Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
This is exactly what I want for her.
So what the fuck is my problem?
“Okay,” Mara says and when I shift my gaze to hers, she’s looking at me again. But the moment I meet her eyes, she blinks, swallows, stands up a little taller as her gaze grows a little more distant, a little more closed off.
She’s steeling herself. It’s not against me, I tell myself. It’s against what’s to come.
But when we head to the door, I notice she falls back to walk beside Noah, not me, as we enter the house. They’re all waiting, like they were watching, Lenore wringing her hands with worry, tension high. Then Alessandro charges around the corner, pulling his eye patch in place as he crashes into my legs. His greeting is warm and welcoming, a reminder to get my head out of my ass and be happy that she remembers Noah. Be happy of her instant connection with him.
Because what the fuck is wrong with me that I would feel like this.
Fucking jealous.
24
Dante
Mara smiles at Scarlett first, recognizing her from the night at the house in the Netherlands. She looks at her rounded belly. My sister-in-law glows with the pregnancy. She’s beautiful already but like this, happy, she’s almost too bright to look at.
I want that for Mara.
I want her to glow with happiness.
They hug and Scarlett rubs her back then draws away to look at her. Mara’s about an inch taller than Scarlett but so much younger. Not only in age but in every way.
“It’s really good to see you again,” she says. “I was so worried about you. We all were.”
Mara smiles. I see the effort it takes. “I was worried about you, too.”
Lenore sniffles and we turn to her. She has tears streaming down her face. Mara’s eyes fill up and she glances at me momentarily before letting Lenore hug her so tight I’m afraid she’s going to break her.
“Darling girl,” Lenore says. “I never thought I’d see you again.”
Mara’s eyes are huge, she’s got her arms around Lenore but she’s not crying. I can’t tell what she’s thinking.
Lenore draws back, looks her over, then hugs her again, telling her she’s made all her favorite foods. I wonder what they could be considering she was five last Lenore saw her. I have no idea what her favorite food is. I wonder if she even has one.
Cristiano hangs back. I can see she’s a little more leery of him. Like she is with me in a way. She glances at him then quickly away and I bend down to pick up Alessandro.
“And this is Alessandro,” I tell her.
He extends his arm to shake her hand. She smiles at him, taking in the eye patch. She shakes his little hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Alessandro. How old are you?”
“Four.” He holds up four fingers, double checks that it’s only four, then adjusts his patch which in his rush he’s gotten twisted.
“Let me fix that there, little man,” I tell him, setting him down and crouching to take off the patch then put it back on. He’s watching Mara.
“I hear you’re going to be a big brother soon,” she says.
“Yeah. It’s going to be a girl though,” he says, not hiding his disappointment.
“Hey. Girls are fun.”
“I guess. I’m helping get her room ready.” He glances at Scarlett then leans closer to Mara. “If it wasn’t for me everything would be pink.”
“Well,” Mara starts with a smile. “It’s good you took care of that.”
He nods.
Scarlett rolls her eyes over his head.
I straighten as a door opens and Charlie comes out of Cristiano’s study. “Sorry, I had to wrap up a call,” he says, eyes on Mara.
She stiffens as he approaches but her reaction to him isn’t what it was to Cristiano, my men or me. Still, he stops a few feet away. “It’s very good to see you, Mara. Welcome home.”
“Thank you,” she says, then turns to me and I see the plea in her eyes.
“I’ll take Mara upstairs. We’re all pretty tired.”
“I made up her room at the far end,” Lenore says, clearly a little disappointed by the reunion. Cristiano puts a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll show you which one it is,” Noah says. “It’s right next to mine.”
Mara smiles at him and I watch him lead her to the stairs. I turn to Cristiano. “You have a room for Matthaeus?”
He nods. Matthaeus has a house on the mainland. His family home. But he usually stays here when he’s in town. I get the feeling he doesn’t like being in that old house with all its ghosts. The ghosts in ours aren’t his. They don’t bother him.
I turn to Lenore. “She just needs to adjust. It’s all a shock.”
“I know,” Lenore says, eyes misty.
Cristiano rubs her back and Alessandro takes her hand. “Make me a snack?” he asks. He’s a sweet kid and instinctively knows to distract her.