“What do I do?” I ask quietly.
Stefano’s expression softens.
“You do what you already do, Mia. You care for the people in front of you. You notice who’s hungry, who’s scared, who’s trying not to cry. You hold the center while the rest of us hold the walls.”
I look toward the kitchen, where Livy and Sabrina are still laughing over their lunch.
The center.
I can do that.
I know wounded things.
I know frightened hearts.
I know how to sit beside something shaking and make it feel safe enough to breathe.
Straightening my shoulders, I wipe beneath my eyes.
“Okay.”
Stefano’s smile turns bright.
“Okay?”
I nod. “Okay. Take me back to the girls before they decide glitter glue is edible.”
He laughs and offers me his arm.
I take it.
And for the first time since Maverick stopped coming to bed with me, I don’t feel like I’ve been left behind.
I feel like I’ve been trusted with something important.
The heart of his family.
Chapter Twenty
Maverick
By the time I make it back to the estate, the house is quiet.
Two in the morning has a certain kind of silence to it. The kind that makes every footstep sound heavier than it should. The kind that reminds a man how long he’s been awake and how many thoughts he’s tried to outrun.
I should go upstairs.
I should crawl into bed beside Amelia, pull her against me, and let the scent of her hair drag me under for a few hours.
Instead, I go to the gym.
My body aches from exhaustion, but my mind refuses to settle. Too many names. Too many threats. Too many people depending on me to know which move to make next.
I strip out of my clothes, leave them in a pile near the bench, and step into the shower.
The water hits my shoulders hot enough to sting.
Good.
