Page 84 of Savage Empire

“Don’t sell yourself short,” she says with a tsk. “Yordan and Apollo have brought some of your pastries over before. You definitely put effort into them, they’re all super tasty.”

“Oh, well…” I trail off, finally taking a seat in the cozy chair nearby. Dmitri has positioned himself on the far end of the couch, in reach of his children while also creating an illusion of privacy for me and his wife. “I’m glad you like them.”

Jade sighs happily. “I wish I had the patience to do pastries. I’m much more of a cooking girl, than baking. Something about waiting for something in the oven makes me restless.”

Walking wobbly in his tiny white shoes, Cesar bumbles over to me, waving a firetruck around. Lights blinking on the toy, he presents it to me like a prized possession.

“Fire-fuck,” he blurts proudly.

My eyes widen and I smother a laugh.

“Oh god,” Jade groans. “Cesar Ivan, we’ve been here for two minutes and you’re already showing off your new favorite word?”

“Fire-fuck,” he repeats, head bobbing.

“He learned that from one of my truckhead brothers,” Jade explains, looking mortified. “I promise I’ve been trying to stop him.”

“Truckhead?” I ask, amused.

“I’m hoping he picks it up if I say it more. That’s his favorite toy and he refuses to call it a truck.”

The little boy giggles like he can understand our conversation. “Fuck.”

“Cesar,” Dmitri quietly reprimands.

His tiny eyes go round, and his little lips part in anO. “Uh-oh,” he says, turning up to me like I might help him.

“Firetruck?” I ask, emphasizing the T.

He contemplates it for a minute. Until he babbles, “Fire-tuck.”

Much closer, I grin, reaching down to ruffle his soft hair. “Very good.”

“Ugh,” Jade grunts, but she’s smiling. “Of course he would say it for you. His love for pretty girls knows no end. He’ll eat his peas for Ana, but not for me, Dmitri, or Ivan.”

“He wants to gauge interactions with new people,” I suggest, smiling sympathetically. “Social babies learn quickly from how we react to them. He already knows you love him no matter what he does. I think he’s just learning my personality, in his own way.”

She hums thoughtfully. “Too smart for his own good.” Nodding down to her daughter in her lap, Jade presses a soft kiss into the crown of her head. “Miss Isobella here is still quite shy, but she’s so smart as well. She’s very sweet when she warms up too. She loves Cassio and Matteo a lot.”

“Yordan was a shy baby too,” I tell her, offering a small wave to her Isobella. “She’s absolutely adorable though. I would never keep headbands on as a baby, I’d throw my socks off too.”

At least, that’s what my father used to tell me. And who knows if anything he’s ever said was truthful.

“Oh she adores being dressed up. Loves her dresses and her shoes. I can’t stop doing her hair, either. Baby hair is so soft and silky.” She sighs with a light laugh. “Enough about the little ones though, because I could gush about them all day. I wanted to get to know you better. How have you been finding the new area? Have you warmed up to it?”

“Slowly,” I admit. “I’ve become a bit of a homebody, honestly. Yordan leaves nearly everyday with Apollo, and they always tell me that I can come along but I never do. I wasn’t very social in Chicago, either. But I guess, it feels different this time. I don’t feel like I really fit in.”

More like Apollo has forced my way in, so I fit by association.

Yordan fits in because he’s eager to learn and he likes all of the same things as the men surrounding him. And maybe I haven’t reallytriedto make connections here, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. The Morettis are an intimidatingly big group, and I insulted them all last month. I haven’t exactly set myself up for success in integrating into the community they share. My somewhat distant but safe friendships with Elio and Leon have been enough to keep me from going crazy.

“I felt the same way when I moved in,” Jade replies sympathetically.

“You did?” I ask, surprised.

“Of course.” She nods rapidly. “This family is huge and filled with huge personalities. I was overwhelmed a lot in the beginning. Matteo made things easier, I think. He essentially latched onto me like a puppy, pulling me around and making it feel natural. Maybe you could say yes one of the times Apollo offers for you to tag along? He’d do the same for you.”

My nose twitches. “I don’t think Apollo wants me around as much as Matteo wanted to bond with you. He only invites me to make Yordan feel welcome.”