<h4>Chapter 240: Chapter 240 : Talking to Neal</h4>


    Allegra.


    Apparently, Neal had been on his way to visit Ba. I had warned him that he shouldn’t do that, though he never listened to me. I had been worried for a while that he would pester Ba beyond just making sure she was happy. That n had been shattered by a new guy he’d met. I wondered what changed but figured he would tell me about it. Now, he was on his way over to tell me all about it.


    My stomach lurched at the fact that he would see La here, however. She wasn’t too bothered, or at least, didn’t show it. I could tell there was a little bit of nervousness there, given all that had happened.


    A few weeks had passed since I’d gotten with La, and we were beyond happy together still. She sat at the table as I approached, giving her a smile and setting up some tea. I’d serve lunch for my brother when he got here, too. Before all of this had happened, I’d had a staff to take care of that sort of thing, but now, I was kind of liking taking care of myself.


    “How’s your day going?” I asked La. The job she currently held was low stress, and she often described the kids as well-behaved. I was very happy for her, even if she technically didn’t need to hold a job. I could cover everything with my modeling work.


    “It’s going very well!” she said. It was a weekend, with nothing else to do, and so were lounging around. Onyx bounded over to La and meowed loudly, wanting attention. This caused both of us to chuckle.


    “I’ll set up some food and treats,” I said. La nodded, though I did notice a slight frown on her face and furrowed my brow. “What’s the matter? Nervous about my brother visiting? If he gives you a hard time, my sharp tongue will sting him.”


    “I am a little bit nervous, yes,” La said. “But I don’t want to get between you and your brother, Allegra. After all that’s happened, though, it would be understandable if he didn’t approve of me being here.” Her lip quivered as guilt dripped from every word.


    I walked over to my lover and leaned over, nting a deep kiss on her lips as she turned her head. Her body rxed somewhat, especially as I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. We sat there kissing one another for a while before I pulled away for some air, and to speak.


    “You won’t be,” I said firmly. “Mistakes were made and apologized for. You can apologize to him, too, for everything, as you did for me. He will approve eventually. He has to,” I finished. I gave her onest squeeze before going to the stove and starting lunch.


    La gave me a loving smile, leaning back in her chair and clearly trying to think of the bright side of things. She closed her eyes, muttering something to herself, probably reassurances that this would go just fine. It would, I’d make sure of it.


    Eventually, the moment of reckoning came, and a knock on the door told me that my brother was here. I gave La a light smile, then turned to go answer the door. I hadn’t told Neal about La yet. I wanted to do so in person.


    I opened the door, staring at my brother with a raised brow. “Neal. So d you didn’t end up going with the ‘harass Ba’ n,” I said, not inviting him in just yet. He chuckled, giving a sheepish grin and rubbing the back of his neck.


    “In hindsight, that wasn’t the best of ns. I met someone amazing at the bar, though,” he said, exhaling slowly. His eyes grew distant as he breathed the word, “Mariano.” He smiled brightly, but then refocused on me, furrowing his brow. “Going to invite me in?”


    “In a moment,” I said slowly, trying to work out how to approach this. It wasn’t going to be the most fun of reveals, and I wasn’t looking forward to his reaction. I let out a sigh, then narrowed my eyes. “There is something I have to tell you.”


    Neal frowned deeply, and I could tell he was wondering what I was on about. My brother raised a brow and said, “Go on.” He crossed his arms, anticipating some news that he wasn’t going to like, probably. Well, he was in for a doozy.


    “La and I not only got back together, but she’s living here now,” I said tly. He widened his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my hand. “Also, my rtionship with her isn’t up for debate. We talked it out, and I expect that to happen with you today if youe in.”


    “How?” Neal said finally, shaking his head. “She worked with the people who brought you so much stress. She betrayed you. You let her back in, just like that? What, did she do? Bat her eyshes and say ‘pretty please’?”


    “Neal,” I said, my tone agitated. “Like I said, we talked it out. You’re going to have to ept that. Yes, she did. She was tricked and deeply regrets being led on like that. I trust my judgment here, I’m not lovestruck and lost.”


    My brother looked skeptical, but at my very strong stare at him, he sighed and shook his head. “I hope you’re not going to get yourself hurt again,” he grumbled. Finally, he nodded. “I will behave,” he said. “And be willing to hear her out.”


    With that, we entered the house. I led him to the table where La was. My girlfriend was leaning back in her chair, rather tense, with her arms crossed. She nodded toward Neal and tried giving him a kind smile.


    Neal, for his part, was polite and dipped his head. He said, “Hello there, La. Allegra told me you two were back together again.” He took a seat. I went over to the stove and stirred the food currently cooking, looking over my shoulder to make sure they were not doing anything funny.


    La said, “We did. I apologized profusely. I didn’t mean to hurt her, or you, or anyone else.” Her voice dripped with anxiety and guilt. I felt confident enough to leave the food there for now and return to the table.


    A tear crawled down La’s cheek as she likely thought of what she’d done. I frowned, reaching over and wiping it away from her face. She didn’t flinch away and merely leaned into my touch. I nced over at Neal, hoping he wouldn’t challenge this.


    My brother sighed and eventually said, “I just hope you won’t hurt Allegra again. I trust my sister’s judgment, but she has gotten overly excited in the past. Don’t take advantage of her. There will be no third chance.” I rolled my eyes, but La nodded firmly.


    “I understand. If I hurt her again, I deserve no sympathy or forgiveness,” she said. She reached over and grabbed my hand, leaving a kiss on it and causing me to blush. Neal couldn’t help but smile at this interaction.


    “Alright,” Neal said, then looked over to me. “Well, like I said in the text, I didn’t end up visiting Ba, though I heard the wedding went well,” he said. I nodded, d for the subject change so that La could rx a little. She went silent for now, letting Neal and I discuss things.


    “That’s good,” I said. “You were an idiot for even considering it and not listening to me over the phone, but at least it worked out in the end. What happened with this guy you met, then? If he distracted you from doing something stupid, that’s a great thing.”


    Neal chuckled and nodded, running his hand through his hair. His cheeks darkened as he spoke next. “Like I said, his name is Mariano. We’ve seen each other a few times following the meeting at the bar. We just...clicked. Like love at first sight. Silly, I know. But–”


    “Mhm,” I said, then turned around to get the food and set it up for us. We were having a simple pasta dish with fresh alfredo sauce, something warm and homey. We’d be settled in andfortable with this dish.


    My mouth watered as the savory smell of alfredo settled in the air. I grabbed a bowl for myself, Neal, and La, along with some silverware in napkins. Then, I sat down, continuing the conversation when we were all set up.


    “Let’s hope this one is permanent and doesn’t lead to another back and forth, or sob story, or you trying to get at Ba yet again,” I said, shooting Neal a narrowed gaze. My brother shifted ufortably in his chair, biting his lip in embarrassment.


    “It won’t,” he said confidently. “I know I just met the guy, and we have a long way to go. But we have several more dates nned, and we just continue to impress one another. He is more soft-spoken than me, more gentle. Not something I mind at all, really.”


    “Reminds me of a certain someone,” I said, winking toward La, who couldn’t help but give a little giggle. I smiled, taking a bite of my food and savoring the rich vor a moment before returning to the topic.


    Neal chuckled as well, saying, “As wary as I am about what could happen in the future with you two, I also wish you the best, and that things will work out in the end. I really do want to check in on Ba, as a friend, though.”


    I raised a brow, took another bite of my food, and let out a sigh. I eyed Neal warily before asking, “As a friend? And not some deranged lovestruck fool now going after a married woman?” Neal nodded in response to what I said.


    “Yes,” he said. “As a friend. She helped me break free of the thought that I killed Tally, after all. We’ve had our ups and downs, but it seems like she is settling in and making something of her life. I would enjoy being in it as a friend. With Mariano too.”


    “When are we going to meet this guy?” I asked curiously. La continued to eat her food quietly, not wanting to interrupt us. I was confident the awkwardness between her and Neal would eventually fade, though likely not today.


    “Soon,” Neal said, beaming at me. “I want to go on a few more dates with him. I am confident, as you can already tell, but I just want to make sure everything is sound. We can meet at the park, or I can invite you to my ce when you’re not working.”


    That sounded like a n to me. Neal and I discussed his lover, how work was going for both of us, and possible future ns as things finally started to settle down. No more drama or people after us, hopefully, for the years toe.


    Eventually, La joined in the conversation as well. I smiled. We really were going to be a happy family, I realized, which made my heart sing.