Lodged (Kinsmen Billionaires #2)

34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Ruin MacAllister

I wake up sweating and disturbed, and my heart is beating fast. I look at the time on my alarm clock on the nightstand, and it’s only three in the morning. I sigh as I try to catch my breath—I’ve had more vivid dreams lately. Some of them, I can see myself and people I know, like Rain and Gio, and others where I’m just watching from the outside. I can’t tell if this is the way my memories are coming back or if I’m just dreaming.

In tonight’s dream, I was with Gio in New York. It was Christmas time, and we were exploring the city. It felt so real—the way he held my hand, the way he smelled.

I take a little notebook from my nightstand and write as many details as I can remember. These might all be dreams, but if they are my memories coming back, I want to have them on paper. In case I forget again. I smile as I replay the dream I just had. Gio and I were at a hotel that could oversee Central Park—it was magical.

Stretching my back, I stifle a yawn and try to go back to sleep; I promised Gio I’d help him move into his new place since tomorrow is my day off. I need to rest as much as I can.

“Good morning, Gio.” I greet him as I hand him a coffee I made for him. He takes it, smiling at me. I wish I could kiss him, but we’re outside of my house, and I can feel eyes on us from behind the curtains. I don’t want them all rushing outside and start asking questions.

“Good morning. This smells delicious. What is it?” I smile at his compliment.

“Oh, it’s my secret coffee pumpkin spice mix.” He takes a sip and closes his eyes, savoring the dark and spicy concoction.

“So good,” he says as he leans down and gives me a kiss on my cheek.

“Gio, you’re here,” Granny says as she joins us on the porch. He hugs her, and she latches onto him like her life depends on it.

“Granny, why don’t you take a seat?” I gently try to pull her away from Gio, and she gives me the side-eye.

“I see you’re marking your territory, dear.” I blush at her as I shake my head. Gio takes a sip of the coffee to hide his smile. “But don’t worry, my prime has passed, and this one is head over heels for you,” Granny says as she points with her thumb to Gio.

One by one, my entire family joins us on the porch, and I wonder what’s going on.

“So, we heard that it was Gio’s moving day, and we all would like to help.” Miles takes the lead.

“Oh, that is such a generous offer, but there’s no need. Really. A moving company is bringing all my furniture, and Ruin and I can put things away,” Gio says, and I want to die. I love my family, but sometimes they’re a little too much.

“But that’s not an issue; we can all help arrange things in their place. That’ll make work lighter and go faster. You don’t want to overwork Ruin, do you?” Rain gives him a pointed look, and once he sighs and nods his agreement, a grin spreads wide on her face.

“Great, let’s go,” Miles says, and we all say our goodbyes to Granny. Gio and I take his SUV, and River, Miles, and Rain pack into River’s truck and follow us.

“I’m sorry about my family,” I say in a small voice, and Gio reaches for my hand.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. I like your family. It reminds me of mine.” I don’t think we’ve spoken much about his private life; he’s always asking about mine.

“Would you tell me about them? Your family?” He gives me a quick glance and nods.

“I’m originally from Argentina. I grew up in a town two hours south of Buenos Aires, the capital.”

That’s fascinating. I made a mental note to ask him to take me there one day.

“I’m the oldest of three siblings—Luca and Isabella.” He smiles at their mention. “Anyway, they moved to Chile a few years back since Luca met a girl and fell in love. Isa was still a tad young to be by herself in Argentina.” He turns into the driveway to his new place.

Miles did a great job with this place in record time. The farmhouse is white with black trim. A huge truck is delivering furniture, and I can’t wait to see what Gio picked.

“How about your parents? Why would your sister be by herself in Argentina?” I ask him as he parks his car.

He gives me a sad smile and says, “I’ll tell you all about them another time.” He presses a kiss against the back of my hand. “Why don’t we go help your siblings?” His smile turns up, and I nod at him. I wonder what happened to his parents, but I know we’ll have time later.

“Everything looks great, Gio. Is it all brand new?” Rain asks. We enter the house as the movers remove plastic from the furniture.

“Yeah, I wanted everything to blend in with the environment. I’ve never had a farmhouse before and wanted someone to feel comfortable around here.” Everyone snickers as they glance at me, and I bury my face in Gio’s shirt.

“Ruin and I will take care of unpacking the kitchen; you boys do the heavy lifting,” Rain says as she grabs my arm and pulls me toward the kitchen. It’s an open-concept space with a ceiling of exposed wood beams and a wooden chandelier that brightens the entire room. The cabinets are made of dark cherry wood, and the countertops are made of white quartz. It’s simple, yet sophisticated.

“This kitchen is gorgeous, Ruru. Do you think you’d move in with your man?” Rain asks, removing pots and pans from a box. I scoff at her.

“We’ve been together for like a month, and I still don’t have my memories back. I don’t think we’re at that stage yet.” I busy myself organizing the silverware, and Rain stands up next to me, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What do the memories have to do with anything? If I had a man eating from the palm of my hand like you have Gio, I wouldn’t care about the past.” I shrug and continue my task as Rain goes back to organizing more stuff around the kitchen.

“I had a dream last night,” I say, and Rain comes closer to me. “It was Gio and me in New York. The details were so vivid. I’m not sure if it was really a dream or a memory.” Rain doesn’t meet my gaze; she seems nervous somehow.

“Did I know Gio before the accident?” I ask her, my voice almost a whisper. She shakes her head and scoffs.

“No, I mean. I don’t think so. He’s new to town.” She returns to her chores, and I dismiss my suspicions. Rain would never lie to me.

The house has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a studio—not to mention a three-season porch, along with a spacious living room and dining room. By the time we add the finishing touches, it’s the evening, and we all are exhausted.

“I apologize it took us so long to get this place ready. Are you all okay staying for dinner?” Gio asks as we all crash in the living room.

“Oh, are you going to cook for us?” Rain says, her gray eyes sparkling.

“Yes, I would like to prepare one of my family recipes if that’s okay with you all.” He looks around, and my siblings nod, excited to try something from Gio’s culture.

“I can bring Mama and Granny, if that’s okay?” River asks as he stands.

“That would be great, thanks, River.” He leaves, and we all get up to help with cooking, but Gio carries me back to the sofa.

“You need to rest your foot, sweetheart.” He kisses me on the forehead, helping me lie down and propping my foot up with several pillows. “I’ll handle dinner with Rain and Miles.”

I give him a grateful smile. I’m glad that the living room is close to the kitchen. Since it’s an open-concept plan, I can still join their conversation.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest with your sister, Rain? Miles and I can make quick work of the dinner if you want to rest,” Gio offers Rain, and I fall for him a little more for being so considerate of not only me but my family as well.

“And miss using this state-of-the-art kitchen? No way.” Gio chuckles as he starts taking the ingredients out.

“Okay, I’ll make the pasta. If you guys can prepare a salad that would be great,” Gio asks them.

“I’ll make the salad,” Rain peeps. “Miles, see if you can find ingredients for a drink. We need to make a special toast to Gio’s new place.”

“Oh yeah, let me see if Gio has the ingredients for a Moscow Mule. Otherwise, I can run real fast to the local mart. I think it’d be great for this time of the year.”

My heart swells with happiness at the scene—my boyfriend and my siblings enjoying each other’s company while working together. I can’t help but hope we have many more days like this. Days when Gio and I host my family for Sunday dinners, and hopefully, one day, his family will be able to join us, too.