Free Wild Renegade by Andria Large

    Ace
steps up to my father and holds out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr.
Gionelli," he says cordially.

 
    My
dad doesn't even bother to take his eyes off the TV, not even acknowledging
Ace’s existence.  

 
    "Right,
okay then, never mind," Ace mutters, stepping back and clapping his hands
together.

 
    Before
I could tell him to stop being rude, my mom, Elena, comes out of the kitchen,
drying her hands on a dishtowel. She smiles at me, tossing the towel over her
shoulder and starts toward me, her arms out.

 
    "My
baby," she coos – again, in Italian - giving me a kiss on each cheek
before hugging me.

 
    "Ciao
mamma," I say.

 
    I
introduce her to Ace and Alex. She smiles sweetly and shakes both of their
hands. She looks back at me, gestures with her hands, and says “Big boys” in
Italian. I grin slightly and nod.

 
    "Hungry, sì ?" my mom asks them.

 
    Ace
and Alex both smile and nod. Ace even says " Sì ,"
which gets an approving look from my mother. Yay! You go Ace! I give his arm a
squeeze and he sends me a lopsided grin.

 
    "Come,
come," my mom urges, ushering us into the dining room. She wants us to sit
so she can put the food on the table. "Gaetano, Gina!" she calls to
my dad and sister before slipping back into the kitchen.

 
    My
dad grumbles in Italian on his way over to the table. I catch a few choice
words that have me clenching my fists. Just make it through dinner, and then we
can leave. Come on, Nicole, you can do it. I give myself a pep talk before
going and sitting with Ace on one side of the table. Alex sits with Gina across
from us and my dad sits at the end closest to Gina and me, in his usual seat.

 
    Ace
elbows me. When I look over at him, he nods his head toward Gina. I turn to
look at her and find that she is seriously checking Alex out. I stifle a laugh.
Ace is snickering next to me. Alex isn't paying any attention to her, so he has
no idea; although, I don't know how he doesn't feel her eyes running all over
him. It's not like she's being subtle about it either.

 
    "Forget
it, he's thirty-six," I tell her in Italian to keep Alex and Ace from
understanding what I’m saying.

 
    Her
eyes flip to mine. "So?"

 
    My
sister, Gina, is super pretty and knows it. She has a little bit of a problem
with keeping her legs closed, though. I'm pretty sure that she's slept with
more guys than I have, and I've had a five-year head start. She is picky,
though, I'll give her that; the guy has to be a stud or she's not interested.
Alex is definitely a stud and Gina wants in his pants. I know it's not gonna
happen. Alex won't leave Ace to fuck some random chick. It'll be fun to see her
try, though, especially in front of my dad.

 
    Alex
raises an eyebrow as if he understood our little exchange and looks down at
Gina. She gives him a flirty smile. The grin he gives her in return has Alex
looking seriously sexy. He leans down and whispers something in her ear. I've
never seen Gina blush, but whatever he says to her has her turning bright red.
Ace is biting his lip to stop from laughing. I can't even begin to imagine what
he's saying to her. I'll find out later.

 
    My
mom brings out a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs just as Alex straightens
back up. She sets it in the middle of the table and my dad reaches for the
spoon. My mother snaps at him and slaps his hand away. They bicker for a moment
but my mom eventually wins the little argument. She wants the guests to serve
themselves first. With my dad in full brooding mode, my mother motions for Ace
to fill his plate.

 
    "Si mangia ," she says, which means, “you eat."

 
    "Oh,
okay," he says hesitantly, glancing at my dad before grabbing the
spaghetti spoon.

 
    Ace
then surprises me by taking my plate and filling it up first. I slip a glance
at my mother who is in the process of sitting down; she is watching Ace with an
approving smile. My tension eases slightly. If I can get my mother to be okay
with this,