I don't laugh. But something in my chest loosens. Just slightly.
"I think frogs are underrated," Vittoria says seriously. "Some of them are very musical."
"Really?" Lily's eyes go wide.
"Absolutely. There's a frog in South America that sounds like a tiny bell."
"Mommy!" Lily tugs at Kristen's sleeve. "You sound like a bell."
"A dying bell, maybe," Kristen mutters, but she's fighting a smile. The first one I've seen all night.
It transforms her face. Softens the tension around her eyes.
I file that away too. Don't know why though.
"Do you have any pets?" Vittoria asks Lily.
"No." Lily's face falls. "Our apartment doesn't allow them. But Mommy says when we have a house, I can have a bunny. A real one. Not stuffed."
"That sounds like a very good plan."
"What's your bunny's name going to be?" I hear myself ask.
Every head at the table turns toward me. Even Liam, stationed by the door, raises an eyebrow.
I don't talk to children. I don't talk to anyone I don't have to. This is established fact.
Lily doesn't seem to notice the shift. She beams at me like I've asked the most important question of the evening.
"Sir Floppington the Fourth," she announces. "Because I already have Sir Floppington the Third. He's stuffed. The real one will be his son."
"Logical," I say.
"That's what Mommy says." Lily nods approvingly. "She says I'm very logistical."
"Logical, baby," Kristen corrects gently.
"That's what I said."
I watch Kristen through the rest of the meal. The way she relaxes by degrees.
But I also notice when the shift happens.
It's subtle. A glance at the clock on the wall. A slight straightening of her spine. The protective hunch returning to her shoulders.
She wants to leave.
Not because she's uncomfortable anymore. Because she's too comfortable. Because this feels like something she can't afford to want.
I recognize the pattern. I've seen it in mirrors.
"Liam will drive you home after dessert," I say quietly, cutting through the conversation. "My mother's tiramisu is worth the wait."
Kristen's eyes meet mine.
"Thank you," she says.
Aria brings out the tiramisu herself, refusing help from anyone. Lily declares it "the best chocolate cake ever" and gets mascarpone on her nose. Kristen laughs and wipes it off with her napkin.
