Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
I slid into the passenger seat. “Did I hear what?”
“Remo Falcone got married. He now lives in Falcone manor with the Mione twin and the twins they have together.”
I frowned. Remo had kidnapped a woman from the Outfit, but he later returned her. It seemed impossible that Remo, who was like me in so many ways, managed to have a family.
“You seem surprised.”
“I am.”
“Why? If you can make a marriage work, why can’t he? You two aren’t that different.”
I nodded. He was right. But being with Amelia was one thing. She was almost a part of me, but creating life and caring for it were entirely different matters. Amelia and I both had lost our mothers early and been subjected to brutal fathers. We didn’t know the first thing about being a decent parent.
“Can you see me as a father?” I asked.
Niccolo slanted me a cautious look as he pulled up to the gates of Amelia’s and my home.
“I have never thought about it. Have you?”
“No.” Amelia and I had never bridged the subject either. We had spent the last three years together building a new life, a new home. Niccolo dropped me off at the base of the hill, as had become our ritual. I walked up the driveway past the sprawling flower beds that Amelia had planted herself. Dahlia, cosmea, hydrangea, sea asters, and many more flowers created an ocean of dark pink, white, lavender, and deep purple. I followed the path up to our house. Every time I caught a glimpse of the new Romano Manor, with its dark façade, arched windows, and glass dome, I let out a deep breath. I marveled at how the big windows in the front reflected the gardens, making it look as if the inside of the house, too, was filled with trees and flowers, and bushes.
I opened the door to our house, breathing in the fresh air. Maybe this was how freedom smelled; light, with a distant, flowery note. In the center of the entrance hall, a huge bouquet of dark purple dahlias and dark pink cosmea decorated a dark wood table. Flower arrangements brightened every room of the house. I took my bone crown off my head and removed the heavy fur coat, then stashed both of them in the wooden chest in the cloakroom. Those belonged to the man, the monster, outside of these walls, not to the man I allowed myself to be with only Amelia.
In black linen pants and barefoot, I walked into the living area, which seemed to be right in the garden through the two big french windows. Amelia wasn’t at the piano. The piano had been an invitation, and she played every night without prompting. It was my favorite part of the day. I’d never joined her again. Hearing her play was everything I needed.
My feet relished in the softness of the dark purple rug as I crossed the distance toward the windows. One of them was open, and I went outside, following the low hum down to Amelia’s newest creation: a flower bed with native wildflowers that bloomed in dark blues, steel gray, and bloodred. She stood amid the hip-high flowers and plucked the most beautiful blooms for another bouquet. She wore a big straw hat and a flowy white dress with spaghetti straps.
Her face lit up with a smile when she spotted me, and my chest filled with peace.
The darkness always caught up with me. It was a part of me, but with Amelia, I learned to live in the light.
She held up the loosely bound bouquet. “It’s for our bedroom.”
I smiled. She never used roses for her bouquet; those were reserved for the arches around my mother’s grave. I could never look at a rose without remembering what happened to her.
She picked up the hem of her dress and stepped out of the flower bed. She was barefoot like me as she padded over to me. Her brows drew together. “You look pensive.”
“I am,” I admitted.
“Did something happen at the fights?”
I shook my head and took Amelia’s hand, pulling her against me. “I think the crowd missed your beauty. I caught several men glancing at your empty throne.”
“Next time, I’ll come again. Today, I just needed something else to banish the darkness.”
I nodded. Last night, a nightmare had woken her, sweaty and terrified. They had become rare for her, and for me too, but sometimes they caught us by surprise with their ferocity.
I kissed her, then marveled at her beauty. Could I love someone who looked like Amelia but had my blood too? Could I love a small version of myself?
“Remo has twins.”
She blinked and looked away, confusion reflecting on her face. “I’m not sure he’s someone I can see with the patience for kids.”
I shrugged and stroked her hair. “Can you envision me as a father?”