, we’ll be able to add another player.”

“It’ll be a while before that happens,” West announces from the kitchen.

Asher’s grin spreads as his eyes drop to my son. “Yeah, and Luca probably won’t be the only extra player we’ll be able to add.”

“What do you mean?” West asks, moving from my kitchen to the poker table.

“Charleigh just found out she’s pregnant.”

“No shit.” West’s entire face lights up. He drops his beer bottle onto the table and pulls Asher in for a hug.

“Congrats, man,” I tell him, laughing.

Once he finishes his hug with West, he returns to his seat.

“I think”—Asher cringes—“I was supposed to wait until the girls got back to tell you guys, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer, seeing you with Luca.”

“We’ll pretend to be shocked when she tells us,” West offers.

“Better get ready, then.” Asher checks his phone. “Because they’ll be here any minute.”

“One more round?” West asks, returning to his seat opposite mine.

My chips are still stacked into a neat pile in front of my seat, and Asher hasn’t yet dealt a new hand. I look down at my son, not willing to put him down just yet. How is it I can be so tired all the time yet never tire of him?

“Dads learn to multitask.” I slip into my chair, careful not to rock him too much, and tip my head toward Asher’s hands. “Deal.”

By the time I’ve lost half a stack of my chips worth five thousand dollars, the women finally arrive.

I look up as my wife enters, dropping her keys and purse on the table and kicking off her heels before racing over to me and Luca. Charleigh, London, and Julianna shuffle in behind her.

Selene meets me and immediately bends down to plant a soft and gentle kiss on Luca’s forehead.

“What about me?” I ask, my heart racing at the sight of her. I’m still utterly obsessed with Selene Capuleti. “Don’t I get a kiss?”

“Always,” she whispers, pressing her lips to mine. She pulls away, making sure to tug on my lip with her teeth playfully before admiring our son once more.

“Did you have fun?” I ask her.

“I did, and we definitely needed it.” She sighs happily. “I missed Julianna, but I also missed you two.”

Despite our endless amount of money to spend on nannies and caretakers for Luca, Selene has never taken up on my offer to hire one to give her a break. Now, seeing her with Luca, I understand why. We try to soak up as much time as we can with him.

Parenting is wild.

Selene caresses Luca’s head once more before backing away.

“I’m not expecting a kiss like Selene, but a hello would be nice.”

I snap my head up to find my sister standing near the front entrance of my penthouse apartment. It’s been months since I’ve seen her, and although we’ve texted every week, I haven’t realized how much I’ve missed her until now.