Page 99 of A Seed Of Peril

Dominic joined us, planting a kiss on his son’s head.

“Is Anthony liking his new toy?” I inquired, amused at the thought.

Mr. Prisco turned thirty-one today, and to celebrate, Dominic, Dino, Angelo, and I pitched in and bought him a 2017 red Dodge Viper. He didn’t believe us at first until we handed him the title. Then, he jumped and celebrated with glee.

“I’m fairly sure he’s burned rubber all over town.”

“Should we expect complaints?”

“If he doesn’t rein it in, I’ll expect a bill for his bail.” Dominic then took Vincenzo’s empty bottle from me, allowing me to hold him in a position to burp him.

I rubbed circles on Vincenzo’s back, patting it every so often. “We can’t let a Karen ruin his fun.”

“Which is exactly why I’ve already made calls to the local police and county sheriff’s offices.”

Vincenzo let out a grown man-like burp, catching us off guard. We laughed.

“Feeling better?” I asked my son, laughing again when he smiled lazily. Looking out of the window, I gently bounced him, soaking up the moment. “I still can’t believe it.”

Dominic stepped up behind me, enclosing me in his arms. We both delicately swayed, killing two birds with one stone as the motion soothed our son.

Ever since Vincenzo was born, Dominic’s love and respect for me had exploded and manifested tenfold. He continued to remind me how proud he was of me, how much he loved me, and how my strength inspired him. We constantly talked about how we wanted our wedding, but we weren’t in a rush. Dominic said a special woman like me deserved nothing short of an equally special day with whatever I wanted.

He wasn’t turned off by my post-baby body, despite me gaining over thirty pounds while I was pregnant. Thankfully, he understood my apprehension to go beyond fondling and tender displays.

I was scared my body wasn’t ready yet for sex, but my biggest wall was my surgical scar. I hated it, although I would’ve gone through it again and again as long as it meant my son lived. Dominic saw my scar as a battle scar and something to be proud of, not disgusted by it.

It was a work in progress.

Vincenzo fussed, relentless in his fight against sleep.

Until his daddy started singing.

Music worked the best at soothing him to sleep, whether it was listening to his daddy’s lullabies, Dominic playing the piano, or us playing classical music. His favorite piece was the same as Dominic’s—Moonlight Sonata. I played it for him repeatedly when he was in the womb.

He stared at his father, soaking him in while he sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

During moments like this, sometimes it didn’t feel real. I didn’t want the rug to be swept from under us.

Our son yawned, making Dominic and me smile. He gave his son a kiss, switching over to singing the rest of the lullaby in Italian. Vincenzo closed his eyes, losing the battle.

“Thank you,” I murmured. “Please keep singing.”

“Whatever you say,Bellissima.”

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Bahamas

No matterhow many times I pinched myself, I didn’t wake up. Because this wasn’t a dream. Staring out at the resort’s manicured landscape, this was a reality I never thought possible. I figured winning millions in the lottery would’ve come true first.

In less than an hour, Bianca was going to escort me down the aisle to marry my best friend.

“Mommy! Mommy!”

Smiling, I turned around to face Vincenzo, who was running toward me as fast as his little legs could go. When he roughly collided with my legs, he reached up, making grabbing motions for me to pick him up.

Bianca appeared in the doorway of where me and my bridal party were getting ready, an amused look on her face coupled with an expression that said she tried to catch her grandson but wasn’t fast enough to foil his mission.

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