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sorellina = little sister 
ti amo = I love you 
vi amo = I love you 
(multiple people) 

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Bruno paces back and forth in the office in mamma's house. He left the house early this morning, with Lexy and the boys, to talk to his brothers. They have no clue what Salvatore's lawyers could possibly want with Scorpia and Dino is trying to find out. He has already made a few phone calls in Italian. And he is getting angrier by the minute.

Ciro is seated at the desk, writing down different scenarios. Dino hangs up and curses through his teeth. Bruno looks at him and Dino says: "No one knows anything. Even the few that are still loyal to Salvatore don't know. There's no family left and he never planted a seed anywhere, if you catch my drift."

Ciro raises his eyebrow and asks: "How the hell is that possible?"

Dino says: "Infertile... He has no siblings and his mom and dad didn't either. His dad has been dead for years. His mother was admitted to an asylum about twenty years ago and she died there last year. The gossip going around says it's about his inheritance. It's a fully legal law firm, for as far as that's possible with Salvatore as a client. He's gathered millions with his 'work'. And no one knows where it is or where it's going."

"We talked to an elderly guy that used to work for him and he says that Salvatore went to a notary when his mother was still healthy and had everything written up there. But he doesn't know if Salvatore ever changed anything after that."

Bruno rubs his neck and says: "We have to show her the letter. But I'll talk to Logan first. And whatever happens, we are not letting her do this alone. I don't trust that bastard one bit, even if he is dead."

His brothers put their hands on their hearts and say: "Here. Forever." They walk out of the office, on their way to the terrace, where mamma and Lexy are sitting, as they watch the boys play football on the grass."

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Scorpia sits up and stretches out slowly. Logan walks into the bedroom with two coffee mugs in one hand. "Good morning, Bonnie." He hands her a mug and sits down next to her on the edge of the bed.

She smells the coffee and smiles at him. "Good morning. I slept wonderfully, without any pills."

Logan looks at her lovingly and says: "Yes, you were very relaxed. It was great to see you like that."

She takes another sip of her coffee and asks: "Can we just stay in bed all day? Like we did yesterday?"

Logan says: "Hell no! I would like to keep all my toes. A broken hand is more than enough pain for me."

Scorpia laughs and says: "Yes, mamma is capable of dragging us there by our hair."

Logan nods with a serious look on his face. "And she deserves a relaxed dinner with everyone she loves. It's also a nice way to test our mixed bag of a family."

Scorpia thinks of Enzo and Lucas and smiles. "I can't wait to hug Enzo and Lucas. And mamma's food... Yeah, I might be okay with getting out of bed for a while."

Logan stares deep into her eyes and says: "We could take a bath together first..."

Scorpia blushes a little and says: "No way! That's a guarantee for a loss of toes. If we do that, I don't want to leave the house anymore."

Logan laughs and says: "Okay. I'll try to behave." He gets up and walks over to the closet to think about his clothes for the day.

Scorpia throws the comforter off and sits down at the edge of the bed to drink her coffee.

Logan clears his throat and she looks up at him. He stares at her, before dropping his eyes to his crotch. When he makes eye contact with her again, he can tell she doesn't get it. "Bonnie... put some clothes on... please."

Her jaw drops a little and she quickly walks over to the closet. She puts a bra and panties on and runs her gaze over her clothes while she thinks of what to wear. She decides on a red, flowy dress. She puts it on and Logan looks at her in awe.

"Nice dress, Bonnie."

She grabs a short, black cardigan from the closet and wears it on top of the dress. She kneels in front of the closet and picks up her stiletto boots.

Logan stares at the boots and she says: "Bruno is probably going to laugh when he sees these boots. I even thought of putting on my go-to outfit, but I don't have to wear my armor to mamma's house anymore."

Logan gives her an inquiring look and she says: "I always went there by bike, wearing leather pants, a black blouse, and stiletto boots. Bruno always wore his leather pants and a black dress shirt. It made me feel connected to him and safe. And the stiletto's, because they make me almost as tall as Bruno... And..."

Logan finishes her sentence and says: "Ciro and Dino are shorter than he is. You could look down on them that way."

She smiles at him and nods. "Bruno always said it helped me channel my inner bitch." She sits down on the bed and puts the boots on.

Logan comes closer and helps her up. A grin appears on his face once she's standing up. The top of her head barely reaches his chin and she looks up at him. He wraps his arm around her waist and kisses her softly. "Mmm, that saves me some bending down at least Bonnie."

She smiles and says: "But you're still a lot taller. I'm glad."

Logan strokes her hip and asks: "You're glad?"

She nods and says: "I don't have to look down on you. I don't even want to. I feel safe with you."

He pulls her closer and kisses her slowly. "Mmmm. Good. I hope you will always feel safe with me."

She looks deep into his eyes and says: "I don't doubt that for a second." She strokes his cheek and kisses him.

Logan clears his throat and says: "Those clothes are not helping much."

She laughs and takes a step back, shooting him a naughty look. "What do you want to wear today, Logan?"

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Dress shirt, jeans, red sneakers."

Scorpia pulls the clothes from the closet and helps him getting dressed. She walks over to the bathroom to put on her make-up and Logan watches her from the door.

She applies some eyeliner and mascara and rummages through her toiletries bag until she finds Enzo's favorite lip balm. She applies it to her lips royally and smiles at herself. She puts the balm in the pocket of her cardigan and turns around to face Logan.

He puckers his lips and she presses her lips on his. She breaks the kiss and his eyes widen. He kisses her again, tasting her lips thoroughly this time and says: "Mmmm. You taste like those peach candies."

She smiles wide and says: "Enzo's favorite candy."

Logan frowns and says: "Wait a minute. You did this for another man?"

She nods and says: "Yes. You better get used to it quickly. I kiss a lot of other men."

He shakes his head and chuckles. "I think I'll be alright, as long as I get kisses from Enzo too.

Scorpia laughs and says: "You know you will. He loves you way too much not to."

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Scorpia drives the green jeep onto the driveway and she can tell by the parked cars that everybody else is already there. She turns the engine off, applies some fresh lip balm and starts counting down out loud. "Three, two, one." The front door flies open and Lucas and Enzo come running out. Lucas runs over to Logan's side first and Enzo runs to Scorpia. She opens the door and he throws his body inside.

"Soppia! Kisses!"

She lifts him onto her lap and he kisses her cheek while wrapping his arms around her neck tightly. He tilts his head a little and sniffs her lips. It only takes him a second, before he starts to kiss her lips excitedly. Scorpia chuckles and rubs his back. Lucas, who has just finished hugging his uncle, stares at his little brother, clearly wondering what is going on.

Logan whispers in his ear. "Auntie Scorpia's lips taste like peach candies. "

Lucas stares at him with his mouth open for a second, before he asks: "Really?"

Logan nods and Lucas gets out and runs to the other side of the car. Enzo takes a second to breathe and says: "Candy kisses!" Logan chuckles and Enzo looks at him. "Ogan!" Scorpia lifts the boy up and puts him down on Logan's lap and Enzo starts to taste Logan's lips just as enthusiastically.

Lucas is standing next to the car, looking at her a bit shy and she says: "Hold on." She applies some new balm and makes a duck face.

Lucas jumps onto her lap and kisses her carefully. He rubs his own lips together with a serious expression on his face. "Ohhh, it's really true!" He kisses Scorpia a few more times until Logan clears his throat dramatically. 

Lucas blushes a little and gives his uncle a shy look. He softly says: "Really yummy."

Logan chuckles and says: "I know boy. Come on, let's go inside."

The boys run ahead, making sure everyone knows Scorpia and Logan have arrived. 

They walk into the kitchen and Bruno immediately gets up to hug Scorpia. He looks her over and says: "Sorellina! It's been a long time since I saw you without your armor on in here. Although..." He points at her boots with a chuckle.

Scorpia winks at him and hugs Lexy. Lexy looks a bit worried at first but then says: "You look good sister."

Scorpia gives her a loving look and says: "So do you. Those men are treating you right I see."

Ciro is waiting impatiently and pulls her into a breathtaking hug. "Sorellina... finally."

She looks into his eyes and sees he's very emotional. She softly says: "Ti amo, Ciro."

He nods shyly and turns to Logan to greet him.

Dino is waiting for Scorpia with his arms spread out wide. She hugs him while looking down at him. He grumbles: "Those damn boots again."

She giggles and says: "They might have them in your size too brother."

He shakes his head as he chuckles, before saying: "It's good to see you Scorpia."

Logan hugs Dino too and then follows Scorpia towards the stove, where mamma is focused on her cooking. She turns the heat down and turns around. She hugs Logan and happily says: "Welcome sweet boy. I hope to see you here on many more Sundays to come."

Scorpia hugs her mother lovingly and says: "Hi mamma. It smells wonderful as usual."

Mamma says: "Five more minutes."

Scorpia walks over to the tap and washes her hands. Logan places his left hand between hers and she helps him with a smile on her face.

Mamma watches them with a soft look in her eyes, before turning around towards the rest of the family and saying: "The man with the broken hand clearly knows what you're supposed to do before dinner. So does your little sister."

The brothers jump up from the table and walk into the kitchen to wash their hands too. Scorpia is assisting Logan with drying his hand and he sees the panic appear in her eyes. He puts his hands on her chest, leans his forehead against hers and whispers: "Here. Forever."

She looks up at him and breathes out slowly.

The rest of the family is watching them nervously because they all remember well what happened when Salvatore was here. They see her relax and all start breathing again. Logan kisses Scorpia softly and the brothers quickly sit down at the table again, after washing their hands. Logan walks out of the kitchen and sits down next to Bruno.

Lexy comes into the kitchen with Enzo and Lucas and asks Scorpia for help with washing their hands.

Scorpia grabs two chairs and pushes them against the counter, before lifting both boys onto them. She opens the tap and they put their hands under the running water. Lexy pumps a little bit of liquid soap on their hands and Lucas rubs them together to wash them. Enzo is a little clumsy and Lexy folds her hands around Enzo's and washes his hands with hers.

Scorpia looks at them with tears in her eyes and Enzo says: "Thanks mommy." Lexy plants a kiss on his head and Scorpia hands her the towel. Lexy's eyes connect with Scorpia's for a second and Lexy sees the emotion swim in her sister-in-law's eyes. She dries Enzo's hands and Scorpia lifts him onto the ground. Lucas sticks his hands out towards Lexy and she dries his hands too. Lucas jumps down from the chair and walks out of the kitchen with Enzo.

As soon as Lexy's hands are dry too, Scorpia hugs her. "Thank you Lexy. For being his mom."

Lexy gets emotional too and says: "I love him. Just as much as I love Lucas." They wipe each other's tears away and walk over to the dining table."

When Scorpia sits down next to Logan, she senses tension at the table. She looks around at her brothers, but their facial expressions aren't telling her anything.

Mamma places a large pan full of pasta on the table and everyone's attention obviously goes to the food. Mamma fills plates for all of them and says: "Small pasta, easy to eat with a spoon. To make sure everyone can eat themselves." Enzo cheers and mamma says: "I did it for someone else at the table, but yes, you can eat it yourself too, Enzo."

She nods at Logan and he graces her with a radiant smile. They eat in silence and the plates and pan are empty in no time. Scorpia rubs her stomach and looks at her family around the table with a relaxed and happy look on her face.

Bruno nods at his mother and she gets up and says: "Ice cream on the terrace!" Enzo almost jumps out of his highchair and Lucas cheers. Lexy gets up and lifts Enzo from his chair.

Scorpia is about to get up too when Logan places his hand on her arm. She gives him a questioning look and then notices her brothers looking at her. Lexy takes the boys outside and mamma follows them quickly with ice cream, bowls, and spoons.

Scorpia holds her breath when she sees the tortured expression on Bruno's face. Bruno pulls an envelope out of his pocket and hands it to her. "This letter came for you. From Salvatore's law firm."

She takes the letter from him with a shaking hand and looks at the writing on the envelope. She rips it open and pulls the letter out. She reads it quickly, a frown forming between her eyebrows. She reads the same words over and over; Salvatore Santarelli's inheritance.

The brothers stare at her in terror and when she looks up, Logan sees the one thing he was afraid of. She looks around in panic and he curses through his teeth. As soon as she asks the question, the tears start rolling down his cheeks.

"Where's Logan?"

Bruno sobs and Dino pulls the letter towards him.

Logan turns her face his way and looks into her eyes. "I'm here Bonnie. Here." He puts his hand on her heart.

She asks the same question again, the panic rising in her body. "Where's Logan?"

He pulls the top of her dress down a little and says: "Look. Here. Logan's here."

She stares at the tattoo and then looks up at him. Really looks at him. "Logan's here?"

"Yes Bonnie. I am here. Forever." 

He sees the battle behind her eyes, how panic is trying to overthrow her common sense. He kisses her softly and says: "I'm here Bonnie. I swear. Look at me. Feel me." He grabs her hand and puts it against his cheek. A tear rolls down her cheek and he sees the doubt in her dark eyes.

 "Ti amo Bonnie."

She automatically answers: "I love you Logan." 

He smiles carefully as he watches her find her way back to him slowly. She wraps her arms around him and whispers: "Logan... Logan... Logan..."

He rubs her back and says: "I'm here Bonnie. You're safe. I'm here." She cries on his shoulder and he cries along with her.

Dino softly says: "She has to appear at the law firm tomorrow. They are inviting her over to talk about Salvatore's inheritance. We're going with her. No matter what. I have no idea what this fucking asshole came up with, but she is not going there alone. Ciro and Bruno nod and look at Scorpia again.

She looks at her brothers over Logan's shoulder and all three of them put their hands on their hearts. They say in unison: "Here. Forever."

She sobs and says: "Vi amo."

She starts shaking heavily and Logan frustratingly says: "I wish I could pick you up and carry you upstairs. But I can't!"

Bruno gets up, lifts Scorpia from her chair and says: "Follow me, Logan." He carries her up the stairs to her bedroom and gently lies her down on the bed.

Logan crawls onto the bed next to her and wraps his left arm around her shoulders. She puts her head down on his chest and cries. Her entire body is trembling from the stress and Logan silently prays she will stay with him. That all of it was enough to keep her here.

Bruno tucks them in and says: "You both rest, okay? I'll come to check on you later." 

Scorpia cries herself to sleep and Logan takes a relieved breath when he feels the shaking stop. He kisses her forehead and falls asleep himself.

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There you go, Chapter 26.

Brace yourselves...

XO Hankie.