“Pappardelle al cinghiale,” I reply with a smile.
I remember her whispering to me yesterday, as we walked toward my car,“I never thought I’d eat wild boar and actually like it. I kept thinking I wouldn’t, and that I’d have to pretend, just to be polite about whatever your grandmother cooked.”
I lean closer and whisper, almost conspiratorially, “Just between you and me... I think this restaurant’s tordelli Lucchesi might beat Nonna’s.”
She laughs, and I reach across the table to link my fingers with hers as we begin to eat.
Dinner goes by in easy conversation, plans for the days ahead, inside jokes, and shared glances as we lose track of time.
On the drive back, Cecilia falls asleep a few miles in. I shake my head, smiling, and lean closer to check that her seatbelt is secure.
When we arrive home, I ease my door shut with care, then walk around to her side and lift her into my arms.
She stirs as I carry her toward the house, her eyes blinking open for a second. “It’s okay, tesoro,” I murmur. “Go back to sleep.”
The moment I open the front door and spot Sam curled on the couch, I lift a finger to my lips. “Shh...”
And like the good boy he is, he understands right away. No joyful barking to announce our return.
Upstairs, I carry her straight to her bedroom, laying her down carefully on the neatly made bed.
I slip off her sneakers, pull another blanket over her, and tuck it around her shoulders. I’m just about to step away when her voice reaches me, muffled into the pillow.
“Alexander... don’t go.”
I turn back, smiling, and sit on the edge of the bed, leaning back on the headboard.
Every part of me wants to lie down beside her, to pull her close and hold her through the night. But I won’t take advantage of something she asks while barely awake.
I brush my fingers through her hair and stay there until her breathing deepens. Then I stand, careful not to wake her. I press a kiss to her forehead and walk to the door, but not without looking back one last time. She looks so goddamn beautiful.
“Sleep well, tesoro,” I whisper, pulling the door shut behind me.
Chapter 17
Maybe someday
Colin
I load the dishes from dinner into the dishwasher and head back to the living room, unsure what to do with myself next. Alicia is sleeping over at Oliver and Felicity’s tonight.
In just a few weeks of living with me, we’ve fallen into a new routine, always doing something together, filling the penthouse with noise and life. It feels strange to be alone again in this cold, enormous place.
I can’t help but think this is exactly how it will feel once Ceci returns from her trip.
Something I hadn’t been prepared for was how much work someone Alicia’s age could be. The first week was the hardest. We had a blow-up fight after she accused me of forgetting about a school project I didn’t even know existed.
And then she said it.“Mom would’ve reminded me. She never lets me forget anything.”
If I earned a dollar for every time I’ve heard‘Mom would’ve’these past few weeks, I could probably fund a new startup. But Ialso notice she uses it as leverage, trying to get permission to do things her mother never would have allowed.
Like going out on a school night. Which, of course, only turned into more arguments.
It makes me wonder how Ceci ever carried it all on her own, especially when the kids were younger. Which, in turn, only makes me feel like an even bigger failure for not being there when they needed me most.
My phone rings on the coffee table. I glance at the screen, frowning as I recognize the name. Larry.
It’s a name I haven’t seen in a long time, an old neighbor from a whole other life. His family lived just two houses down from us back when Ethan used to play with his younger son.
