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I trace her jaw with a finger, taking in her beautiful face…the marks that will heal. “I was just thinking about you.”
“Liar,” she says, a smile softening her honey-brown eyes.
A commotion sounds in the hallway. The door flies open, and four bodies clad in pajamas pile through the frame. The kids jump onto the bed, squealing like squirrels.
“Easy now.” I hold an arm in front of Sabella’s body to prevent them from accidentally falling on her. “What happened to knocking before you come in?”
Sophie grins. “We forgot.”
“No more forgetting.” I give Sabella a meaningful look. “We’re going to have to lock our door.”
“It’s all right.” Sabella sits up with some difficulty. “I’m not dying. It’s just a few broken ribs.”
“And healing from a concussion and a hemorrhage,” I remind her.
“We wanted to say good morning,” Guillaume says.
I sit up next to Sabella and pull him onto my lap. “Now that you have, it’s time for breakfast and getting ready for school.”
He makes a face. “Do we have to go?”
“Yep.” I ruffle his curls. “It’s best to get back in the saddle sooner than later. We don’t want you to miss too many lessons.”
He sighs as if the world rests on his shoulders.
“When are we going to buy my mouse?” Étienne asks.
“We can go to a pet shop in Bastia this weekend, but you first have to ask Sabella if she’s okay with having a mouse in the house.”
“You’re okay, Sabella, aren’t you?” Étienne asks with a hopeful air. “Mice are very cute. You’ll see.”
“I’m perfectly fine with that,” Sabella says. “As long as you clean his cage every day and make sure he always has food and water.”
“I promise,” Étienne says, bouncing on his knees.
“Can I get a puppy this weekend?” Sophie asks.
I chuckle. “That takes a bit more organizing. We first have to decide what kind of puppy you want, whether you want to adopt one from a shelter or go on a waiting list with a breeder, and if the dog is suitable for living indoors with a family and other pets.”
She clasps her hands together. “I want to adopt one so that he can have a home, just like you adopted me, Angelo.”
“Then it can happen quicker.” I lower Guillaume to his feet. “We’ll talk about it on the way to school. Breakfast first, otherwise we’ll be late.”
Johan crosses his arms. “What about my snake?”
“No,” Étienne cries out. “It’ll eat my mouse!”
“Enough of that for now,” I say. “Out you go.”
They hop off the bed and drag their feet to the door.
When they’re gone, Sabella asks, “Isn’t it too early to send them back to school?”
“Their psychiatrist said it’s better to get them back into their routine as quickly as possible. She reckons it’s not good for them not to be able to talk about what happened, so I’m not expecting them to keep it a secret. I just asked them not to broadcast it at school. I think they understand what’s at stake. Johan certainly does. He’s intelligent and worldly enough to know I’d never let the men who took them get away with their lives.”
“Still, he’s only a child.”
“He’ll be a man sooner than you think.”
