Sydney's scream pulled Jack and Irina from sleep. They stumbled down the moonlit hall and into her room. She sat on the bed, her back pressed against the headboard, her knees drawn to her chest. She looked at her parents as they entered, then seemed to curl in on herself, her scream increasing in pitch.
"Sweetheart, it's okay. We're here." Irina sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Sydney's shoulder. Sydney jerked away, scrambling to the other side of the bed. She hopped off the edge then darted towards the door.
Jack caught her before she could run out. He swung her up and cradled her against his chest. "Sydney?"
Sydney fought him, kicking and screaming and twisting in his arms. He looked at Irina, whose face was pale, her eyes frightened. Jack was just as afraid.
Sydney eventually went limp in his arms, collapsing against his chest, her screams tapering to a steady sobbing. Jack slowly crossed the room and sat on the bed, then looked at Irina again.
"Is she afraid of us, Jack?"
He looked down at Sydney. "I don't know."
Irina stretched out her hand, then stopped just short of touching Sydney before she jerked her hand back and let it fall to her lap. "I don't know what to do anymore."
Jack reached for her hand, covering it with his own. He wanted to reassure her, but the words wouldn't come. He didn't know what to do either. Irina shifted closer to him, then rested her head on his shoulder.
"She's asleep again."
"It was just another nightmare," Jack said.
"They're getting worse."
Sydney stirred slightly in Jack's arms, nestling into his chest. She murmured something too low for him to hear, then stilled. Irina rubbed her hand over Sydney's back.
"She can sleep with us tonight," Jack said.
"Mommy! Wake up!"
Irina felt something heavy land on her stomach and opened her eyes to see Sydney straddling her. Sydney was grinning from ear to ear, bearing no resemblance to the terrified child from the previous night.
"Good morning," Irina said. "Where's Daddy?"
"Running." Sydney wrinkled her nose. "Mommy, how come I slept in your bed?"
Irina slid into a sitting position, keeping Sydney on her lap. She tucked Sydney's hair behind her ears to buy time to think. "You had a bad dream. We thought it would be better if you stayed with us."
"Oh."
"Do you remember your dream?"
Sydney shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Mommy, is Monica coming today?"
"Yes, she is."
"When?"
Irina glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "An hour. So you can eat breakfast and help Mommy tidy up first."
An hour later, Sydney was sitting on the front steps of the porch, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Irina watched her from the doorway, deep in thought. She hoped Giovanni brought his sister; perhaps it would help for Sydney to have a friend her own age.
Jack came jogging up the path towards the house. He knelt in front of Sydney and kissed her cheek. "Morning, sweetheart."
"Gross! Daddy, you're all sweaty!"
"Sorry." He glanced at Irina and winked at her. Then he turned his attention back to Sydney. "You look very pretty this morning."
"Monica's coming to play. Right, Mommy?" She looked over her shoulder, and Irina nodded.
Jack stood, and crossed to Irina. He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her. Laughing, she pulled away. Mimicking Sydney: "Gross! Daddy, you're all sweaty!"
Undeterred, Jack pinned her against the doorframe.
"Daddy, what are you doing?"
Jack smiled against Irina's neck. "Saying good morning to Mommy."
"No, you weren't. You were kissing."
"Why does she ask questions she already knows the answers to?"
Irina held back the laughter bubbling in her throat as she pushed Jack away. "Go take a shower."
"Alone?"
"Alone. Sydney's friend is supposed to be here any minute."
Jack gave a mock pout then disappeared into the house. Irina walked to the steps and sat next to Sydney.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, baby?"
"How come you and Daddy kiss all the time?"
"Well . . . I love Daddy very much." She took Sydney's hand and placed it over her heart. "Feel that?"
"Uh-huh."
"When Daddy kisses me, he makes my heart beat faster. Like this." She smiled. "One day you'll find someone who makes your heart beat faster."
Sydney looked thoughtful. "Did Uncle Gerard make your heart beat faster?"
"Not like Daddy does." Irina didn't like to think of her time with Cuvee. There were moments when she thought she should have known, somehow, that Jack wasn't really dead. Biting back the guilt, she pointed down the path. "Look. They're here."
A girl in her late teens approached, holding the hand of a girl Sydney's age. In her other hand was a basket, its contents hidden by a red and white checkered cloth. Irina was instantly suspicious, despite the teenager's broad smile.
"Hello," she said in Italian. "I'm Francesca. This is Monica."
Irina smiled. "Andrea," she said. "And this is my daughter, Valerie."
Francesca released Monica's hand, then lifted the cloth as she held the basket towards Irina. "My mother sent this for you."
"Thank you." Still cautious, Irina accepted the basket and studied the contents. Fresh bread, homemade jam, milk, a bottle of wine. She immediately felt foolish for her earlier paranoia, and this time her smile was genuine.
Sydney and Monica were eyeing each other warily. Monica was a miniature version of Francesca; dark curls, olive skin, large brown eyes.
"Hi," Sydney eventually said. "Wanna play pirates?"
Irina translated, Monica nodded, and the two girls ran around to the back of the house.
"My brother will fetch Monica later," Francesca said. "Nice to meet you."
"You too," Irina echoed, and watched the young woman walk back down the path. She looked at the basket again, then turned and went into the house.
"Uno, due, tre, Quattro, cinque," Sydney sang as Jack washed her hair. "Sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci! Hey, Daddy, can Monica come play again?"
Sydney had talked non-stop about her new friend since Giovanni had arrived to fetch her. For two children who didn't speak the same language, they had hit it off remarkably well, and spent most of the afternoon teaching each other words from their respective languages.
"Of course she can, sweetheart." Jack poured water over Sydney's head, rinsing the shampoo.
"Can I play at her house?"
"We'll see." Jack reached for a towel. "Okay, you're done."
Sydney stood, resuming her counting as Jack wrapped the towel around her. "Go put your pajamas on; Mommy and I will be there in a minute to say goodnight."
"Okay, Daddy." Sydney skipped to her bedroom, still counting.
Jack let the water drain from the tub, then stood and turned to find Irina watching him from the doorway. There was a glass of wine in her hand, and a seductive smile on her lips. "You going to wash my hair too?"
"I don't know if I should. My wife's around here somewhere."
"I won't tell her if you won't."
Jack stepped towards her. "And what do I get out of this?"
She nipped his earlobe, then whispered exactly what Jack would be getting. His smile widened, desire building with each word she spoke.
"I like this arrangement," he said.
She chuckled. "I thought you might."
"Daddy!" Sydney called.
He groaned. "How long before she falls asleep?"
Irina shrugged and stepped out of Jack's arms. "Let's go tuck her in. We can play later."
"Don't forget I need to take your stitches out as well."
"Yes, Daddy." She set the glass of wine on the bathroom counter then took Jack's hand and led him towards Sydney's bedroom.
Her stomach muscles contracted under his touch. "Like that?" he asked.
"Mmm." She put her hand over his, guiding him lower. "You missed a spot."
"So sorry." The soap slipped out of his hand, forgotten, and he slid one, then two fingers inside her. She gasped, her head falling back. With his free hand, he traced circles around her nipple, lowering his head to kiss her neck. The bath water was cooling rapidly, but neither felt it.
Irina was already heady from the wine she'd been drinking earlier, but Jack's touch was giving her a different buzz altogether. Almost . . . almost . . .
Not yet. She twisted in his arms, turning until they were face to face.
"Was I doing something wrong?" The look on his face told her he knew exactly what he had been doing.
She shook her head, then leaned forward so that her breasts were brushing his chest. He grabbed her hips, tighter than was necessary, and she smirked. "Is there a problem, Jack?"
"Yes." He lifted her, then resettled her so she was straddling him. Then he took one of her breasts into his mouth, and his hand slipped down the cleft of her ass, his fingers teasing her again. She bucked against him and felt him smile.
"Tease," she said, breathless.
"I just know what you like." Well, that was true.
Two fingers, then three. Irina's eyes fluttered closed.
"Come for me, honey."
"Not. Yet."
"So stubborn."
"Want you inside."
He lowered her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck as they began to move together. Water sloshed over the edge of the tub, splashing the floor. They noticed nothing, blind to everything except each other.
"Love you," Jack said, as if from far away.
Irina opened her eyes, kissed him, then smiled. "Love you, too. But you still haven't washed my hair."
