Kissing The Moon Goodbye - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Forty Seven

Kate

Four years later

Alessio came in the door holding a bear, far larger than our daughter. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" She exclaimed losing interest in her current task of unfolding the laundry I was on the floor trying to fold and organize.

She ran to Alessio, Donato always eager for excitement ran after her and when she clung to Alessio's leg pranced around the two.

"Seduto." Alessio said to Donato who sat immediately. "Piccola." He said sweetly and put his hand on Charlie's head. She bounced up and down on his leg eager to be picked up. He picked her up and kissed all over her little face making her squeal with delight and laughter.

"Charlie, why don't you go take your new, uh, bear, up to your room?"

"Uh-oh." Alessio said and brought her closer to him to whisper in her ear for a few moments, she giggled and he put her down. She could barely drag the bear away it was so huge. "Just get your bunny hon." He said after a while and she ditched the bear in favor of running up the stairs on her hands and feet to retrieve her favorite, and well worn, stuffed bunny.

I started piling the folded laundry back into the basket so that I could take it upstairs. "What are you doing here Alessio?"

"I don't need permission to see my daughter."

"No, but a heads up would be nice." Maybe I wouldn't have spaghetti-o stains across my chest and would have actually given my hair a quick wash had I known he would be here. "The agreement we made was for tomorrow, not tonight."

"I didn't say I was taking her tonight, I just wanted to see my daughter."

"But you'd like to, take her tonight? You wouldn't have told her to get her bunny if you didn't. I don't have her things packed, I haven't bathed her or brushed her teeth, her laundry isn't even clean and you know she likes to wear her cape to your house!"

"It's hardly three in the afternoon. I am perfectly capable of feeding her, brushing her teeth, and bathing her. I don't need anything except the bunny and the cape. We're well supplied."

"What if we had dinner plans or something?"

"Did you?"

"That's not the point, what if we did?"

"Then I would invite you to adjust your plans, and instead to join us for dinner."

He would always extend this offer. To join him for dinner, every single week. For four years. I gave him a look but said nothing as footsteps came down the stairs as Nigel joined us.

"Ah Alessio, how nice to see you, we weren't expecting you."

I crossed my arms over my chest to try to hide the stains. "No worries, I'm only here to see Charlie."

Nigel stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Oh? Are you keeping her tonight?" He asked in a chipper tone.

Nigel was always chipper and pleasant. He was understanding about Alessio's overbearing role in our life, he was a saint when it came to melt downs with Charlie, he was kind, and thoughtful, and always gentle and most importantly, he'd never been a danger to anyone and never been in any trouble in his life.