5 years later.
"Alfi! I hope you're hiding well, the tickle monster's out to get ya!" I yelled in a singsong tone. I already knew where the 4-year old was hidden but I was stalling on purpose.
I heard his small giggles as I approached the cabinet below the sink. "Hm, I wonder where he is... maybe in the oven? Or in the cup cabinet?"
"I'm too big for the cup cabinet, I'm four!" He protested from his hiding place. I chuckled silently at his plea.
"Did I hear a little boy's voice?" I exaggerated my surprise.
"Oh no..."
I opened widely the sink cabinet and my small four eyed son managed to slide himself out and run to the living room. I chased after him laughing along with him. I caught him just in time as he threw himself on the couch. "Gotcha!"
I tickled him as he laughed uncontrollably. The sound of the door closing shut stopped us in our game. "Oh did you hear that?"
"Is it 5 yet, Mommy?"
I looked at my watch, "Yes it is."
He jumped off the couch and ran to the door, "It must be Daddy!"
I followed my son to the door of our condo. "Careful on the steps, baby!"
I warned him too late as he was already in his father's arms as the latter spun him in the air enthusiastically. I watched my son and his father and admired their bond.
"Cos'hai fatto oggi, figliolo? Hai abbastanza tua madre per me?"
(What did you do today, son? Annoyed your mother for me?)
"No, ma l'ho fatta ridere molto!" The little boy responded with a huge grin. Orlando insisted that Alfeo learned Italian.
(No, but I made her laugh a lot!)
"Il bambino della mamma non potrebbe mai infastidirla, vero, Alfeo?" I too became pretty fluent in Italian.
(Mommy's baby could never annoy her, right, Alfeo?)
He nodded while his father put him down not after ruffling his curly light brown hair. I leaned forward and pecked Orlando's lips. "How was work, baby?"
"Busy, I sold a few houses in Manchester and an apartment complex, then we had a meeting concerning possible investments," he answered as he removed his coat.
"Same old?"
"Basically. I see they finally found a way to replace you at the bookstore. You enjoyed your rest day?"
I hummed, "There was nothing resting about it, but Alfi and I went to the Museum and then to the park. We had so much fun. Did you know our little boy has this fascination for rocks and bones? He brought this collection of rocks from the park and he was sorting them out all afternoon. Also, he made us do the museum tour two times and a half."
"Why the half?"
"He fell asleep in his stroller when we were watching the evolution of the whale."
"Ah. He's more of an earth guy, my son," Orlando stated proudly as we made our way to the kitchen. "You wanna know who I heard of today?"
"Who?" I lowered the heat on the pot I was cooking in, before steering its content.
"Luca." My head flew in Orlando's direction. It had been 7 months since we last had a call from him. "He's in Salvador right now. He said something about going to Russia next, but in general he sounded in good health."
"I'll pray for him. I hope he stays safe." Orlando hummed in agreement.
"Yep, hopefully his undercover years will be over soon. And ours too. In other news, my mother hoped she could come visit us this summer."
"You think it's safe?"
"It has been five years. And we have new identities, a new life."
"She must be getting tired of Facetiming her grandson," I admitted. "Tell her we're definitely considering it. I know someone who will be jealous, though. Jose."
My father had started to take a bigger place in our life. Despite the distance, he insisted on talking to his grandson on the phone at least three times a week. His Spanish even began to rub off on Alfi.
"He could come out too, just at different times," Orlando said as he munched on the cookies I baked.
"Don't touch those, they're for the lunchboxes!Now what are you gonna eat at work tomorrow?"
"More cookies..?" He flashed his pearly whites. "They're so good baby, you put your whole-"
"Don't say it, we have a toddler in the house," I warned him.
"I was going to say heart, but look who's gotta have a dirty mind," he smirked.
I rolled my eyes and went back to my cooking. "Could you check on Alfeo? He's awfully calm, right now..."
"On it!"
I finished up our meal and prepped our dinner table so we could all eat as soon as the boys were ready. I felt my husband's presence behind me as I laid down the utensils. "So,
what was he up to?"
"Huh... he made a mess in the bathroom upstairs, but I managed to clean it up. Baby, could you explain this?" I turned my head to face him when I saw him holding a home pregnancy test.
"Oh, shoot!" I face palmed myself. "I took it before we went to the park but then Alfi rushed me to go outside, then we came home and he was craving cookies and... I forgot. W-what does it say."
"You're pregnant, baby. We're having a baby!" He grinned widely as he had been wishing to give Alfeo a baby sister as soon as our boy was born.
I smiled with him, emotion causing my eyes to water, "We are?"
He handed me the test which had a deep blue cross drawn onto it. I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist before he spun me around repeatedly. He was still able to pick me up despite the few extra pounds I gained during my last pregnancy, and I was grateful my man is strong. And fine. And the father of my babies.
"I want to helicopter too!" Alfi complained in his little London accent and I looked down at his big deep green eyes behind his blue glasses. Orlando pulled him up with a single hand and we all spun together laughing.
Later that night, we were all snuggled up in front of the first Despicable Me movie. Our son had fallen asleep while laying across Orlando and my thighs. I played with his voluminous curls while his father rested his head on my shoulder.
"You're an incredible mother, Jo," my husband complimented out of nowhere.
"What makes you say that?" I smiled at his sudden admiration.
"Everything that you are. And the realization that I don't say it enough. I couldn't have picked a better person to spend forever with."
"Ditto," I whispered simply. "Alfeo is a lucky boy to have a father like you. He's gonna grow up to be so much greater than he already is. And I mean it... Baby?"
Small snores were heard as I noticed both of them were sound asleep. Peaceful.
I could spend forever like this. No running away this time... not even in my worst nightmares.
LA FINE. 🤌
07/06/22
I hope you enjoyed the book!!
(I personally think it was a hot ass mess (that's why I unpublished it in the first place lmaooo) but hey welcome in the mind of a perfectionist! Also mafia is not my favourite category so...)
Thank you so much for all the votes, the comments, the reads, the support!! I couldn't have made it through without receiving your feedback and thoughts on the plot which is why I'm especially obsessed with reading your comments
Thank you to the few who were always showing enthusiasm even when I updated extremely irregularly (mbd lol) I see you and love you
I hope to see every single one of you in my next books '5th Floor' and 'Don't Leave' OR ELSE...
... you'll be missing out on pretty good plots with fun dialogue and a bit of psychoanalysis just saying ;))
Love, peace, high vibration, blessings, all that good stuff I'm sending it your way 🧿✨
I guess it's a wrap,
Bunny🤍