Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Sometimes, she managed to do all three at the same time.
Some would call her talented, but her brothers would not be those people.
As I watched the two sisters with a soft smile, the back door opened and in he strolled. I fought a sigh and said, “Tor isn’t home.”
But Daniele just said, “I know,” already making a beeline for his target.
When Ella rolled her eyes and held her sister out, Daniele clapped his hands then reached out for his little doll. Ana’s mouth rounded in excitement and her tiny hands clenched and released as her favorite person in the entire world took her into his arms. “How’s my little angel doing?”
When he smiled down at her, Ana was blinded to everything else and although Daniele and I didn’t always get along, that didn’t matter to me so long as he treated my baby right.
To this day, I don’t know what my husband had said to his brother to get him to stop acting a fool, but when Ettore commanded, it was smart to yield.
“She’s gassy,” I threw out seeing as Ana couldn’t, and I watched in fascination as Daniele’s face fell.
He glared down at her plump belly then talked to his niece like the wise guy he was. “You want Zio Danny to take care of it, baby?” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when he poked her protruding stomach gently and mock cautioned, “Listen here, toots.” He threw his thumb back. “You get outta there and leave my Ana Banana alone, you hear?” He lifted her high, got real close and growled against the soft skin of her gut, “Don’t make me come in there.”
My light chuckle got his attention and when he handed Ana back to her sister, he stunned me by approaching the kitchen island, leaning his hip against it and jerking his chin. “How are you doing?”
Even Ella’s head snapped up. Her brows narrowed at her uncle as I hesitated slightly, “I’m… fine.”
He nodded, looking down at my body, and I don’t think he meant for it to sound creepy when he said, “You bounced back okay.”
What on earth was going on here?
Confused, I drawled out, “I guess so,” but it came out sounding like a question.
He appeared a little uncomfortable when he looked down at my chest and asked, “And how’s the… the…” I blinked as he put his hands up in front of his chest and rounded them.
I took a wild guess. “The breastfeeding?”
“Yes.” He slapped a hand down on the counter. “How’s the breastfeeding going?”
Ella’s brows rose so high they damn near hit her hairline, while mine creased. “Alright, I’m just going to ask. What are you doing?” Daniele mouth pulled down when I enquired, “What is this?”
He appeared frustrated and when he reached up to scratch at the back of his neck in self-conscious move, I immediately felt bad. Especially when he shrugged and muttered, “You’re my sister-in-law. And I know Tor’s been busy because of what Roam’s got him doing, so I stopped by to see how you were coping.” He looked mildly uncomfortable when he uttered, “Gotta take care of our own.”
Wow.
That was actually really nice and I stood there, silent, but oddly touched by his concern.
“Oh.” After a moment, I regained my composure and offered gently, “I’m doing okay.”
“You sure? Because I can help out if you need me to.”
The way he said it, both willing and sincere, made my heart warm. My face softened and a small smile revealed itself. “I’m sure, but thank you for the offer.” For the first time since I’d known him, I did something I felt I couldn’t do before now. I reached out and placed my hand on his, giving it a light squeeze. “That’s sweet of you.”
The compliment made him prickly. He pulled away from me, but leisurely enough that it wouldn’t offend. “Yeah, well, in this family…”
I finished the Scala motto for him. “We bleed together.”
He paused then and we exchanged a look. One of mutual understanding. And the tension between us eased some.
Daniele said, “Right.” He tapped a knuckle against the island, straightened then uttered, “Well, you got my number.” He made for the back door. “Use it.”
He definitely put no effort into making it sound touching and yet, I was moved. Deeply. “Alright. I will.”
I waved him off as he made his exit and I stood there a minute wondering why I felt such a shift from the whole painful back and forth. And then it hit me.
Up until this very moment, I wasn’t fully accepted by Tor’s family.
And with that realization, and Daniele’s departure, I felt a tremendous weight lift off of my shoulders and float away.
I often talked to Amara. Whenever I cleaned the house and came across something of hers, I took care to be gentle with it. My jealousy over the ghost of Ettore’s first wife had long faded and now, as I lived in her house, enjoying her family, I felt a sort of kinship with the woman, even having never met her.