The dining area at Nonna's house that evening was packed with members of the De Luca family. Angela was nervous when she met them again, but everyone was very friendly and they welcomed her with no qualms. Alessandro introduced her to his wife, Gael's stepmother, who gave her a generous hug and even served her first wine for the night. Angela thought the only person she hadn't met was Gael's brother. He'd told her he had one, but he'd never talked about him, and neither did the others. She didn't want to cause awkwardness, so she decided to ask him about it later when they're alone.
Laughter and chatter filled the room that joyous evening. Dinner was superb with Alice and Nonna's dishes spread on the table. They had authentic Italian dishes and some American staples. Angela barely had room for Nonna's tiramisu in her stomach, but there was no way she would pass up eating that. She and Gael shared a piece.