The Sinister Silhouette

After rapping my knuckles against the door twice, it’s pulled open and Ella stands on the other side.

“Hey. Mom was starting to worry you weren’t going to show up.”

She steps back from the door, and I walk in. She’s not in sight, but I already smell her. My jaw hardens, and I try not to breathe in, but I have to because I need fucking air.

“You okay?” Ella asks, coming to stand beside me.

“Yes,” I grit.

My eyes roam over the living room. Dad sits on the couch with Vicki, and they bicker back and forth about the basketball game that’s on the TV. Theo’s standing just outside the kitchen doorway, and when he spots me, anger flares in his eyes. Yeah, he doesn’t want me here. Can’t say I blame him. Not my fucking fault though. He can take that shit up with Mom.

Aria’s head peeks around the kitchen doorway, and her reception of me is completely different than her dad’s. Her smile is big as she yells my name and runs toward me. I bend down and scoop her up. It’s been days since I’ve seen her, and I’ve missed her. She throws her arms around my neck and squeezes as hard as she can.

“Hey, boo. How ya been?”

She pulls back and gives me a loud kiss. “I’m good, Uncle Luca, but I’ve missed you.” She pouts and it’s so fucking cute.

“Miss you too. Maybe one night you can come over and we’ll do movies again.”

“Yes!” she yells, damn near bursting my eardrums. Turning her head, she yells again. “Daddy! Can I stay with Uncle Luca one night?”

Theo’s eyes meet mine, and I see the indecision. It pisses me off because he knows I love that little girl like she’s my own. Hate me for my past mistakes, but you don’t fucking punish a child for them.

After a minute, he relents. “Yes. We’ll talk later about it.”

Aria jabbers on excitedly about school stuff and about a play she’s going to be part of. I listen to her chatter and laugh when she tells me about a boy playing with a frog on the playground.

“It wasn’t funny.” Her lip sticks out. “He almost touched me with it.”

“I’m sure you’d be okay if a frog touched you.”

“Nuh-uh,” she responds, shaking her head emphatically. “My friend Missy said if they pee on you, you’ll get warts.”

I chuckle. “That’s just a myth. If it were true, my and your dad’s hands would be covered in warts, because we used to play with frogs all the time.”

She wrinkles her pert little nose. “Just in case, I don’t want no frog pee on me.”

“Well, you’re missing out on some pretty awesome fun. Frogs are cool.”

“Frogs are nasty,” she retorts.

I set her on her feet, then lift my head when I feel her enter the room. It’s like a magnetic force has my eyes automatically finding her. She steps out of the kitchen and looks my way, and I’m caught immobile when her eyes meet mine. My body reacts to hers as if by instinct. It takes everything in me to not stalk across the room just so I’ll be closer to her. Every time I see her, the pull gets stronger. What makes this harder is the open curiosity I see in her gaze as she looks at me. She’s even more beautiful than I remember.

Theo notes my attention on her and his mouth tightens. He walks over to Jules, and I fight back the need to break his fucking arm when he puts it around her waist and tugs her to his side. I notice Jules’s barely concealed flinch when he touches her.

Mom walks out of the kitchen and claps her hands. “Dinner’s ready.” When she spots me, she smiles. “Luca, dear. I’m so glad you made it.”

I drag my gaze away from Theo and Jules and look to Mom. “I can’t stay long. I told Jazz I’d be in later tonight so he could go home early. His wife is sick.”

“Then let’s eat.”

I stay out of the kitchen with Dad and Vicki as the others fit in the small room to make their plates. From where I’m standing, I can see Jules standing off to the side with Aria beside her. The little girl is bouncing on her feet as she talks animatedly to Jules, who looks down at her with a smile. Seeing the two together sends a weird feeling to my chest.

Sensing my eyes on her, Jules looks up. My fucking heart stops, just as it does every time our eyes meet. I grind my molars together and yank my eyes away, the temptation of her getting too fucking strong to resist.

I glance over to Dad and see him watching me, his look thoughtful. I ignore the questions lurking in his gaze.

“How’s the shop?” he asks, thankfully keeping whatever he was thinking to himself.