MIGUELMy head was pounding. This was worse than the thumps that echoed from my brain to my ears whenever Pietro and Luca decided to stoop low to Leo’s age.I rolled to the side of the bed with a groan, barely able to open my eyes. The light coming through the curtains felt like knives behind my lids. I could hear faint voices downstairs. It was a pounding mixture of laughter, clinking dishes, Pietro’s booming voice teasing someone, and the tiny giggles that could only belong to Leo and Isabella. They were having breakfast.I wish I could move.When I finally managed to sit up, it felt like someone had filled my skull with cotton and lit a fire behind my eyes. I dragged myself into the bathroom and looked at the mirror. I looked like I hadn’t slept in weeks. My eyes were bloodshot. My skin was pale and my lips cracked. I looked like a fucking mess. I splashed cold water on my face but it did nothing.I held the bannister for support and went down the stairs, battling through moving
MIGUELAfter classes, I tried going to see Paul, but he had already clocked out for the day. Since I didn’t want to bother Salvatore, I called a taxi to take me home.The ride back was slow. The traffic was thick but I didn’t really mind. I stared out the window the whole time, thinking about nothing and everything: school, Salvatore, the kids, our house that was almost ready, and the strange weight that had been sitting in my chest all week.Things were going too smoothly lately, it was almost scary. First, Salvatore didn’t want to chase Matteo’s ghost again, and now we were moving to a place of our own.By the time I got back to the compound, the sun had dipped low and golden, stretching long shadows across the grass.I stepped out of the taxi and heard the laughter before I even closed the door.Out in the backyard, Leo was running around, trying to kick a ball while Pietro chased after him dramatically. Luca stood in goal with his shirt half off and hair a sweaty mess. Leo’s chee
SALVATOREOn the drive to the new house, I had the windows rolled down, letting in the quiet morning air and the sound of distant birds. My mind kept flickering between thoughts of Miguel, of Leo who would probably be dozing on the couch, and of Isabella tangled with Leo. That was their only job: to sleep. It would change so fast soon as the house was completed and we moved away from Mama.They would attend school—I’d make sure they had a personal driver and security—and register Leo for karate classes. Maybe a football club, too. Or basketball? Leo would have to pick. He loved sports, but I wasn’t too sure which one he’d prefer.One thing I knew was that he enjoyed anything that kept him running everywhere. By the time the house came into view, I could already see the workers moving like a colony of ants, carrying slabs of tile, paint buckets, panels, and rolled-up carpet. I parked just past the front hedge and stepped out.“Buongiorno, signore!” someone called.I nodded and walked
SALVATOREI knocked gently on Mama’s door, keeping my voice low so I wouldn’t wake anyone else.“Come in,” she called softly.When I stepped inside, she was by the window, sifting through a pile of papers on her lap, her reading glasses sliding down her nose. The shawl around her shoulders was wrapped tightly and her eyes looked heavier than usual. I hadn’t checked on her the previous night because I knew that she needed enough rest. “You’re working again?” I said like it wasn’t obvious enough.She smiled as I leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Just trying to make sense of some things,” she said. “And thank you for checking. I’m all right.”I didn’t believe that. She looked like someone who hadn’t truly rested in days. I sat across from her and let myself study her for a moment, noticing the way she blinked slower than usual.“How are the children?” She folded one of the receipts and placed it to the side. “And Miguel?”“They’re asleep,” I said. “He wore himself out yesterday. The ki
SALVATOREThis was my plan all day. I just wanted him relaxed, safe, and finally getting something that was more than a night of sleep. It was even less than a night now with the kids. Planning this was the easiest part. Since we hadn’t visited the guest room for some time, all I had to do was plan everything during the day, while patiently waiting for him to catch some sleep before midnight. “I love you, Miguel.”His eyes were like stars twinkling in the dark. “I love you too, Sal. More than you think.”I leaned down and kissed him, catching the soft breath he let out and holding it between our mouths. His lips moved beneath mine like he was melting into the kiss, like he needed it. Maybe he did. I could feel the tension that still lingered somewhere beneath his skin, humming low, and I didn’t want to let it fester. Not tonight.I moved my hand throughout his stomach, finding him warm and twitching beneath my palm. He gasped into my mouth when I gripped his cock, not tightly but ju
MIGUEL“Baby.” Salvatore’s voice was low against my ear. “Wake up, baby.”I blinked open slowly, my eyes still cloudy with sleep. His face was the first thing I saw in the faint light. He was soft-eyed, already smiling, while brushing my jaw with his fingers gently.“Come,” he murmured again.I blinked a few more times, trying to register the moment. My arms were tangled in Leo’s little limbs, and Isabella’s hand was curled against my chest, her baby breath puffing softly against my skin. I pressed a soft kiss to the top of her curly head and gently peeled myself out from between them, moving slowly so I didn’t wake either of them.Salvatore stood at the door waiting. He looked calm, glowing even, with a kind of quiet pride painted across his face. I followed him barefoot into the hallway. I was too tired to ask questions and too curious not to.He led me into the guest room. I stopped at the door and blinked. The room looked like something out of a dream.What the hell?The lights w