Filed to story: Submitting to My Bestie’s Daddy Read Online >>???
I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and closed my eyes. Of course, it would feel like that. My beautiful wife wore her heart on her sleeve, and that meant every emotion flared up at the slightest provocation. I stored the information away for the next time I needed to approach her about Salvatore.
Because whatever she believed, whatever she wanted, I knew deep in my gut that there would be another time.
“I will keep that in mind for the future,” I murmured into her hair. “I never want you to feel less than important.”
We stood like that for a long time, until Elio stirred in the other room.
I broke the hold first.
“I’ll leave you two. I have a little more work to do.”
She smiled up at me and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Don’t be out too late.”
I left the room, wondering how much proof I would need before she listened to me now.
*Olivia*
I whispered the first line of Hey, Diddle, Diddle in a sing-song voice, gently stroking Elio’s little pudgy belly as he lay beside me. His brown eyes stared into mine, little feet already poking out of the soft baby blanket with his name embroidered on it.
The nursery was empty except for us, the two of us laying in his crib. It didn’t feel nearly as cramped as it had the last time I’d slept in here–not when little Elio’s smile was so bright.
I continued the old nursery rhyme, hoping to soothe Elio back into his nap, but it was only doing the opposite it seemed, as he burst out with a “Meow!”
I giggled, laying a kiss on his curly hair. “That’s right. Cats say meow.”
“Meow!” Elio laughed joyfully, finding the word much funnier than it was. The little excitement he got whenever he learned something new was infectious, and I found myself grinning along with him as he grabbed onto locks of my long hair, pulling.
I fully laid my head on the mattress, letting him tug on my hair as he wanted. I continued the next line about the cow with a soft croon.
“Moo,” Elio giggled, stuffing his fist full of my hair into his mouth and drooling on it. I rolled my eyes, making a mental note to wash it after he fell back asleep.
“Sure, good job, baby,” I praised him anyway, despite not quite having the word down. One of those spinning speaking toys was his new favorite, though I didn’t quite remember where it came from.
It was just here one day. But as long as he got enjoyment out of it, who cared? His two favorite animals were the cat and cow, and he’d play it over and over until he got one of the two, probably because he thought it was hilarious to shout “moo!” or “meow!” whenever he got a chance.
Maybe we could get him a kitten in the future… or a dog.
Probably not a cow though.
I read the next line and gave a wide smile as he wiggled excitedly in response. I covered him back up with the blanket he’d thrown off and he pouted but settled as he rolled onto his side and went face-first into my chest.
I finished the last line lamely as I had to pull my son from my chest and lay him back down on his back. He giggled, finding the whole thing funny.
“You little jokester,” I grinned, tickling his belly and he squealed in laughter, rolling to get away from me.
“Mama! No!” he shouted in sheer delight as I dragged him back to me and pulled up his shirt, taking a big breath and blowing into his belly. He shrieked with giggles at the loud raspberries echoing in the room, just in time for the door to open up and for Dahlia to walk in with wide eyes.
“Does somebody need a diaper change?” she asked, only making me dissolve into giggles.
“Dally!” Elio grinned, reaching out his arms to his godmother. He still couldn’t say her name right, but Dahlia seemed to find it all the more adorable. She’d even gotten a mug that said “Elio’s favorite Aunt Dally” printed on it.
“How’s my munchkin?” Dahlia grinned, leaning over the bars of the crib to spy on him.
“We were trying to nap,” I told her with a smile. “But it seems like he’s too excited for that.”
Elio sat up on his own, wobbling a bit as he grasped onto the crib bars and pulled himself into standing, his favorite thing to do now that he knew how.
“Dally!” He reached his arms out for her, laughing when she immediately picked him up, settling him on her hip.
“Sometimes I think he likes you more than me,” I grumbled, wincing as I sat up in the crib. My back was sore now from climbing in with him and I once more made myself a reminder not to sleep in the crib, no matter how tempted I was.
I would probably end up here again in a week or so, anyway.
He was too cute to deny.
“Of course he does!” Dahlia said proudly, “I’m his favorite Aunt! Right, munchkin?”
He tried to grasp onto the ends of her hair, focusing intently with a little pout. She’d gotten a cut to her shoulders after Elio had discovered how much he liked trying to eat others’ hair and so far, it worked to keep his little hands off her neat cut.
He huffed, giving up once he couldn’t grab it and instead he clung onto her clothes like a little baby koala.
“All right, playtime, buddy,” Dahlia grinned, sitting him down on the floor. He tried to stand again, making it a few seconds before he fell back onto his butt with a whoosh. He blinked up at us in surprise, then pouted.
Dahlia and I laughed and I climbed out of the crib to grab his toys. Immediately he gravitated toward the wheel of animal sounds, pulling the lever with a squeal.
“II polo dice chioccia!” the wheel said, random chicken noises pouring out in a frenzy.
Dahlia glared at the thing like it had personally assaulted her, and I didn’t blame her. We were all getting tired of that stupid thing. Whoever bought it for him was going to get his ass kicked.
“So,” Dahlia said instead, sitting on the plush floor next to Elio. She sent me a small knowing smile and I knew exactly where this was going. “Any idea why Gio stormed off looking more stressed than the top buttons on his shirt?”
I rolled my eyes at her metaphor. “No idea. Why would I?” I feigned innocence as I learned for the hundredth time this week what sound a sheep made in Italian.
It sounded exactly the same in English.
“Trick question, Olive.” She sent me a triumphant look. “I know you know, and I know that you know that I know that you know that I know.”
“What?” I asked, exasperatedly. I didn’t follow that one bit but by the smug look on her face, she already knew that.
“I bribed Gabe with cake,” she said proudly. “Tiramisu, by the way–good stuff. Anyway, he told me all about your dad and the background checks Gio’s been running on him. I figured you’d be pissed because of it and you two would’ve fought.”
“We didn’t fight,” I denied vehemently. “We just… had a disagreement.”
“That’s fighting, Olive.” She sent me a pointed look.
“Ugh, fine!” I threw my hands in the air. “So what if we had a fight? He shouldn’t have been looking into Sal without telling me, and he certainly should trust me to protect Elio and myself without needing to monitor us twenty-four-seven.”
Dahlia sighed, shaking her head. “You know that’s not what it’s about.”
I sighed, pulling my hair back from my face and wrapping it into a high ponytail with my spare hair tie I kept wrapped around my wrist. Once that was done, I flopped onto my back, staring at the ceiling I’d painted with clouds.
At night, it would look like a starry sky, but during the day, it was just clouds above.
“You know I love you, Olive,” Dahlia said firmly, laying down beside me. “And it’s because I love you that I have to be honest with you, even if that makes you mad at me.”
