Page 17 of Vicious Addictions

“When are you coming home?”

“You know I can’t. Not yet.”

He lowers his gaze. “Because of Father?”

“No one’s to blame.” I force a smile. “Sometimes, we have to do things we don’t want to get where we need to be. Do you understand?”

“I guess,” he mumbles.

Before I can ask what else is troubling him, a familiar voice chimes in behind him.

“Who are you talking to?”

My heart instantly swells. “Is that Stella?”

Marcello nods and hands her the phone.

“Hey, troublemaker.” I grin.

“Hey to you too, big brother,” She smirks. “Guess where we’re going for lunch?”

“Where?”

“Casa Bella.”

I groan since I could definitely go for some creamy risotto with truffles.

“Damn. Now I really am homesick.” I smack my lips.

“You should’ve gone to college closer to Chicago like Mama wanted. Then I could’ve saved you some leftovers.”

“Maybe you can FedEx it to me.”

“I doubt you can FedEx food.” She giggles. “But I could persuade Mama to make a care package with your favorite treats.”

“You’d do that?” I ask, my homesickness loosening the knot around my heart a bit.

“It all depends. What’s in it for me?” she retorts, with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“How about the satisfaction of being the best baby sister in the world?”

She wrinkles her nose, disappointed with my answer. “Annamaria’s the baby. Not me.”

“You’re nine.”

“So?”

I laugh. “Nothing, squirt. Just miss you like crazy.”

“Of course you do. I’m fabulous,” she sings, flipping her red hair behind her back.

I can’t help but laugh at her sass.

“Yes, you are.”

In the distance I hear a melodic voice calling out my sister’s name—the same voice that used to sing me to sleep when I was not much younger than Stella is now.

“Crap! Gotta go, big brother. Love you.”

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