Chapter One
The room was large, polished hardwood interspersed with thick soft rugs made from animal furs and things that looked like animal furs. The fireplace sat across from the foot of the bed with enough space in between to put another bed or at least give enough room for two people to enjoy the softness of the rugs as they took pleasure from each other. To the left of the bed was a large bay window, spotless glass stretching from floor to ceiling and so perfect that it looked as though there was nothing separating the room from the outside world. The full moon took advantage of the glass wall, its light falling inside to cast the room in bluish shadows as the sound of the waves crashing against the shore far below offered its music in accompaniment.
Satin sheets the color of red wine were rumpled upon the bed, the folds set in such a haphazard manner as to make bits of the fabric look black in the resulting shadows. One leg stuck out from the bottom, the foot large and calf well muscled with a sprinkling of midnight hair that was just enough to offer it a masculine edge without making the man look like an animal. The thundering sound of the woman's heartbeat made the man laugh, his voice rich and smooth, a tenor-baritone that was honeyed-molasses over the grains of brown sugar.
She turned toward him, her green eyes sparkling and reminding him of the sea below as she panted and trembled in the aftershocks of her orgasm. He touched her pale cheek, his large palm and long fingers framing her face and combing into the gentle waves of her hair. His crimson eyes glowed softly in the light of the moon and he tipped closer to kiss her damp brow. He loved her, as he had each of the women he had spent his time with over his many centuries, but she wasn't his true mate and they both knew that. It was hard to imagine that they had been together almost two years now, the longest relationship he had ever had with a human.
"Not that I'm complaining," he teased her with a crooked smile. "But you're not usually that…generous when we make love."
"Generous?!" she laughed and lightly slapped his chest, his usually icy skin warmed by their lovemaking. "Are you telling me that I don't give as good as I get?" she teased back, the soft tones of her American Southern accent making his body respond in delicious ways.
"Oh, you always give, Mira," he laughed, "but that?" His eyes were wide, his smile brilliant and full of lustful humor. "I never knew you could do that."
She rolled her eyes and laughed as she scooted closer to him, resting her cheek on his muscled bicep and breathing in deeply of his sweet scent. Things were changing; she knew that as well as he did. She had come to Italy three years ago on a student visa and had stayed well beyond its expiration. Her art had won her a scholarship, but this man had shown her the truth in beauty. She had never believed in the paranormal before meeting him, having always tucked thoughts of vampires and werewolves away into the shadowed corners of horror movies and steamy romance novels.
"Yes, well you can thank a few smut novelists for that," she grinned as she began to grow tired, her body relaxing as he reached down and pulled the forgotten blanket from the floor over them when she shivered. "I read that particular move in a book and wanted to try it out. Consider yourself an experiment."
He chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Dear, sweet Mirabella, you can experiment like that on me anytime you like." He kissed her brow as her eyes began to blink slower. "Go to sleep, love. I'll be right here," he promised, tucking the warmth of the blanket around her back before wrapping her in arms.
"My Giuseppe," she sighed happily and tucked her face into the curve of his arm and shoulder as she gave into the sleep tugging at her.
He looked down upon her sleeping face with affection, his crimson eyes hooded and smiling. He had been in relationships with his own kind several times before, but there was nothing quite as comforting as being with a human. The warmth of their flesh, the taste of their arousal, the thundering sound of their heartbeat that changed with each emotion, there was just something intangible and soothing about being with them. This was one of his favorite things though, the aftermath of lovemaking when he was able to lie still and hold his lover while she slept. There had been no such stillness with his vampire lovers, they had each wanted to go again right after or were off to do something else once the act of sex had been completed.
Mirabella, his lips pulled up to the side as he smoothed his hand over her tousled hair. Mirabella loved to cuddle, to lay wrapped in his arms or sit with him in front of the fire and do absolutely nothing else. She loved to be held by him, to lie back on the settee in his studio and watch him turn lengths of fabric into gowns and suits and any number of other designs. He would never forget how they met, the red-gold light of the setting sun casting all of the natural highlights of her auburn hair, from the palest of blondes to the darkest of browns, into a dizzying array of colors. He had been powerless to look away from her and when she turned her eyes on him, the twin emerald jewels sparkling like the Naples Sea that surrounded his Cliffside home, he was lost.
Her pale cheeks had been flush with a slight burn from the sun, her soft North Carolina accent endearing him and somehow making the limited Italian she tried to speak sound that much more beautiful. He had surprised her with his fluent English, her delight at his voice and the barely there accent making her ask if he truly was from Italy. She had made him laugh often that day, her sweet innocence and artistic view of the world flowing over him like fine wine and he soaked up every drop. For two years she had been his and when her student visa ran out he sponsored her as his assistant with a work visa.
Giuseppe's smile fell slightly, becoming softer and somehow sad as he looked down on the American woman sleeping in his arms. It had been a beautiful two years, a wonderful time spent with her, so why did he feel as though it was ending? He petted her hair, smoothed the unruly strands back from her face and kissed her cheek. There were no secrets between them, she knew what he was and he had promised that she would always have his protection even if they weren't always together. Something was changing though and while it didn't feel bad necessarily, he thought, it did feel like an ending.
"Giuseppe, we both know that while we have amazing chemistry and love to be with each other, you and I are not meant to spend eternity together. There is someone out there who was made just for you and you will find her."
His brow furrowed as her words from the night before flowed through his mind and he tucked her closer as he tightened his arms around her carefully. She was leaving him, wasn't she? Or at the very least she was thinking about it. He was an anomaly, he always had been. At least that was what his immortal mother had told him. He loved people deeply, no matter if they were humans or vampires. His heart was open and welcoming and even after almost fifteen hundred years of being what he was, he wasn't able to harden his heart. Just because she wasn't his true mate didn't mean that he didn't love her. Resting his cheek on her brow, he held her and closed his eyes as he allowed the blissful stillness to overtake him.
It was nearly two hours later that the ringing of her cell phone disturbed the peaceful quiet and Giuseppe carefully extracted himself from her arms. He moved to their clothes scattered on the floor by the end of the bed and grabbed her jeans from under his; freeing her cell phone from the denim pocket it was tucked into. He turned toward the bed, certain the sound had woken her only to find Mirabella still blissfully asleep and looked back down at the phone. The number that was calling was American, the area code showing being from that of her home town and he answered the call as a sense of dread washed through him.
"This is Giuseppe," he answered the woman before she could go much farther with her greeting. "Mirabella's sleeping right now. I can wake her of course," he offered keeping his voice low.
"No, that's alright," she said and he frowned as he thought her voice to sound familiar. "My name is Veronica, I'm Mirabella's sister. I was just calling to see if she had made all the flight arrangements yet. She told me she would call with the flight numbers, but that was almost a week ago."
"Flight numbers?" he asked, his voice heavy with the confusion that furrowed his brow.
"She didn't tell you?" Veronica asked and then sighed with a touch of humor. "I'm not surprised. It's not like her to say anything about the big things. We didn't even find out that she had gotten a full scholarship to the university in Rome until someone from the college called to confirm her travel information."
"I'm sorry," he interrupted her before she could speak any further. "What's going on? Where is Mira traveling to?"
"She's coming home, at least for a little while," the woman answered him, her voice heavy. "Mama…I don't know if she ever told you, but our mother's been fighting a losing battle with breast cancer. It metastasized into the bone. The doctors say she doesn't have much time left."
"Steel Magnolias," he spoke the thought aloud as he looked upon his sleeping love with sadness and compassion.
"She's been watching that a lot?" she asked and made a thoughtful sound. "It's kind of her go-to sad movie. It always makes her cry so when she's already sad she doesn't have to explain anything."
"I'll have her call you as soon as she wakes up," he promised. "I should go."
"Ok, I know it's rather late there. She loves you, you know," Veronica told him. "She may not say it out loud, but she does."
The phone grew silent then and he brought the device down from his ear. He had known that something was off and had been for almost two weeks now, but the things he had been noticing were small and rather insignificant. Setting the phone down on the bedside table, he slipped back under the blankets beside her and pulled her delicate human body against his, selfishly enjoying her warmth. Kissing her hair, he breathed in deeply of her scent and memorized it. She wouldn't be coming back, not to be with him at least. This was her goodbye and he knew it without anyone having to tell him.
"Oh, Mira," he whispered to her as she slept and brushed his fingers against her cheek. "You will always have me, if not as a lover than as a friend."
"Giuseppe," she whispered his name and he met her eyes, the sea-green depths blurred with sleep. "What's wrong? You look sad."
"We can talk in the morning," he promised her, ignoring the fact that it was already morning, the clouds outside coloring with the rising sun. "You need your rest."
"Tell me?" she asked, her fingers fanning over the strong line of his jaw and he smiled softly.
"Your sister called," he said and saw in her eyes the she knew immediately what he meant with his few words. "You never said anything."
"What was there to say?" she asked quietly with a shrug.
"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked and smiled sadly when she pressed closer to him, cuddling against his chest. "No, I didn't think so."
"It has nothing to do with you, I'm just…I'm not so good with that kind of thing. Not a big fan of the serious stuff," she said and he chuckled softly.
"Believe me, I know," he teased her and laughed when she slapped his chest lightly. "Have you thought more about what we talked about on your birthday?" he asked when he realized she wouldn't be returning to sleep.
She nodded quietly. "I want a year. Just a year to travel the world and do all the things that I would want to do while still human, then…" she looked up at him and smiled. "Then I would be happy to paint forever."
"A year," he nodded and kissed her nose. "I think I'm going to adjust the timetable," he informed her and she frowned in confusion. "Eighteen months. You're going to need time to grieve your mother and be with your family. Spend some time with them."
She shook her head as tears filled her eyes and raised both hands to cup his face. She kissed him deeply, passionately, telling him how much his offer meant to her. He smiled into the kiss, holding her close as he returned the intimate gesture before pulling back. He kissed her nose and then her forehead, telling her that she still needed sleep as he felt the day ahead of her would be a long one. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his chest.
"Go to sleep for me, Mira," he implored her softly and kissed her hair before he began to sing her favorite aria.
"You spoil me," she whispered as he sang, her eyes falling closed as she gave into the dreamy comforts of his voice.
"Only because you deserve it," he whispered moments later after he had finished the operatic solo.
:::::
"Are you sure?" Mirabella asked as she stepped out of the closet, her arms loaded with her clothing.
"He's fine, Mira," Giuseppe chuckled and looked back at the Bernese Mountain dog sleeping in front of the cold fireplace. "Sergeant is good company."
"You won't let any of them eat him?" she asked and he stared at her silently for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing.
"Oh Mira," he chuckled her name as he stepped around the suitcase to kiss her chastely. "I will miss you. You're things are fine here," he told her nodding to her paints and easel sitting by the window. "Besides, you will be coming back in due time."
"I will be, I promise," she told him, her gaze holding his and he smiled.
"I know you will be. But you must promise me something," he told her and watched as she tipped her head curiously. "If you are ever in any trouble or feel afraid, I want you to call me. Even if you believe it to be nothing more than a feeling, you will call me," he told her seriously and she nodded.
"Giuseppe, what's wrong?" she asked him as she sensed his underlying concern. "You have that look again."
"What look?" he asked and tried to deflect her worry with a crooked grin.
"The one that says you think I'm in danger. Tell me what's going on," she demanded gently and he sighed as he turned and sat down on the bed.
"Promise me you'll wait till I'm done and try not to freak out?" he asked as he pulled her down to sit in his lap. "Ok," he said when she nodded silently and draped her arm over his shoulders, behind his neck. "We have our laws as I've explained them to you, but there are some who may fear you know too much and may think that I'm letting you go. If anyone comes after you, I'd never be able to forgive myself. So at anytime, for any reason – even if you think you're being silly, call me. If you get the feeling that someone's following you, watching you, or you just think that things are not how you left them," he eyed her pointedly and grinned. "Yes, I know you think it would be fabulous to spend a few nights in a haunted hotel, I want you to call me."
She smiled and kissed his lips. "You're not a vampire, you're a gentleman."
"I can't be both?" he asked her and she laughed.
"Not according to Anne Rice," she teased.
"Fuck Anne Rise," he said and she smiled.
"Isn't she a little old for you?" Mirabella laughed and he winked at her.
"Mmm, well considering my age…"
"Your age doesn't count," she told him with a slight push to his shoulder. "I don't want to go," she said softly a moment later, her jovial spirits having fallen as tears filled her eyes. "Going means saying goodbye and I can't. I just can't."
The tears spilled over her cheeks as she took in one trembling breath after another and Giuseppe wrapped her in his arms. He petted her hair as she buried her face in the curve of his throat. He mourned her pain, the feeling of her trembling in his arms bringing out his protective nature and he growled low, the sound and vibrations of his quiet rumbles soothing her as they always had. She was the only one of his human lovers to respond to him in such a manner and he loved her for it all the more. He could move around in front of her without having to worry about acting human because his vampire nature never frightened her.
"Mira, sweet Mira, it will be alright," he promised her softly, his voice turned rough by his quiet growls. "Think of it like this, my love. She will no longer be in pain, she won't be sick anymore or feel weak," he turned his head and kissed her temple. "As clichéd as it sounds, she truly will be in a better place."
"You believe in heaven?" she asked, sniffling as she leaned back to look at him.
"How can I not?" he asked with a gentle smile. "For all its faults and many downsides, this world is a beautiful place. Perhaps science has found a way to explain the birth of the universe, but what of before that? Someone had to create all that came before. I may not believe in the religion as much as humans do, but I still believe there is some higher power out there. There has to be."
She frowned at him, pulling back as she stared at him through narrowed eyes. "You're not going to turn into a pumpkin on me, are you? Or a frog?" she asked and he blinked at her in silent confusion.
"A pumpkin or a frog?" he repeated as he tried to understand what she was talking about.
She blushed and shrugged. "Well, I always knew you were too good to be true, but now, with this?"
"I'm not a fairytale!" he laughed as he finally understood what she was talking about. "My beautiful, sweet, silly Mira," he kissed her lips chastely. "I love you. You will always have a place with me. I want you to remember that," he told her as he cupped her face in his hands. "No matter if we are ever lovers again or not, I will always be there for you."
"I love you," she whispered around her tears and he smiled.
"I know," he kissed her lips sweetly. "We shouldn't keep your family waiting."
"I'll need to buy a ticket and then…"
"Mira," he interrupted her with a chuckle. "I promised you I'd be taking care of everything, remember?" he said and she frowned as she nodded. "Paolo is waiting for us; he'll be flying you home."
"Flying me…your jet?" she looked up at him with wide eyes.
"Yes, my jet," he kept his hands around her trim waist as she stood from his lap, making certain she had her balance before releasing her. "I don't want you to have to worry about anything, least of all running to catch a connecting flight."
Tears gathered in her eyes once more as she stared at him silently. Her lips curved up in a wistful, disbelieving smile and she stepped closer to him to stand between his knees. She framed his face with her hands, her fingertips gliding over his cold skin, and she traced the smooth contours of his skin as she committed every curve and hollow to memory. Bending down to kiss him, her hair fell around them like a curtain and Giuseppe pulled her closer with his hands gripping her hips gently. Her lips moved against his as she tasted his kiss, her tongue peeking out to brush against the seam of his mouth and he groaned as he pulled her closer. He opened his mouth to her, inviting her tongue into play and pulled back only when she had run out of air to breathe. He chuckled when she began unbuttoning his shirt and captured her wrists gently to still her movements. Reaching up with one hand, he tucked her hair behind her ear.
"I love you too," he whispered and stood from his seat on the bed. "We mustn't keep Paolo waiting though," he told her softly, his eyes teasing her.
Mirabella was quiet as she followed him through the mansion and down to the car waiting for them outside. She would miss this place, the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below. She would miss the ocean air and painting by the Naples moonlight. She turned at the sound of Sergeant's barking, laughing through her tears as she bent down to hug the dog that had become family to her. It still amused her that it had been Giuseppe who brought him home almost eighteen months ago. He had been a puppy then, with huge paws that made him clumsy, but Giuseppe had insisted that she needed the pet.
"I'm gonna miss you, big fella," Mirabella whispered as she hugged the dog and laughed when he lapped at her face with his big pink tongue.
"Sarge!" Giuseppe commanded the dog's attention. "Car," he smiled and pointed to the black sedan waiting for them, the human driver behind the wheel.
"Thank you," she said with a soggy laugh, standing as she watched Sergeant run toward the car and dive in through the open door.
"He'll be safe, Mira," he promised her as he climbed into the backseat beside her and closed them inside. "I promise you he'll be safe."
"I know," she spoke softly, smiling as she looked down at the dog's large head that lay in her lap. "I'm just going to miss everything here, you know."
"You will always have us to come back to," he assured her once again, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "It's at least an hour to the airstrip. Try and rest some," he encouraged her. "You didn't sleep well at all last night."
"You'll find her," she said as she turned her head to meet his gaze. "When you least expect it. That's how it always happens, isn't it? But you will find her."
"And you will find your prince," he told her with a crooked grin. "Rest now, love. Get a little sleep at least."
She smiled softly, cuddling against him and resting her head on his shoulder. She sighed happily when he began playing with her hair, his fingers gently flipping and combing through her silken locks. It wasn't long before his gentle petting soothed her to sleep. He kissed her head when he heard her heart fall into the slow steady rhythm of sleep and turned his head to rest his cheek against her hair. Of all the lovers he had courted throughout his immortal existence, Mira was his favorite. There was something about her that had always felt familiar and comfortable, though he had to admit the transition for them both from lovers to friends had been simple and easy. He was glad for that, grateful that he was able to keep her in his life and happy that she had agreed to becoming a vampire.
She was the only human lover he had ever offered it to and he had loved it when she told him it had felt right to accept. His other human lovers in the past had met different fates, some darker than others, but Mira was special. She was the only human lover that he had even thought to introduce to Elizabeth and he had been both pleased and surprised that his immortal mother had approved of her. His expression turned into one of longing as he wondered where she was and what she was doing. She had never been one to settle down or stay in one place for longer than a few months and it had been almost a year since the last time he had seen her.
"Giuseppe," Mirabella's voice was soft when she spoke, her tone relaxed even as sorrow seemed to color the edges.
"Yes, my love?" he petted her hair as he held her.
"Do you promise you won't change your mind?" she asked after a long moment of silence, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't know that I can do this if you're not…" she trailed off as tears filled her vision, the scent of salt catching his attention.
"Oh Mira," he moved her to sit in his lap and tucked her head beneath his chin as he held her. "You will always have me. Always. Whether or not I am with someone else, I will always be there for you. As a friend and as a guide through your new life."
"I'm just so scared," she admitted and sniffled as his arms tightened around her. "Mama was always so tough, you know? Nothing could bring her down and now she's…I feel like when I go home that…"
"That what, Mira?" he prodded gently when she remained quiet.
"I'm scared that I'm going to wake up in Hilton Head and all of this will just be a dream," she confessed to him, her voice trembling.
Giuseppe cupped her face in his hands, smoothing away her slow falling tears with the pads of his thumbs. Her sea-green eyes told of the other fear she wouldn't speak aloud, the one he had seen haunting her before. Pressing his lips to hers, he kissed her gently, his mouth moving against hers slowly. He promised her that she wouldn't be alone, his kiss speaking in a language that her heart would understand. Pulling back and smoothing her hair from her face, he rested his forehead against hers.
"You'll never be alone, Mira. Never," he tipped his head to capture her lips in sweet chaste kiss. "Call me as soon as you land in Hilton and I'll talk with you for as long as you like."
"You're too good to me," she whispered reverently.
"No such thing," he promised with a smile.
:::::
The car slowed to a stop, the private jet looming in the distance like some kind of fairytale dragon come to steal her away and Mirabella remained silent as she stared at it. The driver came around to Giuseppe's door, opening it for them and waiting as Mirabella slipped off of Giuseppe's lap and out of the car. She stood on the blacktop, her eyes fixed on the aircraft as a part of her still demanded that she hideaway in the car and refuse to go any further. She couldn't hide though, she had responsibilities. There were people counting on her and things she needed to take care of before she could begin her new life with Giuseppe.
She looked back and smiled when Sergeant came up to her and nudged his big head under her hand. Sniffing back her tears as she scratched the dog behind his ear, she walked with him toward the trunk of the car and watched Giuseppe unload her bags. She stepped forward, reaching to help him and wasn't surprised in the least when he smiled and shook his head. How many times had he been the gentleman? It would be so different to be without him now. There wouldn't be anyone in Hilton Head to hold her at night and play with her hair until she fell asleep. No one would walk next to her with their hand in the small of her back and open doors for her. She wasn't sure that she knew how to be without him anymore.
"You'll be alright, Mira," he promised her softly and nodded for her to walk with him. "You'll see, in no time at all you'll be back with me and beginning your new life."
"Even if I'm just lonely?" she asked and he smiled as he knew immediately to what she was asking.
"Especially if you're lonely," he encouraged with a smile. "You have your iPad and your computer. You can call me on the phone or by video chat. You know the time of day means nothing to me. I'll always be awake," he teased and nodded to the human man on the plane as he took the bags from him.
"I really have to go, don't I?" she asked softly and he nodded.
He held her hand as she took the first tentative steps toward the folding staircase door and lifted her foot to the first stair. Looking back at him quietly, she smiled sadly and released his hand before climbing the rest of the way up the stairs and into the plane. He stood back, watching as she made her way to the small window and raised his hand to wave goodbye as the staircase was lifted up and folded inside. The sound of the door latching was thunderous to him and he moved further back with Sergeant at his side when the engines began to turn.
Watching as the jet taxied down the runway, he stood by his car and kept his eyes on the plane until it had lifted off the ground. He waved once more, wondering if she could see him from the window and bid her farewell. He knew this would be tough on her, losing her mother and having to find a way to make it clear to her human family that they may never see her again. In a year and a half's time she would be returning to him and beginning her new life as an immortal. He knew that she would be glorious, he had no doubt of that and looked down to the dog at his side.
"I know Sarge," he said and petted the dog's head when the animal whimpered. "I'm going to miss her, too."
Sergeant barked; his feathered tail wagging and trotted back to the car. Grinning as he watched the dog move, Giuseppe followed him to the vehicle and slipped inside the back seat, pulling the door closed behind him. Chuckling softly when Sergeant moved to lay his head and front paws in his lap, Giuseppe hugged the dog close and ruffled his thick black and brown coat. Closing his eyes when he was answered with a thorough cleansing of the dog's tongue, he laughed and wiped his hand over his face.
"Oh hold on boy," he said when his phone began to ring and moved the dog enough to slip the device from his pocket. "Bonjourno."
"Giuseppe! I am glad to have caught you," came the warm greeting and he took the phone away from his face to check the caller ID.
"Aro?" he questioned the man's tone. "It's been almost three decades."
"So it has," Aro returned. "Tell me, Giuseppe, do you still have Carlisle's suit?"
He sat quietly for a moment, nodding his thanks when the driver, pulled onto the highway and raised the privacy screen.
"Carlisle Cullen's suit?" he asked to be certain that he wasn't misunderstanding the ancient man.
"Has there been another Carlisle that you have commissioned clothing for?"
"No," he said after a moment of silence. "Yes, I do believe I still have it somewhere. I'll have to check the fabric…Has Carlisle returned to Volterra?"
"Not so much," Aro said and sighed, though the sound was surprising in its tone.
There was something different about Aro, something in his voice and the way he interacted. He could tell just from their phone call that the man seemed…happier. Yes, Giuseppe nodded to himself that was exactly the change. Aro was happier. He wondered what had brought about the change, but knew better than to ask on it. Arching a brow when the ancient vampire requested a dress to be made from the same period, Giuseppe sat back against the seat of the car.
"Pale gold on the inside and darker gold on the outside," he repeated Aro's description back to him. "The shades close enough to complement and blend in with the gold of Carlisle's suit?"
"Yes," Aro cheered. "When will the dress be done?"
"I should be able to send you a design in the next two weeks and have the dress itself completed roughly two months after. I'll need to fit the girl to make certain the dress is properly sewn," he said, hedging around asking the question burning in his mind.
"No need my friend," Aro said. "She is roughly the same size as Sulpicia only about six inches taller."
"That shouldn't be a problem," he said wanting desperately to ask whom the dress was for.
"Wonderful!" Aro cheered and Giuseppe's brows furrowed in curious confusion when the call disconnected.
"Well that was odd," he told Sergeant as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. "With the colors he asked for, Aro just asked me to design a dress for a daughter. I haven't seen Carlisle in ages…I didn't know he had a daughter."
Sergeant barked and thumped his tail against the seat as the car pulled off the highway and onto the private road leading to the Cliffside Mansion. It wasn't long before they were back home. Opening the car door, Giuseppe laughed when Sergeant bounded out the car ahead of him and ran toward the front door of the mansion only to turn around and bark once before sitting down on the stoop. Shaking his head as he offered his pet a lopsided grin, he nodded to the driver and waved as the car disappeared.
"Alright, boy," Giuseppe said as he unlocked and opened the door. "We're home."
