Page 113 of Little Deer

“Is that why you insisted that you hold him in the room earlier?” I ask her.

“I wanted him to be used to me,” she shrugs. “Mostly because I didn’t know what might happen, and if I needed to get him to safety, I wanted him to be comfortable enough that he might not cry.”

“You were going to take him?” I demand, terror replaced by anger.

“I get it, mothers will do anything to protect their children. If Leonardo had tried to take him, would you not have fought to get him away? Even handing him to me?”

I reluctantly nod, but I don’t like the idea that she planned for that. It’s too close to her trying to take him from me.

“Don’t ever use my son as a pawn again,” I snarl at her.

She inclines her head. “I apologize. I didn’t intend for that to happen, but well, when I sent Rori to get Amara, it made things easier.”

“What about all that stuff you said, though? How did you know what was in the journal?” Sienna demands.

Tatiana rolls her eyes. “What do you think I’ve been doing while I’ve been here? And Amara was nice enough to help me fill in the blanks when I put her in the office.”

“Wait, why did you hide Amara?” Lazaro demands.

“Because she’s my sister and I didn’t want her hurt. I mean, I would have tried the same with the others if I could have, but I didn’t have the time or the chance.”

“When did you get here, exactly? And how did you get in?” Nico demands, clearly still not trusting her.

She gives him an amused smile. “Now, Pookie, would I really share that information if I have to do it again for any reason?”

Alessio lets out a loud, boisterous laugh. “Pookie,” he giggles. “Fuck, I wish I had thought of that one.”

“Oh, I heard all about his love for you,” Tatiana grins, winking at him.

“Fuck, now there’s two of them,” Nico grinds out, even as Gia laughs. He glares at Tatiana. “I won’t shoot you, but I can make your life hell if you start with that shit.”

“Aww, Pookie, don’t worry, I won’t try to take Alessio’s place for you.”

“That’s right, Boo Bear, I’ll always be your one and only,” Alessio croons, laughing when Nico shoots him a look that promises retribution. “You and me, we’re going to be good friends,” Alessio decrees to Tatiana with a grin.

“Fuck, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Sienna laughs. “I don’t know if I can handle two of you either.”

“Don’t be jealous,coniglietta,” Alessio laughs, lifting her into his arms. “You’re the only one I truly love and will annoy for the rest of my life.”

“Can we trade?” Sienna asks Gia over Alessio’s shoulder. Then she laughs when Alessio slaps her ass.

“I need to see him too,cerbiatta,” Massimo murmurs in my ear, pulling me away from the conversations around me. I reluctantly hand him Soren, careful to stay close. I know he’s safe, but the fear isn’t gone. I don’t want him out of my sight. “There we are,ometto,” he croons, nuzzling Soren’s cheeks. Soren lets out a happy sound, staring up at Massimo.

“He’s going to lose his shit when things all calm down,” I murmur, reaching up to brush my finger over Soren’s cheek. “And hopefully he’ll sleep well tonight. After all of this, I know I will.”

Massimo chuckles. “Oh, I’m sure we will.” He turns his head to kiss the top of my head. “I’m just fucking glad it’s all over.”

Fuck, me too. But that leaves the question, what does that mean for us? Is he just going to leave, and we have to figure out where to pick up our lives? I mean, he lives in Sicily and we’re here. I can’t just pack up my life and go with him.

Right?

That’s a worry for later. Right now, I just want to be glad that Soren is safe and all this bullshit is done.

“Did you know about me?” I suddenly hear Amara ask.

“I only found out about you recently,” Tatiana says apologetically. “But when I looked into you, it made me sick. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

Amara accepts that with a small nod. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispers. “I wasn’t sure we would ever find you. They said that you just disappeared.”