“Hey, don’t pull such a face,” she whispered then turned back to Emma. I forced my eyes away from Danilo and smiled at Emma.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. “I haven’t checked out the buffet yet. Maybe we can do it together.”
She nodded and smiled shyly.
Anna grinned. “Finally. I’m starving.”
Anna walked ahead, parting the crowd so Emma could wheel through them. It was obvious that Emma was embarrassed by the attention, so I stayed by her side and distracted her with chitchat.
“I’m happy that you’re going to marry my brother,” she said a little later when we stood in a corner of the room, eating.
That surprised me. “You are?” I cringed at how eager I sounded. Like a puppy desperate for a treat.
“We’re close in age, so we can be friends.”
“We’re already friends,” I said. Emma and I weren’t as close as I was with Anna or my friends from school because I didn’t see her as often, but I liked her. After her accident, I hadn’t been sure how to treat her, but I’d soon realized that she was still the same girl from before, only less mobile.
Emma’s eyes darted to something behind me. I turned. Danilo was heading our way again, a drink in his hand. I straightened and smiled in that sophisticated way Fina had perfected. His gaze passed me by before settling on Emma. “I see you’re taken care of. Will you be okay while I take care of business?”
Emma nodded. “Of course. I’m not a baby.”
The smile Danilo gave her was unguarded. It was the first time his face looked completely free of control. Usually, he was always so poised and aware of his surroundings. I wanted him to lower his guard around me as well.
With the briefest nod at me, he slipped away.
Anna leaned toward me, a strand of her brown hair falling out of her updo. “Stop giving him those puppy-dog eyes.”
I frowned. “I’m not—” I had been giving him puppy-dog eyes. “I just wish he’d stop ignoring me.”
Anna shrugged. “He has to ignore you in public. Until you’re older, it’s against etiquette to show that you’re engaged.”
She was right. I kept comparing my situation to how Danilo had treated my sister, but she’d been older, and they’d been almost married.
I promised myself to stop fretting so much about everything.
Serafina and I sat on the porch, enjoying the warm spring day. Fina’s belly was already bulging. She looked as if she were ready to burst. She’d explained that her belly was bigger because she was expecting twins. I simply couldn’t believe she had two little humans inside of her.
She laughed when she noticed my attention. “Don’t worry. I won’t explode even if I feel like it.”
“I can’t wait to meet the twins.” I giggled.
Her smile wavered. “At least someone does.”
I linked our fingers. “Mom and Dad still aren’t happy about the babies?”
Fina looked away, biting her lower lip. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was holding back tears. Ever since she’d become pregnant, her emotions were all over the place. That was why I never talked about Danilo with her, even though I was desperate to ask her about him.
Dad stepped onto the porch. “Sofia, can I have a quick word with you?”
I got up, surprised that he wanted to talk to me. Was it about Danilo? I followed him inside and we settled on the sofa.
His expression told me that I was about to hear bad news.
“Ladybug, I know you were excited about celebrating your birthday, but given Fina’s situation, your mother and I decided it would be best to cancel the party.”
My heart sank. I’d been looking forward to my twelfth birthday party with my friends. “Okay.”
Dad stroked my head. “I’m sorry. But you understand we can’t have so many people around right now, do you?”
I nodded mechanically. My parents were trying to hide Serafina from the public as much as possible. I wasn’t sure why they were still bothering. Even at school everyone knew about her pregnancy.
“But Anna and her family will come visit, so you’ll get to spend your birthday with her,” Dad said.
I could see how bad he felt, and I didn’t want to make him feel even guiltier by showing my sadness, so I grinned and hugged him. “Don’t worry, Dad. It’s okay.” When I kissed his cheek, it was like a weight lifting from his shoulders.
Anna and her family arrived the day before my birthday.
On the day of my birthday, Mom baked a big chocolate cake for me and made too much frosting as usual because I loved eating it with a spoon while the cake baked in the oven. Leonas, Anna, and I spent the day together, stuffing ourselves with cake and homemade tagliatelle with ragù—a traditional dish from our cook’s hometown Bologna. I finally got a cellphone, and even though Danilo didn’t have my number yet, I kept hoping I’d get a text from him. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to find out my number—all he’d have to do was ask Dad or Samuel. But when dinner rolled by and I hadn’t received a message from him yet, I accepted that he’d forgotten my birthday. My disappointment weighed heavily on me, but I tried to hide it from my family. I didn’t want them to realize how crazy I was being about Danilo.
After dinner, Anna and I moved to my room and lounged on my bed to watch movies and stay up for as long as possible.
As usual, Anna read my mood. “He probably just forgot. Men are like that,” Anna said during the opening credits.
“How do you know so much about men?” I scoffed.
Anna rolled her eyes. “I have a brother, and he can be a major douche. I doubt he’ll improve with age. What about Sam? Does he always remember birthdays?”
I shook my head. “Fina always has to remind him about Mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day.” I grinned, suddenly feeling better. “You’re right. Let’s enjoy the movie.”
After breakfast the next day, Sam waved me over to him, holding his phone out. “Danilo.” There was an edge to his voice that I didn’t understand, but I was too eager to talk to Danilo to give it any thought.
“Hi,” I said shyly. My skin heated when I noticed my family staring at me. I turned around and walked out of the dining room for some privacy.
“Hello, Sofia. I’m just calling to wish you a happy birthday. I had a busy day yesterday or I would have called.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s okay.” I was delighted at how smooth my voice sounded, as if I weren’t nervous at all.
“I hope you had a good day.”
“Yes, I did. Umm . . . I got a cellphone.”
I hoped he’d ask for my number.
“That’s nice.”
“I could give you my number in case you need to reach me.” Nothing smooth about my voice now. I sounded like a dork.
Danilo cleared his throat. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. If I need to reach you, I’ll give your father or brother a call.”
My stomach dropped and heat blasted my cheeks. “You’re right,” I pressed out.
There was a moment of silence before Danilo said, “I have a meeting now. Have a good day.”