The Dancer and the Don | ✔️

Chapter 30

"Then what am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, I've turned off our tracker so the enemy can't trace us. Right now, it's just a waiting game." Nathan tucked her head onto his shoulder as soon as she started crying. She had been waiting for so long, and though she would wait until the day she died, Fran dreaded raising Ella on her own.

She could do it. Fran was absolutely positive she could raise Ella on her own, but having a...certain relationship with her parents caused her to pray night and day she would have Tony here with her.

Tony already loved Ella, so much, and he deserved to raise her along with Francesca.

Her daughter came stumbling down the stairs and Fran quickly untangled herself from Nathan's arms.

"How was your nap, baby?"

"Good!" Ella squealed and climbed onto Fran's lap.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Alright, alright," Fran chuckled and tickled her daughter a little bit.

"I'll go make something, what would you like Gabriella?" Nathan asked.

"Cheesy," she answered, making both her mother and Nathan laugh.

"Which one?" When Gabriella said "cheesy", it was either grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese, both of which she had been obsessed with lately.

Instead of answering she looked to her mother for the answer. "Macaroni," and "grilled," were words Ella couldn't say no matter how much she tried. Fran held the letter M until Ella shouted her answer.

"Mac!"

Nathan left the room with a quiet chuckle and Ella started to bounce on her mother's lap. Their knees clanked together roughly so Francesca lifted her up and sat Ella beside her. She smiled and pulled her tangly hair back into a ponytail.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

Francesca and Ella sat back and watched a few minutes of the movie before Nathan called for them in the kitchen. Fran almost burst into tears watching her daughter shove food into her mouth...when Tony was really hungry, he looked exactly like that.

She forced the tears down, and instead, a loud laugh bubbled up through her throat. Nathan and Maran, who had also been eating the macaroni and cheese, looked up at her with a concerned look. Ella didn't even flinch, her head remaining almost entirely in her bowl.

At some point, tears started to come out with every laugh, and Nathan quietly pulled her out of the room and to her bedroom.

"I think it's time for your nap now," Nathan joked. Fran didn't smile so he cleared his throat and helped her down onto the bed. "Get some rest, we'll take care of Gabriella." Nathan pulled the covers over her and left Francesca by herself.

That routine continued on for so long that Nathan had suggested seeing someone. Fran was in bed more than she was out of it, and the guilt she felt when Ella came into the room caused her to stay in bed more.

Maran had done a lot of research and safety checks before deciding on Dr. Martin, and they broke the news to Fran one night at dinner. She really didn't want to, but was going to do it for her daughter. Ella was with them when they told Francesca, and she didn't take it very well.

"Something wrong with mama?" Tears were quickly streaming down her face and Fran knew she was seconds away from a meltdown.

"Nothing is wrong with me baby, but do you want to know something cool?