Page 39 of Mine to Promise

“I should be,” I mumble to him, “but I am not. I am one thousand percent not okay.” I shake my head. “She bought her a tiara.” I put my hand on my head to stop it from exploding. “That might be the most expensive thing in my house.”

He puts his hands in his pockets, and I see him bite down, the vein in his head looks like it will pop just a bit. “We need to talk about that also,” he says, his tone is tight. I tilt my head to the side, waiting for him to say something else. “I found a house and would like you and Avery to come and look at it with me.”

This is too much. I thought yesterday was too much. I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.

“You bought a house?” I don’t know if I’m asking him or if I’m telling myself this.

“I did.” He nods at me.

“It’s been two days.” My hand falls from my head to my side. In two days, he’s learned he’s become a father. Bought princess clothes for our daughter, informed his parents—who flew in right away, so their airline tickets must have been super expensive—and now he’s bought a house. It takes me more than one day to decide on a pair of shoes, and this man has bought a house in two.

“When you know, you know.” He takes a step toward me. His hand comes out of his pocket and he slips it in mine. The heat of his hand runs through my veins, all the way to my stomach. I’m in shock or I would have moved my hand out of the way. Imagine if his girlfriend saw us standing in the middle of the street holding hands. “Let’s go sit down before my mother does or says something that we will have to awkwardly explain to Avery after.”

I don’t say anything because he pulls me slowly with him into the restaurant. I walk in, my hand is still in his, and the first people I see are Sofia and Matty, standing next to the table filled with people. My eyes go to Avery, sitting in the middle of the table talking to everyone, the tiara still on her head as if it was made for her.

I take a few steps into the restaurant, and Sofia notices me. She comes over to us, her eyes going from me to my hand still in Stefano’s and then to Stefano. “I’ll save you a seat,” he says before Sofia gets close enough, his hand slips out of mine, and a cold draft runs through my fingers.

I watch him pass Sofia as she glares and then looks at me. I don’t know why, but I could cheer out loud that she is here. My body sighs in relief when she stands in front of me. “You didn’t think I’d let you go into the lion’s den without backup, did you?” She laughs at me. “Also, you look like you are going to pass out,” she says with a smile, but I can see the panic in her eyes as she looks around, probably for a chair for me to collapse into.

“Ummmm,” I say, my tongue feeling like it’s swelling in my mouth.

“Momma,” Avery calls my name, and I look toward her. She is in Markos’s arms as he holds her. The look on his face is utter and complete love. I know she will be able to do anything with him and he will let her. “Look, this is how you wave as a princess,” she tells me as she holds up her hand and slowly waves side to side.

“Is that a diamond tiara?” Sofia leans in and asks me in a whisper.

I nod my head. “It is.” I look at her. “It’s from Buckingham Palace,” I say, my mouth going a million miles a minute. “Came in a blue embossed bag with matching box, sitting on a white satin pillow.” I blink now, and if this was anyone else, I think I would be doubled over laughing hysterically. “From Buckingham Palace, how does one even get that?”

Sofia rolls her lips. “Is this a Code Purple?” She looks around.

I hear the hollering, laughter, and claps when I look over at the table and see Avery standing on her chair, looking over at everyone in the restaurant as she practices the wave. “What is higher than Code Purple?”

stefano

“Okay, when are you going to FaceTime me?” my father asks me, or more like, it sounds like he’s a child. “I didn’t talk to her last night because your mother hogged the phone call.”

“I’m getting to the house now. How about you call me back in ten minutes?” I say to him, and he just smiles and hangs up.

I shake my head getting out of the car and walking toward her building’s front door. It’s been a week since I found out I was a father and in that week my life has done a one-eighty. I lived out of a suitcase, more or less, now I have a house with clothes hanging in the closet. I have furniture delivered daily, thanks to my mother and my aunts. I just finished Avery’s room and tomorrow I’m going to invite them over to see it.

I pull open the door and start walking up the steps to her apartment. Every single night I show up for dinner and the three of us eat as if we’ve always done it. I even went out to buy a car seat so I can go and get her from school. I haven’t actually gone, but I’m working up to it. Today I get to take her to the fair and she is so excited.

I knock on the door and hear the sound of feet approaching it. I squat down to see her when she opens the door. Her eyes light up when she sees me. “It’s my dad!” she shouts over her shoulder.

“Hello,” I greet her, opening my arms for her, and she literally launches herself into them. I kiss her neck as she hugs me, and the phone rings in my back pocket. “That’s for you,” I say, pulling the phone out of my pocket and seeing my father’s name trying to FaceTime me.

“I said ten minutes,” I scold when his face comes onto the screen and he scowls at me, “it’s been two.”

“Where is she?” he asks me, and I turn the phone so she can see him. “There she is, my princess.”

“Hi.” She waves her hand, then stops and waves it like they taught her at our dinner. It was crazy and out of control, but it was one of the best nights ever. When my uncles introduced themselves, she turned to me and said, “This is my dad.” I don’t know what else was said, because all I could do was stare at her in awe. The dinner went on way too long, and I felt really guilty when Addison missed her class. I made it up to her last night when I let her do her homework while I took Avery out after dinner to get ice cream.

“I’m going to the fair,” she tells my father, taking the phone and walking into the house with it. Another thing, my parents talk to her every single day. Without fail they call and FaceTime her.

“Who is she on the phone with?” Addison asks when she steps out of her bedroom wearing light-blue jean shorts and a white cropped tank top, and my cock drains all the blood from my head. Her long hair is loose and over one shoulder. “Um, hello?” she says, looking at me, and all I can do is gawk at her.

“What… sorry?” I ask her, trying to clear my brain. “What did you ask?”

“Who is she on the phone with?” She points at Avery.

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