“Systems,” she repeats flatly. “You havesystems.”
“Just a few.” I guide her to sit at the kitchen island. “What are you hungry for? I’ll make you anything.”
“Murder,” she deadpans. “I’m hungry for murder.Specifically: you.Take off every system you’ve installed. We can put them back when it’s time.”
I hesitate, but the look on her face makes me cave. “Okay Dea.”
“If the house is all baby proofed then everyone will know and I want to I don’t know… surprise everyone.”
“Surprise everyone?” I chuckle. “Why?”
Her shoulders drop. “I don’t have any family Santo, other than you and Mimi, but she’s at Andras Academy and refusing to come home for the holidays since Luca won’t be here.” She rolls her eyes.
Then sadly, “My mother hasn’t spoken to me since the attack…the guards, they’re like my brothers, I want to tell them myself.”
Guilt washes over me.
I reach out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’ll still get to tell them.”
Her gaze lifts.
“But I told Romeo.”
I don’t lie. I never lie to her. “I had to. He’s retrieving your garland.”
She blinks. “What?”
I give a small, sheepish shrug. “The Mistle & Maple order. And the one from Twinkling Ivy. I tracked them; snowstorm, delayed manifest, stuck at a warehouse hours away. I sent Romeo and the others to get them. They’ll be back before dinner.”
She stares at me for a long beat. “You sentmade mento go steal my holiday garland?”
“Intervene logistically,” I correct gently. “Not steal. They’re delivering it directly to you. White-glove service.”
A slow, stunned smile curls her lips. “You’re the best.”
“I know,” I say simply. “When you were about to cry over missing ribbon… I couldn’t let that happen.”
She launches herself at me, arms flung around my neck, her small frame soft and warm against mine. “I love you.”
“I know that too,” I murmur into her hair, holding her tight. “I’ll call Romeo. I’ll tell him to keep it quiet.”
“Good,” she says softly. “Please make sure the others don’t find out until I say it. Let me have that.”
I nod. “You’ll get it. However you want.”
She pulls back and presses her palm to my chest, right over my heart. Those gorgeous eyes lock on mine.
“Can you open the snack closet now?”
Chapter 8
Ready for Her
Vasilisa’s finally asleep.
I’m not proud of how many bribes it took, two slices of peppermint cheesecake, a gingerbread macaron, warm milk with honey, and a foot rub. But she’s curled beneath the throw in our bed now, soft breaths rising and falling, glitter still clinging to her cheekbone like it doesn’t know how to quit.
Warm milk, for some reason, knocks her out every time.
