“Pop? You alright?”
“I know things are still stressed with you and Humphrey.”
“Stressed. Good way to put it.”
“Aaron may be coming to you about letting some of that go.”
Pitch’s expression darkened. “Pop-”
“It’s important to protect the family, Vic.”
“And what’s that got to do with me?”
“You’re part of this family.”
Pitch’s laughter carried on the cool sea air. “Someone forgot to tell that to a few members of the family.”
“Aaron will need all the help he can get with this, Vic. I know it won’t be easy letting go of certain things for the good of the family. It’ll be harder for some than others.”
Pitch’s lashes fluttered around his narrowing eyes as understanding took hold. “You want me to convince Ro to go along with this madness.”
“Not just Roman.”
Icy resignation solidified in Pitch’s eyes. “You can’t be asking me to forget everything they’ve-”
“Not to forget, Son. Never forget. Just to set aside so that the family can breathe.” Liam stepped in front of Pitch before he could turn away.
“Imani is pregnant. With any hope, Gabriel and Giselle will make their own announcement soon. After Stone...the family needs healing, Vic.”
“For how long? ‘Til it’s fixed? Cause that’s never gonna happen. You’re kidding yourself, Pop, if you think Hump’s gonna play along with that.”
“He will.”
“Pop...” Pitch studied his father with incredulous eyes. “Not even Ari’s good enough to make that happen.”
“Not on his own, no.”
Pitch turned his back on Liam then. Burying both hands into the pockets of his lightweight black jacket, he hung his head low and hugged himself as if chilled.
Liam went to squeeze Pitch’s shoulder.
“Stone was onto something, Pop. We think Hump-”
“I know he still has interests that could undermine the family.”
“So we just forget about it?”
“Not forget. Manage.”
“How?” Bewilderment held Pitch’s expression when he turned to Liam then.
“In whatever way that keeps the family respectable and Humphrey controlled.”
Pitch seemed amused. “That’s a tall order, Pop.”
“It’s why I need you three working together.”
“And Gabe?”
A muscle ticked beneath the low cut beard shading Liam’s strong jaw. “Stone’s death hit Gabriel hard. He still hasn’t...come back all the way. But when he does, he should focus on Giselle and finding his place at Tesano.”
Pitch could tell from his father’s tone and the torment on his face that he would take no more questions on the subject. He nodded. “Alright, Pop. I’ll do whatever you need.” He said and ignored the warning bells inside his head while taking refuge in his father’s embrace.
~38~
“Were you trying to tell me something when you got home, wife?”
“You know that I was,” Giselle burrowed deeper into the tangled bed covers where she’d been since arriving home from her lunch date with Candace and Imani. She’d found her husband there already and Gabriel had wasted no time giving her a proper welcome home.
She frowned, cracked open an eye. “Did we even get around to having dinner?” She shivered when Gabriel kissed her shoulder and drew his tongue across the nape of her neck.
“Did you miss it?” He asked.
Giselle rolled to her back. “Hmm...not as much as I thought I would.”
The couple indulged in a seeking kiss that was tempting enough to clear Giselle’s mind of everything. Somehow, she resisted its call.
“Gabriel?”
