Loving The Mafia ✅

Epilogue

Cristiano

I scrunched my nose at the sudden tickle at the tip of it. A small thumb pulled up my upper eyelid and I blinked from the eye irritation. I groaned sleepily, and resettled my head into the pillow.

"Daddy." She called in a whisper. "Wake up."

I wrapped my arm around her small body and pulled her toward me. "Rosie, go back to bed." I mumbled, letting go.

"I don't wanna." She said, her little voice wavering.

I opened my eyes slowly, and I frowned at her frightened expression. "Okay, I'm up. What's wrong, rosebud?" I sat up and lifted her up to sit her on my lap.

She hugged her bunny close to her, and I pulled her thumb from her mouth as I didn't want her to continue that habit. "There's a—monster." Her words were choppy with post-crying hiccups. She sniffled, and I hated seeing her cry.

"Hey, it's okay. How about you show me where the monster is and I go and take care of it? I won't let it hurt you." I assured, standing up and holding out my hand. She took it and held onto my hand as we walked out of the room silently so we wouldn't wake up Harlow. "So where is it?"

"My room." She whispered. We walked down the hallway to her bedroom and she walked closer to me as we walked in. She shakily pointed her finger to her closet, and I suppressed a smile at the fact that she thought there was a real monster in the closet. But then I furrowed my eyebrows at a thud and shuffling noise that emitted from beyond the closet door.

She gasped and hugged onto my leg in fear. I rubbed the back of her head and picked her up onto my hip. I went toward the closet slowly and opened the door, turning on the small light.

I smiled. "It's just Haydn." I put her down and she pouted adorably in annoyance.

"He scared me!" She stomped her foot and crossed her arms.

I whistled softly and snapped my fingers, getting his attention. "Haydn, out." I ordered, and he whined as he trotted past us and jumped onto her bed to lay down. But I noticed him licking around his mouth. He had been eating something.

I crouched down to search for his little midnight snack and Rosaria yelped. "Wait, daddy—"

"Rosaria, what is this?" I held up the open lunchbox that had a messily half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich hanging out of it.

She looked at the floor guiltily. "A sammich." She mispronounced.

"Weren't you supposed to eat this for lunch at preschool?" I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why did you waste your food? You know not to do that."

"I didn't! Haydn ate it!" She defended, poking out her lip, knowing I found that incredibly cute. But it didn't work this time.

"Rosaria, how many times has Haydn eaten your sandwiches?" I asked.

"I'm tired of peanut-jelly sammiches." She said, not answering the question. I nodded slowly, telling her to answer the question. "A few days."

I sighed, wiping my hand over my face. "Haydn could get very sick from eating too much jelly. Did you know that?" She shook her head, her black, long little pigtails swinging.