Only the Best
V A L E R I U S ' P O V :
"Ellie! Your friends are here!" I call out to her and she whips her head around. She abandons Enzo which leaves him annoyed and runs for Summer at the front door.
Ellie runs at lightning speed, crashing into Summer with a hug. She shows her around her princess themed birthday party, throwing balloons everywhere as they walk.
Her friends were instructed to be here at five o'clock for food and whatever else Ellie wants to do. More kids should start coming soon. John's kids are already here. Ellie didn't know they'd be here till just two hours ago. She was very excited when I told her, thrilled even.
Serena, Summer's mom, walked away with a wave and I nod.
"Look at you, Val." I look over to Fabio. "Being a dad and shit." He pops another cookie in his mouth.
"Stop eating my daughter's cookies." I shut the lid to the container and he rolls his eyes letting out an annoyed whine.
Soon the twins show up. Two boys that sit at a table with Ellie and Summer at school. They dressed up for halloween together.
"Who the hell are those boys?" Enzo perks up.
I sit down next to Enzo and watch the kids greet each other, deciding to ignore my brother.
They start playing with a game Mar had bought for Ellie. They dance around on the mat but I noticed how Ellie keeps looking around. Her head is somewhere else.
She isn't looking for me, sadly. I know who she's looking for.
And just like I expected, a half hour later.. a half hour late. Angelo shows up with his son. Tommy is behind him dragging a bag bigger than him. Most likely his mother's doing.. because Angelo is a complete dick.
"Valerius!" Angelo cheers and forces me to hug him, he slaps my back.
"Angelo." I greet blankly. "Do you want to help your son?" My gaze follows behind him.
"Nah." He looks back and watches Tommy trip on his feet, the bag tips over. Tommy starts getting back up, collecting the tissue paper. "He's fine." He tells me as Tommy starts dragging the bag again. "His mother went overboard." Angelo shakes his head with a smile. "She's excited that he has a little crush." I ignore this to prevent myself from killing him and then brutality kicking his son.
Tommy climbs up into the room and flops the bag down. I don't think Ellie has noticed that he's here yet. I only invited the little shit to make my Ellie happy.. even if it makes me mad.
Angelo looks at Tommy but Tommy just blinks back at him.
"Go, kid!" Angelo waves his arms.
"Yes, sir!" Tommy nods, saluting and runs off.
"Little shit." Angelo mumbles and takes my seat.
I watch as Tommy runs quickly over to Ellie and she's quick to notice him. She jolts up with a smile, crashing into him with a hug. I scowl.
"Hey, where's the cake?" Angelo asks, taking a cookie from the tray.
I forced my eyes off of Ellie.
"What are you doing? Parents aren't supposed to stay at birthday parties."
"Aren't you giving out dinner?"
"Yes." I pluck the cookies away from him.
"Then why would I leave when I can have free dinner if I stay? Diana is making roast and you know I hate roast."
Why would I know he hates roast?
My eyes roll. "I don't know how I put up with you in high school."
"I kept you on your toes and you kept me from dying. I don't see why we wouldn't have been friends."
Dumbass.
I shake my head with a slight smirk, remembering some of the things Angelo used to get us in to.
My smirk stops when I notice Fabio slam Enzo back into his chair. Enzo had a violent look on his face and I follow his gaze to Tommy and Ellie who sit in the living room, side by side.
I watch as Tommy and Ellie hold their hands together while they talk siting crisscross, completely ignoring the game around them. They're definitely sitting too close for my comfort.
Bisnonna and nonna whisper to each other, smiling and pointing to the two.
"I swear, Angelo. Im going to kill your kid."
"Why?" He snorts. "He didn't piss his pants.. did he?" Angelo's head snaps to Tommy to look for stray piss.
"What?" I snap my head to him. "No!" I scoff and look back to Ellie. "He has some balls getting that close to my daughter."
"What's the matter? They're like five.. and even if they weren't, who cares. They probably won't even remember this when they're older."
"Who gives a fuck! I don't need dirty children touching my daughter."
Angelo blinks at me for a moment. Probably mentally agree that his kid is dirty.
"Kids are just like us. She's gonna find a boyfriend one day or another. Who gives a shit when." Angelo gets up and grabs a juice box from the table.
For once.. I take Angelo's words into consideration. Something I've never done before. It's weird.
I look at Ellie, happy. Maybe I am holding a stigma to her because I'm scared she's growing up. But I should be happy she's happy. Even if that means she likes a fucking Rossi.
"I mean think about it, Val." Angelo says with a mouthful of pretzels. "When the fuck did you lose your virginity. Thirteen?" I scowl at him. Not my proudest moment.
"Fuck you!" I snatch the food out of his hands. He needs to stop eating Ellie's food. "Besides when did you grow a brain."
"I got a wife. You should find one too."
• • •
"Ellie! Get over here! It's time for cake and I don't want to wait any longer!" Mar shouts for Ellie and she runs over with her friends.
Ellie gets up on her chair and her friends sit all around her. Our family gathers around. My papà stands behind her, he tells her something that makes her laugh.
"Now, Val?" Mar smiles at me widely.
He just wants cake.
"Go sit with the children you dick." I wave him off and he practically skips off. Always has to act like a child.
Within a minute I have Ellie's candles lit on the cake as I bring it out to her. It's frosted light pink with candy pearls on top. It reads "happy birthday Ellie" in light purple icing. A small gold crown sits on top as decoration.
Ellie's eyes light up in the dim room. I place the cake in front of her and a smile lights every feature of her face, painting her in a gold hue.
If I could pause this moment and watch it over and over again, I would. Her smile as she looks at me, gives me a reason to live. To hope. I wish she knew how she's changed my life.
It feels like time is in slow motion. I stand behind Ellie, next to my papà. Ellie looks around as her friends wish her a happy birthday. Ellie did as she did last night. She closes her eyes, making a wish. Then she blows it out.
Everyone claps, Fabio turns the lights back on.
I bend down to Ellie's side and she looks at me. She holds my life in her hands, she's the reason I live, the reason I can love again and she doesn't even know it.
"Ellie, I love you so much."
Something in me is telling me I need to just tell her. Remind her.
"I love you, papà." Her eyes crinkle with joy.
I can't believe I'll have this for the rest of my life.
• • •
Everyone left just a little while ago. Only Ellie and I are left.
I had to forcefully remove Marcello from the house, he wasn't happy about that.
I lead her, hand and hand, outside. I know she should be independent, do things herself. But I can't help that I want to hold her every second of the day. So, letting my urges get the best of me, I pick Ellie up and we walk deeper into the backyard.
I hold her close, the snow crunching beneath my feet. Ellie is dressed warm, both of us in layers of clothes. It's snowing.
I laugh at Ellie trying to fix her hat. Snow falls on her face, her hair goes everywhere. I pull her hat down into place and swoop her hair out of her face. I kiss Ellie's cold cheek and she smiles.
Ellie looks out and into the yard. "What's that?" Her head tilts cutely.
I can't hold my smile back. "It's yours, piccolina. It's not complete yet but it will be."
Four months ago, I made a decision to start a project. It started with me and has continued with adding my brothers and my papà. Ellie and I have spent ten months together and I knew figuring out a teenager would be difficult. Not only just that, but I knew growing up I wanted Ellie to have her own space to explore and express who she is. I started building her a small one floor home in our backyard.
It's not to keep her here forever, though I wish. I know, reluctantly, one day I'll have to let her live on her own. I'm not sure what she'll use it for yet but I guess that's the whole point.
The structure is built and inside most of the frame is done. We, me and my brothers, plan for it to be done in about two months. Hopefully sooner.
"Ellie's house?" Ellie tilts her head, pointing to the wooden sign that lays on the short porch. She reads the exact words written on it.
"Sì, piccolina. Ellie's big girl house."
I push the door open and let Ellie run around and explore everything she wants to see.
"Do you like it?" I ask.
"Yes papà! I love it!" She giggles. "Can it be a castle like a princess has?"
"Of course it can. I think Ellie's Castle sounds even better."
After a bit of exploring, Ellie turns to me. I pick her up into my arms.
"When I'm a big girl.. will I be a princess too?"
I spin Ellie into my arms, making her body twist and turn a little. She giggles loudly into the empty frame of a house.
I settle her on my hip. "No matter how big you are, you'll always be papà's principessa. Forever."
Ellie thinks for a moment. "I like being papà's princess." She declares.
I chuckle. "I bet you'll like it even more when you learn to ask me for money."
• • •
"Papà?"
"Sì?"
"Where do stars come from?"
"Stars?" I smile humorously. Ellie slides her feet under her bedsheets. "Well, when the clouds are done in the sky.. they travel to space. In space, clouds find dust and together, they make the stars." I gave her the— not-so-accurate— version, because she's only five— six. I still give her the basic understanding of it.
"Can I touch the star?" She asks innocently.
"I'm afraid not, amore mia." I pull her satin sheets up so it covers from below her collarbone.
Ellie sits up instead and pushes away her covers so she can talk to me further. She really should be going to bed. Though, I let it slide.
"Why not, papà?"
"They're just a little beyond our reach. If it was possible, I would bring you as many as I could."
"What if I become a space girl. Then?" I think she means astronaut.
"Stars are too big for humans, piccolina. They're much bigger than your zio Enzo's head.. and that's saying something." Ellie giggles, I smile at her.
"Okay, papà." Ellie's smile fades a little. Something picks at the strings of my heart.
"Even though you can't touch them, you'll always be able to see them." I tell her. "The stars are always there.. even in the day. You just can't see them all the time."
"Really?" Her eyes light up. "Why do they hide?"
"The sun is too bright for them to glow like they do with the moon. They're forced to hide."
"Can we find them one day?"
"We can.. if you want." I don't miss the excitement written on Ellie's face. "But even if we can't, the stars will always find us at night."
I somehow get Ellie to lay back down as she talks to me about the stars.
"Always?"
I nod. "When you're ever lost, I promise when you look to the stars, they'll be there to lead you home."
Ellie yawns and snuggles into her pillow. I can see that she's starting to get tired.
"How do they do that?"
I gently rub her forehead so she'll start to get tired. Her eyes flutter.
"If you're lost, look up to the sky. When you find the largest star in the sky, it'll always lead you home."
"How come that always works?" Ellie looks at me like I'm lying to her. Her eyes narrow in on me.
I hold back my smile.
"I don't know. I don't make the rules, piccolina." I kiss her forehead for a goodnight. "That's just how it always seems to work." I whisper. "I'll be here when you wake up. Goodnight, Ellie."
Ellie smiles with dreary eyes.
"Goodnight, papà."
• • •