𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝

44

Mila

"You're such a showoff." I cross my arms as I look over at Gio and his pile of presents for the kids, which is about 5 times the amount of gifts that are in my pile.

"I missed 4 birthdays, I have to make it up somehow." He says and I roll my eyes, I can't argue with that.

"You just want them to like you more."

"That too." He smirks and I laugh as we set the piles of gifts next to each other and wait for the kids to come home any second now.

I walk into the kitchen where Dario is helping Victoria put up a few decorations as Sergio watches them. "You could help instead of sitting on your ass." Gio slaps Sergio upside his head.

"Ow!" Sergio rubbed the back of his head as he glared at Gio. "I was helping!"

"Sergio you blew one balloon," Victoria says as she crosses her arms looking at Sergio who flashes her a smile.

"Still counts."

I pulled the cake that I baked out of the fridge and began placing candles on it. "It looks amazing Mila," Sergio says and I smile.

"Thank you, I think this is the best one I've made yet."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're a baker," Victoria says as she comes over to look at the cake which consists of both of the things the twins loved. "It's so cute." She says before checking her phone when she gets a notification. "They're pulling in!" She says.

"Lights!" Sergio runs over and turns off all the lights, I grab the cake making sure to light the candles as we all make our way into the living room. "Shh," I tell everyone as I hear the front door open.

I told Sergio to leave the lights in the front off because Cade didn't like the dark.

"Where is everyone?" I hear their tiny voices as they get closer to the living room.

Footsteps slow down before the lights are back on and everyone yells. "Surprise!"

"Presents!" They both make their way over to the huge pile of presents.

"We're here too," I say.

"Cake!" Isa shouts as she runs over to me, I chuckle as I roll my eyes kneeling so I'm at her level.

"Come here cady." He gives me a blank stare at the nickname but gives it a pass as he comes where I'm kneeling in front of the two. "Make your wishes and then blow."

They both shut their eyes, they're quiet for a second before they both blow out their candles, and the room erupts in a cheer. "What did you wish for."

"If we tell you it won't come true," Cade says and I nod.

"Okay, want to open presents?"

"Yes!" They both shout as they run over to the presents.

-

The kids were beginning to wrap up on opening gifts and the living room was a mess. "Mommy look!" Cade smiles as he opens the biggest gift he had yet from his father, it was a huge game of battleship, and Gio knows that Cade loves that game.

"I see it." I smile as I take a sip of my coffee and I sit on the couch.

"Cool!" Isa exclaims. "Now I can be cool like you Rory!" She says sounding more like 'wowy' as she pulls out the play knife set that Rory got for her.

"Oh, absolutely not." I grab the set and watch as Isa frowns. "You can't give this to a five-year-old Rory."

"Why not? They're not real?"

"That's like giving Cade a toy gun and telling him to shoot everyone with it! It's not a good example." I cross my arms.

"Right..." she says as she looks at Cade. "Maybe don't open that last one, Bug." I roll my eyes as I laugh.

"You're ridiculous." I smile as I set the toy aside "Okay one last one, I say as I grab the last small box addressed to both of them."

"From me," Gio says.

"Another one?"

"It's the last one I promise." He smirks and I chuckle and roll my eyes.

"Who wants to open it?" Cade raises his hand first so I hand it to him and watch as he opens the gift Isa watching closely beside him to get a glimpse of the gift.

Inside was a tiny box typically used to hold jewelry.

He didn't.

They get the box open and inside sits two necklaces that look very familiar, my brows crease as I look down at my hand and notice that the pendant matches my ring perfectly. "Gio no..." That must have cost a fortune.

"Let me help you guys put it on." He says as he kneels in front of them and clasps the necklaces onto the twins. "Beautiful."

"Mommy we match," Cade says as he looks down at his jewelry.

"Pretty." Isa smiles.

"Just like you," Gio says as he bops her chin and she grins.

"How much was this?" I told him and he shrugged. "That's too much... they could lose them," I tell him.

"They won't." He says as his hands catch my shoulders.

"Gio."

"Mila." He tilts his head. "I wanted to, it's okay."

"Don't say I didn't tell you so when one of them comes home and doesn't have them," I tell him and he chuckles as he looks at the two playing with their new toys with the others.

"I know expensive gifts and jewelry won't make up for lost time... but I want to do everything I can."

I smile as I look up at him."You're doing amazing." And it was true, and it was honestly kind of surprising, but it's another one of the reasons I'm falling for him, he loves them as if he's always been there.

"You think so?" He asks as he looks down at me and I nod.

"I think so," I repeat back to him.

He smiles as he leans down and presses his lips to my temple.

"Okay, who's ready for cake!" We hear from the kitchen and nobody wastes time before we're all in the kitchen, Victoria cuts the twins their slices and lets them get a few bites in before Serge and Dario push their heads down into the cake.

Isa screams before giggling, I worry how Cade will react to it but he giggles before soon asking me to remove it and I do because I know he doesn't like it.

"This is the best cake I have ever had." Sergio moans as he takes bites of the cake and I believe he was exaggerating a bit but I take the compliment.

"Thanks, Serge."

We continued to enjoy the night before I put the kids to bed and decided to call it a night for myself.