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back any flowers? Mum wants to talk to you guys about something, all of you, she stressed.
 Whoa, take a breath there, kiddo. Robin held her hand up for her sister to stop.  We ll be right
in.
 I m going to make this quick because I want to go tell my mum, okay? Kelly urged her friends into
the house.
They all walked through the door and were about to make a turn into the kitchen, where Moira
usually was, when they heard,  Surprise! The whole family was there, including Kelly s mother. It
took a while, but Robin finally made her way through the wave of congratulations and over to her
future mother-in-law.
Before she could say anything, Amelia grabbed her face.  Ima so happy you gonna be my daughter.
She cried and kissed Robin on both cheeks.  You a good girl. You make sure you feed my boy
right.
 Thank you, Mrs. Esposito  She was stopped.
 You call me Mamma now. Amelia wagged her finger at Robin.
 Thank you, Mamma, for entrusting me with your ring and the heart of your son.
She started crying again.  You makea my son so happy. I never see him this happy before. They
both belong to you now. And you, Kelly, I have two girls now. She grabbed her face and kissed
her, getting Kelly s face a little more wet than Robin s.
The party went on into the night until Moira pulled her daughter to the side and handed her a hotel
room key.  There is a room reserved for you at The Shaftesbury Hotel. Tonight, you don t have to
sneak him into your room. She raised an eyebrow and smiled.
 You knew? Oh, I m so embarrassed. Robin covered her face. She couldn t believe that her mother
had known this whole time and was afraid of what she thought of her cavorting around under her
own roof.
 Don t be, dear. She nudged Robin.  What do you think your father and I did before we got
married?
 Did Gran ever know? She was shocked.
 I m sure she figured it out. She never said anything, though. In our day, couples didn t live together
before getting married, but I m not too old to remember what you re feeling. Don t you give it a
second thought. You just go and enjoy yourselves tonight.
 Thanks, Mum. She hugged her mother and then went to find Vincenzo. She ran into Kelly while
looking for him, and they both held up a key each and giggled.  Need a lift?
 Just let me go grab my fiancé. She giggled again.  I love the sound of that. I ll meet you at the car
in a few.
Chapter Nine
Run Rabbit Run
Elnie was picking flowers when she heard something unfamiliar in the woods. Too heavy on the feet
to be deer, walking on all fours, she guessed there were three of them. She shifted into a hare to get
their scent, and for better camouflage, and went to investigate. A bear and two wolves, but these
weren t just animals. These were men, and they smelled bad. Oh no, she thought. They must have
found the Espositos, and they were headed right for the houses. She had to do something quick.
They were about twenty yards away.
She ran onto the path, and they stopped briefly, looked at her, and then continued coming forward.
She almost panicked and ran, but remembered what was at stake and how attached she had become
to the Espositos. She couldn t let these brutes attack without warning. She had to get their attention
and divert them. She shifted into a llama so they would see her, and they did. All three stopped and
looked at her, then snarled their teeth and charged full-on. She shifted back to a hare so she could
run in between the trees and shrubs better. Besides, she knew this area like the back of her hand.
She had been chasing animals through here all her life.
 This one smells female. It must be the mother, she heard one of the wolves say as they were
closing in quick. Her heart was pounding hard beneath her narrow chest as she zigged and zagged
through the leaves and under roots, and almost got caught in one. They cornered her in a hollow
tree, the bear demanding something in Italian.
She shifted into a snake and slithered out a hole in the back. Elnie tried not to make a sound, but [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]