Fragile Longing

“Danilo will lose his mind when he sees you.”

I smiled at her, but we both knew it was fake. I’d tried to avoid thinking about seeing Danilo. It would be awkward.

“Will you be okay?”

I gave a resolute nod. I’d promised myself I’d keep my composure around Danilo. I wouldn’t embarrass myself again.

“Let me do your makeup. You should look spectacular.”

I followed Anna to the vanity and allowed her to wield her magic. Once she was done, my hair fell down my shoulders in smooth ringlets and my eyes seemed bigger due to the fake lashes she’d glued to my lids. I’d never worn fake lashes to our social gatherings before, but I loved how they accentuated my eyes. They weren’t too bushy or extravagant like the ones I’d put on for the Catwoman costume, but they added a nice touch.

I grinned. “It’s perfect.”

Anna looked gorgeous in a dark purple dress.

“Anna, the guests are about to arrive,” Valentina called from downstairs.

“My presence is required to greet your guests,” Anna said with a hint of annoyance. For as long as I could remember, Anna had to take over representative tasks. It was just something that was expected from a Capo’s daughter. “How come it’s not even my birthday but I still feel like the hostess?” She grimaced. “You must hate being friends with me. I really don’t mean to hog all the attention.”

I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Anna, you’re the Capo’s daughter. People will always look at you if you’re at a party. I don’t mind. I know you don’t like it. It gives me time to compose myself before I head down for my big entrance.” I winked at her.

“Anna!”

Anna rolled her eyes before she slipped out, leaving me alone in the room. I checked my reflection again. I liked what I saw. Over the years, open comparisons to Fina had become less frequent, but I knew some people still compared me to my sister. But today, maybe for the very first time, I felt confident enough that I didn’t mind. I wasn’t less than her, definitely not a consolation prize.

I snatched my favorite purse—a small clutch with a silver chain so I could throw it over my shoulder—and left my room to head downstairs as well. The door to my right flew open and Leonas stalked out, almost bumping into me.

“Careful,” I warned.

“Whoa!”

I flushed. “Nice suit,” I said to cover up my reaction.

Leonas smiled smugly.

“Leonas!” Valentina whisper-shouted, clearly at the edge of her patience.

“My presence is required,” he said with the same annoyance Anna had displayed earlier. They always insisted they were complete opposites and fought like cat and dog on a daily basis, but they shared many character traits.

Leonas strolled toward the stairs, as if he had all the time in the world. Valentina’s tone had suggested that wasn’t the case. Shaking my head at him playing it cool, I took a step to move down the hallway when Samuel stepped out of his room. Originally, the plan had been for him to move to Chicago after Fina’s wedding and work under Dante for a few years before he returned to Minneapolis to assist Dad. But after the kidnapping, he and Dad had decided his presence was required here for our protection. While he already owned a mansion a few houses down from ours, he wouldn’t move there until after he married Emma. He froze when he saw me. “Sofia,” he said, almost as if he didn’t recognize me.

“Yes?” I asked.

He walked over to me, studying me from head to toe. “When did you grow up so much?”

I couldn’t help laughing. “It must have happened in the last three to five years I suppose.” I barely stopped myself from saying ‘while you were busy living in the past’. I didn’t want any conflict today.

He chuckled but a hint of wariness remained in his gaze. “Part of me wished you’d stay the little kid I could call ladybug.”

“You can still call me ladybug when no one else is around. And it’s a good thing I grew up or my wedding to Danilo in two months would be a problem.”

Samuel’s eyes hardened and his lips thinned. “Two months,” he repeated as if he’d forgotten how soon the wedding was. Occasionally, I caught myself shocked by the looming wedding day. I used to look forward to my wedding day, but now I leaned more heavily toward dread.

“Don’t forget about your own wedding,” I teased to lighten the mood. Samuel would marry Emma only two weeks after my wedding.

As usual, Samuel’s face became guarded when I tried to talk to him about Emma. I didn’t push him. Fina had once mentioned that he rarely talked to her about girls. He was just very private with these things.

I’d often caught myself thinking about Fina these last few months, almost as much as in the days after she’d run off with Remo Falcone.