Page 138 of The Fractured

“Will do.”

“Byeee,” Lily sang happily.

“Vi voglio bene a entrambi.”

“Love you too, Mom.” I waited for her to hang up first before I tossed my phone onto the covers, stretching my arms above my head before loosely draping one around Lily.

After a moment, Lily rolled onto her side to face me.

“Random question: If you’re Sicilian, why do you only speak Italian?”

“I know how to say the basics in Sicilian, and how to order a gelato. Mom can speak it fluently.” I rested my head back on the headboard with a heavy sigh. “My father only knew Italian. Hewasborn Sicilian too, but he grew up in the north beforecoming to Palermo… He hated the idea that we could hold a conversation he couldn’t understand, so he banned us from speaking it.”

“Sorry.” She gave a self-deprecating shake of her head. “I should’ve thought before I brought it up.”

I gently gripped her chin, turning her face towards me. “All you’ve brought up is the reminder that maybe I should practice my Sicilian. At least for Mom’s sake.”

“And I should probably learn Italian for yours,” she added with a thoughtful nod.

“You should. That way, during those conjugal visits we can talk without the correctional officers knowing what we’re sayin’.” I gently squeezed her side, and she let out a half giggle, half squeal before she pulled away to kneel beside me.

“Let’s start now.”

Was my garage boss pleased that I skipped an entire Thursday to spend time with my girlfriend while she recovered from a mild case of food poisoning? No. There was a backlog of cars that needed attention.

Did I care? Also no.

I would take whatever jobs I could tomorrow, on my birthday. I would also put in my two-week notice and let him know that I wouldn’t be coming back for a while. For now, though, something else was on my mind.

I had told the others I had forgotten something at the store, but I had other plans that took about an hour to get done. These plans had a lot to do with the smudged drawing of two small birds on my left wrist and the desire to show Lily some appreciation for her enthusiasm during her lax Italian lesson.

When I returned, it was just Lily in the apartment — Seb had either left for home and taken Kira with him, or they had stepped out for some fresh air. Lily, meanwhile, was in the kitchen as I stepped into the living room.

She was sipping from a glass of water, standing by the counter, when her eyes landed on the second skin plastered on my wrist.

Her welcoming smile spread. “What’s that?”

“Oh, this?” I lifted my wrist lazily for emphasis as I moved towards her. “It’s just a sketch.”

Her eyes sparkled, and she lifted my wrist to get a better look at the fresh tattoo of her two little birds.

I ducked my head to kiss her cheek. “Now I’ll have a little piece of your art with me wherever I go.”

Her eyebrows pulled up in the middle, and there was a slight pout in her bottom lip.

I cupped her face and kissed her slowly.

She mirrored the action, tilting her head to allow me in.

Chapter 46

Lily

Stationed at the kitchen counter with an array of face paint laid out before me, I began dabbing a small sponge of white paint across Seb’s face.

“Try not to smile unless you want smile lines included with the costume,” I said.

Seb schooled his features as best he could. “Yes, ma’am.”