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“Are you tired?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I was this afternoon. I took a little nap.”

I met her gaze, lifting my eyebrows. “Maybe you want to come to bed anyway.”

She began to shake her head, then her lips lifted in a grin. “Oh.”

I stood, holding out my hand. “I missed you today, Little Tiger.”

“You did?”

I pulled her from the chair. “I did. The suite seemed empty without you.” I paused. “I felt empty too.”

She slipped her arms around my neck. “Let me see if I can help you with that, husband.”

I lowered my head. “Perfect, wife.”

I woke, my hand searching for Effie. Instead of her warm little body against me, all I felt was cool sheets. I sat up, gazing around the dark room and listening in the silence. The bathroom door was open, and she wasn’t there. She wasn’t curled up on the love seat either. An unusual sense of panic hit me, and I got out of bed, pulling on my robe. I noticed the curtains moving in the breeze, and I pushed them back, looking around the back of the house. I spotted Effie, a small shadow by the pool, her silhouette outlined in the moonlight. I opened the patio door and crossed the lawn toward her. As I drew closer, I heard her quiet crying, and my heart cracked. Without a word, I sat behind her, pulling her back into my chest and wrapping my arms around her. She startled, then quickly wiped at her face. “I didn’t mean to disturb your rest,” she whispered.

“I would rather you wake me up than sit here alone in the dark, Effie,” I said quietly. “You don’t have to hide your grief from me.”

“You hated her.”

“And you loved her.”

“I loved the image I had of her. She was never the sister I wanted her to be. I hoped she would be. But she was part of my life. A life I no longer have anything of. Everything I knew, I loved, is gone.”

Something in her voice broke me, and I held her closer. “You have me. Nonna. Aldo and Vi. A different life, yes, but I promise you, one that won’t contain so much struggle.”

“I know. It’s just…” She trailed off, a long, shuddering sigh escaping her lips.

I pressed a kiss to her head. “I know, Little Tiger. I know. Let it out.”

Instead of more tears, she leaned back into me. “It’s so peaceful out here.”

“It is. I often sit and listen to the wind. Look at the stars.”

“What do you think about?”

I pondered her question and decided to be honest. “Sometimes I would think about walking away. Concentrating on the wine and estate. Letting Luca have it all. Or I would be planning the future in my head. Other times, I wouldn’t think at all. The dark and the quiet gave me a place to not think.” I tightened my arms. “Those were the good nights.”

She traced a pattern on my hands. “Would you?”

“Would I what?”

“Walk away?”

“I don’t know.”

She didn’t comment. There were no platitudes about doing better or finding a different path. She simply hummed. “You’ll figure it out.”

We sat quietly, our legs in the water, the silence surrounding us. I felt her tension drain away, and I lowered my head to her ear. “Ready to come back to bed?”

“Yes.”

I stood and helped her up, scooping her into my arms.

“I can walk.”

“But you don’t have to.”

In our room, I pushed her robe off her shoulders and held up the comforter. “In.”

I dropped my robe to the floor and slid in next to her. “Stay this time,” I ordered. “If you need me, I’m right here.”

“I like that.”

Her words made me smile. “Me too.”