Me: I’m not old, Jo. I’m tired, and obviously tomorrow’s going to be a long, long, long day.

  Rebel: Night. We’re going to stay here and talk about you.

  Gigi: Well, duh.

  Me: I wouldn’t expect anything less.

  Jo: You have the girl’s name?

  Tamara: I can get it off her car’s registration.

  Me: Stop. Go to bed. Spend time with your men. Do something other than worry about my life.

  Rebel: Stop being a shit in the pants. Your bed is calling you, Mello. Night, brother.

  Rocco: They aren’t going to stop. Might as well ignore them.

  Gigi: Night. See you tomorrow.

  4

  Arlo’s waiting in her driveway when I pull in, looking hotter than she has the two previous times I’ve seen her.

  Her hair is pulled up in a tight bun, exposing her long, slender neck. She’s wearing a crisp white button-down blouse, exposing just a hint of cleavage. The shirt is tucked into a pair of black pants that end near her ankles, showing off a sexy pair of black stilettos with a few toes peeking out at the end.

  “Fuck,” I mutter, gripping the steering wheel. When my asshole cousins get a look at her at the shop, they’ll be all up my shit.

  I’m out of my Challenger before she has a chance to get to her door. “Hey,” I say with a smile, trying not to let my eyes travel down to her body. “You look nice today.”

  She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, glancing down toward the ground. “Thanks,” she says softly. “I appreciate your doing this for me.”

  “I know, babe.” I open the passenger door for her, always being chivalrous like I’ve been taught by both my parents. “Let’s not say it again. Friends do favors for friends.”

  She stops at the door and turns her face toward me. “We’re friends now?”

  I shrug. “We’re whatever you want to be.”

  “Friends works.”

  “I think you could use a few more good ones. Yours seem to be shit.”

  She smiles at me as she folds herself in, looking like she was made to sit inside my baby. “They’re not the best.”

  “I got you,” I tell her, but what the fuck am I doing? I have never been able to maintain a healthy friendship with a woman because it always ends in sex.

  Always.

  I jog around the back, sliding into the driver’s seat next to Arlo. “Fair warning,” I tell her before I push the start engine button. “My cousins may be there.”

  The color drains from her face. “A cousin?”

  “A lot of cousins. They’re super nosy, but nice. Just be calm and ignore half the shit they say. They’re ridiculous at times. You know how families are.”

  “Yeah,” she mutters, fumbling with the cuff of her dress shirt.

  The ride to the shop is short and quiet. Arlo stares out the window, watching where we’re going carefully, but she has very little to say to me.

  “Here we are,” I announce as we pull into the parking lot, thankful we’ve arrived and no longer have to sit in awkward silence.

  “You don’t have to come in with me.”

  I stare at her, hand on the wheel, confused. “Babe, I don’t know what men you hang out with, but a man like me doesn’t let a woman walk into an auto body shop alone.”

  “Why?”

  “Because men aren’t trustworthy, especially men at places like this.”

  “But it’s your family.”

  “They’re especially not to be trusted,” I lie, knowing they’re going to be all over her like white on rice.

  Her eyes widen. “Really?”

  “They’re good people, but once you meet them, you’ll totally understand.”

  “Okay,” she says, her face relaxing.

  “Come on, babe.” I open my car door, and she follows, meeting me near the front to walk toward the building together.

  As soon as I open the door to the shop, I realize the clusterfuck is far worse than I ever could’ve imagined. Every single one of my cousins is there and waiting near the reception area, trying to look incognito and like normal, everyday customers.

  Tamara’s at the counter, a shit-eating grin on her face. “Good morning, you two cuties,” she says in a way-too-cheery voice as her eyes sweep over Arlo, and she comes out from behind the counter to wrap her arms around me. “She’s cute.” Those words are spoken in my ear.

  “We’re here for Arlo’s car. Did the rim and tire get fixed?”

  Tamara pulls away, giving her attention to Arlo. “Hi. I’m Tamara, this jerk’s cousin. It’s so nice to meet you.”

  “Umm,” Arlo mumbles, looking at me out of the corner of her eye as she stands stiff as a board. “I’m Arlo. It’s nice to meet you too.”

  “She’s cute,” Gigi says behind me, and I turn just as she lifts a magazine above her face to hide.

  “Arlo, these are my cousins,” I say, waving my arms around. “Well, half of them, at least.”

  Arlo’s eyes widen again, looking like a poor, trapped animal. “Hi,” she squeaks.

  I point to each one, calling out their names along with Pike and Jett, who came along for the nosy-ass ride. “Glad to see you all have so much to do today.”

  “We came to see the renovations to the place. It had nothing to do with you.” Lily somehow keeps a straight face as she lies. She’s spent way too much time around the other women in the family, given the ease with which those words slide off her tongue. “Ignore our grumpy cousin and his attitude. It’s our pleasure to meet you, Arlo.”

  “Thanks,” she whispers, still standing there confused and probably scared too. “You have a lot of cousins.”

  “We’re only half,” Gigi adds, rising to her feet. “The other half are a bit younger. We travel in two groups, but none of that matters.” She waves her hand, walking closer to us. “We’re so happy our cousin was able to rescue you last night. He’s always been kind to strangers. It’s awful to be broken down in this heat, and no one, especially not someone as pretty as you, should be left out there for long.”

  “We weren’t technically strangers,” Arlo says, and I immediately grimace. “We met before but only for a few minutes.”

  Gigi’s eyes swing to me as her shoulder drops and her hand moves to her hip. “Oh, really. Someone left that little nugget out of our conversation.”

  Oh boy.

  I lift my face toward the ceiling, cursing.

  “So, Arlo, how did you meet our cousin before?” Tamara asks, moving around the corner toward us.

  Arlo looks at me, and I nod. There’s nothing to hide now. The cat’s out of the bag, and it was innocent, just like this time.

  “Both were just by chance,” I add before Arlo has a chance to speak.

  “It was New Year’s Eve, and some jerk was hassling me.”

  “Aww,” Lily coos. “Mello is so sweet.”

  “It was no big deal,” I tell them.

  Arlo turns to me with a small smile, her eyes and face soft. “But it was a big deal. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t walked up to us and chased him away.”

  “Did you spend the rest of the night together?” Rebel asks, getting way too personal.

  “No,” Arlo answers. “I had one drink and he waited with me until I calmed down, and then we went our separate ways.”

  “That’s it?” Jo asks. “You both just left?”

  I nod. “That’s it, until last night.”

  “Did you stay the night?” Gigi asks.

  “No, but it’s not any of your business if I did.”

  “We don’t really know each other,” Arlo responds.

  “Car’s ready,” Mammoth says, walking into the waiting room and coming to a stop to look around. “Jesus. What the hell is happening in here?”

  Tamara shrugs. “Just talking, baby.”

  “Princess, leave the woman alone. She’s a customer just like everyone else. You guys look like a bunch of crazy people. I’m sure you’re interrogating her.”

  “We’re not,” Tamara says.

  “They are,” I tell him.

  “I’m surprised we’ve never seen you around here before,” Gigi says, fishing for information.

  Arlo seems to relax as her posture changes, no longer on the defensive. “I’m new in town. I moved here right at the end of last year, and I don’t go out often.”

  “We need to change that,” Rebel says. “You should go out with us sometime.”

  “Total girls’ night,” Tamara adds. “We could use some fresh blood.”

  “I’m sure Arlo has plenty of friends,” Pike adds, but I know it’s not true from the things she’s said before.

  “The few I have are so-so,” Arlo replies, surprising me. I knew the ones she was with on New Year’s Eve ditched her, leaving her vulnerable and alone with the asshole at the bar.

  “Well, if you have some free time, we’ll invite you the next time we’re going out.”

  “That’s really kind of you.” Arlo smiles, but I keep my mouth shut. She’s an adult, and if she doesn’t want to go with them, she’ll tell them.

  “Are you ladies done chitchatting?” Pike asks, standing from his chair. “I want to get to the shop early and get my station set up for the day.”

  Gigi frowns. “Fine. We can go,” she tells her husband. “It was so nice meeting you, Arlo.”

  “You too,” Arlo says, still smiling.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” Lily says, moving toward the door with Jett.

  “Call us later, Tam,” Gigi says before heading outside with the others.

  “Your family is so sweet,” Arlo says softly to me.

  “They can be, but they can also be a pain in the ass. Sorry they ambushed you like that.”

  She laughs. “They were fine. It’s nice to see how much they love you and to have so many people care.”

  “It has its moments.”

  Tamara clears her throat. “This is nice.”

  I turn my eyes toward her, narrowing them.

  “Anyway, car’s done and ready to go,” Mammoth says, holding back his laughter.

  Arlo moves toward the counter, unsnapping her purse. “How much do I owe?”

  “No charge. It’s taken care of,” he replies.

  “No. I can’t let you do that.”

  Mammoth looks at me. “I didn’t. He did.”

  Arlo swings her eyes my way. “You can’t pay for my car.”

  “It’s done.”

  She stalks over to me, getting in my face, but not in an aggressive way. “It’s not done,” she argues.

  “It is.”

  “Oh boy,” Tamara says, giggling. “This should be fun.”

  “I won’t let you pay.”

  “Already did.”

  Arlo huffs. “Why?”

  “I thought you could use a break, and since I know the owner, I got a helluva deal.” I smile.

  She gawks at me, her arms down at her sides, blinking away. “That’s crazy.”

  “Listen, Arlo. I don’t know if this concept is foreign to you, but sometimes it’s nice to do something good for someone. When it’s your time, pay it forward.”

  “I still can’t let you pay for my car.”

  “It’s done. End of discussion, babe.”

  “That always goes over big,” Tamara says, watching us with her elbow on the counter, chin in her palm. “Nothing like being shut down.”

  “I’ll pay you back someday.”

  “You got my number. You know where and how to find me,” I tell her.

  “Arlo, I need you to fill out some paperwork for our files before you go. Is that okay?”

  Arlo nods, giving me another smile before moving toward the front desk and Tamara. “I have to head to work. You two going to be okay?” I ask.

  “We’re good. Right, Arlo?” Tamara says, watching us carefully.

  “I’ll be fine. You don’t need to stay,” Arlo replies. “You’ve done enough, and the last thing I want is for you to be late too.”

  “Call me the next time you need a save, babe,” I call out, walking backward toward the door and knowing I am doing the right thing.

  Arlo isn’t the type of girl you sleep with and walk away from, but all I can offer is a night of pleasure, not a lifetime of happiness.

  “Maybe,” she says as the door closes and I leave her with Tamara, knowing I’ll never see her again.

  5

  Six Months Later

  “I think I’m ready, Lily.”

  She stares at me funny, tilting her head. “Ready for what?”

  “To settle down. To find love. The whole thing. This party bachelor life is getting old and tiring.”

  Fuck. I have to be crazy. I don’t know who’s more surprised by the words that came out of my mouth, me or Lily.

  “Oh my God! Please let me help you,” Lily begs, touching my shoulder. “Please. Please. Please let me help you.”

  She has always been the sweetest one in the family. She was the most innocent until she hooked up with Jett, the notorious high school playboy who nailed all the tail.

  She also gave me the most shit about my whorish ways and made it her personal mission to help me turn my life around.

  “I don’t think there’s any helping at this point. I’m so set in my dumb ways.”

  “That’s not true. We’re going to find you love. You deserve it, Mello.” She gives my shoulder a quick squeeze.

  I place my hand over hers. “I don’t think I do, Lily. You’re sweet. Maybe too sweet, and you always think the best of people, but not everyone deserves love.”

  “That’s some bullshit. You shut your mouth right now.”

  I jerk my head back, surprised by the forcefulness of her words. Lily had always been the meek and mild one, but lately, the mouth on her has changed dramatically. “It’s shut.”

  She grabs my hands, holding them on top of my knees. “Look at me.”

  I turn my head a little because I am looking at her already. “I’m looking.”

  She gives my fingers a squeeze. “No more easy women. Understand?”

  “But they’re fun, Lily,” I argue, getting a glare from her. The same lethal look all Gallo women perfect before they reach eighteen. “Right. No easy chicks,” I mutter.

  “You want to find your happily ever after, cousin?”

  “I’d like to think there’s someone out there for me. But really, let’s be honest about this…”

  “Go on.” Those words are said with a dip of her chin, a move I know she’s picked up from our mothers over the years.

  “Who’s going to love a man like me?”

  She blinks, her eyebrows pulling down. “A man like you?”

  “A serial fucker.”

  Her lips twitch, but she bites back her laughter. “You are a fucker. That much is for sure, but—” she moves her stool a little closer until our knees are touching “—that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to find happiness. You have a lot of love to give someone.”

  “I think I have more trouble to give than I do love.”

  “You’re filled with love, Mello. Filled with it.” She lets go of one hand, lifting her fingers to my chest and placing her palm over my heart. “It’s ready to burst out of you just like it is with every man in this family. We just have to get you to think with this—” she presses her palm harder against my chest “—and not that.” She drops her eyes to my crotch for only a second, but she’s made her point.

  “That part of me has to be into it too, Lily. It’s hard to find one without the other. It may not work that way for women, but for me, it does.”

  She leans back, her hands moving away from me. “We work the same, dum-dum. But you never get past your lower half, letting it lead the way.”

  “So, what do I do?”

  “First, we have to find you the right girl.” She crosses her arms over her chest, cocking her head, and studies me. “Then, you take things slow.”

  “Slow?”

  She nods. “You can’t sleep with her right away. I was serious when I told you that before, and you rolled your eyes.”

  I run my hand down my face and groan against my palm. “Do you know how hard that is?”

  She flattens her lips because, obviously, she doesn’t care. “You can kiss and stuff, just no going all the way. No more home runs for you, big guy.”

  “Home runs?” I laugh.

  “Yep,” she snaps. “No rounding third and sliding into home.”

  “You’re a complete weirdo, Lily.”

  She smiles. “I’m not a weirdo. I’m normal. Do you want to tell your children someday how you met their mother swinging from a pole or during a threesome?”

  I’ve fucked strippers and been in a threesome—hell, even more people than that at the same time. It makes for an awesome story, but do I want to tell one of my kids that?

  Of course not.

  I’d come up with some dumb-ass cover to shield them from our stupidity and sexual prowess, not wanting them to take after their pervy parents.

  “Naturally, that’s not what I want, babe. Come on now. Give me a little credit.”

  “You’re on the path to making it a reality. For the life of me, I have no idea how you don’t have a kid yet.”

  “Condoms, babe.”

  “Well, you could be the poster child for their efficacy.”

  “I love when you use big words,” I tease her.

  She rolls her eyes again.

  “What are you two talking about?” Gigi asks, plopping into the seat next to us.

  “Carmello’s ready to find love.”

  I groan and squeeze my eyes shut, swearing under my breath.

  “Wait. Hold up. He’s what?” Tamara says, joining the conversation.

  “He wants to settle down and have a family.”

  My eyes snap open to three females gawking at me. “No. No. No. I said I was ready to settle down. I didn’t say anything about having kids.”

  The three of them smile in unison, and the regret I feel for telling Lily amplifies.

  “Oh. My. God,” Tamara says and smacks my leg. “This is the best news ever. Rebel and Jo, get your asses over here.”

  I stretch out on the lounger, throwing my arm over my eyes, wishing I could vanish in a cloud of smoke to avoid the conversation they are no doubt going to have at my expense.