Mafia Queen

Chapter Forty Eight

Luca

"Hello?" Charlotte called into the foyer as we entered the house. It was almost surreal to be walking in my front door again, like I was seeing it all again for the first time. I forgot how much I loved this house, the memories we'd made here and the promise of many more to come, how I labored over each architectural decision to create something I could envision Charlotte and me raising our family in. It turned out better than I ever could have imagine—the house and the family.

All of a sudden, a thunderous roar of tiny feet came bulldozing down the stairs. Layla was first, her dark hair flying in the wind and a mischievous smile plastered on her face. Her eyes lit up the second she saw us, skipping the bottom two stairs to try to get to us faster.

"Mommy!" She leapt off the ground and into Charlotte's arms, nearly knocking both of them over. I put my arm around Charlotte to steady her so they wouldn't topple to the ground.

"Hi angel." Char kissed her cheek. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. I was so good, mommy. I helped auntie Jenni go through all of my clothes and we even took them to something called a drift store." She announced proudly, a front tooth missing from her smile that I was certain had been there when I left.

"I think you mean a thrift store... Did you say hi to daddy?" Charlotte smiled, squeezing her into a tight hug. Layla kept her eyes on me apprehensively, a strange shyness in her eyes. "Hi daddy." She whispered, clutching on to Charlotte as if her life depended on it.

"Hi baby." She let me kiss her cheek. "I missed you so much." Her caution threw me off a bit. Was she scared of me? Something else going on?

I had little time to consider it before Leo came crashing into my legs at full speed. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" he chanted over and over again until I scooped him up in my arms.

"Hi buddy!" I showered him with kisses and tickles, sending him into a fit of laughter. At least he was excited to see me. I squeezed him so tightly I thought I might crush him. He seemed so tiny in my arms, but I could swear he had grown six inches since I last saw him.

"Daddy home?" He asked, offering me a bite of his half licked lolly pop.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Yes, buddy. Daddy's home."

"Forever?" Layla piped up, looking through her long eyelashes at me. There wasn't a moment she looked more like her mother than when she did that.

"Forever, baby. I'm not going anywhere ever again. I promise." She was still apprehensive, and it hit me harder than it should have. She was acting like I was some stranger, not her father—way more nervous now than when I first met her. It was breaking my heart a little and I would do just about anything to fix it.

She played with a piece of Charlotte's hair, hugging her mother with all of her might as she looked me up and down, trying to figure out what was happening. Every time I tried to look in her eyes, she would look away and bury her head in Charlotte.

"Char! Luca!" Jenni shrieked, coming down the stairs with Cole in her arms, Julia, Marco and Angelo close behind. Layla jumped down, hiding behind Julia's legs.

"Hey Jenni." I smiled as she handed the baby off to Charlotte and threw her arms around me.

"Well, you certainly have a flair for the dramatics." She smirked. "The next time you need a little vacation, just tell us, why don't you? I know Char can be a pain in the a-s-s, but seriously, faking your own death?"

"I'll keep that in mind." I gave her a quick peck on the cheek before Julia hugged me.

"There's my big boy." I cooed, pulling Charlotte in to me and kissing the top of Cole's head.