“No. I’m the leader now. If Eivor is going to die, I’ll be the one to set it in motion, not you,” Carmine tells him, voice loud and dominant.
Alessio glares at him. “You cause all this fucking trouble for us, and now you want to stand up and be a man? Be the man of this family? Great timing.” Alessio steps back and turns around, storming out of the sitting room.
“Where are you going?” Carmine asks.
“Anywhere but here,” Alessio replies.
Then, we’re all alone.
Just Carmine, me, and the fire that’s crackling in the fireplace.
I sigh again. Weight lifts off my shoulders and I step closer to him.
“All of this is my fault,” I tell him.
“No. It’s not. Do not put it on yourself,” he demands. “Your uncle is the one looking for total destruction, not you.”
I step closer to him until our noses are practically touching.
“What do I do now?” I ask him.
“You stay here. You and Rosalie are both welcome here while we get this sorted,” Carmine tells me. “However long that takes.”
I press my lips to his softly, once, twice, and a third time. It’s difficult not to continue. Not to kiss him until my head is dizzy and I can’t think about anything else.
But I hear my name being said from the entryway, and I turn to see Rosalie standing there, looking a bit less frazzled.
“Are you alright, Rose?” I ask her.
She nods. “Yeah. It was just intense,” she tells me, giving me a small smile.
“Good. I never meant to—” I start, and she shakes her head.
“Don’t. Please. I don’t want your pity.” She gives me a pointed look.
I nod.
“I noticed the library, is it cool if I go in there for a while?” she asks.
Carmine nods. “Of course. You’re welcome here.”
“Why don’t I come with you,” I tell her. “While we wait for the soup.”
“I’d like that,” Rosalie agrees and heads down the hallway ahead of me.
I turn to Carmine again, and he kisses me this time. “You coming?” I ask him.
“No. I’m going to talk to my brothers some more,” he says.
“Alright. Let me know when the food’s done. I’m starving.”
With that, I leave to follow my sister down into the library.
Where we sit for an hour side by side reading. Comfortable. Just like when we were kids.
For the first time in a long time, like a family again.
Just like that, this day becomes the first day in which the Dresvanni home is my own.
