"Damion?" Dante calls down the passage. "Come and look here, little buddy."
Damion comes speeding down the hall and Dante catches him before he can speed-wobble into the jungle.
"Ok, little man, this is very important - are you paying attention?" Dante says. Damion puts on his serious face too.
"Are you listening?" Dante asks, and Damion nods. His little brows wrinkled.
"I want you to know that this room that you are about to see - this is your bedroom. It is your special place. It is just for you and no one else. Do you understand?"
Damion wiggles and grins. "Mine. Mine room for me." He shouts.
"That's right. Your room for you. Do you want to see what your room looks like?"
Damion is throwing himself backward trying to get out of Dante's arms so that he can see his new room. I can't stop laughing.
Dante sets him on the ground and the little boy bolts straight through the doors.
Inside the room he comes to a screeching halt, staring wide eyes, in total disbelief -- his mouth in a little 'o' as he takes it in.
We hold our breaths, waiting for his reaction to come.
Damion is dead still. Not moving a muscle.
Then suddenly he screams "Dinosaur." And leaps onto the bed, rolling around and tugging at the blankets. He rolls off the bed and runs to the toy shelf, grabbing a giant velociraptor teddy bear and carrying it to the bed. He keeps grabbing toys, shouting random words, and building a mountain of toys on the bed.
Dante steps close to me and pulls me against his side. "I think it's safe to say he loves it."
"I don't think we are ever going to see him again. I think he will never leave this room." I laugh, turning towards Dante. "Thank you so much for this. You don't understand what this means to me - for Damion to have such a special place to call his own."
"I understand. And I want him to know that he has a home here with me. Just like you do."
Damion is very busy in the room. So, I slip my hands beneath Dante's shirt, and with a cheeky grin I ask him, "Do you want to show me my bedroom now?"
His smile is naughty, and so is the reaction from his body. Without a second of hesitation, he lifts me up and throws me over his shoulder. I scream with laughter as he carries me to our bedroom and drops me onto the bed.
"Welcome home, little fox." He grins, tugging at my clothes and tossing them over his shoulder. "Now be a good girl and spread your legs wide for me."
DANTE
Ihave kept my security team on high alert, just to make sure that my little family is safe.
I still have intense moments of grief over the loss of my sister, but I am grateful for Frankie's gentle and loving nature, helping me through those moments and showing me constant and unwavering support. The thing about a loss so profound is that you don't experience it all at once; it comes and goes in waves. Some days they're small, just tickling the shores with sadness, others it can be a tsunami of anger and rage.
I can't imagine my life without her or Damion in it. That would kill me.
Because Antonio's business associates have been throwing so many threats around, we have escalated our plans for her to take over her father's casino.
The casino is held in a trust and she is named as the beneficiary if anything happens to him, so the process is less complicated than I expected. Two of his smaller casinos were closed and seized by law enforcement, but the main casino has been left for Frankie. We've initiated a merger, bringing our two worlds together to create a much stronger foundation.
Tonight, because we can't afford to delay anymore, we are hosting a grand reopening. The entire place has been rebranded, a new wholesome image with her face on it. All of the staff have changed because we didn't want Antonio's goons to be involved in this new beginning, and Frankie is eager to become a business owner.
The business associates who were making the biggest threats have been called into separate meetings to discuss the way forward. We have offered shares to those who want to work with us in exchange for whatever they can bring to the table.
So far, most of them have accepted our terms. There are some exceptions, but I have dealt with them the old-fashioned way. My crew will pay them a visit, and send a clear message that the Russo family is not to be messed with so they understand that if they don't back off, they will lose everything.
With Frankie and me partnering to own the largest casinos in Las Vegas, we're now the most powerful couple in the city. News is spreading fast that we are together -- not only in business but in love as well. Only a fool would dare take us on now.
"Little fox, are you ready?" I ask as Frankie rushes past me for the tenth time wearing something different. "You look incredible, my love, why are you changing your dress every five minutes?"