The Maestri Amour (Wattys 2015) - ON HIATUS

TMA || 6

“IT’S A HORSE!!!” Caterina and Calinda squealed, making Aretha jump up and down in agreement.

“You guys have to be cheating somehow,” I mumbled.

“Daddy, it’s not their fault you’re terrible at drawing,” Caprice glared at me. She wasn’t wrong either. Painting I could do, but just don’t ask me to draw anything and we’ll be fine.

We were having a game night on top of the movie night we usually have. The idea had been Aretha’s, and we all went with it. We were divided into two teams with Aretha being teamed up with Caterina and Calinda, while I was teamed up with Caprice and Camilla. Our team was losing.

Badly.

I wasn’t bothered much by that though. I leaned back on the couch and watched my girls. I never in a million years, thought I would ever get here. It was surreal if I was putting it honestly. Aretha’s arrival into our lives has made the biggest difference.

It’s only been two days since we’ve arrived in Florence, and it’s been probably the best two days of my life after the day the girls were born, and the day my company listed on the stocks. In this past week, I’ve become such a different person, I almost didn’t recognize myself at some point.

I am happy.

I came to the realization that very morning when I woke up and Aretha was sound asleep in my arms. She looked so at peace, and it made me smile when I realized that for the first time since I was sixteen, I was at peace as well, and it was all because of this heaven sent angel.

Aretha Washington is everything I could want in life. In the space of a week and two days, she’s become my best friend without even knowing it. I’ve told her some things that not even Bianca or Lui know about me. I haven’t told her my darkest secrets yet, but I’ve come damn near close.

I can’t even begin to describe the amount of happiness that surges through me whenever I see her with the girls. It’s like the five of them have known each other since the girls were born- hell, it’s like the girls are her own flesh and blood.

I remember the first time I realized that the girls were truly happy. They came up to me and hugged me tightly, before telling me that they love me. It wasn’t so much the gesture, but the randomness of it. They laugh and smile more than I’ve ever thought possible of them.

And they are not the only ones.

I caught myself laughing loudly because of Aretha just the night before, and she was so captivated. When I caught her staring and asked her what she was staring at, she smiled and kissed me, before telling me that she was making it her life’s mission to make me laugh and smile more. I thought it was an ambitious mission, until I realized that in the past two days alone, I’ve smiled and laughed more than I have in the average year.

She was succeeding.

Anita couldn’t have been happier when we brought Aretha and Yvette back with us. When I called her to tell her about them, she was overjoyed, and I thought she would pass out from happiness when we finally arrived at the house.