In the kitchen, I start quickly to pull out the supplies for the coffee, half of my ear over at the cluster of boys who continue to argue, their tones not so hushed now as each of them start to lose their tempers. I’m completely distracted, though, when Lucy starts to spoon coffee directly into th
By the time that’s done, though, the rest of the coffee is ready. I start pouring three cups of black coffee and then hesitate with the fourth. “How does Tony take his?” I ask, looking up at her. Lucy just rolls her eyes. “How do you think he takes his?” I smirk, pouring a fourth cup of black. “
My eyes go wide and I stare at Tony, this young man who looks so much like Christian but who is clearly far, far more brazen. Christian, to his credit, simply leans back against the arm of the couch and stares his brother down. “What makes you think I’m going to do that, Tony?” Tony scoffs. “I’m
“I did it,” Lucy whispers, and Christian instantly falls silent. Every eye in the room moves to her. “I did it, okay?” she repeats, raising her own eyes to Christian and staring at him hard, honesty in every line of her face. “Lucy –“ Tony interrupts, a little desperate, but she holds up a han
I watch in complete awe as Lucy says the words – so similar to the ones that Nico said yesterday, her eyes locked on Christian’s. She promises him her fealty, her life in his service. Swears never to betray him, begs God to strike her down if she should. The room is completely silent and solemn as L
I frown a little, wondering…because, I mean, Christian’s not lying – I know the point that he’s talking about, and it really is going to be beautiful on a sunny morning like this. But why… “Really?” Tony asks, raising an eyebrow. “I swear fealty, and then first thing you do is send me out so you c
“It was a little bit chaotic,” Nico says, taking a sip of his coffee and giving a sharp nod. “But I think we got away with it.” He begins, then, to lay out the details. I hesitate, starting to get up so I can leave them alone, but Christian holds out a hand to me – stopping me in my tracks. Nico w
“NICO!” Christian lunges forward, smacking the coffee table with the flat of his hand, hitting it so hard the legs nearly collapse beneath it, the sound reverberating through the room and making me almost leap from the couch myself. Nico goes very still, his mouth hanging open, staring at Christia
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I