She's not wrong.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Kristen
I've never witnessed Lily so happy before. Pure, unfiltered joy radiates from every part of her tiny body as she crouches beside the rabbit hutch, fingers pressed against the wire mesh.
"Mommy, look," she breathes, like she's afraid speaking too loud will make them disappear. "They're real."
I focus on this memory. I'm filing this one away forever.
"Sir Floppington the Fourth needs a bigger crown than the other one," Lily announces with complete seriousness. "Because he's royalty."
Vittoria laughs, crouching down beside her. "Obviously. We can't have the nobility looking common."
I steal a glance at Nico. He stands slightly apart from us, arms crossed over his chest, expression carefully neutral. But there's something in the set of his jaw. Something almost... nervous?
No. Nico Sartori doesn't do nervous.
Except he keeps shifting his weight. And his fingers are tapping against his bicep in that rhythm I've started recognizing as his tell.
He's waiting to see if he got this right.
He's standing here watching a four-year-old's reaction like his next breath depends on it.
I force my attention back to Lily before my thoughts spiral somewhere dangerous.
"Can I pet them a little more?" Lily asks, practically bouncing.
"Tomorrow," Vittoria says. "They need to settle in first. But—" She pauses dramatically, and Lily's head whips toward her. "The surprise isn't over yet."
Lily's mouth drops open. "There's more?"
"Back in your room." Vittoria grins. "Want to see?"
My daughter doesn't wait for permission. She scrambles to her feet and takes off running toward the house, her sneakers slapping against the stone pathway.
"Lily, wait!" I call out, but she's already halfway there.
"Slow down, principessa," Vittoria calls after her, laughing. "We're coming too!"
Lily skids to a stop near the garden entrance, practically vibrating with impatience. "Hurry up!"
I start walking, but my feet feel strange beneath me. Heavy. Like my body knows something my brain hasn't caught up to yet.
A small thing for him. That's what this is. Probably took him five minutes to arrange. A phone call, maybe two.
But for Lily...
Vittoria links her arm through mine as we walk. "She's adorable," she murmurs. "I hope you know that."
"She's a handful," I manage.
"The best ones always are."
I don't look back at Nico. I can feel him behind us, though. That awareness I've developed for his presence, like my body has tuned itself to his frequency without my permission.
We enter through the kitchen, following Lily's excited chatter echoing down the hallway. She's stopped outside her bedroom door, hopping from foot to foot.
