Page 454 of Glimmer & Gleam Duet

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We don’t speak again for a long time, sinking into the comfortable silence we’ve grown accustomed to. The world outside can burn, the pigeons can riot, Nonna Bianca can try all she wants, but right here, in this warm, tangled mess of heartbeat and trust, I know exactly what we are.

A team.

A family.

A pack of idiots who’d steal the world’s best biscotti recipe just to make an old woman smile.

I close my eyes, a sleepy grin tugging at my lips. “Mission accomplished,” I whisper.

They all laugh, and it sounds like the life I’ve been chasing all along.

THE END

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