I run my hand through her hair, smiling warmly. “That’s wonderful news, my darling. You’ll grow up side by side.”
She giggles, jumping up and down. “We’ll be best friends!”
“Sweetheart, animals aren’t exactly friends the same way people are,” I say gently.
Her brows knit together as she crosses her arms, the wheels in her head clearly turning. I can tell she’s trying to figure it out.
“How about you go grab your bag and think about it on the way?” I suggest, stroking her hair again.
That lights her up, and she bolts to her room with renewed energy.
Once she’s gone, I walk over to Tony, who’s now standing. “Are you ready?”
His expression darkens instantly. “Rafael just called. They spotted the Black Souls’ leader in Illinois. I leave now, I might finally put a bullet in that son of a bitch.”
I don’t interfere much with Tony’s work, but I know the Black Souls are the group that causes him the most trouble. Every time he crushes them, they reappear somewhere else, like weeds that refuse to die.
“This is my chance to cut the head off the snake.”
“Then you have to go, babe.”
“But what about Antonia?”
“I’ve told you before, these parent-teacher meetings for a four-year-old aren’t that serious. Even the invitation mentioned that one parent’s presence is enough. Besides, you didn’t promise Antonia you’d be there.”
He nods reluctantly.
“Did you promise her a pony because you feel guilty?” I tease, grabbing his lapel.
He stifles a laugh and only nods. This time, I burst out laughing and rest my head against his chest.
“Do you realize how much you’re spoiling her?”
His voice is firm, almost commanding. “Why the hell not? She’s Antonio Bruni’s daughter. The world needs to learn exactly what kind of respect she deserves.”
“You mean all the boys who are going to date her?”
He inhales so deeply that my head rises and falls with his breathing. “No one is ever going to date my daughter.”
I chuckle under my breath, saying nothing, because I know his anger is real. Even the slightest mention of Antonia’s romantic future pisses him off, and sometimes I honestly worry he’ll send her to a convent.
Antonia approaches us with her cheerful cherry-colored backpack. her little brows pull together the second she sees us hugging.
“Daddy, you promised!”
Tony bends down, lifts her into his arms without letting go of me, and plants a firm kiss on her cheek.
“I always keep my promises, sweetheart. You know I love you more than anything in the world.”
She looks at him with the kind of assertiveness only a child can muster. “Even more than Mommy?”
Tony glances at me with a gaze full of tenderness. He looks into my eyes for a long moment, and when I smile at him, he returns it with a warm smile that fills my heart with love all over again.
“Even more than Mommy,” he says.
***
The moment we step inside the building, Antonia spots one of her friends and dashes off. From across the hallway, her teacher welcomes her with a warm smile and gives me a small nod.
