Page 136 of Luca
“Pàpa has a boo-boo?” Penelope's voice tore through the air and both of us turned our attention to him.
“Yes, but he’ll be better,” I murmured softly, then glanced back at Luca. My heart skipped a beat, seeing the look in his eyes. He watched her, stunned and with so many emotions - love, reverence, happiness - that I felt my throat tightened with a mix of happiness and wistfulness.
We moved closer to the bed, and all the while he watched our daughter as if he was scared she would disappear.
I sat down on the bed next to him and lifted our daughter to do the same, placing her in front of me.
“Hello, Pàpa.”
Luca’s expression held wonder and so much tenderness, and suddenly I knew even if the two of us didn’t find our way back to each other, this was the right move.
He reached out his hand and stroked Penelope’s cheek gently.
“Hello, princess.” I watched him swallow, fighting his emotions. He might have qualms about me, but he had zero about our daughter. “You speak so well. Last time I–” His voice choked and he cleared his throat before he continued. “You were a baby last time I saw you. You fit in the palm of my hand.”
Penelope watched him alert, her eyes so much like her fathers, that it brought tears to my eyes. Seeing the two of them like this was the most beautiful sight I had seen in years and my heart twisted with so many emotions, it was hard to find words.
“Mommy and I missed you, Pàpa,” she finally said. “I’m not a baby.”
Luca raised his eyes, locking them with mine. “I missed you too,” he rasped. “And you’ll always be my baby.”
A lone tear rolled down my cheek, and I knew we were exactly where we needed to be.
Our daughter belonged to both of us. We’d both lay down our lives for her.
* * *
We’d beenin Sicily for two weeks.
Luca recovered well, but somehow we had yet to find ourselves alone. I had kept my distance. Once Penelope reunited with her Pàpa, nothing could stop her from visiting him. Nonno and Pàpa were her two most favorite men in the world. She told me so herself.
Luciano and Sasha left the first day we were back. Cassio had gone back to his family, leaving our little family to come to terms with everything we’d done and hadn’t done.
I sat on the bed, as FaceTime rang on my phone.
“Margaret.”
My brother’s face came on the screen. The face I’d known all my life.
“Is now a good time to talk?” He nodded. “Do the twins hate me?”
His eyes flickered to the side. “You can ask them yourself.”
The twins' faces filled the screen, their expressions softening with love and tenderness. And I broke down. I cried because they lost a mother they loved. I cried because we lived all those years apart. I cried because I longed for their forgiveness.
“I’m sorry.” The words trembled and so did my lips. I wanted to hug them.
“Don’t apologize,” Tyran said. “We’d do anything for you. Your husband’s sin is eased by the fact that he saved you from his father. If we’d have lost you that same day, our family wouldn’t have been the same. As far as Ma goes…”
He didn’t finish, letting his sentence trail off.
“Ma betrayed us all,” Kyran muttered. I knew it was hard for them. They loved Ma and she loved them.
“You still loved her though,” I murmured. “It doesn’t make it any easier.”
A somber mood filled the video screen. It would take some time for them to come to terms with it.
“How is my niece adjusting?” Aiden switched subjects.
