Page 105 of Hidden Echoes

“He has a soft spot for you, but that doesn’t mean he loves me any less.”

Audrey dramatically sighs. “I don’t know… Maybe I’ll just kidnap him and raise him as my own.”

“Good luck with the exploding diapers,” I say, never looking up from the book.

Audrey grimaces. “Okay, scratch that. But I’ll still be the cool aunt. When he’s a teenager and you say no to something, who do you think he’ll go to?”

“If you spoil him with bad ideas, I’ll make you answer for every consequence.”

Audrey gives me a smug little smile. “We’ll see, Laura. We’ll see.”

Edo babbles something that sounds like a mix between her name and some random baby sound. Audrey’s eyes widen, pretending to be completely thrilled.

“My God! He said my name first, didn’t he? He totally tried to say Audrey before he said Mommy, didn’t he?”

I roll my eyes. “He didn’t say your name. He’s just testing phonemes.”

“Let me dream, nerd,” she pouts. “One day, he’ll say ‘Aunt Audrey,’ and it will be the most beautiful sound in the universe.”

"Or maybe he'll say 'chemical formula' first."

"Jeez, Laura. Do you want to raise a child or a mad scientist?"

"Why not both?"

Audrey snorts, but smiles. "Whatever. He'll still be my night time escape partner when he grows up.”

"Until he finds out I'm the one with the money to buy his experiment materials," I snap, and Audrey lets out a fake groan of frustration.

Edo, oblivious to the competition, just laughs, happy to be the center of attention.

Audrey frowns, looking around. "Wait, where's my other cuteness?"

“Eleonora is with Pietro,” I reply, without taking my eyes off the book. “Buying new dresses.”

She blinks a few times, clearly processing the information. "Are you telling me that your husband, who is—let's remember—a mafia boss, is buying cute little clothes with your nine-month-old baby?"

"Yes," I confirm, not understanding the surprise.

Audrey stares at me for a second before letting out an incredulous laugh. “Sorry, but I have to picture this. Pietro, the guy who makes even the toughest henchmen tremble, standing in a children’s store holding a tiny dress and trying to decide between a teddy bear print or a flower print?”

"He'll probably buy both. And about ten other sets," I mutter, turning the page.

"That's hilarious. I bet he's all serious, asking Eleonora what she thinks, as if she's capable of giving an opinion."

"That's exactly what he did before he left. He said he needed to make sure it was 'flawless' and that quality is essential."

Audrey lets out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh. “Oh my God. The guy probably has a history of intimidating half the town, but if you give him a frilly little dress to hold up, he’ll turn into a marshmallow.”

"He has trouble being separated from her for too long," I explain. "So I think this is more for him than for Eleonora."

Audrey looks at me with a mischievous smile. “Do you think his security guards are there too?”

"Obviously."

"So there are some armed mobsters waiting while he picks out baby clothes. That needs to be on the record."

"Fortunately, Pietro has good taste, so Eleonora will probably come out of there looking like miniature royalty."

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