“Mommy, will daddy be sad if I don’t play the piano?” Anna asked softly.

I paused. “No. But he loves listening to you play. And it’s like learning to write or to count. One day it won’t be difficult anymore and you can just do it without thinking about it.”

Anna considered that then nodded. “Luisa is really good at playing the piano. Much better than me.” I could hear a hint of jealousy. Anna wanted to be the best at everything she did.

“Luisa loves the piano, like you love art. You are the artist, and Luisa is the musician. Everyone’s good at something. That’s wonderful, don’t you think?”

Anna tilted her head and smiled. “Yeah.”

The bell rang. “Wait here. I’ll get the door.”

Anna kept playing as I walked out of the library and toward the front door. Gabby had already opened it and Luisa and Bibi entered. I stroked Luisa’s head. “Why don’t you go ahead to the library?”

She nodded excitedly and dashed off, her dark pigtails bobbing.

I grinned at Bibi. “You look radiant. Dario’s a magician.”

Bibi turned red.

I laughed. “That makes you blush already? He must be even better than I thought.”

“Val,” Bibi said, giggling.

We didn’t get the chance to continue our conversation because the bell rang again. “On time as always,” I said as the piano teacher Mrs. Gatti, the wife of one of Dante’s soldiers, stepped in. After a small curtsey, which she refused to forgo despite my begging, she headed straight for the library to teach Luisa and Anna.

I led Bibi into the living room for our bi-weekly macarons time. We sank down on the sofa. “Have you thought about the homeschooling?”

Bibi nodded. “Yes. I’d like Luisa and Anna to be taught together.”

“Perfect. I’ll arrange everything.” Dante wanted Anna to be homeschooled until she was ten or twelve because the current situation worried him and I wanted Anna to have her friend at her side. Being around adults all the time wasn’t good for a child her age.

Bibi looked at me as if she was holding something back. I knew her secretive expression. She really wasn’t good at keeping things from me.

“What is it? Are things not going well with Dario?” I couldn’t imagine it being the case. They appeared happy on the outside but I knew sometimes appearances could be deceiving. Still, Bibi would have told me if something was the matter.

“I wanted to wait a bit longer to tell you, but…”

“You’re pregnant!” I said.

Her lips fell open then she nodded. “Only nine weeks along.”

I wrapped my arms around her. “Oh, Bibi, I’m so happy for you and Dario.”

Dario didn’t have children yet, and Bibi wanted more so I had expected Bibi to become pregnant.

We chatted for more than an hour. Anna and Luisa had gone up to play after their lesson and we used the time for us.

But when Dante stepped into the living room with a forced calm expression, words died in my throat. Something in his eyes set off my alarm bells.

“Good afternoon, Bibiana.”

Bibi got up and glanced at her watch. “I should be going. It’s already late.” It wasn’t later than usual but I appreciated her consideration. I accompanied her to the door. “Anna! Luisa!”

Both girls came down a few minutes later. After a short goodbye, Luisa and Bibi left. Dante held Anna in his arms, listening to her recount of today’s piano lesson. I could tell his mind was far away even as he tried to give Anna his full attention. I walked up to them. Leonas was still down for his nap but he too would be awake soon. I searched Dante’s eyes, wondering what was wrong, but he gave a tight smile. “Let’s have dinner at our favorite place.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I want us to have a family night out. We can talk later.”

“Okay,” I said with a smile. “I’ll dress up. What about you, Anna? You want to get pretty?”

“Yes!” she shouted.

“Can you make Leonas presentable?”

Dante gave me a look as he set Anna down. “I’ll try my best. He’s given me trouble today.”

I laughed then took Anna’s hand. “The girls need to get ready now.” Anna and I hurried up the stairs and into my walk-in closet where I also kept some of Anna’s prettier outfits.

“I want to look like you!” Anna said.

I bit my lip. Anna loved to wear matching outfits. Many people in the Outfit thought it strange, but I tried to ignore their negative voices. “Okay. Let’s see what we can do.”

I picked a plaid dress for Anna with cute black boots and chose a plaid costume for myself. That way our outfits were similar but didn’t scream twins from afar. Then I braided Anna’s hair. I wasn’t as good at the French braids as Mamma but I tried my best. I let my own down and put on some makeup, then we headed to Leonas’ room.

To my surprise, Dante had managed to dress Leonas in Chino pants and a cute button-down shirt as well as sneakers. He was talking quietly to him. Dante seldom raised his voice at our children and even then he never screamed. Anna had always been an obedient child, so we’d never had reason for strictness, but Leonas was already testing our patience on a daily basis. I wondered how long Dante’s calm approach would work with our son.

I leaned in the doorway, smiling as I held Anna’s hand.

Dante caught me watching then scanned Anna and me appreciatively. “We’re heading to dinner with two beautiful ladies, Leonas, we need to be on our best behavior.” Leonas didn’t pay attention, too distracted by the task of fumbling with Dante’s cuffs.

Our favorite restaurant was an elegant but cozy place with the best steak in town. We got our usual table in a nook where we were shielded from attention.

Leonas and Anna were on their best behavior, as they were most of the time when we were outside. Even Leonas’ tantrums usually happened in the safety of our home.

I could tell that Dante enjoyed our family dinner despite the lingering tension in his expression.

Later that night when we lay in each other’s arms after sex, I asked, “What happened today? You seemed shaken.”

Dante let out a deep sigh that let his chest vibrate under my cheek. “It’s Fabiano. He’s gone.”

I lifted my head to look at Dante’s face in the dim glow of the bedside lamp. “Gone?”

“He’s run off. That’s what Rocco said at least.”

“That’s ridiculous. Fabiano wanted nothing more than to become a Made Man. Why would he run away from that?”

“Rocco thinks he might have followed in his sisters’ footsteps and fled to New York to join the Famiglia.”

I shook my head slowly, but part of me thought maybe Rocco was right. Fabiano loved his sisters, even if their relationship had broken off due to the war. His feelings toward his father, on the other hand, were probably less fond. The man had been treating him even worse since Rocco Jr. had been born. “What do you think?”

Dante ran his fingers through my hair then down my arm and waist. “I fear Rocco might be right. Luca would take Fabiano in if Aria asked him to do it.”

Dante’s lips pinched like they always did when he talked about them. Despite the photos, Luca and Aria still seemed to be going strong. For a while I’d been worried Luca had hurt Aria because she’d completely disappeared from the public, but then we’d found out that she’d given birth to a daughter and had gone into hiding for protection.