To this day, I don’t know what my husband had said to his brother to get him to stop acting a fool, but when Ettore commanded, it was smart to yield.

“She’s gassy,” I threw out seeing as Ana couldn’t, and I watched in fascination as Daniele’s face fell.

He glared down at her plump belly then talked to his niece like the wise guy he was. “You want Zio Danny to take care of it, baby?” I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when he poked her protruding stomach gently and mock cautioned, “Listen here, toots.” He threw his thumb back. “You get outta there and leave my Ana Banana alone, you hear?” He lifted her high, got real close and growled against the soft skin of her gut, “Don’t make me come in there.”

My light chuckle got his attention and when he handed Ana back to her sister, he stunned me by approaching the kitchen island, leaning his hip against it and jerking his chin. “How are you doing?”

Even Ella’s head snapped up. Her brows narrowed at her uncle as I hesitated slightly, “I’m… fine.”

He nodded, looking down at my body, and I don’t think he meant for it to sound creepy when he said, “You bounced back okay.”

What on earth was going on here?

Confused, I drawled out, “I guess so,” but it came out sounding like a question.

He appeared a little uncomfortable when he looked down at my chest and asked, “And how’s the… the…” I blinked as he put his hands up in front of his chest and rounded them.

I took a wild guess. “The breastfeeding?”

“Yes.” He slapped a hand down on the counter. “How’s the breastfeeding going?”

Ella’s brows rose so high they damn near hit her hairline, while mine creased. “Alright, I’m just going to ask. What are you doing?” Daniele mouth pulled down when I enquired, “What is this?”

He appeared frustrated and when he reached up to scratch at the back of his neck in self-conscious move, I immediately felt bad. Especially when he shrugged and muttered, “You’re my sister-in-law. And I know Tor’s been busy because of what Roam’s got him doing, so I stopped by to see how you were coping.” He looked mildly uncomfortable when he uttered, “Gotta take care of our own.”

Wow.

That was actually really nice and I stood there, silent, but oddly touched by his concern.

“Oh.” After a moment, I regained my composure and offered gently, “I’m doing okay.”

“You sure? Because I can help out if you need me to.”