Page 234 of Anti-Heroes in Love Duet
“Will he?” she whispered, sniffing. “It feels like it won’t ever end.”
“I didn’t know you were so scared,” he admitted. “Is it Rora? The di Carlo brothers are assholes, but they wouldn’t hurt a random kid in our Family.”
There was silence where they seemed to ponder whether this was a true assertion or not.
So did I.
As if summoned by her name, there was a sharp little squeal, and then a small body ran straight into our legs.
I twisted my body to look behind us. Jaco was striding down the hall toward us.
And Aurora was hugging us from behind, her dark head smooshed between Dante and me with one arm around each of our legs. As I looked, she tipped her face up with a beatific smile that took my breath away.
I’d forgotten what a gorgeous girl she was.
“ZioDante,” she cried, still shouting even though we were beside each other and in a hospital hallway. “Elena!”
“Rora,” I greeted warmly as Dante turned and hauled her into his arms.
She laughed delightedly as my husband peppered her face in kisses. I watched raptly as she smashed her hands to either side of his face to hold him still, then planted a big, puckered kiss straight on his mouth.
“I missed you,” she declared.
“I missed you more,” he assured her. “I thought of you every day. Didn’t I, Lena?”
“He did,” I agreed, reaching over to smooth her tangled curls. “So did I.”
Rora smiled at me, catching my hand so she could bring it to her cheek for a cuddle. My heart swelled, threatening to burst at the seams.
She was perfect.
My hand went to my uncooperative womb as it panged. I tried not to be ungrateful—I’d spent too long doing that—but I still wanted to be a mother so badly I ached for it.
I dreamed of one day having a daughter like sweet, precocious Aurora.
“Should we go see your mama?” Dante asked, carrying her easily with one large hand propped under her bottom.
Something shifted in her little face, a tremor that was there and gone. Dante’s eyes snapped to mine instantly, wondering if I’d noticed it.
I nodded.
His mouth went flat, but he jerked his chin up at Jaco as he arrived before us. “Cugino mio, how are you?”
Jacopo looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes, a patchy beard covering his jutting jawline. He was an attractive man usually, but he looked so haggard it was hard to believe he wasn’t even forty years old yet.
He surprised me by smiling warily at Dante, then turning to give me the customary two kiss greeting, his hands warm on my shoulders as he squeezed them in silent comradery. Of all the men in Dante’s inner crew, I was the least close with him, and it was pleasantly shocking to know he might have missed me while we were gone.
“Che piacare vederti,” he murmured as he moved back.
It’s good to see you.
I smiled at him. “We missed you.”
His smile was thin but genuine. “Not as much as we missed you two, Tore and Frankie. It’s been a shit show to say the least.”
“You’ll fill me in when we get back to the apartment,” Dante ordered, reprimanding Jaco with his gaze for swearing or talking about such things in front of Rora. “Let’s go in to see Marco.”
Marco and Bambi were clearly aware we’d arrived thanks to the ruckus Aurora had made in the hall, and they were waiting for us placidly, as if they hadn’t just been having a lover’s quarrel.
