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“Oh my god, Tartanuga! Are you walking now?” I hear Jillian say Truitt’s name right before she knocks on the door and immediately pull him down into my lap. I can’t risk that he’s not done this with her yet.Has he finally said Mama, I wonder?
Jillian stops in her tracks, her coffee sloshing over the rim of her mug. “Oh.” She laughs. “I wasn’t expecting to find you in here.”
I beam up at my beautiful girl. “Wait. I want to see something.” Lifting Truitt up out of my lap, I wrap one of his little fists back around a crib railing and hop up from my seat. Rushing to Jillian’s side, behind the bedroom door, I hold my breath and wait. And wait.
Then he does it.
“Oh my god. Truitt!” Jillian shrieks. “You’re walking.”
In a flash, I pull the mug from her hands before the rest of her coffee can spill down the front of her in all of her excitement.
He flaps his arms a little, and I worry his journey will be short-lived. Two more precarious steps, and he lands on his bottom. Placing the coffee mug onto the changing table, Iswiftly return him to his previous position, hoping he’ll repeat the milestone. His nursery is practically aglow, his mother is radiating with pride. Her smile is mesmerizing. God, I love this woman.
Truitt repeats his impressive steps and the two of us howl and clap uncontrollably.
All of a sudden, the kids come running through the door to find their little brother’s achievement and jump up and down until they turn and see me.
“Luca!” they scream in unison and run at me full steam. Caleb is squeezing my leg so hard I might lose blood flow, and Myla is crying into my shirt. Wait?—
Squatting down, I pull both of them into my arms. My eyes brimming with tears. “Farfalla? Did you?”
She nods, giving me a proud smile.
“Say it again.”
“Luca.” She grins through her tears. “Luca.”
“The best sound I’ve ever heard.” Wiping her tears dry, I kiss her forehead before pulling her back into me. “Ti amo, Farfalla.”
I tickle Tarzan, eliciting his familiar cackle and realize Jillian was right. This is no life without them.
After promising to make them a big breakfast, Jillian tells them we have to have a serious talk after we eat. This is going to be tough, but I need to find a way to ensure they will keep my presence here on the down low.
“Chocolate chip pancakes!” Tarzan yells.
I slide a plate of plain pancakes with a side of berries to Myla, as Jillian cuts one up with a side of bananas for Truitt.
“What kind are you having, Luca?” Caleb asks around a forkful of his breakfast.
“Blueberry.”
Jillian stops mid chop, her eyes snapping up to mine. I wink and watch as her mouth forms an O. “You’re so bad,” she mouths.
Dragging my tongue over my lower lip, I chuckle. How could so much have changed in twelve hours?
“So, listen, guys. What I’m going to tell you is very important. So important, that the only way I can stay here is if you promise to listen and do exactly as we say.”
Myla and Caleb nod their heads furiously as they eat.
“I’ll explain more later, but for now, we need to live here like we’re playing a game of Hide and Seek. Just like before. But this time, I’m the one hiding, and no one outside of our house can know I’m here.”
Our house? Have I really moved right in?Jillian must read my mind, as the minute I look to her, she’s nodding back at me.
“Ti amo,” she mouths.
My heart.
“Okay. We’re agreed? You’ll be good and follow directions? No one can know I’m here.”
