Page 162 of Unravel Me

Emilio is standing behind it, dressed entirely in black and looking rather rough, his face pale and tired, with dark circles under his eyes.

For a second, he stares at me as if he’s seen a ghost, and then,

"Jared!" he blurts out in mild shock, his eyes widening even further behind his wire-rimmed glasses.

Then his gaze shifts to Tommy, and he blinks in surprise.

"You came back?"

I sigh softly, almost apologetically.

"Yes. You probably already know that Rocco Ferro, well, your nephew, is dead. He can’t hurt me anymore. Or Mauro, or Tommy," I add in a quieter voice. "So… I decided to give Rainbow Springs another chance, if it still wants me," I finish on an uncertain note.

Emilio’s eyes settle on Tommy, as if what I just said has already slipped his mind.

"Wow, Tommy is such a cute kid! And he looks just like you!"

Then he probably notices my uncertain expression, because I’m really not sure if I’m welcome here anymore, so he quickly adds, "Come in, come in… Renato is at company headquarters, but he’ll be back around five."

I remain where I am, unable to bring myself to step through the doorway. That still isn’t quite enough to reassure me.

"Am I… still welcome here?" I finally mutter.

Emilio’s face changes, becoming almost tragic. "Oh, of course, Jared! How could you think otherwise? We know how impossible your situation was, and Rocco… was not a man who should be taken lightly. You wanted to make sure Tommy had a safe home, and as long as Rocco was alive, no place was really secure."

I let out a breath. "Thank you. I was… scared I had offended you all by running."

Emilio opens his arms. "You didn’t, Jared. Rocco’s my nephew, but he killed my dad. It was an impossible situation, tragic, but ultimately unavoidable because of his own actions. Please, come inside."

Still, I hesitate, biting my lip. "What about Mauro?"

Emilio’s big eyes widen behind his glasses in surprise. "Mauro? He still hasn’t come back from Florida."

"Florida? But I just came from there, and I didn’t see him… there."

Emilio makes a strange face but doesn’t comment on it.

Eventually, his inviting gestures convince me to step inside the warm interior of the house.

We go to the living room together, and a moment later, Tony comes out to see us too.

He approaches me with a surprised expression as I greet him.

"You’re staying… with us?" he asks uncertainly. "For good?"

"I… I always wanted to. The only thing that stopped me was my fear of Rocco," I admit.

Tony remains silent, but his face shows understanding. It’s obvious he knows that my fear wasn’t unfounded, especially after what happened to Silvio.

As we stand there, Gianni also appears at the top of the stairs, probably having heard the voices, and his face mirrors Emilio’s.

"You brought Tommy! How wonderful!"

He immediately descends and approaches us.

He greets Tommy by shaking my son’s chubby little hand, and smiling warmly.

Then Tony asks whether I’d like him to prepare something for Tommy.