Her wide eyes somehow looked even larger when gave herself away by nodding as she nervously choked out, “No.” Her gaze went from Ella then back to me and what she said next, she whispered, “But don’t ask her because, you know, she doesn’t like me so she’s going to say I let her watch that…” she swallowed hard. “…garbage, you know, to get me in trouble.” When my eyes were drawn to the pile of chocolate wrappers on the table, Vittoria shrunk in on herself and she muttered timidly, “Also, somebody let Ella eat those.”

I was close to laughing. “Was that somebody you?”

She shook her head but her body slumped as she confessed, “Yeah.”

Fuck me, I almost couldn’t stand it. I needed to get my daughter into bed so I could get my wife into bed. So, I scooped my daughter up and tucked her in, but when I tried to use the same tactic on my wife, she stopped me with one hand to my chest while she continued to type with the other. “Tor, I can’t leave this. Vincenza said it needs to be done by tomorrow.”

Pardon me?

I wasn’t sure I heard her right.

“Do what?” came my abrasive question.

“You know.” She shrugged like it was no big deal. “Balancing the books.”

My expression darkened and for a second, my anger threatened to spill out through my mouth. But one look at my beautiful wife had me reigning it in. I calmed myself before asking, “She’s got you doing Vero books? Running numbers?”

My tone, although even, must have given away my displeasure because Vittoria instantly jumped to excuses for her sister. “It’s just that I’ve always done them and nobody knows my system so I guess it’s just easier if…”

I put my hand to the laptop lid and began to push on it. Slowly, it closed, giving her enough time to snatch her fingers back.

What I said next was not up for debate. “It’s late and we’re going to bed.”

“But I need to…” The worry in her gaze as she glanced at the shiny exterior of the laptop had my jaw clenching.

Something about her restlessness brough on my own and I truly hadn’t meant to growl the words at her. “They can wait.” She shrunk in on herself and regret coursed through me. I sighed, closing my eyes.

Fucking hell.

For months, I watched Vittoria grow from an undernourished bud to a poised, dew coated, sparkling white rose. And, goddamn Vincenza Vero, the motherfucking strangling vine, comes back on the scene and here we are again. I was not going to let Enza suck the spirit out of my wife. Not when it had taken her this long to find it again.