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When I see Alessio’s drowsy face, I jump on him. I take a long kiss that tumbles from sweet to desperate to filthy and all the way back to drowsy again. I bang the sides of my fists on his chest like I’m whacking a kettle drum. He waits until I’m done.
He looks in my eyes and says, “It’s okay. I deserved it.”
I pummel him again.
“Damned right you do.”
He asks me, “Are you done?”
“I’ll tell you when I’m done.”
He pulls me to him. “I love you so much.”
With my face buried in his chest and my two hands still beating either side I tell him, “I love you, too. You fucking idiot.”
I trace and stroke the scars on his tatt.
As we hug, Bruno and Carlo come to join in. Then it all starts up again.
I have a feeling it could be like this for the next few days. Maybe longer.
But I know now that we’re going to be oaky.
EPILOGUE
Finally, the boys all moved in to Blackridge. I’m coming up with a plan to have the old house turned into something. A conference centre or maybe we could donate it to house the orphanage. My preference would be to have it turned into a lake, but you have to pick your battles.
As a way to mark the new phase in our family, I declare that this year’s Christmas party is going to be here in Blackridge. To a chorus of dismay, naturally.
Carlo complains, “I thought you wanted us to keep the location close.”
“And” Bruno says, “I thought you wanted to hold it in the orphanage.”
Ans Alessio’s objection is, “Didn’t you say the house wouldn’t be ready?”
“We’re all living here,” I point out, reasonably. And, at long last, we are. It’s such a relief. We hardly even have to go to that old hall of ghosts anymore. I did want Christmas to be at the orphanage, but I’ve decided it will be even nicer to bring all of the orphans up here for the holiday. There aren’t so many of the little scamps and we can easily accommodate them all for a couple of nights.
They can wake up to piles of presents. We can have a big Christmas lunch then play games inside by the fire, and outside in the snow for whoever is up for that. And they can all stay over and have a huge breakfast the next morning.
We’ll invite everybody.
Alessio says, “So, you don’t want to keep the location close anymore?”
“I do, but we already learned that all the people I wouldn’t want to know where our house is, already do know. And it was bound to happen. Nobody in the Life can keep that kind of a secret.”
“True.” Bruno agrees.
And Carlo says, “And it’s not just to keep us all busy so we’re not thinking about the subject we’ve all been avoiding. Right?”
Sometimes he’s really too much like a mind-reader. But, if anything, it’s the opposite. “Right.”
We all have been bouncing off the topic for weeks now. I believe the body decides when you’re ready. But I think mine is going to make that decision pretty soon.
Everybody is nervous about how the party is going to go. Bruno is worried that some of his friends will bring some of their rowdier associates. Carlo frets that none of the people he invites with show up.
He doesn’t let it show and he covers it well but, Alessio is nervous about everything at the moment. It will pass. I know that we’re all going to be okay.
Carlo, Bruno, and Alessio are all like the world’s coolest big brothers with all pf the children. It brings a tear to my eye to see them. The little orphans are all in love with Diabolo, too. He’s like a dog with two tails when they all want to play with him in the snow.
