I didn’t think I could love this woman any more than I already did.
Lily cast her eyes down. “But who knows? Maybe I’ll be living in an apartment full of art, books, and cats by the time I’m thirty. Sending you letters… Maybe the conjugal visits won’t be so bad.”
I braced my knuckles into the mattress, either side of her thighs, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. When I pulled back, I cocked my head to one side. “If it helps, I don’t look too bad in orange.”
She fought back a smile until she could no longer.
A couple of hours later, as we lay on her bed watching the sunlight pass through our interlocked fingers, and Lily finished laughing softly at something I said, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
“Mom. Hey. Everythin’ alright?” I answered, holding the phone to my ear while I lay there.
“Everything is fine,” Mom responded. “But you have not been home for a while. Have you finally moved in with Lily?”
She knew about my arrest, but she just didn’t know it would happen in a week. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her yet.
I glanced at Lily. She was listening to my half of the conversation with a faint smile. “No, I haven’t.”
Mom sighed. I could picture her shaking her head.
“What are your plans for your birthday tomorrow? And please don’t saynothin’,” she mocked.
I didn’t not like birthdays. It was the fuss that went into them that made me want to avoid my own. My life was already chaotic enough.
“Work.”
“Dean.”
Lily sat up and whispered, “Is this about your birthday?”
I nodded and tapped my phone screen. “You’re on speaker, Mom. Lily is here.”
“Don’t worry, Sofia. We’re going out for drinks tomorrow night,” Lily smiled, leaning against my arm.
I raised a brow at her. “Did you forget you all had food poisoning today?”
Mom gasped. “Food poisoning?”
“It’s cleared up now.” Lily poked my bicep. “You’re not getting out of celebrating this birthday.”
“I agree,” Mom added.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and huffed a laugh. “I never said I wasn’t going.”
Probably wasn’t the best idea to even be leaving the apartment, considering Mark’s warning about laying low, but my birthday coinciding with Halloween had offered up a good cover to hide in plain sight.
“We should go to your mom's on Saturday for lunch too,” Lily added.
“Ooh, yes!” Mom exclaimed. “Grazie, Lily.”
Lily smiled proudly.
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t stop smiling either. “Did you need anythin’ done today, Mom?”
“No, I just wanted to hear from you. But I can’t wait to see you both this weekend. I will make cannoli just for you, Lily.”
Lily hummed beside me. “I’m already salivating.”
Mom laughed. “Well, I will let you go now. Give my love to the others.”
