Chapter 156

Chapter 156
Elena's POV

The smell of frying pancakes drifted upstairs before the sun had fully climbed into the sky.

I smiled to myself as I tied my hair into a loose ponytail. Mrs. Peters always made pancakes on special mornings.

Apparently, Dante's first morning home qualified.

I quietly opened my bedroom door and stepped into the hallway.

A small burst of laughter floated up from downstairs. Then Bella's unmistakable voice.

"No, Daddy!"

"You doing it wrong!"

I couldn't help laughing. Curious, I walked toward the staircase and looked down.

Bella stood on a chair beside the kitchen island with a tiny apron hanging crookedly around her neck. Flour dusted the tip of her nose, and a wooden spoon nearly as long as her arm rested proudly in her hand.

Dante stood beside her, looking far less confident than he ever had in a boardroom or at the head of a meeting.

Mrs. Peters folded her arms and shook her head.

"I said stir gently."

"I am stirring gently."

Bella gasped dramatically. "No!"

"You making it too fast."

"I thought you said I was too slow a minute ago."

"I changed my mind."

Adam, leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee, chuckled. "I'd listen to the boss if I were you."

Dante looked at Bella. "So you're the boss now?"

She lifted her chin proudly. "I always boss."

The room erupted in laughter. Only then did Bella notice me standing on the stairs.

"Mama!" She jumped down from the chair and ran over. "We making breakfast!"

"I can see that."

She grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen.

"Daddy don't know pancakes."

Dante placed a hand over his chest in mock offence. "I've made pancakes before."

Mrs. Peters raised an eyebrow. "When?"

He thought for a second. "...Actually...I've watched people make pancakes before."

Bella giggled so hard she almost lost her balance.

I slipped my hand into Dante's as I passed him. "Good morning."

He turned toward me. For just a second, the noise around us faded.

"Morning."

"Did you sleep?"

"A little." He smiled sheepishly. "I kept waking up."

"Bad dreams?"

He shook his head. "I kept thinking I'd open my eyes and still be there." By there, he meant prison. 

Something tightened inside my chest. Without thinking, I squeezed his hand.

"You're here."

"I know." His smile softened. "I'm still getting used to believing it."

Mrs. Peters cleared her throat loudly. "If the two of you are done staring at each other, the pancakes are getting cold."

Bella nodded vigorously. "They very cold."

"They're still in the pan," Adam pointed out.

Bella looked at him. "Oh."

"Then they warm."

Breakfast was louder than it had been in years. Bella insisted Dante sit beside her and every few minutes she scooped something onto his plate.

A strawberry.

Half a pancake.

A piece of banana.

"Daddy eat."

"I am eating."

"You eat more."

He obediently took another bite. "There. You happy?"

She nodded. "Mhm."

Mrs. Peters watched them with a smile she tried very hard to hide.

"You've spoiled her," Dante said quietly to me.

"I had help."

He glanced toward Adam. "I can imagine."

Adam looked up from his coffee. "I had nothing to do with it."

Bella immediately disagreed. "Uncle Adam spoil me."

"I've been exposed."

She laughed before launching into another story.

"And then Teddy fall in toilet."

Dante blinked. "...Teddy fell where?"

"The toilet."

I buried my face behind my mug, trying not to laugh. "It was an accident," I explained.

Bella nodded seriously. "I wash him in the washing machine."

Dante looked horrified. "Teddy survived?"

"He brave."

"I can see that."

Bella continued without taking a breath. "And Bunny blue now."

"Why is Bunny blue?"

"I paint him."

"You painted your rabbit?"

"Mhm."

"Because white boring."

Adam nearly choked on his coffee. Mrs. Peters gave up trying to hide her laughter.

I watched Dante listening to every story as though each one was the most fascinating thing he'd ever heard.

He wasn't pretending, he genuinely wanted to know everything he'd missed.

Every funny moment, every little memory and every piece of the little girl who had grown while he was away.

After breakfast, Bella disappeared upstairs, returning a few minutes later with an armful of drawings.

She spread them across the coffee table.

"Daddy."

"I show you."

"This me."

"This Mama."

"This Uncle Adam."

She held up another picture.

"And this..." She smiled proudly. "You."

Dante picked it up carefully. The drawing was little more than stick figures, bright colours and oversized smiles.

"You gave me green hair."

Bella nodded. "You like green."

"I do?"

"I decide."

He laughed. "Then I suppose I do."

She leaned comfortably against his side, pointing out every tiny detail in every drawing.

I stood quietly in the doorway, watching them together. For two years I'd imagined this scene more times than I could count.

Now that it was finally happening, it felt beautifully ordinary.

And somehow, that made the moment even more precious.