“That’s because she knows we’re going to have fun tonight. Let me go say hi to your mama, and then we can go, okay?” Antonio picked her and the bag up in one arm.
April met them near the door. “I thought I heard your voice.” She hugged Antonio. “You sure you’re ready to keep her all night? She can be a handful.”
He tickled Noelle, and her little giggles filled the room. “We’ll be fine, right, Noelle?”
“Yes,” she said, clapping her hands. “Let’sgooo.”
“Hold on a minute. I know we talked about what she likes, but I forgot to ask if she’s allergic to anything.”
“Sleep,” April said with a snort. “But seriously, nothing so far.” She leaned up and kissed her daughter. “You be good and listen to Uncle Tony, okay? Love you, baby.”
“Okay. Love you.”
“You two have fun and try not to make another one of these while we’re gone.” He gestured to Noelle.
Nate slid his arm around April and nuzzled her neck. “No promises.”
She blushed and playfully swatted him. “Cut it out.”
Laughing, Antonio retraced his steps to the car. Nate followed with Noelle’s car seat. Antonio watched his brother strap it in and couldn’t believe all that went into it. With an engineering degree, it should be a piece of cake to install it, but gone were the days of sliding the seat belt through, snapping it into place, and leaving. Now it was an entire process.
Once Nate finished, he kissed Noelle, strapped her in, and reiterated April’s instructions. “Love you, angel girl.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
Nate closed her door. “If you need us to pick her up, call.”
Antonio slapped his brother on the back. “Man, relax. She’ll be back tomorrow. We’ll be fine. I’ve got pizza, ice cream, and Disney Plus.” The only time he’d seen his normally unflappable brother nervous was when it came to his wife and daughter. Antonio suspected he’d be the same way. “Later.” He slid in behind the wheel, backed down the driveway, and headed home. Noelle kept up a running dialogue about all the shows she wanted to watch.
“Did you hang my picture up, Uncle Tony?”
“I sure did.” He’d forgotten about it until yesterday. After leaving work, he’d stopped by the store, picked up a frame, and placed the drawing on the fireplace mantel.
As soon as they got to his house, she asked to see it. Her pleased smile lit up his world. He carried her bag to the second bedroom, which had two twin beds. “Let’s go start dinner. We’re making pizza.”
“I like pizza.”
Pizza topped the list of her favorite foods, along with chicken quesadillas, string cheese, strawberry ice cream, and raw broccoli and cucumbers with ranch dip. It amazed him that she enjoyed broccoli. He hadn’t liked the vegetable until well into adulthood.
Antonio washed his hands, then went to the refrigerator and got the ball of dough, sauce, cheese, and pepperoni and for his pizza, bell peppers and mushrooms. “Let’s wash your hands so you can help make the pizza.”
“Yay!”
After he helped her wash her hands, he sat her in the booster chair he’d purchased and brought all the ingredients to the table. She had fun pressing out the dough, but he quickly found out she wasn’t too keen on letting someone assist.
“I can do it,” Noelle insisted when Antonio caught her just before she dumped half a jar of sauce on her dough.
“I know, but I’m going to help you a little bit. Use the spoon.” He guided her as much as she allowed. When it came time for the cheese, he placed a measured amount in a small bowl and let her add it to her heart’s content. Same with the pepperoni.
“Look, Uncle Tony, I did it all by myself.”
Grinning, he placed a kiss on her temple. “You sure did. We have to take a picture to show your mom and dad.” He whipped out his cell and snapped one of her smiling in front of her pizza. He added toppings to his pizza and put both in the oven. While the food baked, he set Noelle up with one of the Disney animated shows, and he cleaned up the kitchen.
The show lasted long enough for the pizzas to be done and cool enough to eat. He added veggies and dip, and they enjoyed the meal seated on a blanket while watchingEncanto. It was obvious that she’d seen the movie because she danced and sang along with many of the songs.
“Dance, Uncle Tony.”
Antonio got up and held her hands while they danced to the song about Bruno. He found himself enjoying the catchy Latin rhythm. He twirled her around and laughed as she shook her hips like she’d been dancing for a lifetime. And she kept the beat perfectly. Once the food settled, he dished up the ice cream.
