. . .
DANTE
Lily shut down.
Her movements were mechanical and her eyes always stared into the distance, sometimes without blinking till tears dropped from her eyes and her hands shook.
I tried to hold her, but she squirmed out of my grip. She ate all three meals with me, refused help when it came to washing the dishes, and spent her days typing furiously on her laptop.
So, after a few days of this, I invited her mothers to spend the rest of their days in Australia with us.
Chelsea Jenkins walked into the kitchen, dressed in a giant green trench coat. She was a short woman - maybe an inch or two shorter than five feet. She glanced at me, her eyes sharp, and then looked at Blue who was settled on a stool, typing, and unaware of her mother's presence.
Chelsea walked closer. "So many typos," she said. "You really are our daughter."
Blue froze, and the cold look she had on her face whenever she went into her writing mode melted into a smile. "Ma!"
Chelsea hugged her back, rubbing her back. "Amanda will be here in some time. She got lost in the bookstore."
Blue nodded and then glanced at me, question clear in her eyes. You invited them?
I hoped mine conveyed what I wanted to say. Anything for you, little blue.
She gave me a soft smile, something that Chelsea raised her eyebrows at.
I sat up. "I have a few meetings. I will be back for lunch."
"Oh!" Chelsea clapped her pale hands. "Can I cook? It's been ages since I cooked anything for my baby girl."
"I'm taller than you."
"That's no way to talk to your mother."
I nodded at Chelsea. "Yes, of course. If you need anything, ask one of them to get it."
Nino and Marco looked at me in alarm.
Chelsea nodded. "Okay." She made her way toward them and before I knew it, she had them wrapped in a conversation.n
Blue walked towards me and looked up at me, her eyes guarded by her glasses. "Thank you, Dante."
I cupped her face. "Henry flew to Sicily to be with Sebastian. Endrigo tor- ...hurt him, a little. But it's nothing he hasn't felt before."
She gulped. "Yeah. Henry texted me." She looked at her mother while I brushed my knuckles on her collarbones. She was wearing a crop top with jeans. The hint of her waist was killing me. "Marco and Nino are safe, right?"
"They won't hurt you. I don't trust many. But I trust them."
"Who else do you trust?"
"My brothers."
"And?" She asked quietly.
I held my breath for a moment and then said. "You. I trust you, blue."
She small smile came on her lips. "I trust you, too. Even though I think you're crazy sometimes."
"I am a bit crazy, I suppose."
" 'Bit' is downplaying it."
"Watch it, brat."
Heat flashed on her face, eyes getting shy. Her gaze darted away from me. "Um - you said you needed to go to a meeting?"
"I do."
