Then, little by little, their eyes got heavy before fully closing and staying that way.
One song rolled into another, then another. I knew I could stop, could put the baby down and rejoin the party. But I couldn’t seem to make myself.
So I just kept rocking and singing.
Until something moved in the corner of my eye, making me turn to find out that just about the entire Grassi family had moved into the den to listen.
My gaze scanned the crowd and found Milo, who was watching me with a look that made my chest feel tight.
The second I finished singing, the baby jerked hard and woke up screaming.
“It’s not you,” the baby’s mother said, rushing forward. “It’s time for a bottle.”
With that, she made her way out of the room. The rest of the family followed.
But Milo walked toward me.
“Wasn’t prepared for how it would feel to see you singing to a baby,” he admitted, arms going around me, pulling me close.
“I wasn’t prepared for how much I would like it,” I admitted, melting into him.
“We gonna have one of those one day?” he asked.
“Just one?”
Milo - 6 months
Roe was in the kitchen, painstakingly wrapping all the glassware up in tissue paper before sliding it into the dividers in the moving box.
We still had three days to go before we moved into the new place, but she was determined to have it be a low-stress move. She wanted everything done ahead of time so there was no scrambling.
There wasn’t going to be anything to stress out about. Once my family descended on the apartment on moving day, they would handle it all from there. It was one of the many benefits of such a large family.
But she was ‘nesting,’ apparently (according to my mother) so I was just rolling with it.
“Right?” I asked Alley as she climbed up on my lap to take an afternoon nap.
The show I was watching turned over to the news, recounting random government shit, another mass shooting, and then, finally, something that had me sitting up straighter.
“American businessman Frank Martin died Monday night following a fall in the Greek town of Fira. Authorities said Martin’s death appears to be the result of an accidental fall.
“The incident has prompted renewed discussions about the safety conditions in the popular tourist destination, known for its steep stairways, dramatic elevations, and limited railings. Municipal officials stated that safety standards meet existing regulations.”
The camera panned to the other newscaster as they told a story about a dog who saved a missing toddler.
So.
Frank was dead.
Remo must have been popping the champagne.
I wondered which of his men (or his brothers) got a free vacation in Greece in exchange for one quick push.
“Did I just hear Frank’s name?” Roe asked, coming out of the kitchen, shoulders tensed.
Neither of us said it, but I think we were both holding onto some anxiety about him for the past six months. It felt like that chapter wasn’t fully over.
Now, I guess, it was time to turn the page.
