Page 42 of Dangerous Kiss
“Happy Birthday!” Nicco sang it down the phone, and Biba laughed.
“Hey, Nic, thank you so much for calling. Your dad has been spoiling me all day.”
“He said he was going to—how was the gondolier?”
Biba laughed. “Amazing. But you’ve done the real thing, huh?”
“Not for a while. Maybe we could all go to Venice in the summer…oh, hey, Grandma wants to say hi.”
Biba’s heart beat a little faster as a gentle voice said hello. “Hello, Mrs. DeLuca. It’s wonderful to meet—or speak—to you.”
Olivia DeLuca laughed. “It’s Olivia, and I’ve heard so many good things about you. Happy birthday, dear.”
“Thank you so much.” Biba’s nerves soon dissolved as she chatted with Cosimo’s mother for a few minutes, then Nicco came back on the phone.
“Yeah, like I was saying, maybe we could all go to Venice in the summer. It’s a cool place—lots of stuff I can show you.”
“Sounds good to me, Nic. Do you want to speak to your dad?”
“Yeah, please. Happy birthday again, Beebs, see you soon.”
As she handed Cosimo’s phone back to him, Biba felt like her entire being was buzzing with joy. She felt like she had a family now—Cosimo’s son and mother accepting her so readily. She felt tears pop into her eyes, and as Cosimo ended his call, he swept his finger along her cheekbone, capturing the water.
“Happy tears,” she said, “I promise. I can’t believe this is all happening, Cos. I love you so much.”
Cosimo took her into his arms. “You have changed my world, Biba, from a place of darkness to one of light. I love you.”
Biba couldn’t see how she could ever be unhappy again, but within the hour they would all be shown that sometimes worlds can shatter in the blink of an eye.
