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“I can’t believe they’re doing this,” he says. “I told them to not reach out. I don’t want them to piss off Franco. It wouldn’t be good for their husbands.”
“You’re their brother. I’m sure they’ve been missing you just as much as you’ve been missing them.”
Sets of footsteps can be heard coming up the path. When I turn, I see three women approaching us. Two with blonde hair, one with brown. It’s obvious to me which one is Emilia because she’s front and center.
“Antonio?” she says, pausing as she reaches us. The other two remain back a little, watching eagerly.
Antonio stands up, and before I know it, he’s holding onto his big sister. The other two join in on the hug, and all three hold each other. I can even hear crying mixed in.
I stay back and watch. This isn’t my place.
Antonio finally lets his sisters go but doesn’t look like he wants to. “You’re all really here.”
“We are,” Emilia says.
“You should have reached out more,” the other blonde one says. “We would have come.”
“Gemma, I didn’t want you guys to get hurt because of me. If Franco knew we were meeting …”
The second blonde one, Gemma, swats Antonio’s arm. “You’re an idiot. I don’t give a rat’s ass what Franco thinks, and neither does Viktor.” I know that’s her husband from what Antonio has told me. “We’re both willing to go to war for you. You were the one who said no.”
“Because I didn’t want you to get hurt.”
The brunette steps forward. Clearly Francesca by process of elimination. “That’s not for you to decide, Antonio. You’ve been on your own for five years. It’s time to stop pushing us away because you’re afraid of what Franco might do.”
“Yeah,” Emilia says. “Each of us have powerful husbands. We’re not afraid of Franco.”
“Powerful husbands who are all aligned with Franco. If your husbands were to break their deal with him, it would only hurt Mom and the rest of our siblings.”
“I know,” Emilia says. “That’s why we waited until you reached out to meet.”
Antonio frowns. “But I didn’t reach out.”
A secretive smile passes Emilia’s lips. “No. But your wife did.”
Antonio turns to me with a happy surprise on his face. “Nina? This was you?’
“You deserve to be with your family again,” I tell him.
All three sisters face me.
“I think it’s time you introduce us to your wife,” Emilia says.
“Yeah,” Gemma cuts in. “You have a lot of explaining to do …”
* * *
After introductions have been madeand everybody has been caught up (Emilia’s daughter, who is five, is doing well. Gemma and Viktor have no plans to have kids, and Francesca and her husband are just enjoying life together), the siblings turn their conversation to something else.
Their mom.
“She misses you so much,” Emilia tells Antonio. “She calls me almost every day, crying over you. Even five years later.”
Gemma frowns. “She doesn’t call me.”
“That’s because she doesn’t like you,” Francesca says. “She doesn’t call me, either.”
Gemma smiles, nudging Francesca. “Then we’re the two black sheep of the family, huh? Nina, are you the black sheep of your family?”
