The apartment held so many important memories for Dante and me, the balcony where we had our first kiss, the garage where he fucked me for the first time, where I had the first climax of my life, the piano where he’d played me as I played the keys.
I sat down at the Steinway and lifted the glossy cover. My hands fell softly to the ivories, light as a feather, a natural movement that made my soul throb.
The music came unbidden, pouring through me as if I was possessed by the spirit of it. I thought of my prayer to Apollo in the Cathedral of Naples, of my promises to play music again because Christopher shouldn’t have the power to ruin it for me.
I thought of Dante as I played, letting the music express my sorrow that he was gone and my gratitude that he existed at all.
The sun shifted in the sky, falling beneath the crust of towering buildings, leaving a smudged tapestry of pinks and oranges in its wake. They faded slowly, the shadows elongating, darkness falling like a shroud over the city.
Still, I played.
I played until my fingers cramped and my wrists ached, until my belly growled louder than the notes I struck.
But I only stopped because I heard my name.
“Elena.”
And the voice that called it was so dear to me it permeated my fog.
My head snapped up, eyes wide as they landed on Mama.
But she wasn’t alone.
Sebastian stood beside her with a duffel over one shoulder and Beau on the other side of him, carrying grocery bags in both hands.
My breath got stuck on something in my throat.
Something that made me want to cry even though it was beautiful.
My people were there.
“Dante called,” Sebastian explained when I sat there mutely. “I got on a plane. Beau, Mama, and I decided to bring you Christmas dinner.” He hesitated. “Sinclair, Giselle, and Genevieve are in Paris for the holidays and Cosima and Alexander are at Pearl Hall, so it’s just us.”
“Your mama wouldn’t let me bring take out,” Beau explained a little beleaguered as if he was still recovering from the argument they’d had.
“Boh!” Mama exclaimed with a sidelong look of disappointment for Beau. “Of course, we do not eat ‘take out’,” she spat the words as if they were dirty. “I am here to cook for my lottatrice, why do you need this take out? My food is not good enough, Beau?”
His eyes widened comically. “No, no, Caprice, I told you, I love your food.”
“You call me Mama,” she asserted, because all our friends had always been ordered to do just that. “And next time, do not talk to me about take out.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, giving me big eyes.
“Mama,” she corrected.
He grimaced.
I laughed.
I laughed when I hadn’t thought I would laugh again until Dante got out of lock up and back into my arms.
I would have said that I’d forgotten about the power of family, but the truth was, I’d never really harnessed it. I knew they were there for me, ostensibly, but I’d never really reached out to them in times of need. Even in Naples, Cosima had been the one to come to me.
Music still ringing through my blood, I thought again of that prayer to Apollo and decided tonight was as good a night as any to open up to the people who matter.
I stood from the piano and almost ran to my loved ones. They laughed, startled and maybe a little happy when I hugged each other them. It wasn’t something I normally did, but it felt good to hold them after so long. They anchored me when I’d felt adrift without Dante.
“Come in, come in,” I coaxed, taking Sebastian by the hand to lead them all through the living room into the massive kitchen.
Mama made a noise of approval. “This is the sign of a good man, having a good kitchen.”
“He’s an amazing cook too.”
Her mouth turned down at the corners, eyebrows raised as she nodded her head in surprised admiration. “See? I told you he was a good man. You should listen to your mama.”
I laughed. “I did. I told you, we’re together now.”
“Together and married?” Sebastian asked, having lifted the hand he held to stare at my wedding rings.
I shrugged somewhat sheepishly, but Seb only laughed. “I have to hand it to you, Lena, when you make up your mind about something, there is no stopping you from attaining it.”
When I fought a frown, trying to see it as a positive, he stepped closer to take my head in his hands. His golden eyes, so bright and thickly lashed they seemed inhuman, were utterly sincere. “You are incredible, sorella mia. You have always awed me. Marrying a wanted man and a mafia Don…only you would have such courage.”
I smiled, thinking of Dante because I always did when I heard that word.
“For him, I’ve found I am much more courageous than I ever thought I could be,” I admitted as Mama set to work loudly in the kitchen, ordering Beau around like he was her sous chef.
Seb kissed me on the cheek. “I think you should give yourself more credit. You were always the bravest person I knew.”
His praise warmed me through like good brandy, but he moved away, calling to Mama as if it as nothing to give me those words.
Beau caught my eye from across the island, looking a little harried, but his eyes were soft with understanding.
“What’s all the racket?” Frankie called as he, Addie, Chen, and Jaco entered the room from the hall to the office where they’d been doing whatever it was mafiosos did during working hours.
I looked from them on one side to my blood family on the other and had a strange moment of disconnect as the two worlds merged.
“Mama, Sebastian, Beau? These are Dante’s men, Adriano, Chen, Jacopo, and Frankie,” I introduced, feeling suddenly shy and a little anxious.
The new and old world Elenas were meeting and I had a feeling it could be seamless or as disastrous as the Big Bang.
Yearning rammed into my chest, stealing my breath.
If Dante had been there, he would have smoothed over introductions perfectly with his charm and warmth.
Mama eyed the men wearily as did Sebastian. They were used to the mafiosos of Napoli, the ruthless, selfish Made Men who would beat you up just to steal a nickel.
These men were nothing like that.
I moved to the group of males and stood between Frankie and Adriano, sliding an arm around both of them. Frankie was used to physical affection from me after playing my fake partner so many times, but Addie looked shocked then more than a little pleased.
It was a bold move, maybe, one that obviously surprised Mama and Beau by the wide-eyed looks on their faces, but I was glad I did it as soon as Chen and Jaco crowded into my back. We formed a little unit standing there in the hall and I knew that even though Dante was there to force them to protect me, to encourage them to care for me, they already did.
“Hey,” Sebastian said, stepping forward first to offer his hand to Chen. “I’m Elena’s brother, Seb.”
“I know,” Chen admitted. “I’m actually a big fan.”
“What?” I choked off my laughter. “Seriously?”
I would have expected it from Marco maybe, who knew enough about pop culture to write a book, but it shocked me that stern and serious Chen who was all numbers and efficiency enjoyed my brother’s dramatic movies.
Chen shot me a cool look. “What? I can’t have good taste?”