Good Cop Gone Bad ~ Rewritten

bonus chapter

•Visiting Matteo's Papà's grave•
•Twins are 5 months old•

         I sigh as Matteo parks the car and looks over to me. "Are you ready?" I ask him. He looks sad, nervous, not at all ready, but he nods nevertheless.
         I nod, and he steps out of the car before walking over and opening the door for me. I open the back door, taking Leo out of the car, Matteo goes and takes Enzo.
         We walk up the steps, the gate in front of us chained. Matteo takes the keys out of his pocket as I look up and read the words on the carved stone, 'La Famiglia Rossi' it says, there are plants everywhere, short vines hanging from the top of the gates.
         He unlocks the gates and opens them, we step in. We walk to where we remember Papà's grave is. We haven't visited him since before the twins were born. We visited right before and after the wedding, we talk to him when we are here. It sounds weird but it makes us happy, it makes us feel like we are still connected to him somehow.
         We told him that we were to have an empty seat for him at our wedding, which we did. At the ceremony, and at the reception, next to Mamma. I remember when we were taking pictures that day, a butterfly landed on the tiara I was wearing and it almost made Mamma cry.
         She said that when they first got married, just after she found out she was pregnant with Matteo, they were in Greece, and they went to a private restaurant and a butterfly landed on her head, and he was talking about how much he loved her. She thought that was the perfect time to tell him she was pregnant. When she did tell him, he cried and he said how if there was one thing he wished for their babies life, was to find someone to share a love with that was similar to the love that they shared.
         The butterfly landing on me had reminded her of that, and she said she thought it was him, showing that he thought the one thing he wished would come true had come true, and that was the greatest gift I could give both of them, that I could love their son and be a person he could love.
         So, when we arrived at his grave and there was a butterfly on his tombstone, I smile. It flies around, landing on Enzo's hand. He giggles, waving his arms around, then it flies around, landing on Leo's head. He sneezes, an adorable little baby sneeze and it flies off of him, going back to the tombstone.
         I sit on the grass in front of his grave, crossing my legs and placing Leo on my lap. Matteo sits next to me with Enzo and I lean my head on his shoulder. I feel tears prick my eyes as I stare at the tombstone. I feel like I have so much to tell him.
         We both start talking, telling him about everything that has happened since the last time we visited. Told him how the twins are doing, told him how everything has flowed perfectly, how everything we had told him we wished for, and he had wished for us, had come true.
         We just know he is proud of us, he was proud of us even before all of this. Something just told him we would make it. I have always thought that he had our futures planned out for us, and he knew what would happen. It sounds funny, but he was more confident and sure about us before we were even sure.
         I sigh, leaning my head on Matteo's shoulder and resting my eyes. We both miss him, a lot, but it did not take us long to come to terms with the fact that he was gone, and we could do nothing about it. We have accepted the fact for quite some time now, but we still loved believing that he somehow knows we are okay, we are happy, and he was right about our babies.

Time Skip
•Matteo Rossi•

         Lana turns three tomorrow. It's insane. Time has flown by so insanely fast. Marco turns five in three months, and the twins are already six and a half years old.
         The twins told us that they wanted to come visit their Nonno since we haven't been here in a long time. Apparently their version of a long time is two months.
         We left Lana at home with Laura, Allegra, Niccolò, and Marco. Lana had a little meltdown earlier and didn't want to leave the house, which we stayed with her until she calmed a bit, but Marco said that he would stay back as well and take care of her.
         Of course, it's actually Laura and Allegra taking care of them, but the boys have always been very protective of their little sister so if that is what he wants to think, then that is fine. Not only that, but it is super important for us to spend time with only Leo and Enzo, and give them the same amount of time as we give the little ones, and even beyond that, each individual child needs attention.
         It won't always be 'The Twins', they are each their own individual person, and that needs to be acknowledged and supported. Sure, a lot of people see them as just 'The Twins' but we need them to know that they are each their own person.
         Aria and I talk about this all the time, and it very much is good. Leo and Enzo are very different. Enzo is much more serious, talkative, but not with everyone, although still playful with us, his siblings, and cousins, basically people he is very comfortable with, but he is also not closed off. He is a very open little kid, basically willing to talk about anything, but not with everyone.
         Whereas Leo is very loud, talks with everyone, even strangers we pass on the street when we go out for passeggiata, not about personal things but asking literal strangers for their name and how they are doing, it is almost adorable. And he is very jumpy and energetic a lot of the time.
         We love their similarities, but we also love how different they are, how their personalities are developing, and with that is the experiences that we give them, their memories, the stories we share with them. So far, their favorite stories are family stories, the stories of Aria and I before they came along, stories of their grandparents.
         I think that's why they like coming to visit the grave, because of all the great stories they hear. So as we arrive at the cemetery, Leo walks with Aria and I while Enzo walks in front of us. When we get to the grave, like always, Aria and I sit on the grass in front of the tombstone.
         Enzo stands for a few seconds before plopping himself down on Aria's lap and laying his head on her. Leo comes up behind me, hugging me around the neck. I smile, leaning forward allowing him to be practically laying down on me.
         I could hear him giggling and I grabbed his arms, lifting him up enough so she could sit on my shoulders.
          I look over to my gorgeous wife and eldest child to see him still leaning on her, and she's hugging him, "Mamma, can you tell the story of how you met Nonno again?" he says to her.
         She smiles, smoothing out his hair and kissing the top of his head, "Of course, angioletto," she says. Leo asks me to get off of my shoulders and then sits in front of Aria and I, facing us. Enzo gets off of Aria's lap and sits next to Leo. They were both sitting there, staring at her as she begun to tell the story, "I had only known your Papà for about a month, and he was spending time with me where I used to live," she begins, both Leo and Enzo are smiling.
         "He was spending time with you because he liked pretending like he had nothing else to do just so he could be with you," Leo says while smiling and giggling.
         Aria giggles, looking over to me, and I'm already looking at her smiling, "I wasn't pretending," I say. Enzo giggles, pointing a tiny little accusing finger at me.
         "No, Papà, Zio Aless dice che avevi una riunione quel giorno ma te ne sei andato," He accuses me, making me smile. "You would spend a lot of time together?" he asks, putting that finger down and now playing with his hands. (No, dad, Uncle Aless says you had a meeting that day but you left)
         "All of the time we could," I say, responding to his question.
         "Continue, mamma," Leo says.
         Aria smiles, "We got a call that Nonno was sick, so your Papà had to leave, but he didn't want me to go with him. I, of course, went with him anyways, and I met your Nonno, I didn't talk to him in the beginning," she tells the story for about five minutes, and when she's done, they both climb into her lap.
         "Mamma, you're always going to love papà?" Enzo says.
         She smiles, kissing the top of both of their head, "Always," she says, turning to look at me.
I wrap my arms around all three of them. "I love you," I tell them all.
         "I love you too," They all say at the same time, making me smile.

•••••

Our little Lana comes running up to us when we get home, jumping into Aria's arms. "I missed you," she says, kissing mine and my wife's cheek.
"We missed you too, amore," I say, taking her and giving her a little toss in the air.
          Marco went to Aria and she picked him up, "I missed you a lot, mamma," he says, wrapping his arms around her.
Lana giggled then asked to be put down. All four of our children go running to the dining room. When we get there, we all sit together as the maids serve lunch.
          "Mamma, is my birthday cake done being made?" Lana asks Aria. My gorgeous and talented wife has made all of our children's cakes for every single one of their birthdays, since Leo and Enzo were one, making two cakes for their birthday, and a cake for Marco and Lana on theirs.
           Aria smiles at our beautiful daughter, "Not yet, angioletta, I just need to finish the decorations," Aria says, leaning over to kiss her on the head.
           As I hold my wife's hand on the table, I bring it up to my lips and kiss the back of it, then leaning over, kissing her cheek, "Do you like the food, melodia?" I ask her.
          She nods profusely, taking another bite, "It's really good," she says, kissing me on the cheek.
          "Papà, why do you always call mamma 'melodia'?" Enzo asks me before taking a sip of his water.
           All of our children are staring at us and I think back to the night we first met, many years ago, and the day after when I explained it to her.
           Another story for them. "We will tell you all before bedtime. It is a story to you all." I tell them.
            They all smile, "I love your stories, papà," Marco says cutely. I smile at him, leaning over to kiss the top of his head.
          "Grazie, angioletto, I love telling them as well," I say.

•••••

okay that's it. it's over for sure.

tomorrow i will post the intro for Paris and Brett's book but i'm not gonna start publishing chapters until i think the 12th or 13th bc for now i'm working on editing ABCT. literally keeping the story pretty much the same, not changing anything major and making it better on a google doc then when i'm done with all 40 chapters, i'll copy and paste it and change it on here. hopefully i'll be done by then but idk bc this is gonna be a busy month for me

okay anyways bye bye

~elle 🌸