Page 49 of Days Of Valentino

“I know, and we’re going to come home, Dad. Soon,” she says.

It’s the “we” part that has me gripping the steering wheel tighter. I’m not an idiot, though. I’ve learned that the best way to manage the situation is to not mention the elephant in the room. I was hoping the kid would disappear, die, fall off a cliff… anything. So I could have my daughter back.

But it would break her heart, and that’s the last thing I want to see. It’s also the last thing the world wants to see. Aurora with a broken heart? Well, no one would be safe. And honestly, if my daughter is hurting, so am I.

“Your mother is going to be thrilled to see you,” I change the subject.

“I know. Is everyone going to end up at our place tonight?” Aurora asks.

“No. The fuckers can stay away. Tonight is just for us. I’m not having your asshole uncles taking up all your time,” I tell her.

“Good. Can we order pizza?” She flashes me that smile, and I’m taken back to when she was a tiny toddler. This girl has always been able to get whatever she wants out of me.

“We can have whatever you want,” I tell her aloud as we pull into our driveway.

I feel lighter as I walk into my house with my daughter in tow.

“Savvy, I’ve got a surprise for you,” I call out to my wife.

“You know, whenever you saysurprise, I’m tempted to run in the opposite direction, Tao,” she calls back. Savvy pauses in the middle of the foyer as soon as her eyes land on our daughter. “Aurora? What? How? Oh my god, get over here now.” My two girls run towards each other. “I missed you so much. Please tell me you’re back for good,” my wife says, and my heart hurts for her.

“I’m just here for a couple of days, Mama,” Aurora replies. “But Dad promised pizza, and he says the uncles are not invited tonight. So it’s just us.”

“Come on, let’s catch up. I’ve just opened a bottle of white.”

“She’s eighteen, Savannah,” I grunt.

“Which is legal in Italy,” my wife counters.

“We’re not in Italy. We’re in America,” I tell her as she leads Aurora into the kitchen.

“We can pretend,” Savvy replies.

The door behind me opens, and the boys walk in. “You do know he’s here somewhere, right? No way is that fucker letting her come all the way here alone,” Lorenzo says.

“I know, but we are not going to hurt your sister like that.” I aim my glare at my sons.

“She’d get over it,” Lorenzo grunts.

“Yeah, would you get over it if something happened to Kyla?” I ask him.

“That’s different.”

“How so?” I might not like the guy, Aurora’s boyfriend, the one she’s fallen for and run off with. But I know her heart is invested in him.

“My wife’s not in the fucking IRA, to start with,” Lorenzo says.

“Okay, this really isn’t going anywhere. Stop trying to kill off your siblings’ partners,” Enzo tells his brother. “I’m going to go find my wife.”

“We’re having pizza for dinner. I expect you all to be out back in an hour. And clean yourselves up. Your mother does not need to see you looking like that.” I point to their faces. Enzo has a split lip, and Lorenzo has an eye that’s swollen and bruised.

“Sure thing, Pops,” they reply at the same time before walking in opposite directions.

Dinner is going to be fun. I head into the kitchen. I’m going to make the most of the time I have with my daughter.

Episode Twenty-Two

Out of all the shit that happens in my life, parenting Mikhail’sdevil spawnis the hardest. I blame the Russian blood that runs in my children’s veins for their wild ways. It’s the Italian part of them that’s responsible for the good traits they have.

---