Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
The first thing I saw and smelled when stepping out of the jet was the sea. Then the whole city settled on top of a mountain before us. It was breathtaking seeing how many different colored roofs were peeking through the green forestation, the way the water surrounded it all in a bright clear color.
It was like something from a painting, only real. The drive to the house wasn’t too far, but I peeked out the windows as we drove along the winding streets. It was packed to the brim, much more than Florence was, and everywhere I looked there were hoards of people moving down the streets, just as colorful as their city.
But none of it compared to the breathtaking house I saw when stepped out of the car. Even temporarily, it was hard to believe I was going to live in such a gorgeous house. It was more like a princess tower in a castle, wider on the bottom and stretching far into the sky above us.
Right down on the water, the scent of the salt and sand was refreshing. With a blooming garden to the side and a winding staircase that traveled down the cliffside to the beach, it was perfect.
Gio led me inside, a watchful eye on my expression as my jaw continued to drop. The whole house was picturesque, filling with art and seeming to head upward forever. Our room, luckily, was at the top of the tower, and our bags were already there when we stepped inside.
Our room had a massive bed and a huge balcony. The scene was just to die for, looking out over the ocean as the sound of the rolling waves crashed against the shore. I breathed in the air, taking the moment and tucking it away as a memory I wouldn’t forget.
“Like it?” Gio chuckled, grabbing my waist from behind me and pulling me flush against his back. I giggled, leaning up with a doting smile as my handsome husband.
“Yes,” I breathed, leaning up to kiss him on the lips. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
“I know,” Gio grinned arrogantly, kissing me back sweet and soft. “I have a chef coming to prepare dinner tonight so we don’t have to exhaust ourselves. In the meantime, wanna take a walk to explore the city?” Gio asked, swaying us back and forth.
“I’d love to,” I chuckled, grabbing his hand in mine.
Elio rubbed his eyes from sleep, yawning as I unbuckled him from the car seat and pulled him into my arms. Gio fished his bag for the sharkie plush and Elio beamed as he reached out for it, grabbing it by the tail happily.
“Let’s go take a walk, okay, sweetie?” I brushed Elio’s curls from his forehead, reminding myself to give him a haircut. He just cooed in response, shyly burying his head into the crook of my neck. He tucked his sharkie under his chin, his little fingers playing with the toothy smile on the plush. I put him in the stroller since he was still a little sleepy to walk, and he squeezed his sharkie tight.
Gio took my hand, rubbed Elio’s back for a moment, and then led us out of the new house and into the streets. Instead of heading down to the beach, we turned left to enter the city. We were lucky we were so close to the city center.
Naples was just as beautiful as I’d imagined.
I was in awe of how utterly in tune with the water the Naples people were. Everywhere I looked, I saw natives carrying boards back from the beaches, and families and couples walking the streets dressed in swimwear and still-wet hair.
We stopped for lunch at a local gem, a cozy family-style restaurant with no actual menus. The waiter spouted out fast-paced Italian, naming all the daily specials. I ordered the pasta with potato sauce and provolone, which was to die for, and got Elio the basic spaghetti alle vongole, which of course, ended up with half of it on his face and hair.
Gio was a bit more adventurous and ordered the octopus with spicy red sauce. And after trying a tiny bite at his convincing, I vowed never again, especially since said octopus still had a face to it. I had to cover the poor creature’s eyeballs to even stand the bite I took.
Spicy food was not my forte, and after three drinks to cover the spice, we continued on our tour.
The water was central to the city, but life grew elsewhere as well. We stopped by the Botanical Gardens and I held Elio’s hand as I let him walk down the bridge over the lake, giggling at his reflection and trying to chase the dragonflies.
The lily pads across the calm water, the blooming flowers around every edge were gorgeous to see. I had never seen so much green in my life. The tropical plants down the winding paths and routes, traveling through every continent it seemed, were more than enough to take my mind off the troubles back at home.
Bronze statues of animals wowed Elio, and he especially loved the mother and child elephant pair. We stopped so that Gio could lift him into his arms and let him touch the trunks. He also adored the colorful murals painted on the few walls, running down the paths as fast as his little legs could carry him so he could trace the colorful shapes of birds and handprints.
I read out loud every plaque for the flowers he showed an interest in, but he wasn’t really old enough to pay attention or understand yet. We stopped by the beach to let Elio play a bit and helped him build a sandcastle.
Elio took it very seriously, especially after his daddy built him a moat around the lump of sand he called a castle.
I leaned against Gio’s shoulders, offering little suggestions as Elio continued to build up his masterpiece.
“Thanks, Gio,” I murmured to my husband quietly, relaxed and content to watch my son play in the sand, “for always knowing exactly what I need.”
I only realized it now, but I had needed this. It was like all the fears and anxiety faded away like the pull of the tide.
“You’re welcome, carina.” He kissed my forehead, smiling proudly. “My first goal in life is to make sure you and Elio are happy.”
And there, on the beach, I didn’t think it was even possible, but I fell in love with him even more.
*Olivia*
Eventually, when the sun started to set over the horizon, casting a golden filter over the world of Naples, we traveled home with our tuckered baby sleeping peacefully in his stroller. As soon as we stepped inside our temporary new home, I inhaled the tell-tale sign of delicious food being cooked–roast beef by the scent of it.
My stomach growled and I patted it, blushing as Gio laughed. We’d stopped to get Elio something for dinner, but Gio had insisted the two of us have dinner at home. Seeing how excited he was about it, I couldn’t deny him whatever he was planning.
“Boss!” Dom and Tino called out to us, waving from the living room as a soccer game played on the massive theatrical TV nailed to the wall. They lounged across the leather L-shaped couch, looking like they were having the time of their lives.
“Where’s Samuele?” Gio asked, keeping his voice low due to Elio still sleeping.
“In the kitchen. He’s trying to make friends with the chef,” Tino snorted.
“Of course,” Gio rolled his eyes.
“Who’s Samuele?” I asked, frowning as I thought back to all the men I’d met. I couldn’t picture him no matter how hard I tried, but Gio didn’t answer. He simply turned to head to the kitchen with me tucked by his side.
I gave up on getting answers out of him. He had a one-track mind when it came to things like this, and I’d find out soon enough. Sure enough, when we entered the kitchen, I saw an older grumpy man in a chef’s uniform cooking five dishes at the same time. Dual-wielding professional knives, there was at least one pan on fire as he moved faster than I thought possible.
On the other side of the counter was a guard, dressed just like Dom and Tino. He was a man with a kind-looking face, tan with pronounced laughed lines around his eyes.
“Boss!” the man I assumed with Samuele called out, grinning. His eyes landed on Elio and his whole demeanor brightened. “Is this the little tyke? He’s adorable.”
“This is Elio,” Gio told him. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with him?”
“Wait, what?” I frowned, turning to Gio with wide eyes.
“Of course.” Samuele laughed. “It’ll be an honor, Boss.”
“Gio.” I glared at my husband, gripping my nails into his arm. He winced, turning to me with a sheepish grin. “Explain. Now.”
Turns out Gio did have a surprise for me, and it was Samuele. The easy-going and likable guy lived in Naples here with his wife and five kids, and he assured me that he had left the mafia guard life behind to be a stay-at-home dad. Apparently, his wife was a doctor here.
He gushed about his kids, showing me his overly packed wallet that was bursting at the seams with pictures of them. Even his background on his phone was just his wife and kids. Samuele volunteered to watch Elio for us for the night, giving us a few hours on our own. Though I was a bit nervous, after seeing how much he clearly adored children and having Gio assure me over and over that he was a good, trustworthy man, I let Samuele take over Elio’s bedtime.
“Don’t worry, Signora. I’ll watch him,” Tino said as he winked at me. I was a bit relieved to have a few familiar faces with him, so I let Gio lead me up to our room.
I decided to trust Gio in whatever he had planned because God knew I had spent too much time lately doubting him. He had put effort into this and like the good wife I was, I would let him sweep me off my feet–one step after the other, all the way up to our room.
“Alright, close your eyes,” he whispered to me, pulling me in front of him and gently covering my eyes with his hand. “I have a surprise for you.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled, allowing him to lead me inside.
“Sit here,” Gio told me. I could hear the excitement in his voice as I was lowered onto a plush chair. I could feel the slightest bit of wind on my cheeks, the sound of waves, and the scent of salt.
I faintly picked out the sounds of gulls in the far distance and I knew we had to be on our balcony. Gio let go of me, but I kept my eyes shut at his warning and gasped as he pushed my chair in and something wooden hit my stomach.
It was a table, I figured as I felt around the edges of it, a very nice one at that.
“Alright, open,” Gio told me and immediately my husband met my eyes. Across a small table, Gio grinned at me as I slowly took in our surroundings. I gasped at the view around us.
