His words stung. I began to turn over to give him space so he could sleep, which obviously was not going to happen with me nearby, but his arm around my waist tightened. He leaned me against his body once more. I swallowed. “You’re young,” he said. “I worry about all the ways I will hurt you before you have become a tired adult to survive in our world and by my side.” “I don’t believe that.” “I know, but sooner or later you will.”
Alessio
I hadn’t been to my beach house for three months. The last time I went, I had longed for peace and quiet after Gaia’s funeral. I had come alone without Simona and Daniele because their every glance reminded me of the woman I wanted to forget. Gianna opened her eyes wide in amazement when we stopped in front of the beautiful white bungalow on the beach. Mia owned the house next door, but we rarely visited this place at the same time, although she had insisted on a family vacation for a while. Simona had fallen asleep in her chair, but Daniel’s face lit up with recognition. He had loved this place in the past. I was afraid that had changed, too.
The wind was biting our clothes. November was not the best time to spend time outdoors around here, but I wanted to show Gianna this house. I wasn’t even sure why. It would have been more impressive in spring or summer. Another gust ripped Gianna’s black cowboy hat from her head. My hand lashed out, snatching the thing from the air. Gianna burst into astonished laughter. “That’s an impressive display of reflexes.”
I handed her the hat and she took it with a sweet smile. “Quick reflexes are necessary to survive if you have as many enemies as I do. But I don’t know why I got this thing. It’s ugly.” Gianna had once again chosen an outfit that I definitely had not chosen for her. Cowboy boots, black shorts with suspenders, a bright pink sweater, and an oversized coat that would have fit me, too. She was a fashion nightmare. Worry gripped her face, her hand frozen on the door. “How many attempts on your life have you survived?”
I tried to remember. It was hard to say. There had been so many. Only a couple had come close. Gianna shook her head. “Never mind, if you have to think about it for so long, I probably don’t want to know. Just promise to be careful, okay?” I walked around the car and opened the back door, then pulled Simona out. Gianna and I had already fallen into a sort of routine as far as my children were concerned. She took care of Daniel and I took care of Simona. It made life easier for us, although it made my heart freeze that my son refused to be around me.
“Can you get Loulou’s transport crate?” I took it from the trunk. Gianna had insisted that we take the dog with us, although I would have preferred Sybil to watch him. Refusing Gianna was more difficult than it should have been. Clutching Simona to my chest to protect her from the cold, I led Gianna toward the front door. She had difficulty carrying Daniel on her hip. Although he was a skinny boy, he was tall for his age and Gianna was petite. It would have made more sense for me to carry him.
She put him down the moment we were inside and looked around in wonder. The inside, like the outside of the house, was white. The back of the house facing the beach was almost entirely made of glass windows, which gave views of the dunes and the ocean. The marram grass bent under the force of nature and dark clouds hung low over the water. Even on tumultuous days like this, the white furniture lit up the house without electricity.
Gianna rushed to the windows, peering out. His eyes moved to the left, where a swing swayed gently in the wind. The porch protected it from the rain. He reached out his hand toward the doorknob. I put down the dog cage and carried Simona to her white crib. She was still sound asleep. “It’s too stormy. We can go out tomorrow.” Gianna pouted, looking like the teenager I was trying to pretend she wasn’t. Sometimes I could forget, especially when she was taking care of the children and in bed, but I couldn’t always.
Daniel was standing next to her. She held out her hand to him and he took it. I froze, my heart clenched a little tighter. With a smile, she led him toward the cage and released the dog. He slipped out slowly, looking around. “If he pees on the white carpets, he will sleep outside.” Gianna rolled her eyes as if she thought I was joking. The dog began sniffing everything. At least, he no longer attacked my pants legs. Daniel followed the dog as if it were a lost puppy.
“I’ll go get the luggage,” I said before heading out into the cold again. When I returned with our two suitcases, Gianna was in the open refrigerator. I carried them to our bedroom down the hall before joining Gianna in the kitchen. “I told my housekeeper to restock the refrigerator.” “You have a housekeeper for your beach house?” “Mine and my parents have houses on the same beach. The housekeeper takes care of all three of us.” “What about Ilaria?” “Too far away.” Gianna nodded. “So… Can you cook?” I raised an eyebrow. “Of course not.”
“Of course not,” Gianna said quietly, looking in the refrigerator as if it were the death of her. “I guess I’ll just have to try my luck then.” I watched her assemble an array of vegetables, rice, and chicken on the counter. “Do you like Asian?” I leaned against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “It depends.” “Do you like spicy?” My mouth twitched. Gianna gave me an indignant look before her gaze drifted to Daniel, who crouched in front of the window, his dog beside him. I moved toward her, touching her hips. “I can handle the burn, don’t worry.” Gianna swallowed.
I headed toward the window as she began to prepare the dinner she had in mind. Daniel looked up briefly when I stopped beside him and the dog before he focused on the ocean again. “Tomorrow we can spend the afternoon at the beach.” He didn’t answer, but I didn’t expect it, so I just stared as he did. After dinner, we took Daniele and Simona, who had woken up in the middle, to bed. They shared the room next to ours, although there were two other bedrooms in the house. “Can we sit on the swing?” Gianna asked when I wrapped my arms around her.