She stuck out her tongue at me but then smiled. “I love it. It’s beautiful.”
The last present under the tree was one that we’d picked out together for Emilia. It was a charm bracelet that wouldn’t fit her just yet, but we planned to add a new charm to it every single birthday until she turned eighteen. Of course, the first charm on the bracelet was a tiny, diamond-encrusted bow to signify her birth, and by the time she was celebrating her eighteenth birthday, she’d have a bracelet that was telling a story of her life.
Natalia passed Emilia back to me in order to open the box and dangle the charm bracelet above her, which she reached for and cooed, finally dragging her attention from the Christmas tree. We placed it on her wrist as best we could to take some pictures, then we returned it to its case and I put it away on a shelf in her bedroom to await its next addition on her birthday.
We spent the morning and well into the afternoon just lounging around. I made a nice breakfast for Natalia and I, and then we each took some time to bathe while Emilia was taking her morning nap. We’d agreed as a family to spend the beginning of the day apart, but official gift-opening was happening at two in the afternoon, then we were all going to gather around for dinner. It felt oddly domestic considering our lifestyle, but I chose not to think about that.
Natalia insisted on dressing Emilia in a fancy frilled dress, despite the fact that if anyone tried to force that onhershe’d blow a stack. When I tried to point this fact out to her she actuallydidblow a stack, so I let it go and instead secretly tucked a spare onesie.
One we had to stop and change her into halfway to the living room.
When we arrived, everyone else was already there. Savio and Alessandra were sitting on the floor sorting presents into piles for everyone, and Chiara and Marcello were locked in one another’s eyes talking and laughing, I doubted they could be disturbed even if the ground erupted next to them.
Romeo was standing behind Lucia who was breastfeeding their son, Dante, and given that Emilia was starting to tune up as well ever since the dress debacle, Natalia walked over and sat down next to Lucia and joined her in breastfeeding.
“Gio!” Alessandra yelped, getting up off the floor, leaving her fiance behind, and running over to me. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” I responded, kissing her on the top of her head.
Chiara heard Alessandra and broke herself away from her husband in order to come over and hug me as well, getting the same kiss on the top of the head. Marcello walked over to Romeo and they started to talk and laugh and my throat knotted a little bit.
I missed my brother.
“I’ve been thinking about Antonio all day,” Chiara said. “I wish he could be here.”
“Yeah,” Alessandra said, “but he’s with mom and dad. It’s okay.”
I hugged them a little closer. “Yeah. They’re gathered around an absolutely fucking massive Christmas tree right now and Antonio is being spoiled rotten, because why stop doing that just because you’re in heaven.”
Alessandra rolled her eyes. “Always spoiled.”
“Hey, we were too,” Chiara said.
“Really, we all were, but he was their sweet first boy, their heir,” I said. “Trust me. I spentmanyyears before you two came along fighting for their attention from him.”
Lucia flagged me down, so I gave the twins one final hug, and then walked over to where she was sitting with Natalia and the kids. “Merry Christmas,” she said sweetly.
“Merry Christmas,” I said, bending over to kiss her forehead.
“Go ahead, tell him,” Natalia said.
“Tell me what?” I replied.
Lucia’s cheeks got a little darker. “Dante’s gonna be a big brother.”
“Already? Good god, you two don’t wait do you?” I asked, looking up at Romeo.
He shrugged. “I’m building my empire… and my wife is very beautiful.” I groaned and behind me, I could hear Chiara and Alessandra doing the same. “What?” Romeo said. “It’s not a mystery.”
Marcello looked over my shoulder and I could see him staring at Chiara. I looked over my shoulder at her, then back at him, then back at her, and sighed. “You too?”
“Well, I haven’t technically taken a test yet, but… yeah. I’m pretty sure,” Chiara confirmed.
Alessandra shot her head in Savio’s direction and he just slowly slid over until he was behind the Christmas tree and out of her sight.
“It’s okay that you’re not there yet, Ale,” Lucia said. “You’re not even married yet.”
Alessandra stabbed her finger out in my direction. “That didn’t stophim.”
