Page 46 of Merciless Monster

“Of course.”

“Yay!”

“Here. Take this box. You can pack your cars in here.”

Lord let this be a good thing. I’m tired of being alone. I need this relationship with Dante to work. Not just for me but for Angelo too.

I look up to find Dante watching me.

“Geez! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” he chuckles. “The door was wide open.”

“Angelo is allergic to closing doors,” I smile.

“It looks like you’ve got this packing thing down to a fine art.”

“Indeed. When you pack and repack a busy five-year-old’s closets and toy box as often as I do, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.”

“Super Mom.”

“I don’t know about that. I still can’t get him to close a door.”

“You’re so cute. Come here.”

“Careful,” I whisper. “Angelo is in the other room.”

“We’ll be quiet,” he purrs.

Well, this is the best moving gift I’m ever going to get, I guess. Italian style.

11

MIA

“Cannonball!” Angelo yells as he dive bombs into the pool.

He’s so skinny that he hardly makes a splash, but both Dante and I applaud enthusiastically.

This is my son’s new playroom. He insisted on sleeping under the gazebo the first night we moved in. Dante graciously offered to join him while I flopped onto the king size bed in the master bedroom and died for a solid eight hours of blissful sleep.

We’ve been here for a week now and thankfully the novelty of it all hasn’t worn off yet. Angelo spends hours outside, riding his little bicycle around the estate and swimming until dark. That’s when he isn’t exploring the grounds and climbing trees.

“Do all kids have this much energy?” Dante asks me as he watches Angelo through the kitchen window.

“Apparently so. That’s why he sleeps so soundly. There’s nothing left in the tank at the end of each day.”

“I’m going to have to up my game if I hope to keep up with him.”

My heart warms instantly as I watch him smile. Dante is so perfect.

“I was thinking of getting him a dog,” I say, testing the waters. “What do you think?”

“Yeah, sure. I love dogs. What breed were you thinking?”

“I had a golden retriever when I was a girl. They’re great with kids.”

“Perfect. Is it a surprise?”

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