Mia touched my waist as she breezed by, one of her sons tucked into the curve of her hip. “Don’t worry. Mamma fed him and gave him water.”
Scarlett was at the sink, a dishtowel over her shoulder, barefoot in her yoga outfit. She was such a slight woman, with the most beautiful green eyes and auburn hair. Her skin was flawless and pink. She smelled of roses, but it was soft, lingering. And I thought maybe she was a magician or something. She had worn a white dress to the party yesterday, a tight gold belt around her waist and matching-colored heels. And her yoga outfit was cream.
No stains to be found anywhere.
Mia laughed. “Mamma likes things to be…”
“Likes?” Magpie laughed. “Obsessed is the correct word. And if your brothers were in here, they’d confirm this.”
“Okay,obsessedwith cleanliness.Did you happen to have a variety of dental health apparatus in your bathroom?”
The entire kitchen stopped whatever they were doing and stared at me. Scarlett rolled her eyes.
“You don’t have to answer that,” Scarlett said, stacking a pan on a drying rack on the counter.
“You do!” Mia pinched her hip, and Scarlett laughed.
I laughed too. “I did.”
The entire kitchen howled with laughter.
“All right! All right!” Scarlett turned around, narrowing her eyes at everyone. “But you all can thank me later when you keep ALL your teeth—each one of you. Dental health is very important!”
“Very important,” the entire kitchen echoed.
“Ack! Be gone with yourselves.” She flung the dishrag at Magpie’s face, but she caught it before it hit.
“You’re just sore that we’re calling you out on it!” Magpie laughed so hard, she was shaking.
“And that’s the closest you’ll ever get to a cleaning supply,” Scarlett said, grabbing the rag back.
“Of course it is.” Magpie took a deep drink of whatever was in her mug. “I’m allergic to all cleaning supplies.”
This got another round of laughter, and with a smile lingering on my face, I picked up Figaro and cuddled him to my chest. He was the sweetest cat, and I was so thankful he was mine.
Looking around the kitchen, I was so glad I woke up to these people too. They might have been rich and powerful, but I would have never known it by the way they acted, or how close they were. Family seemed to mean a lot to them, and since Matteo told me I was considered family, I’d never felt so safe.
“Have you ever done yoga before, Stella?” Juliette took Mia’s son from her, blowing bubbles on his stomach, making him howl with laughter.
“No,” I said. “I’m looking forward to it, though.” Figaro squirmed to get down and then ran off, disappearing into the packed kitchen.
“Here,bebe.” Scarlett handed me a plate. It had what looked like some sort of croissant on it with fresh fruit cut up in bite sizes. “If you ever do real yoga, it’s best not to with an empty stomach, but you don’t want to overload either.”
“Thank you,” I said, my stomach growling at the smell and sight. I had the croissant lifted to my mouth when Magpie stood and took my hand.
“Look, ladies!” she squealed. “She’s wearing our handsome man’s ring!”
My face instantly went hot, followed by my entire body when everyone started clapping. Scarlett and Mia hugged me while the women kept saying “Let me see” and grabbing my hand. I noticed Rosaria wasn’t with the women, but I figured that was normal for her. The night before, she kept to the shadows and only came out to be mean to me.
Scarlett hugged me again. “I’m so happy for you and Matteo,” she whispered, her eyes tearing up.
Magpie hugged her. “It’s hard to believe, isn’t it, Scarlett Gorgeous? Feels like just yesterday that you and Brando were getting married.”
The more mature women all sighed, while the younger ones smiled at each other.
“We should start planning!” Carmen, who was married to Dario, said. “What do you say, Stella?”
“Okay,” I said. “We decided on December 31.”
