Page 21 of Brightness

She’s so freaking adorable. I can’t deny her. “Yes. I’m the maiden Uncle Matty told you about.” I shift my eyes to Matteo, and he grimaces—pretty sure nobody but Mia calls him Matty.

Oh well, he can deal with it.

“I’m gonna try to make you feel better, Mia.”

Her face lights up as if I’ve just told her I’m the fricking tooth fairy, or like all her Christmases have come at once. “Thank you! Can you stay and play dress-ups?”

My eyes shift to Dash. “Only if Dash can play too.”

Matteo snorts out a laugh as Dash cracks his fingers with a cocky smirk. “I dunno. I mean, really? I’ve never played dress-ups before. Not sure I want to start now.”

Matteo narrows his eyes like he’s unimpressed by Dash’s less-than-enthusiastic attitude.

“Oh! Can I put makeup on you?” Mia gushes.

Matteo glares at Dash, almost snarling at him. “Dash, I’m sure you don’t want to let the little principessa down, now, do you?”

Dash rolls his shoulders, his eyes meeting mine pleadingly.

I grimace and mouth, Sorry, before Tony gently grips my bicep. “Signora, I need you to come with me. We have a technician in a room across the hall ready to start,” Tony states.

Taking in a deep breath, I bob my head. “Okay, yep. Sure.”

“It will take some time. Dash will stay in here with Mia. There’s no need for him to come. We are literally across the hall. I want Mia occupied, and I need your full attention.”

I turn to Dash, who’s preoccupied with having an Elsa costume held up to his torso by an excited princess. “Dash, I’m going to be right across the hall getting this done.”

“I’ll come with,” he says, sounding desperate.

“No, you stay here. Entertain Mia. Get made up all pretty, but make sure you keep it all on to show me when I’m done.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want you out of my sight. The VP will kill me if anything happens to you.”

“I’m going to ensure Ivy is well cared for, Dash,” Tony reassures him. “Thank you for playing with Mia. I appreciate it. Matteo will stay also.”

Dash somberly slams his ass down on a tiny little pink plastic chair as Mia pulls out her children’s kit of makeup. Matteo steps in beside him and leans against the wall, his arms folded over his huge chest, with a slight upturn of his lips. I can tell Matteo’s going to enjoy this.

The DeLucas lead me out of Mia’s room and across the hall.

“Without your blood…” Amalia’s eyes flood with tears. “I don’t know what would happen to Mia, or how much longer she will have.”

With an exhale, I reach for her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

Amalia quickly wipes a stray tear from her eye. Her tough Mafia queen exterior shifts firmly back in place as Tony opens the door to the room. Laughter from Mia’s room echoes across the hall, making me smile despite the sterility of the room I’m walking into. It’s like a doctor’s surgical area. A patient bed sits in the middle of a linoleum floor, the color scheme a stark white, with medical equipment lining the walls at every turn. A bench with surgical tools and instruments sits off to one side, and a couple of people dressed in scrubs stand out of the way, with gloves on and surgical masks covering their faces.

“Mr. DeLuca, we’re ready to go when you are,” a woman in scrubs says.

Tony nods and ushers me inside. I have to admit, seeing all this medical shit is making me second-guess my decision.

Amalia comes into my line of sight, but her kind eyes soothe me somehow. “This must look daunting, Ivy, but I swear, it’s only because we want everything to be as sterile and as precise as possible. We have the best team working on this so nothing will go wrong.”

My breathing has become fast and shallow, my muscles clenched with nerves. Through gritted teeth, I say, “Okay. What do I need to do?”

The nurse—doctor? I have no idea what she is—comes over carrying a clipboard. “Ivy, I’m Larah. I have just a couple of questions to ask before we get underway. Okay?”

“Sure.”

“Have you had any aspirin in the last forty-eight hours?”

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