Page 176 of Capuleto

"Better not," Romeo replied.

"Well, I'll find something else. By the way, do you want some news that will make you very happy?"

"Of course!" his father confirmed.

"Guess."

"Did you get a ten at school?"

"No."

"Is there a girl you like?" Adriano shook his head again. "Did Ana María make your favorite cake?" He shook his head side to side again. "I'll never guess; why don't you tell us?" Adri's eyes were shining.

"Yesterday we took Lady Killer to the vet, and you know what?"

"What?" I asked.

"She’s pregnant too! So we’re going to have a house full of babies and puppies; this is going to be epic."

"Epic?!" Romeo's voice choked.

"Yes, it's a new word. In language class, they teach us a new one each day. It’s like saying super incredible." R’s Adam's apple neither rose nor fell. "Well, I'm going to tell Ana María that I've already told you and that you're very happy. She was worried you might not like the idea."

Romeo and I looked at each other. He had turned pale, and I chose to put on a smile because the color was already taken. The little one ran off, and I raised my eyebrows.

"It’s better if you don’t say anything," he muttered.

"Better, because I would tell you that I already said the best thing was to neuter Brutus. And if the dog is pregnant, it's because her owner forgot to give her the contraceptives while he had me tied to his bed." R’s dark eyes lit up.

"Which reminds me that the owner needs to be attended to by his bitch before thinking about things that displease him."

His large hands crushed me against his waist.

"I love it when you call me bitch," I muttered, letting him rub his beard against my neck.

"And I love wagging your tail."

A loud laugh reverberated in my mouth, and I gladly accepted his display of affection.

"Let’s go upstairs," he muttered near my ear. "I don't plan on getting out of bed for a week."

"That will have to wait. I remind you that Adri has gone too many days without seeing us." He sighed in frustration.

"Look who's talking," he protested, enveloping my lips in a torrid kiss of tongues.

I reluctantly pulled away, and we held hands to go to the kitchen to see Ana María. The cook welcomed us with a wide smile and her warm congratulations.

We sat at the bar, and she laid out an elaborate breakfast for us to regain our strength.

"What time did our sisters’ flight leave?" I asked, stabbing a piece of omelet.

Romeo looked at his watch.

"They should be in Italy by now. San Juan was going to escort them to my uncle's house."

His jaw was clenched; he was extremely displeased that Juliet was spending time near Salvatore. He couldn’t deny it.

The long-awaited christening of Don Giuliano's grandson had arrived, it would take place in two days, and as my father-in-law promised, Irisha and Juliet were to be our family’s representatives. Sending my sister away for a while and having her visit another country with her new best friend seemed like a great idea. After the Mentium incident, she deserved a break.