Millie responds warmly, “Yes, it is! Everything is going great, and watching Aura has been such a joy.”
I can’t help but smile at the exchange. My mom has already adopted Millie into our family, and it feels… right. My mom asks about the café, and Millie answers with the same easy smile she always has, but I can sense that there’s something more.
When my mom asks about our upcoming trip to Italy, the mention of the holiday suddenly makes the air in the car feel heavier.
I had completely forgotten about our annual trip back hometo Italy. Now that I’d been reminded, I couldn’t help but wonder how Millie would feel about it. Not that it should matter—but still, I wondered.
Beside me, I see Millie physically shrink into her seat, her body language closing in on itself. She looks away as if she wants to disappear from the conversation. It stings a little.
“I’ll book them tonight, Mama,” I say, hanging up the phone.
I glance at Millie, unsure how to address the situation. “Millie, I can explain?—”
“There’s really no need, Gabriel,” she says softly. “It’s not like I’m a part of your family. It shouldn’t bother me.”
Her words hit me harder than I expected. I’ve always thought of Millie as family, and it pains me to know she doesn’t see herself in that way. I reach out, squeezing her hand gently.
“First, Bumper, you are part of this family. I know you might feel you’re not, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Honestly, I completely forgot about the trip—I was planning to talk to you about it soon. I know how close Aura is to you, and I’ve been trying to figure out a way that works for everyone.”
Millie looks at me with tear-filled eyes. Damn me, I made her cry. Everything I said was the god-truth though.
She sniffles, “You really see me as family?”
“More than I ever saw Haley,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. “Come with us to Italy, Millie. Think about it, but I want you there. I need you there. Aura needs you there.”
She looks at me, blinking back tears, and nods slowly. “Okay,” she says quietly. “I’ll think about it.”
I sigh in relief, knowing that maybe, just maybe, things will fall into place.
1. Ciao, Mamma. Comportati bene, ho compagnia-Behave, I have company in the car.
Current Tides and Italian Vibes
MILLIE
This whole dayhas been bananas. I mean, who wakes up for a routine grocery run only to get invited to the water park by their hot, emotionally unavailable boss? And not just any boss—Gabriel freaking Sirolli. The brooding, gruff, hot-as-hell single dad who’s always had this unreadable vibe.
It’s like the universe threw this at me all at once to make sure I would not be escaping this crazy connection I’ve been feeling with him.
And let’s be honest. I stopped trying weeks ago.
So, after the awkward encounter at the store, things take an even wilder turn. Gabriel accidentally bumps into me in the pool. I’m not sure which was more startling, the accidental poke from his very noticeable length or the fact that my heart raced at the sight of him, looking flushed and almost…vulnerable, even though he was mostly as broody as ever.
What the heck is happening today?
Did someone flip the switch on the Gabriel Sirolli emotional availability dial? If so, I’d like to speak to the manager.
There was something in the air today, something that made even the chlorinated water feel electric. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was seeing a new side of him—a side he rarely letanyone close enough to witness. It wasn’t just about his chiseled jawline or the way his eyes crinkled when Aura splashed water at him. It was about the way helookedat me. Like I mattered. Like I wasn’t just the nanny.
After his mom calls and Gab gets his confession out in the open, the rest of the drive is quiet. Gabriel doesn’tdofeelings. He doesn’tdovulnerability. And yet, he is asking me to go on a family vacation to Italy.
I keep peeking back to look at Aura, but to no avail. She will not be saving me today. She is conked out.
Gabriel pulls up to my house, and there is a moment of silence before he says, “I really had fun today with you,” he mumbles, his voice betraying a hint of something deeper, something…softer. “And I think Aura did, too. Take all the time you need to decide if you want to come to Italy. I won’t book anything until you tell me otherwise.”
He says it like it’s nothing—like flying across the world with your nanny is just something normal dads do. Meanwhile, I’m over here rethinking every life choice I’ve ever made.
Like my heart isn’t lodged in my throat. This is the kind of ask that changes everything. It’s not just a vacation—it feels like a fork in the road. Stay where it’s safe, or take a leap into the unknown with someone who terrifies me in the most breathtaking way.
