Tony...can't you knock??
Not that Tricia knew at the time who Nicky was. After the shower, Tricia was surprised to find that Nicky had left her number with her. She had thought that what they did would have been a one-time thing (okay, two times counting the shower), but things hardly ever seemed to go the path that Tricia thought they would go.
“Tricia?” Nicky called from where she was pulling her pants back on. Their relationship was based off of sex and a type of respect that Tricia hadn’t had before. Based on how Nicky was asking, neither had she.
Tricia was drying her hair on her journey back from the bathroom when she froze at the sound of the door knob turning. “Crap. Crap. Crap.” Tricia took off at a run, not really bothering with her own clothes. Her lack of clothing could be explained, but a guests? Yikes.
Tricia threw Nicky’s shirt at her and she just had time to throw it on when the door opened to reveal her pain in the butt big brother. “Hey, bro, I didn’t think you’d be back for a few days.”
Little Tony is the spitting image of their father when he was younger. He also had the stomach for the family business, while Tricia was fighting the urge to run as far from it as she could. “Trish…guests?” He took one look at Nicky before laughing. “Man, dad’s gonna be pissed.”
“Tony…” Tricia glanced between Nicky and her brother before sighing. “Let me put some clothes on.” She goes over to her pile and starts pulling on some clean clothes, not even bothering to cover up in front of her brother and sort-of girlfriend.
When Tricia turned back to the two of them, Nicky was sitting on the couch while Tony had a chair. “Nicky.” Nicky had her hand out, and Tony was being his regular flirtatious self. “Tony,” Tricia’s brother smirked, “I’m guessing you are the reason Trish isn’t coming home on the weekends?”
Tricia throws a sweater of his at his head. “I’m not the only one that ‘lives’ here, Tony. Jeez.” Technically, the apartment was in both of their names. They had both wanted to spread their wings a bit before settling into their places, whatever they ended up being.
“I actually go home to the family dinners. You know how Uncle Gino likes us all to be there.” Yeah, to go over things and to look like one big happy family. Not that Tony would ever say that in front of company.
Tricia rolled her eyes before sitting down next to Nicky and putting her arm around the other woman. “Yeah, well, I need my own space, you know that.” Tricia is also not going to marry Rinaldo, which is what Uncle Gino, the boss, really would like to see. Their father would also like to see that happen. Too bad none of them asked what she liked.
Nicky looked between the two of them, knowing that there was another story going on under the surface. She came from a family of cops, and lawyers for parents. She was kind of used to the multilayered talking that occurred around the family table. “I was actually going to ask Tricia to come to a family dinner tomorrow.”
“Going to the family?” Tony looked pointedly at his sister, “Must be getting serious, sis.” There was an undercurrent of warning there, as well.
Tricia just rolled her eyes. “I’m an adult, Little Tony. What I do is my business, and my business, only.” Hopefully, her thick skulled brother would get the hint.
He seemed to when he just got up and gave her a hug. “I know, Trish. Us Assante children need to stick together.” He stood up straight before blowing a kiss Nicky’s way. “Nice meeting you, Keep my sister out of trouble.” He was about to close the door behind him before he looked back in, “Oh, and Trish? Uncle Gino really is getting impatient. He wants to see his goddaughter at some point this year.”
He closed the door and Tricia smiled before leaning back to better look at Nicky’s face. “Dinner, huh?”
Nicky nodded and grabbed one hand in hers. “Yes, I want you to meet my family.”
Tricia just gave the hands hold hers a squeeze. She didn’t see a problem in that. It was just a dinner with her girlfriend’s family, right? It’s not as if they were a family of cops trying bring her family in.