"I cant believe I did that!"

"Why did I do that?"

"I can't face him again!"

"What do I do now?"

"Lucy, take a deep breath," I tell her. "Come here, you're going to make me dizzy if you keep walking in circles like that."

Lucy groans and whines as she plops down next to me, laying her head on my lap. She begins crying quietly. 

"It's okay, Lucy," I tell her softly. "You're probably feeling, a lot of things right now. Happy, confused, scared, worried, and your heart rate was and probably still is racing. You might have even felt a tingle-like feeling up your spine and butterflies in your stomach..."

Lucy sits up and wipes at her face, she looks at me. "Wow, that's pretty much what I'm feeling," She sniffles. "But now I'm mostly scared, and embarrassed that I did that in front of everyone, let alone just did it without asking Marco. Do you think he's mad at me?" 

I laugh as I pull her over to sit next to me. "I seriously doubt Marco is mad at you Luce." Remembering the look on Marco's face afterward. "He kissed you back, remember?" 

"Yeah, but I thought I was making that part up in my head. It felt like everything else around us disappeared and it was just the two of us for just a moment and I got lost in what was going on. Is that normal?"

"Everyone's first kiss is different. When JP and I kissed the first time, we laughed it off, but the next time we kissed it felt a lot like that; where there was just an energy going through both of us," I sigh, remembering that night.

"So what do I do now?" Lucy asks me.

"Well, I think it's time we had the talk that you didn't want to have last year remember?" I smile at her softly. 

Lucy shakes her head "I mean, I know I don't want to do any of that. I can barely wrap my head around just kissing alone. I'll end up having a panic attack for sure, mom." 

I laugh at her over dramatic tendencies. "Fine, but just remember what I said when we were in Miami, don't do anything you don't want to do. Just know you can talk to me about anything," I hug her close to me. 

"And if you decide you want to be more than friends with Marco, JP and I will have to set some boundaries, since we all live together," I tell her. 

Lucy nods. "I don't know if I want to be more than friends. I mean, I really like him. A lot. But I don't know how all of this works." 

I sigh. "You remind me a lot of me when I was your age and when JP and started to become more than friends. And the one thing I will tell you is, don't be afraid to tell Marco how and what you are feeling, even if it's uncomfortable. I can't tell you how many arguments and misunderstandings we would have saved ourselves if JP and I just talked openly. Which is funny because before we were boyfriend and girlfriend we would tell each other everything," I run my fingers through her hair. "And I know Marco will respect you and listen to you."

"He knows what he's doing and I don't have a clue," Lucy says quietly. Talia teasing Lucy comes to my mind and I wonder if she's feeling completely inexperienced and less than in comparison.

"When a boy really likes you and respects you he won't care that you don't know what to do, trust me, Lucy," I reassure her. "Do you think you're ready to face him tonight or do you want to wait until tomorrow?" 

She sits up and then stands. "I'm ready to talk to him. It's not good to put these things off, right?"

"True, but you don't have to do it right now, either." 

"If I don't then I'll just end up worrying about it all night and then I won't get any sleep and then I'll be grumpy tomorrow on top of everything else."

"You're the bravest girl I know, Lucy," I kiss her head and she hugs me back tightly. 

"I don't feel brave, but you make me feel like I can do anything. Thanks mom, I love you." 

"I love you too, Lucy," I smile.  

When we walk in to the family room, Marco's friends look over at Lucy. Talia is sitting on the couch with the signature scowl on her face, the other two girls smile at Lucy and the guys acknowledge her as well. 

Miles and Kai walk over to us. "Lucy, are you okay?" Miles ask her worriedly. 

"I'm okay; thanks Miles," She smiles at him, then looks around the room. "Um, do you guys know where Marco is?" 

"Yeah, I beat his face in for kissing you," Kai says seriously and Lucy's head snaps back over to Kai."

"You what?" Lucy asks alarmed.

Kai laughs as he pulls her in a headlock ruffling her hair. "Kidding, Lucy. He's outside. JP was talking to him for a while, but he stayed outside." 

Lucy chuckles as she pushes Kai away. "Bruh! Now my hair's all messed up." She runs her hair over her curls to smooth it out as much as she can. 

"Marco won't care," Miles tells her and Lucy blushes. She looks over at me before she heads to the back door. I watch as she stops for a moment to take a deep breath and then walks out. 

"We're totally watching right?" Miles says next to me. 

"No, give Lucy some privacy," I tell him shaking my head. "Go keep the other kids company or put a movie on or something." I shoo him away along with Kai. 

I walk closer to the window and watch as Lucy approaches Marco. He stands as she gets closer. She tucks her hair behind her ears and looks down before looking up at him and smiles at him. I can't hear what they're saying but he smiles back at her. 

"So much for giving Lucy privacy," Enzo startles me and he chuckles. He folds his arms across his chest and watches a long with me. "A first kiss, huh?"

"Yep." I look over at him and he's smiling with a far away look on his face. "Who was your first kiss, Enzo?"

Enzo looks over at me and smirks. "Her name was Giada, but we called her Gia. She trained with us growing up." 

"Giada was your first kiss?" Topo questions grabbing a beer from the fridge. "I knew you were sweet on her, but tried to act like you weren't." He teases Enzo. 

I smile at the small blush on Enzo's cheeks. "How old were you?"

"Sixteen"

"Where is she?" 

Enzo's smile changes as he pulls his bottom lip in. "She was killed during an assignment." 

"I'm so sorry, Enzo." 

He shrugs slightly. "The life of an assassin."

"Did you love her?"

Enzo furrows his eyebrows. "I know I liked her, but I don't think it was love." He looks over at me, "I don't think I've ever allowed myself to feel more for anyone, knowing I could die at any given moment," He chuckles. "So consider yourself special, Stella Bracco, because I know I do love you even if it's just a family love. I never thought you could have a soulmate in a platonic way, but that's what you are for me, Stella."

I blink back tears, as I hug him from the side and he puts his arm around my shoulders and kisses my head. "I love you too, Enzo. Which is why you can't go back to Italy." 

He chuckles. "Things are still up in the air so you can have me around a little while longer."

"Forever," I mumble into his chest, and he laughs loudly. 

"Where's everyone else?" I ask.

"Joey and Annalisa are probably going at it like rabbits, Nicky and the other guards were smoking out front, Dot went to bed soon after the younger kids went to bed, Cristian went on a walk with Isabella and J--"

"Wait, Cristian went on a walk with my mom?" I pull away looking at Enzo.

"Yeah, they left like ten minutes ago. Why?" 

"Nothing," I smile, "I just think that's cute."

"Cute? What's cute about it?" Enzo says, his eyebrows creasing. 

I roll my eyes at his obliviousness. "Well, I think that Cristian likes my mom." 

"What?" 

"Don't you see the way he looks at her?" I ask. Enzo's eyes move around as he thinks about it.

"I guess, I haven't noticed. I mean, they've known each other a long time, and I just found out recently that he was part of the team helping to keep her hidden away from Bobby Cardinale." Enzo shrugs. "Will that be weird for you if something happens between them?" Enzo asks me watching me carefully. 

I stop to think about it but it feels more foreign to picture her with Timo than with Cristian, but I think it's because I have a closer relationship with Cristian than I ever did with Timo.

"No, I think they both deserve to be happy and if that means they get together then I'm all for it, but I don't want her to leave again and Cristian lives in Italy." 

"Cristian plans on retiring soon, though," Enzo says. 

"He does?" I look over at Enzo, "What does that mean? Will you take over for him?"

Enzo shakes his head. "No, Cristian knows I don't have the people skills to deal with all the bullshit that comes with his position. I mean, I can fake my way for short periods of time, but more than that and I'd end up racking up more bodies just from not wanting deal with the sheer stupidity of some of the people Cristian deals with."

I laugh. "Somehow, I really believe that's true. So who will take over this huge Empire Cristian's built for himself?" 

"It was going to be Rocco, so my guess either Mateo or Topo." 

I look over at Topo, but he's on his phone now.

"What are we watching?" Santino comes over to us and hands us a bowl of popcorn.

"The blossoming of young love," Enzo tells him as he grabs a handful of popcorn. 

"Damn, did Marco finally make a move then?" Santino questions.

"No, Lucy did," I inform him and Santino coughs as he chokes on the popcorn.

"Way to go Lucy," He says after he clears his throat.

We watch as Marco and Lucy continue talking and then we watch as Marco tucks a piece of Lucy's hair behind her ear. 

"Nice, move," Santino comments. Lucy looks down and smiles and then I see her shrug as she says something and she holds her hand out to Marco in an attempt to shake his hand.

"Yikes," Enzo says. "A handshake?"

I elbow him. "Stop, she doesn't know what to do, she's very innocent in a lot of ways despite her childhood."

We watch as Marco chuckles and takes her hand and shakes it but then he brings her hand to his lips and kisses her hand and then pulls her into a hug.

"Damn, that was smooth," Enzo says appreciatively. "Shit, they're coming back, move!" We scramble away from the window and move towards the island in the kitchen where Topo is. 

I try to stifle my laugh as Enzo and Santino begin a made up conversation on the worst dates they've been on. At least I think it's fake, but you never know with these guys.

Lucy and Marco walk back in I notice Marco smiles at her and she blushes. She looks over at me and smiles as she bites her lip nervously. 

"Well, looks like JP and Stella have to have the talk with you two," Santino says bluntly and I smack the back of his head. "Damn, that hurts more than I thought it would!" He rubs the back of his head.

"Don't embarrass them like that, Santino," I scold him. 

"They better get used to it, that's how it works in Italian families. Or so I'm told," Enzo chuckles. 

"True, but ease Lucy into it at least," I tell them. 

"It's okay mom, it's no different than what Miles and Kai do," Lucy tells us and everyone laughs. Marco and Lucy head back to the family room where their friends are and I notice Marco places his hand on Lucy's lower back.

"Where's JP?" I ask.

"His office, probably," Santino says.

"So much for taking time off," I mutter shaking my head, smiling. 

"Something else happened and he needs you, Stella," Topo tells me and I note the seriousness not only in his voice but his face. "Go on, we'll keep an eye on the kiddos." He tells me; I thank him and say goodnight to the kids.

I decide to stop in our bedroom first before I go to his office. 

I change out of my clothes and freshen up in the bathroom and then scrunch up my curls before I head to my bag and then grab something to put on that will for sure capture his attention. 

I slip on my robe and grab my heels and my phone, smiling as I remember when I did this before, but this time I don't plan on falling on my face. 

At least I hope not.