Page 38 of A Son Hidden from the Sicilian

What a depressing thought. Brianna watched the city pass outside the car window. Over the past two years she’d pushed her heartbreak away by loving Gio. By putting those jagged feelings into her art.

So she’d do it again. Focus on being a mother. Put her pain into her art. Maybe it wouldn’t solve the problem of being irrevocably in love with Lorenzo, but at least it was productive.

Except this time around, she would have to see him. She would have to co-parent with him. She couldn’t even resist him when he brought another woman toherart show—did she really think she was going to be able to control herself in a co-parenting situation?

She was exhausted when she arrived at the estate. Emotionally wrung out from berating herself for the entire rest of the evening. From smiling when she wanted to cry. From knowing she needed to go home to New Jersey, for telling Lorenzo she did, and then for wishing he’d argue with her. Beg her to stay.

You are pathetic, she chastised herself silently as she was let into the house.

She’d go upstairs, check on Gio and her parents. Then shower, sleep, and hope clarity arrived by morning.

But before she could go upstairs, she heard voices. This in itself wouldn’t have stopped her, but she heard what could only be Gio’s excited squeal.

Brianna frowned. Well, at least that gave her something to shift her upset toward. Gio should have been asleep a good hour ago. She marched toward the living room, ready to lecture her parents, though they likely didn’t deserve it.

They sat on the couch in the main living room, and Gio stood behind a curtain clearly playing a game of peekaboo with... Not her parents, but a woman seated on the floor in the middle of the room.

The moment the woman turned her head to look at her, Brianna knew who she was. Not by name. Simply by looks. Shehadto be one of Lorenzo’s sisters. Those dark eyes, that sharp nose. Something in the mouth. Oh, this woman was beautiful with her dark curly hair and expertly done makeup. There weren’t just hints of Lorenzo on her face, but Gio as well.

The woman stood. She didn’t smile Brianna’s way. There was something speculative in her gaze even as Gio made a gurgling squeal and hurtled himself toward Brianna’s frozen form.

One of Lorenzo’s siblings. In the flesh. All the secrets this woman would know. Would she be able to explain him to Brianna? Tell Brianna what was wrong with her for being so desperately in love with a man who wanted nothing to do with it.

Why does he think love is a lie? What can I do to change his mind?

Brianna lifted Gio into her arms, knowing she couldn’t ask this woman any of the questions she wanted to. Knowing she should greet her in some way but finding herself mute.

The woman also didn’t offer any pleasantries. But she wasn’t looking at Brianna anymore. She was looking behind her.

“Saverina. What are you doing here?” Lorenzo’s dark voice said from right behind Brianna.

The girl sauntered over to where Brianna stood, then moved past her. Brianna turned and watched as the woman marched right up to Lorenzo in the doorway.

“Meeting my nephew, of course,” the young woman said with an insouciant shrug. “And before you start nagging, you should know it was Stefano’s idea and the rest of the family will be descending tomorrow.”

Then she wrapped her arms around Lorenzo and squeezed. “Come now,frati. Welcome me home.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

LIKEAPARENT, Lorenzo did not have favorites when it came to his siblings. But even he had to admit he had more of a soft spot for Saverina than the others. She had only been eight when their mother had died—and their mother had been less than helpful years before that. Saverina had just turned eleven when their father had also passed.

Lorenzo remembered holding her as an infant, more so than any of the others. Changing her diapers, feeding her meals. While most of his siblings were more like his children than his siblings, Saverina had never felt like anything other than his daughter.

His responsibility.

And here she was. Playing with Gio. Meeting Brianna. It was like two worlds clashing, and he wasn’t ready for that. He hadn’t planned or prepared. He hadn’t found a way to erect all the necessary walls to make this...okay. That was why he had decidedlynotinvited his family to descend yet.

If he had wanted these worlds to mix already, he would have issued a family-wide invite. Hosted a dinner. He had planned to get to that point someday, but not until he was prepared.

But now Saverina was here with no warning, and he had to somehow juggle balls he wasn’t ready to.

Worse, Brianna was standing there in her red dress, all sunshine and reminders of what happened when they were alone together. No control over themselves, over their emotions. At least at the party there’d been so much of their interaction in the dark. Now he was home and there were lights and her dark blue stare, full of pain, confusion and consideration.

She was looking at him like... He didn’t know like what. He only knew it had his insides twisting into hard, painful knots. So that when he spoke, he was harsher with Saverina than he intended.

“Go upstairs.”

Her eyebrows shot up, a clear sign his focus was split and he’d made a grave error. Saverina did not take well to being bossed around and he was almost always better at navigating and maneuvering her. She was the baby of the family. Spoiled in so many ways.

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