Sawyer bit back his bitter response and desperately tried to think positive for his siblings. “Sure. You go first, Danny.”

His brother took it seriously, scrunching his brows together as he thought. “I’m grateful you gave this meal to us.”

Sawyer smiled. “Me, too. How about you, Molly?”

The girl was more solemn, her green eyes haunting in the sallow lines of her face. “I’m grateful we have legs and arms.

I saw a man on the street who had none of those body parts.

I’m really glad I have them.”

“Me, too.”

“How about you, Sawyer? What are you grateful for?”

Tightness constricted his throat. The path ahead was endless, strewn with pain and emptiness and the struggle to get through another day. His freedom loomed before him like the Holy Grail. Eighteen. If he made it. If he could help the others. He forced a smile. “I’m grateful for you guys. I’d be awfully bored without your company.”

“And what do we have here?”

The door ripped open. Sawyer pushed the two behind him as his foster father loomed like Satan, blocking the only exit to heaven. His gaze took in the empty plate with the crumbs of turkey and he reached out with a meaty fist and dragged Sawyer out. “Think you can outsmart me, boy?

Stole the combination of the lock to the fridge, huh? Think you’re pretty smart?”

He kept his furious silence, knowing words only made things much worse.

“Nothing to say, huh? That’s okay. I’m sure you’ll say plenty later. Starting with begging for forgiveness.”

“Fuck you.”

He knew he’d made a huge error the moment he caught the satisfied gleam in Asshole’s eyes. “Nice mouth. Since you don’t seem to care what happens to you, maybe you’ll think next time you pull a stunt like this.” Sawyer fought him, but the bigger man lashed out with his fists and his belt, and quickly tied him to the bedpost.

His siblings were dragged out of the closet and placed in front of him. Sawyer met his gaze, the cold black void of evil and a lust for pain, and knew he’d made a terrible tactical error they’d all pay for. “Wanted to give them a nice Thanksgiving, huh? Too bad they now have to pay for your mistakes. You’ll watch while I punish them, boy, and you’ll beg for forgiveness until your throat is hoarse.”

The terror on his siblings’ faces enraged him, and yet another lesson was learned. He could save no one, and by his very presence he brought pain to the ones he loved the most.

He spent Thanksgiving night not seated around the table with a turkey and stuffing. He spent it watching his siblings get beaten while he screamed for mercy.

“Saywer? Are you okay?”

The voice cut through the memory, but it was too late.

Nausea twisted his stomach, and sweat broke out on his skin. He gazed at Julietta with unfocused eyes and knew he had to get out of that room for a minute.

“Just have to use the bathroom. Be right back.”

He half stumbled out of his chair and shot down the hallway. Sawyer locked the bathroom door behind him with shaking fingers, leaning over the toilet as he willed the sickness to go away. God, even after all these years the pain still got to him. He was in a safe place, surrounded by people who cared. He wasn’t alone. He was safe.

He ran the faucet and splashed cold water on his face.

Took deep, ragged breaths. He was kidding himself. He was playing at a normal life he’d never have. every person he got close to he ended up destroying, and he’d do the same to Julietta. He ached to give her what she needed, but he’d been numb for so many years, he didn’t know how to feel any softer emotions. especially love.

He needed to get out of here. Gain some space. He’d make an excuse of sickness and go home, think about what to do, run away, get out, get lost.

Sawyer stepped out.

Wolfe stood before him.

The kid shifted his feet and picked at his cuticle. “you okay, man?”

Sawyer fought a shudder. “yeah. Sure. Just ate too fast, you know. Not feeling good. I need to take off.”

Sharp blue eyes that shredded his lies and saw too much pinned him. “I hear you. It’s a lot in there.” He jerked his thumb toward the kitchen. “Almost left myself. I mean, come on, are we stuck in an Italian spin-off of The Cosby Show? This shit doesn’t happen. It’s not real. Sunday dinner with homemade food. People being nice to each other.

Laughing. enjoying themselves.”

Sawyer clawed for control not to spring through the door and leave it all behind. “yeah. I know.”

The boy’s jaw tightened and a dark shadow crossed his face. “I hung out with this crew who knew a real good way to entertain themselves on a Sunday afternoon. We’d play the game Pick a Patsy. We each took a turn. Pick out a guy on the street. Follow him. one who looked nice, with some money. Good job. Had a great diversion tactic just like the molesters use. Asked for help with a hurt puppy down the alley. Guys fell for it all the time.” Sawyer watched his throat work as if he were trying desperately to swallow. “We’d beat the shit out of him. Take his money, spit in his face, pawn his valuables. Laugh our asses off and buy ourselves something great to eat. Funny, though, we’d be at the diner or Mickey D’s, all this food laid out in front of us, and I barely ate a bite. All I could see was the poor patsy’s face bloodied up, wondering what the hell he did to deserve it. yeah, those were the type of Sunday dinners we knew.”

This kid clawed for his own sanity every second. Was this what Sawyer wanted to teach him? run when something good came to you? escape and distrust people who were kind and only wanted to help?

Wolfe needed to know there was something else out there. Something good and whole and pure. Something worth fighting for. Living for.

The realization slammed through him. He had a choice.

But even more important, he held both of their choices in his hands, and damned if he’d let another person down. He wasn’t that boy any longer. He wasn’t helpless or afraid, and he wasn’t about to abandon Wolfe because of a few nightmares.

A deep calmness settled over him and smoothed out the jagged edges. Sawyer nodded and clasped the boy around the shoulder. Wolfe jumped, startled out of his own memory, and waited.

“I think this a way better way to spend a Sunday, don’t you?” He didn’t let go, sensing this time that touch was needed to ground both of them. “And I think I can eat more than you today. Just like I can outlift you.”

A smile ghosted Wolfe’s lips. “Bullshit. I already had two bowls to your one.”

“Then I’d better get my ass back and get to work.”

He walked Wolfe back to the table and took his seat.

Julietta stared at him with a worried look he was beginning to savor. How odd to have a female care about him and his welfare. “Are you okay?” she whispered.

“yeah. Now I am.” They smiled at each other and the room slammed into vivid neon color. Same type of thing that always happened when his wife walked into a room.

He lifted his empty plate and raised his voice. “More pasta, please!”

Lily giggled.

…

Most of them settled into the living room for coffee and dessert. Maggie remained in the kitchen, grumbling at the task of having to help bake two desserts. Alexa sat Lily on top of the counter to watch the process and offer occasional assistance. Julietta noticed the sparkle in her mother’s eye.

Mama loved a woman with fire and had taken a complete shine to Maggie the moment they met, though she seemed the complete opposite of what his brother searched for in a wife. Alexa slid seamlessly into the family without a hitch, her laughter and kindness a perfect fit for the Contes.

The twins were put down early to bed, and Julietta rocked Maria in her arms.

The six-month-old fit snugly in her arms. She enjoyed the hefty weight of diapered baby booty, the little toes that curled in pleasure as she slept. Julietta propped herself against the cushion and settled in while the fire roared. “So, what’s the plan for this week? Sightseeing? relaxing? you know we’ll have to invite all our cousins over.”

Carina snuggled next to Max. She noticed her baby sister never strayed too far from his side, and they still acted like a pair of newlyweds, their hands constantly all over each other. Tears pricked the back of her lids. Mio Dio, she hated acting like such a girl. But Carina had grown into such a strong, independent woman with a fire Julietta had never noticed. Her erotic art had taken off huge in Manhattan, and now she did shows while helping Alexa with the bookstore. Max still burned with banked sexual energy, but all that delicious focus was on his wife. His blue eyes lit with such love and gentle humor when he looked at her. Her family had finally found their happiness.

She looked up. Sawyer watched her with a heat that caused her to suck in her breath and shift her weight. The way he commanded her with his gaze or a bow of his head completely mystified her. How could she have gone from frigid to nymphomaniac? Her fingers itched to tear off his clothes and press her body against his naked skin. Skim the rippling muscles, fist his erection, and guide him into her heat.

Color flooded her face. Sawyer dropped a lid in a naughty wink, acknowledging her fantasy. Promising to give it to her later. And more.

Michael sipped his sambuca and stretched his legs out on Mama’s coffee table. “Maggie has a shoot in Milan this week. Maybe we can come and see the progress of Purity?

I’d love to see it, Sawyer. And kudos on such a huge business maneuver. Combining an exclusive luxury chain with La Dolce Famiglia was brilliant. I knew my sister would put our name on the map.”

Julietta smiled at the pride in her brother’s voice. It had been a long, hard road to finally get him to back off and trust her to run Mama’s empire. Maggie had nudged him in the right direction, and finally Julietta felt as if he truly let her go on her own to run the business as she thought fit.

“Grazie, Michael. That means a lot to me. Purity is simply amazing. The vision, the plans, the marketing. everything fits seamlessly together. We’re lucky he wanted us to join him.”

Sawyer gave a half laugh. His face showed a touch of embarrassment at her praise. “Just call us the mutual admi-ration club.”

Her brother’s gaze sharpened. “yes, things moved quite fast between you two. I wish you had waited for us to attend your wedding.”

She cleared her throat. “I guess we followed Max and Carina on that path. elopement seemed the best choice. We wanted to be together quickly but decided we didn’t want to sacrifice work at this point in the deal.”

Michael nodded, glancing back and forth between them. “of course. I guess business and pleasure do mix sometimes.”

“We’ll have you over to the new house,” she offered.

“you’ll love it.”

Carina snorted. “How come the women are always cooking and the men are always eating? I want to go out to dinner.”

Maggie’s voice echoed from the hallway. “yeah, me, too.

Why don’t you take your women out? or are you a bunch of billionaire cheapskates?”

“I agree!” Alexa shouted.