And after seeing how much Anika’s presence has softened me over the past month, I blame it on Stephanie—the woman Gio fell in love with when he was still young.
She’s gone now, a fate too many women suffer in our world. But Gio’s all the more open about his feelings because of it.
He knows it’s better to speak his truth than regret staying silent until it’s too late.
“I miss you guys too,” Leo says with a rueful smile. “I keep thinking that I could come back and at least help with the legitimate side of the business once you’ve taken back our territory and put a stop to the bastards trying to take it.”
Gio and I share a glance, and my middle brother’s face splits into a white-toothed grin. “I think that sounds perfect.”
He and Leo shake hands to seal the deal, and Sandro rises from the couch.
“A toast, to celebrate the Chiaroscuro brothers coming back together?” he suggests, grabbing the bottle of Hibiki Leo brought with him and pulling the stopper.
“Hell yeah,” Leo agrees.
It’s more than I’ve indulged in since our family home was destroyed, but something about having Leo home just feels right.
My guard comes down, and the smiles come easier as we joke and laugh like we used to before the world went to hell in a handbasket.
Even Raf seems more like himself again, though Genevieve’s absence is somehow more noticeable now that Sora’s in the room.
The two girls often sat together after dinner to share hushed conversations. Now, it’s Anika who keeps Sora company, but my wife seems somewhat distracted tonight—quieter than usual.
I wonder if having Leo and Sora in the house makes her feel excluded somehow. I never really thought about it before now, but when my brothers and I come together, we become something of a closed circle.
I imagine that couldn’t have been easy for Sora to navigate early on.
But she seems to have come into her own now, and she looks radiantly happy as Leo showers her with a level of affection I honestly never knew my brother was capable of.
It makes me all the more eager to have Anika to myself again.
But after my brother went so far out of his way to cross six state lines to visit with his pregnant wife, I can’t bring myself to cut the night short. I don’t know when I’ll get to see him again, and I’m grateful for the time we have.
I can see the toll it’s taking on Anika, though, and she excuses herself shortly after dinner to turn in early.
It’s probably not a bad thing as my brothers grow more rowdy as the night goes on.
It feels good to have Leo home—even if we’re crashing in the Novikov compound until we have the numbers to reclaim the ruins of our family home.
“Alright, Leo. I think it’s time we start back,” Sora says, finally, her hand smoothing softly over the small baby bump that shapes her dress.
“Of course,cattiva,” Leo says with open affection, and he presses a kiss to her forehead before helping her up off the couch.
“Thanks for coming to visit,” I say, grasping my brother’s hand and pulling him in for another gruff hug.
“I’ll make it happen more often,” he assures me, clapping me on the back. Then he moves on to give Gio and the twins a hug.
Sora hangs back, a soft smile on her lips as she watches the exchange.
For the briefest moment, our eyes connect, and the color that stains her cheeks before she looks away gives me pause.
She’s always given me a wide berth, but I thought that was because of Leo’s rather territorial nature.
I heard about how mad he got at Gio for trying to befriend her when she first became his wife, so I’ve kept my distance.
But Sora almost looks… ashamed.
I don’t have time to dwell on it as Leo ushers her toward the front door, and we wave them off. Then I head up the steps to join Anika, more than ready to climb in bed with her.
