Page 4 of Beneath the Sapphire Sky

“You know where your old room is.”

Profound relief flooded Raph’s face. He must not have expected a yes. Ria slapped her hands over her mouth then burst into tears.

“I’ve wanted this for so long, Raph. I thought you’d never come home.”

Raph wrapped his arms around their sister and let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t think he’d let me through the door.”

Dante put the rag down and motioned toward the café kitchen door. “Come on. There are two other people who might like to see you.”

Leo and Angel would be stoked to have him back. The three musketeers reunited.

A mischievous grin widened his mouth. “Your turtle brothers are waiting, Raphael.”

Ria burst out laughing. “You’re going to be in so much trouble, Dante. I can’t wait.”

Dante wrapped his arm around his brother and shrugged.

“Me, either.”

Chapter Three

Belle swung thepicnic basket in time with the beat pounding in her earbuds. She hummed along with the song, one of her favourites, and stepped through the front door of the Casellati home, slipping the strawberry-flavoured lip balm she’d just used back into her pocket.

She popped an earbud from her ear and smiled at Dante’s father coming out of the kitchen.

“Bella! So good to see you.”

She grinned and leaned up to kiss Sam’s cheek. She saw him most days, but he always said things like that. And he insisted on calling her Bella instead of plain Belle. She liked it, if the truth be known. The way he said it in his heavily accented English made her feel like she’d stepped back in time. He kissed both her cheeks, which always made her laugh. She placed the picnic basket on the coffee table and pulled out a tiramisu.

“Dessert for you, Mr C.”

He rubbed his hands together, delight flooding his face. “Ahh! You spoil me.”

“Not at all. You deserve it.”

He swiped a finger through the mascarpone on the top and moaned at the taste. “Favoloso!Perfect.”

It was far inferior to the tiramisu his late wife used to make, but it would pass the taste test. Sam had married later in life, choosing to remain single after his wife passed away, so Belle always made a point of bringing him something special.

“Dante around?”

Mr C waved behind him and nodded, far more interested in his tiramisu. “Inside.”

“Thanks.”

Belle moved through the kitchen and placed the picnic basket on the countertop, then entered the hallway toward the rear of the huge, sprawling ranch-style house. She wished Dante had more privacy, but Angel had moved into the old cottage on the other side of the shed, the original home that had been built on the farm way back when. He’d claimed, since he was the oldest of them there, he got to live in the one-bedroom weatherboard house, and the rest could suck it up at the main house.

She glanced at her watch.

“Ooof!”

She’d smacked into an immoveable object where there shouldn’t be one and strong hands caught her before she could stumble. She looked up into hazel eyes set in an extremely handsome, grinning face.

Leo… yet not. A prettier version of Dante’s older brother, and Leo was no slouch in the looks department.

“Might be an idea to watch where you’re going next time, pretty lady.”

Water dripped from semi-dried blond hair, down a strong jaw to drip onto a chiselled chest, then lower to be caught by a precariously positioned towel.

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