Page 168 of Milo

A mortal man does not stand a chance against a deity, but for my angel, my treasure, I would raise the servants of hell to keep her beside me. I would sell every ounce of my soul to the devil himself if it meant that she would stay.

But thankfully, for my soul, my sanity, and my heart, she is here, in front of me, playing with our child.

"You need to use both hands, Anna," Kiara instructs in a patient tone, her hair glistening in the sun like topaz. "Make sure you have a firm grip, okay?"

"Like this?" our daughter asks, flashing a hopeful smile.

"Yes, exactly like that," Kiara says, kissing Anna's head as she whispers something into our child's ear. Anna giggles as she nods. "Okay, now, aim at the target, and when you're ready, fire."

"Okay, mamma!"

Anna pinches her eyebrows together as she squints in concentration, pointing toward the pink bullseye. Suddenly, she whips her body toward me, her eyes gleaming with humor as she pulls the trigger and streams of water spurt out of the toy gun and onto my dress shirt.

"Annabella!" I scold, standing up. "What are you doing?!" I slam the newspaper on the patio table. "You are in big trouble, principessa." I hold my arms out, wiggling my fingers as I stalk toward my wife and daughter. "Big big trouble."

"Ah! No!" Anna shrieks, giggling as she hides behind Kiara. "Mamma made me do it! I'm sorry, papa, don't tickle me. Please!"

"I did no such thing!" Kiara's jaw drops as she dramatically crosses her arms. "It was all Anna."

Anna peeks around Kiara's thigh, flashing me a bright smile. God, they are identical. There are two of them. Two angels. My angels.

"Mamma's lying," she whispers. "She's lying."

"Oh, is she?" I hum, grinning at my daughter. "Why don't you go inside and find Claudia. I think she is with your brother." I briefly glance at my wife, casting her a knowing glare. "I have a traitor to interrogate."

"Uh oh, mamma," she squeals. "He gonna tickle you now."

"Yes.” I lick my lips as I meet Kiara's sheepish gaze. "I am going to tickle her so so hard." I look down at Anna. "Go get Claudia, yes?"

"Okay," she says, dashing into the house. "Claudia! Where are you?!"

When our daughter is out of sight, my expression hardens. "You got me wet, tesoro.” I take a step toward her. "You must pay for your crimes."

"Scared of a little water, baby?" Kiara smirks, backing away from me. "You just looked so hot, I wanted to cool you down."

"Hot? Interesting. What about me is so—" I cock my head to the side. "Hot?"

"Hmm," Kiara hums, biting her lip. "It's so hard to pick just one thing."

I reach out and grab her waist, yanking her toward me. "We have time, tesoro," I rasp, brushing my lips against hers. "I would like a comprehensive list."

"Well, let's see—" Kiara expels an airy laugh, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Your mouth, your chest, your hands—" She tugs on my hair. "Your co?—"

"Milo, Kiara!" Gio calls out as he enters the gardens. "Are you ready? We have the jet on standby."

My jaw tenses. "He always has the worst fucking timing."

"We have the whole flight to Germany to finish the list," Kiara coos, tossing me a wink before spinning around in my arms. "Hey, Gio, we just need to say bye to the kids then we can leave." She pauses, a slight frown marring her brows. "Is Luisa back yet?"

"She will meet us at the airport," Gio replies, his tone low. "I will bring her bags with us."

"Okay, give us fifteen minutes," she says. Gio nods, heading back inside. Kiara clicks her tongue as she looks up at me. "Luisa's been there all day, maybe we should've gone with her."

"We offered," I note, lacing my fingers through my wife's hair, a twinge of pain gripping my gut. "She said she wanted to be alone with him."

"I know," Kiara sighs, leaning into my palm. "But it's his birthday. We should have gone to pay our respects. If it weren't for him—" She sighs. "He deserves our respect."

"Marchello was a loyal man, Kiara," I whisper, taking a deep breath as I pull her against my chest. "But he was not sentimental. I do not believe he would be offended if we missed his birthday. Plus, he is not alone, Luisa is there."

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