Page 104 of A Capo’s Love: Featuring A Don’s Love

I laughed softly; both of these boys were my little headaches. They spoke their mind and expressed their feelings freely like Luca taught them to and that’s what I loved the most about them. They didn’t hold back, and to me, it was good because kids had feelings too.

I took a moment before answering to get my own emotions in check. The twins didn’t know just how much gifting this to Luca meant for me. The giant canvas stretched nearly eight feet wide. It was the hardest drawing I ever committed to doing. Dontrell Bonetti was a man I never personally met to have a sit down conversation with. He was the man I had tunnel vision on killing but learned later on that I missed the mark since I squeezed the trigger with my eyes closed.

He directly played a role in my parents’ murder. His actions helped shape every tragedy connected to my life. My chest tightened slightly just looking into his deep dark eyes that I already painted in. I proceeded to dip my brush into the paint slowly as I swallowed down a painful lump in my throat.

“Your pops had forgiven me for things he didn’t have to forgive me for… he always gives me things too. Doesn’t matter if it’s physically, mentally, or spiritually, he’s very selfless.” I gestured around the room with my paint brushed.

The twins exchanged strange looks before they focused back on me.

“The gifts, my new camper, and truck—this beautiful house with you guys in it—the dinner that he’s planning for me tonight… He always takes care of all of us. So, I wanted to give him something.”

“But why paint this huge thing of Grandpa?” Cain frowned. “And on your birthday… you said it was going to take a long time to finish this. Now we almost done because you’ve been working every day on it with us.”

“Yeah, and we’ve been keeping the secret, but Cain keeps dropping hints.” Abel smirked.

Cain claimed that Abel snitched a lot but he did too indirectly.

Because my love for Luca run’s deeper than my hurt… I thought to myself.

“Sometimes people spend so much time loving us, protecting us, and pouring into us that we forget they need love poured back into them too.” I schooled softly then waited for them to digest every word before I continued.

“When you meet somebody in life who shows up for you, listens when you’re sad, celebrates when you’re happy, teaches you things, protects you, or simply makes your life easier and better, you don’t take that for granted. You find ways to let them know you appreciate them.”

I pointed at the mural between us.

“This ain’t just paint on a wall, this is us telling Luca we appreciate him.” I smiled.

“He’s always the one buying gifts and doing things for all of us… he’s human though, and humans still need to feel appreciated and know that they matter.” I placed my free hand over my chest.

“The smallest acts of appreciation can stay with a person forever…. So you two make sure you always say thank you and love on him because he needs it like we all do at times. Things like that can mean more than money ever could.”

They were all the way tuned in, and I loved that they were the kind of kids who actually listened when an adult talked.

“When somebody pours love into you, don’t just stand there holding the bucket; pour something back,” I schooled them smoothly.

Abel was the first to laugh then Cain joined in.

"I always fill Cain's bucket with all my juice, candy, and Taki’s," Abel said with a playful scowl. "He never puts Taki’s or candy back in my bucket, but sometimes he gives me waterfalls of his juice."

"That's because I always eat mine first! You like to save yours just to tease me," Cain replied in his own defense.

Their friendly banter made me laugh, and I returned to painting as thoughts of Luca's daily burdens crossed my mind. We often spent nights in bed discussing our parents, and whenever Luca spoke about Dontrell, I could see both the admiration for his father and the little boy hiding beneath his tough exterior.

I understood that this mural would likely hold significant meaning for him, or at least I hoped it would, given its origin. I was concerned that it might reopen emotional wounds and potentially cause him to distance himself from me once again. After two additional hours of painting, Novae and Kenny Jr. had fallen asleep, while the twins left with Narah to have lunch and possibly play their game.

I was pleased that they were all able to participate in creating the mural. Each child placed a handprint at the bottom, adding a personal touch to the work. The finished piece was genuinely a masterpiece, which I did not intend to share on social media, as my goal was for it to remain something meaningful for Luca. I wanted him to determine how he wished to proceed with it once he saw it.

As I thought of him, my phone screen illuminated, and I promptly answered the call.

“Hey.” I plopped down in my seat as I stared over at the babies.

It always felt good to get a call from Luca since I rarely got one. He was far from a being on the phone kind of person. He’d send text messages here and there, but everything else with him was close and personal.

“Nova baby.”

His whispered voice came through clear as day which told me he wasn’t in much pain today thanks to the throat therapy he started again.

“You made it home?” A smile pulled at my lips.