I look down at her. “You made the drawing.”
She lets out a chuckle, then watches as Nina and I stick the page to the door.
“All done.”
We step back, and I pull Nina into my side as we stare at our first family portrait.
“Hello,” I hear Mom call.
With Simi in my arms, I walk out of the kitchen, feeling Nina slightly behind me.
“Hey.” I smell the aroma of the creamy potatoes coming from the dish in Mom’s hands. “That smells good.”
Leaning forward, I kiss Mom’s forehead, and before I can pull back, Simi also leans in and plants a kiss on Mom’s cheek.
“Take the dish.” Mom shoves it into Dad’s hands, then she reaches for Simi, and in broken Bulgarian, she says, “El…Ela na baba.”
“Not bad, Mom.” I hand Simi to her.
Our parents learned some of the language while Raya and I were taking lessons. Mom is better than Dad, though.
I shake my father’s hand, then pull Nina closer.
“Hi, Nina,” Mom says. “How are you? Have you settled in?”
“Yes, Mrs. Torrisi,” my woman answers shyly, her tone brimming with respect.
“Please, call me Skylar.”
Dad gives Nina a fucking chin lift, and I shoot him a glare. He clears his throat, then pats her on the shoulder as he walks to the kitchen while saying, “Nice to have you and Simi in the family, Nina.”
The elevator opens again, and Augusto, Yuki, Adriano, and Raya come in.
“Aunty Ray,” Simi shrieks. “Tickles.”
Things are a bit chaotic for a while as we all greet and Raya chases Mom and Simi around.
I can feel the nervousness coming from Nina, so I stay closer to her as we walk out onto the balcony, where everything has been set up for the barbecue.
Augusto and Adriano go to the drinks table, and soon Dad joins them, and they begin to talk about work.
I make sure that when Nina sits down, she’s near Yuki.
“How old is your daughter?” Yuki asks.
“Four. She’s going through an enchanted kingdom phase. Princes, princesses, and castles, and…” Nina’s sentence dies away.
“Yuki and Augusto got married last year,” I tell Nina. “She also had to adjust to a whole new life.”
“Really?” Nina’s eyes snap to Yuki.
“Yes,” Yuki replies. “It was very overwhelming, so if you would like to talk, I’m here.”
Yuki starts telling Nina about Japan, and a little about her past, and soon the women are lost in their conversation.
I get up, and glancing into the penthouse, I see Mom looking at the drawing on the fridge.
Changing direction, I go to her. “What do you think of our family portrait?”
