“He has your nose.”
“Lucky him. He’ll grow into it.” I smile as I close my eyes, wanting nothing more than a nap.
There’s a knock on the door before it swings open, and my parents walk in holding a bunch of balloons, wrapped presents, and a bouquet of flowers. “You awake?” Ma asks in a tone so loud that if I wasn’t already, I sure as hell would be now.
“Yeah.” I pull myself up in bed to sit up, trying to find the energy to be chatty.
“Come in,” Ryder tells them when they don’t fully walk into the room.
Ma looks at me for a second before her eyes dip to her newest grandchild. “Look, Mario. He’s so little.”
Pops smiles with a slow nod. “He’s not that little, though, Lucia. He’s a big boy. I see sports in his future.”
Ryder turns his head toward me and smiles. “See.”
“Yeah. Yeah,” I mutter, waving the comment away with my hand. “We’ll see. Maybe he’ll be a tuba player.”
My father winces. “Nope. Not him. He’s like an Italian god. He’s going to be a helluva tackle.”
“I was thinking rugby,” Ryder tells my dad as they set everything on the end of the bed except the flowers.
My father scrunches his nose. “No money in rugby.”
“Sometimes things are bigger than money,” Ryder tells my pop, and I know they’re about to go ten rounds on if the love of a sport is more important than future earning potential.
Ma pulls out a vase from her purse like it’s a normal thing to carry in there. “I brought these for you to brighten your room. It’s so dreary in here.”
“Thanks, Ma,” I tell her, even though I don’t plan to stick around long enough to let the gray walls have any effect on me. “You think of everything.”
“How are the kids?” Ryder asks my mom as she fills the vase with water in the small bathroom inside my room.
“They’re good. Excited. They barely slept last night. Vito is going to feed them breakfast and get them ready before bringing them over.”
“Oh boy,” I mumble. “That’ll be interesting.”
“He can do it. If not, it’ll be a great learning experience. The way he plays around, he’s lucky he doesn’t have a half dozen little ones running around,” Pops says as he moves to Ryder’s side to get a better look at Ethan. “May I?”
Ryder doesn’t hesitate in handing over our son.
My father takes him like a pro, supporting his head and holding him tight against his body. “My beautiful grandson,” Pops says with so much pride. “I can’t wait to watch you grow up.”
Ma places the vase next to me on the small table they keep placing over my bed. “I’m going to spoil that baby rotten.”
“Worse than Franco’s kid?” I ask, thinking it’s impossible.
Ma laughs as she moves the flowers around to make them look prettier. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
“Our bank account is already in shock,” Pops says, tipping the baby so my mother can see him.
My parents were there when he was born. They cried the moment their eyes landed on his face. I’d never seen them so happy. Not even when Franco’s kid was born, but I’d never tell anyone that, especially my brother.
“I’ve made a decision,” Ma announces as she takes the baby from my father’s arms without asking. Surprisingly, he gives him over without even missing a beat. “I’m going to give up volunteering.”
“Really?” I ask, completely shocked because my mother loves the time she spends in the community. I really think she enjoys the ability to hear the latest gossip from a variety of people.
Ma nods. “I’m going to start watching Franco’s little one, and now that Ethan is born, I can watch him too. Cora’s welcome to join them at my house each day too, Ryder.”
“Ma, no. You don’t have to—”
