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His face falls. “But I found it.”

“And now you get to set it free.”

Dante looks down at the butterfly.

“Okay.”

He turns and runs back outside. I watch him through the open door as he drops into the grass near the house and carefully unscrews the lid.

For a few seconds, nothing happens. Then the butterfly climbs onto the edge of the jar.

Its white wings open.

Once.

Twice.

And it flies.

Dante jumps to his feet and watches it rise above him, following it with his eyes as it drifts away from the house, toward the trees.

I smile.

“Dinner ready, mom?”

I turn. Luca is standing beside me with a book open in one hand.

I have no idea when he came inside.

Not surprising.

At twelve, Luca can walk through an entire house without looking up from a page. Sandy blond hair falls across his green eyes as he turns to the next one, completely oblivious to everything around him.

“Yes, dinner’s ready. Go get cleaned up,” I tell him.

“One minute.”

“No.”

“I’m almost at the end of the chapter.”

I glance at Jude. He shrugs.

“Let him finish.”

I stare at him. “Excuse me?”

“End of the chapter.”

“Oh, so when he does it, it’s acceptable?”

Jude’s mouth twitches. “When have I ever stopped you reading?”

“You hid my book once.”

“You hadn’t slept.”

“It was three in the morning and I had only four chapters left.”