Ottavio covered his face with both hands, peeking through his fingers. “I just realized we have a daughter, too, so my niece is giving us a preview of what it’s going to be like in… four years? If so…”
“Then what?” Ivy gently removed his husband’s hands from the man’s face. “Is the great leader of the Sforza family scared of a sassy four-year-old pretending to be a young lady?” He kissed the other’s lips.
“You mean a controlling, manipulative young lady?” Ottavio grinned. “I’m terrified of the prospect, but hey, I love challenges.” He let out a carefree laugh. “But dealing with such a situation is a challenge, and I love challenges, so bring it on.”
“I forgot I married this fierce warrior.” Ivy kissed the corner of his beloved’s mouth. “What can I do to be forgiven?”
“By me? Nothing. You already did last night.” Ottavio returned the kiss, then rolled his eyes, feigning horror.“However, our older son, his friends, and all that army of nieces and nephews won’t be so thrilled if we are late for breakfast.”
“Well, I’d better get in the shower, or I’ll be breakfast for that horde of hungry kids,” Ivy grinned, then stepped into the bathroom.
Down the hall, in his room, Galen was doing the same thing, already buzzing with excitement at the thought of spending another day with his cousins and the Wisdom Keeper’s children. Since they had first met at Castello Cavallieri just a week ago, he had come to care deeply for all of them.
Galen enjoyed spending time with Blaise, the oldest of the Cavallieri children, and his younger siblings, Dane, Jeremy, Alana, and Antoinette. They never grew bored and always found interesting topics to discuss, from movies, TV shows, and actors to the books they were currently reading or that left a lasting impression on them.
Although Galen liked Dane, Alana, Jeremy, and Antoinette very much, Blaise was by far his favorite among the Wisdom Keepers’ children. Slightly older than Lonny, his cousin on his mother’s side, the boy wasn’t patronizing despite knowing far more than Lonny, nor was he physically intimidating, even though he was quite well-built for his age.
On the contrary, Blaise was always willing to help anyone who asked him, offering clear, detailed explanations. Galen greatly appreciated the patience and understanding the older boy showed toward those younger than him, always using simple language when teaching or just talking to them.
Gianluca, the firstborn of Galen’s uncle Martino and his husband Luca, was a league of his own. With stormy-gray eyes and fiery red hair, the seven-year-old was a unique blend of a wise grown-up and a mischievous child, often the one who initiated the shenanigans.
These qualities, among many others, made him Gianluca Galen’s favorite cousin. With him, Ottavio’s oldest son could be his studious, somewhat too mature self, but he could also giggle, play hide-and-seek, roll in the grass, act innocent, and pull harmless pranks without being laughed at or yelled at, or worrying that he’d be used as a negative example in the Sunday sermon.
Galen stopped being a child at age five, when he was tragically robbed of all the joy, laughter, serenity, and other good things associated with that stage of life. Now, eight years later, he likes to act mature but also enjoys being carefree and catching up on all the things he missed out on as a child.
This was one reason Galen didn’t find his much younger cousins, Rosanna, Alessandro, Eugenie, Claudio, and Germaine, boring or whiny, even though the age gap between him and some of them was as much as nine years. Every minute he spent with them, playing their games, erased another bad memory from the time he was under his aunt’s and uncle’s tyranny.
As Galen started to climb down the spiral staircase, he wondered what was hidden behind the phrase 'surprise trip' that Dane, Jeremy, and Blaise had mentioned a few times the previous evening at the pajama party. It seemed the surprise was only for him, because none of the children, not even the little ones, were curious to find out more.
A small smile played on his lips as Galen, who was at the bottom of the staircase, shook his head. It must be something good; they are the Wisdom Keeper’s children and would never do anything that could harm or sadden me, the boy concluded in his internal monologue, pushing the thought to the farthest corner of his mind and deciding to enjoy the day.
Galen’s smile widened at the sound of his friends’ and cousins’ voices from the terrace. Apparently, their conversation was about him, so he paused to listen, frowning inconcentration. One of the maids, carrying a tray loaded with all kinds of goodies, saw the kid and wanted to greet him, but he motioned with a finger to his lips.
“Really, brother,” Antoinette huffed, annoyed. “Sometimes I wonder if you ever think before speaking. In some cases, your lack of sense is…”
“What did I do now?” Dane whispered sharply. “Well, except for telling Galen about today's trip. Almost telling, because I was vague with the details, so…”
“And you used the word surprise.” Antoinette shook her head. “You were there when Papa said Don Ottavio told him Galen doesn’t like it. Now he’s going to freak out, and everything will be ruined.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Galen’s voice drew everyone’s attention. “You’re my friends. I know it’s not something bad. If it were, Papa wouldn’t let me go on this trip, and that would be that.” He shrugged. “Now let’s eat. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
Dane exchanged a look with his siblings, then cleared his throat. “Before that, I want to tell you something. Papa has a cousin, Nazzareno Nardi, better known on the island as Don Nuzzo. He is a famous horse breeder, and we are visiting one of his farms today.”
“Yay!” Galen wiggled his fist in the air. “I love horses very much; they’re my favorite pets, second only to cats. Aww,” he whined, “now I miss Sansone, Snow White, and their kitties.”
“They have barn cats there,” Gianluca offered his cousin a smile as he spoke in an enthusiastic voice. “Big and small, in all the colors and combinations. Nonna took me there every summer when I lived with her and Nonno Sergio. This is the foal season.”
“The foals are so cute!” Miss Eugenie exclaimed, her eyes shining. “Especially the all-white ones. They look like they’dcome from a fairy tale.” She turned to Galen. “One of them is mine; Papa and Dad bought him as a present for my fifth birthday.”
“They have ponies, too,” Rosanna whispered, putting a finger to her lips. “They are very small and very sweet, and they like apples and sugar cubes.”
“Buon giorno, bambini,” Ottavio greeted the children as he headed to the table, holding hands with Ives. “Look at all the goodies. Aren’t you hungry? Or is there nothing you like?”
“Buon giorno, Papa,” Galen said with a smile. “I’m starving, and I think our guests are, too, but we’re waiting for you and Ives to start eating.”
“Cugino Galen said he missed the cats and kittens back home, so I told him about the barn cats and kitties at Don Nuzzo’s farm,” Gianluca explained, looking at his uncle with his stormy-gray eyes, so much like his father’s.
“That’s very nice of you,” Ottavio said, nodding toward his nephew as he pulled out a chair for Ives. “Now, let’s eat.”
