Booth Three

17

"Good," I take one final deep breath. "I'm ready to go now."

"Alright. I'll help you with the girls."

We both step out of the car and start unbuckling the girls. I fiddle with Penny's car seat while Diego helps Hayley down. That girl is far too excited. She jumps out of the car tugs Diego with her towards the house.

"I want to see the castle too," Penny mumbles.

"You both get to see the castle, honey, I promise," I put her down on the ground, but make sure to hold her hand in case she falls over. Now is not the time for gashes and bleeding.

"Hurry, Penny!" Hayley calls out to her sister.

"Mimi, pick up!" Penny pulls at my arm.

"Use your words, sweetie," I instruct.

"Please!" is all she says, but that's good enough for me. She'll only get frustrated if she tries to say a full sentence when she's so focused on seeing the house. I pick her up and place her on my hip. We meet Hayley and Diego at the base of the front steps.

"I wanna see the castle!" Hayley jumps up and down.

"We will, honey, but you need to calm down a little first, okay?" I tell her. I told like telling her to calm down. I totally understand why she's excited, and she should be able to show that excitement, but I don't want Diego's family to be annoyed at us. I want to make a good first impression. I want them to think I have my shit together.

"How about we just settle down first, huh?" Diego crouches down to her level. "If we get too excited, we might lose all our energy before we get to go on a tour of the castle."

"I want to go on a tour of the castle," she pouts.

"Then let's settle down, okay?" Diego gets back up, unbothered by Hayley's body wrapped around his leg.

"We have to be on our best behaviour, alright, girls?" I tell them. "No running or touching anything, and we have to use our manners when we talk to others. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Mimi," Hayley nods her little head, and I can feel Penny nodding, too.

"Alright," I turn to Diego. He reaches out to me, running his hand through my hair to the base of my neck.

"Are you ready?" he asks.

"Let's do it," I nod. We walk up the steps to the front door. It really does feel like a castle. I swear their porch is bigger than my apartment. Diego turns the handle and pushes the door open. He motions for me to step inside, so I do.

I feel like an ant. That's how big this place is. The foyer is decorated with marble floors and a modern, gold chandelier, hanging above a double staircase. It extends in all directions, with what looks like a dining room on the right, a living area on the left, and another one behind the stairs. They're all separated by doors, but they're made of glass.

"It's so big!" Hayley gasps, eyeing the place in awe. "It's like an ice rink!"

"It is, isn't it?" Diego responds. He walks up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist.

"It's so nice," I tell him. "I can't believe you've lived here all your life."

"You could live in a place just like this."

"I wouldn't even know how," I snicker. He leans in to whisper something in my ear, but he's interrupted by a new voice.

"Diego? Is that you?" a woman appears from behind the stairs. I recognise her right away as Lucy Ferrari, Diego's mother. Just as I thought, she appears well-put-together. She's wearing a beautiful green wrap dress with a pair of white sneakers. There's a thin layer of makeup on her face, and her hair drapes loosely to her shoulders. Her lips turn up into an excited smile when her eyes land on me. "You must be Amelia!"

"Hi," I meet her smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, I've heard so much about you! I was just over the moon when Diego told me you'd be joining us," she opens her arms wide, embracing me in a welcoming hug.

"Thank you for having us over."

"Nonsense! You're welcome here anytime, love," she releases me from her grip, turning her attention to Penny. "And who do we have here?"

"This is Penny," I introduce her. "Can you say hi, honey?"

"Hi," Penny mumbles quietly, nuzzling her head into my hair.

"Hi, Penny. My name is Lucy," she says. "You look lovely today in your pink dress."

"Say thank you," I tell her, but she shakes her head. "Sorry, she's a bit shy."

"That's okay. I'd be a little shy too," she laughs. She turns towards Diego and Hayley, giving her son a brief kiss before turning to my daughter. She bends down to her level. "And who are you?"

"I'm Hayley and I'm five," she grins widely, holding up five of her fingers.

"Wow! Five already?"

"Uhm-hmm. I'm almost big enough for big kid school!"

"That's exciting!" Lucy says. "Do you want to come to meet some more big kids?"

"Yes!" she gasps. "Can I, Mimi?"

"Of course, sweets," I laugh. "Go ahead."

She finally lets go of Diego's hand and takes Lucy's instead. The two of them walk into the back room.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" Diego asks.

"No, your mum's sweet," I smile.

"She's the best," he nods. "My siblings should be in the next room, and I have a lot of them, so don't worry about remembering everyone's names, okay?"

"Alright," I laugh. I don't think that'll be an issue, though. It's not like I haven't been hearing about them my whole life.