Page 59 of Hot Momosa

Dahlia

Four days had passedsince the night someone had broken into my house. It amazed me how much could change in such a short amount of time. I barely recognized Leo’s condo. The place had always felt like an upscale bachelor pad, but now it had a daycare chic vibe going on.

And the Christmas tree.

He’d never put one up at his place. Except the one time in college, he’d stuck a branch in a whiskey bottle and hung bottle tops off it.

Leo had paid a small fortune for movers to sneak into my house in the middle of the night and retrieve clothing and a few of my things. They’d also managed to bring Gunnar’s crib and some of his favorite toys to the condo without alerting the paparazzi camped out front.

The condo wasn’t the only thing that’d changed. For the first time in over a year, I let my guard down with Leo. Part of the reason was him finally telling me he still loved me, but the bigger part was Gunnar. Leo had been right. Whatever happened between us didn’t change the fact he was Gunnar’s father.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Leo called from the bathroom.

Gunnar squealed as he ran down the hall, naked. Fifi, Cupcake, and Eugene followed the rogue toddler into the living room, but it was hard to say if they were trying to corral him or provide backup.

A soaking wet Leo emerged from the hall with a towel in one hand and pajamas in the other. “Come here. Monkey.”

“No jammies!” Gunnar climbed onto the sofa and proceeded to jump up and down as if in a bounce-house.

While he was freaking adorable, I couldn’t enjoy the show. All I could think about was him peeing on the white sectional. “He needs a diaper.”

“I’m aware.” Leo faked a left and lunged to the right, wrapping his arms around the child. “Gotcha.”

“No jammies!” Gunnar threw his head back against Leo’s collarbone, while simultaneously kicking him dangerously close to the family jewels.

Leo twisted sideways to avoid impact and tucked him under his arm like a rolled-up newspaper. “Watch the feet, little man.”

“I not little.” He let out a war cry that sent the dogs into a barking fit.

I stood dumbstruck. Any doubt whose side the poodles were on vanished when they ran circles around Leo’s feet. It was like a scene from a mashup of Gulliver’s Travels and Lord of the Flies. The Lilliputians were definitely winning against the giant.

Laughing, Leo released Gunnar. “Okay, okay. I give up.”

“Yes!” The naked toddler took a victory lap with the dogs.

“Not so fast.” I scooped him up as he passed by and swung him in a circle before setting him down on the area rug.

He whined and wiggled, but stopped when I blew raspberries on his tummy. “Daddy, help me!”

My mouth fell open.

Leo stilled and glanced between the boy and me. I flashed him a wide smile.

Leonardo Andrea Marchionni had spent most of his life surrounded by mafiosí. He was hands-down the strongest man I knew, but his son calling him Daddy for the first time brought tears to his eyes.

“Daddy isn’t going to save you from the mommy-monster.” I growled and tickled Gunnar silly.

“No! No mommy-monster!” He giggled and squirmed and reached for his father.

Leo cleared his throat, wiped his face on the back of his hand, and smiled like a man who owned the world.

I sat on my heels and dressed Gunnar while Leo covered his little face with kisses.

We’d planned to tell Gunnar Leo was his father, but had decided to wait until he had a chance to settle in. We’d also decided to tell the rest of the Marchionnis the truth, but had yet to decide on when. Leo wanted to do it in Sicily, so his father could meet his grandson. However, I’d asked for time. The entire ordeal would go over much smoother once we’d determined once and for all if we were going to be a couple.

Leo had been right about one thing. The more time I spent with him, the more attached I became. So much so that the idea of spending my life with him no longer seemed impossible.

“Go pick out a book for your bedtime story.” I waited until he’d darted toward the bedroom before taking Leo’s hand. “Are you okay?”

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