Together, we moved from the foyer to the family room, where I’d set up the replacement roller coaster. Serafina clung to Allie, sniffling into her shoulder, as my wife took a seat on the couch. I grabbed the remote and turned on the toddler’s favorite movie—she was a big fan of the one about a princess who was an ice queen—while Bianca narrated her multiple trips down the ramp for her sister’s benefit, going out of her way to tell her how fun it was and that it was faster than the old one.
After a while, there was a whimper. “Owl-lee?”
Allie stroked our niece’s dark hair. “What is it, honey?”
In a voice laden with heartbreaking sadness, Serafina said, “I want my mommy.”
When my wife’s eyes lifted to meet mine over the little girl’s head, they sported a glassy sheen, and her lower lip trembled. One of the many things I loved about her was her strong sense of empathy. She cared so deeply for others, feeling their pain as if it were her own. Even though it was difficult for me to watch her cry in the shower after a shift—when the collective weight of her patients’ suffering crashed down on her all at once—I was so damn proud of her.
“Want me to take her?” I offered, armsextended.
“No.” Allie shook her head. “I think I need these snuggles just as much as she does.”
I curled an arm around her waist, tucking her against my side, and soaked in the calming effect of her touch while she focused on providing comfort to our niece.
Hopefully, by tomorrow, Serafina would be back to her normal bubbly self, because Allie and I had cooked up a jam-packed itinerary full of activities to occupy the girls while their parents were away.
Fun uncle mode was ready to be fully activated.
“We’ll never surrender!” I called out, ducking behind a tree in the backyard.
Bianca’s giggles sounded from nearby as Allie yelled back, “We have you surrounded!”
I peeked around the curved edge of the trunk, only to find my wife, bundled up from head to toe, stalking closer.
Cheeks pink and eyes bright, she held up one gloved hand, shaking it to showcase the snowball she held, warning, “Last chance.”
Hiking Serafina higher on my hip, I whispered, “Hold on tight, little mouse,” before taking off like a shot across the backyard.
Peals of laughter sounded from the toddler as I ran, pivoting to change directions abruptly multiple times in an evasive serpentine pattern.
“Give up while you still have the chance!” Allie huffed breathlessly, giving chase.
I picked up the pace, my thighs burning as I trudged through the several inches of fresh snow that had fallen overnight. Protecting Serafina while I did a tuck-and-roll maneuver, I managed to dive behind the half-wall surrounding the garden.
“Make snowballs,” I instructed the little girl.
Her tiny brow furrowed in concentration as she scooped up the white powder and tried her best to form it into a spherical shape. I wasn’t going to use a toddler handicap as an excuse for losing this battle.
There were bragging rights on the line, and I wanted them. Bad.
Unfortunately for me, my wife had a competitive streak a mile long and was hell bent on taking me down. But I wasn’t going down without a fight.
Taking one of the misshapen lumps of snow from my teammate, I heaved it over the brick wall. It missed hitting Allie’s shoulder by mere inches; she ducked just in the nick of time.
“Dammit,” I muttered.
“Dammit!” Serafina chirped beside me.
Groaning, I dragged a hand down my face. “Sorry, munchkin. Uncle Enzo said a bad word.” I extended a gloved pinky toward her. “Promise not to tell Papa, and I’ll let you have ice cream for dinner.”
Her brown eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly, twisting her pinky with mine and shaking. God bless Summer for teaching the girls that pinky promises were unbreakable, because I was pretty sure if her father found out that I’d taught his almost two-year-old to swear, he’d shoot out my kneecaps.
The few minutes it took to cover my ass upon Matteo’s return were enough to allow Bianca and Allie to sneak up on our hiding spot.
“Attack!” Bianca cried a split second before snowballs pummeled us from both sides.
I did my best to shield Serafina from the seemingly never-ending assault—seriously, how were they able to carry that many snowballs?—but before long, both of our outerwear was covered in the thin layer of icy crystals.
