“Sure, no problem.” I hear Esme cough from the bedroom and wrap it up. “Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow after two, so you get some sleep. Check up on things.”
“Okay. Signing off from home base.”
We click off, and I make my way to the bedroom, close the door behind me and set my phone on the nightstand, then crawl in next to my baby.
She snuggles right in, throwing an arm across my chest and laying her head on my shoulder.
“I love you, Daddy,” she whispers in her sleep.
“I love you too, babygirl. You just have no idea how much.”
Chapter Fifteen
Esme
Eight Years Later
I rub my eyes and stare at the computer screen, my vision blurry. It’s close to midnight, and I’ve been up since five-thirty when Vito Jr. came banging on our bedroom door demanding heart-shaped waffles, which I make nearly every morning for both my boys.
It’s my only contribution for the most part to the cooking around here, so I’m happy to do it whenever requested.
I’ve got a big presentation coming up for a Hamptons mansion just purchased by a freshly married Silicon Valley exec and her husband, who runs a venture capital firm out of New York. I empathize with them—their long-distance work schedules make my life look a lot simpler.
My eyelids are heavy as I put the final touches on the document I’m finishing. Then I stretch and yawn, just as Vito comes into the office carrying a cup of hot tea, wearing just hisboxers, and even after eight years, the sight of him still makes my belly flutter and my pussy drench.
“Sweet girl. You need to sleep.” He leans down and kisses me, handing me the cup of hot liquid. “Whatever you’re working on isn’t as important as your health.”
“I know, Daddy.” I still call him that because it's who he is to me, and our dynamic feeds us both in more ways than we could have imagined that first day I said that word to him. “I just finished.”
I’ve been working so much lately. I have my own design firm, and it’s grown more than I can keep up with.
Vito’s all but retired. He still owns the security company with Malcolm, but he’s basically a silent partner at this point. It’s grown nationwide, and Malcolm still enjoys the day-to-day work, even though he and Karen have four kids of their own now.
We still just have little Vito Jr. I had a small stroke during my delivery, and both my little man and I almost didn’t make it. After consulting with specialists and getting the best care in the world, Vito and I decided we would put our all into our one baby and be happy with the family God gave us.
Only along the way we’ve also adopted six dogs, four cats and a pygmy pig, all rescued from shelters, so the house is a lovely, chaotic mess even with Vito here full time, taking care of nearly everything so I can work.
Because I love my work. I love my family more, but I juggle both, and with Vito’s support, I get to have the best of both worlds and a husband who should win a medal every day for all he does for us.
We got married two months after I moved into his house and I found out I was pregnant. It was a small ceremony held in a sweet little church in upstate New York, where we could feelsafe having my father come with some assistance. Karen and Malcolm were there, dancing around each other.
Vito wanted to give me whatever kind of wedding I wanted, but I truly just wanted to be married to him, no matter if we had a party or not. I love wearing his ring and taking his last name, even though as time has gone on, our marriage roles are not that traditional with me working and him staying home for the most part.
It works for us and our family, and that is the core of what is a priority for us both.
I sip the tea, and Vito comes around the back of my chair and starts to rub my shoulders, making me moan.
“You’re so good to me.”
“You’re my Bambina. I love you,” his deep voice rumbles, and I never tire of hearing those perfect three words.
“Everything ready for Mom and Dad?” I ask.
“Yes. The guesthouse is cleaned, food is stocked…”
“Thank you.” I turn my head up to look into his face. “You’re the best.”
“I know it.” He smiles down, then leans in and kisses me, his warm tongue swiping on my bottom lip and making me shiver at the thought of the magical things that tongue does to me every day.
