Our cat, a red tabby stray that had one day appeared on our doorstep and never left, had chosen one of the trees in our garden as her favorite resting spot because the boys couldn’t reach her there. Not that she didn’t know how to defend herself. Both boys had been scratched more than once because they tried to carry her around. Most of the time she sat on the bench close to the pond, watching the Koi, but she never tried to hunt them—which was why Danilo had allowed her to stay.
Orlando gave me a huge grin from his dad’s arm. They were the spitting image of Danilo.
Mom opened the door before we could ring the bell, beaming at us. As usual, she was styled to perfection with an elegant updo, a woolen pencil skirt, and a flowy silk blouse. At least she wasn’t wearing long earrings or thin necklaces. Despite her perfect styling, she pulled me into a tight hug before she ripped Orlando from Danilo’s hold and pressed him to her chest, not caring if her blouse got wrinkled.
Danilo chuckled. “Good day to you too, Ines.”
“Danilo,” she said with a laugh and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before she turned to Aldo. “I don’t think Grandma’s strong enough to carry both of you boys.” He pouted, but Dad saved the day, appearing in the doorway. The gray streaks in his dark hair were now more dominant and the wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, but to me he still looked like the man who had walked me down the aisle to the altar. He hugged me tightly. “You look beautiful as always, ladybug. I don’t know how you find time with those two boys.”
“Some days I don’t,” I said with an exasperated laugh. It had gotten better now that they were a bit older and could keep each other entertained. But leaving them to their own devices always posed a risk to our furniture. I’d learned not to leave Poof alone with them because they’d turned him red and blue with watercolor last time.
Dad took Aldo from Danilo, then shook his hand.
“I hope you’re hungry. We’ve prepared a big feast for tonight.”
“You don’t always have to go to such troubles when we visit,” I said with a laugh. I saw my parents at least once a month, so it wasn’t like we had to celebrate reuniting.
Mom waved me off. “I’m sure the boys are hungry.”
“They always are,” Danilo said.
Mom and Dad went inside with the boys, leaving us on the doorstep.
I gave Danilo an amused look. “They wouldn’t even notice if we just disappeared.”
“Then let’s take our luggage up to the guestroom and rest a bit until dinner,” Danilo suggested in a low voice.
“That sounds like a good idea.”
We hurried upstairs. From somewhere in the house I could hear delighted laughter of the boys.
The moment Danilo and I were behind closed doors, we ripped our clothes off, enjoying our time off.
Later at dinner, the boys practically ate their body weight in food, but I also ate more than I should have. Dad and Danilo discussed their upcoming hunting trip, a men’s weekend with Samuel and Marco. The boys would be staying with me, and Mom would come for a visit to help me. At two, they were still far too young to go along on the trip.
Orlando’s head sagged forward, his forehead briefly touching the mashed potatoes before he jerked back up. Aldo was still poking around in his food. Mom laughed and got up to clean him. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Dad looked relaxed and eager for his trip.
The past really had been put to rest. We’d gone through some difficult times, but we were happy now.
Danilo met my gaze and smiled, the dimple flashing in his cheek. Whatever lay ahead of us, I was confident we’d master it.
The End
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The Camorra Chronicles:
Twisted Loyalties (#1)
Fabiano
Twisted Emotions (#2)
Nino
Twisted Pride (#3)
Remo
Twisted Bonds (#4)
Nino
Twisted Hearts (#5)
Savio
Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles:
Luca Vitiello
(Luca’s POV of Bound By Honor)
Bound by Honor
(Aria & Luca)
Bound by Duty
(Valentina & Dante)
Bound by Hatred
(Gianna & Matteo)
Bound By Temptation
(Liliana & Romero)
Bound By Vengeance
(Growl & Cara)
Bound By Love
(Luca & Aria)
Bound By The Past
(Dante & Valentina)
Mafia Standalones:
Sweet Temptation
Fragile Longing
Contemporary Romance:
Only Work, No Play
Not Meant To Be Broken
Bound By The Past
Cora is the author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, the Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. She likes her men like her martinis—dirty and strong.
Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn’t spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world.
