𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐄𝐃 | 𝟏𝟖+

bonus

A U R O R A

. . .

"Alessandro!" I whine and run after the little devil who's naked and planning on wreaking havoc everywhere.

My four-year-old son decided to jump out of the bathtub and ran out of the bathroom. Dante found himself 'too good' to be taking a bath with his brother and preferred to be bathed by me privately.

Spoiled brats.

"Mommy! I feel free!" Alessandro giggles and fastens his pace. But I'm quicker than him and scoop him right from the floor.

His laughter resounds through the hall and brings a smile to my face, as well. "You can't do that," I chuckle and carry him back to the bathroom.

"But I wanted to, mommy," he tells me and grabs a lock of my hair, delicately playing around with it and making sure not to yank at the strands.

Dante appears at the threshold of their bedroom and even though he's four years old, he has a disapproving look and juts his chin out at his brother.

"Sandro bad boy," he says and shakes his head.

"He don't get kisses from mommy, then," he continues, making his twin brother pout. "I want mommy kisses," Alessandro whispers and looks at me.

"If you want them, you need to behave, honey," I say and walk further down the hallway, into the bathroom, and place him in the tub again.

His hazel eyes stare at me with mischief written all over them, as well as his toothless grin.

The twins are a carbon copy of their father, while our daughter, Alyssa, is a mixture of both of us.

She has mostly my features, but her father's eyes and darker hair color.

It takes me a long while, but finally, Alessandro is out of the tub and all washed up, in his pajamas.

Next is Dante, with whom it goes a lot smoother. He happily lets me bathe him and then proceeds to play with my hair and places both his hands on my cheeks to kiss my nose.

"You're my little man, Dante," I whisper, and he grins at me.

"I know, but don't tell Sandro," he whispers back, though his whisper is quite loud and only makes me laugh.

"Promise," I wink and plant a kiss on his forehead.

After he's cleaned up and dressed in his matching pajamas with Alessandro, Dante clings to my leg as I walk out into the hallway.

He doesn't let go of me, his little hand fisting the material of my silky pants at the hip.

The door down the hallway opens and then appears my husband with our daughter in his hands.

I smile at the sight of them. She has her little arms wrapped around his neck and her head pressed against his neck as well.

"Are you and your brother going to kiss your sister goodnight?" Riccardo asks and raises his eyebrows.

Alessandro appears in the doorway, having heard his father, and quickly nods along with Dante.

Taking their hands, we walk into Alyssa's bedroom. My little girl has a smile on her face, exposing her dimples and teeth.

"Hey, sweetheart," I coo and take her over from Riccardo, feeling a surge of love go through me when she lays her head on my collarbone.

"Mommy," she drawls out and presses her lips on my skin, fatigue taking over her. My hands are rubbing her back and my arms are wrapped around her tiny body.