Page 62 of Sicilian Savior

Narrowing his eyes that looked just like Lucia’s, he put his hands on his hips. “Will you get me an ice cream if I stay quiet?”

I lifted my eyebrows. Damn. Smart little bugger.

After tipping my head and giving him a long stare, I extended my hand. “You have yourself a deal.”

Luca took it and gave it an exaggerated shake. “Deal.”

I tied on a new lure and handed him the pole, smiling as I watched him cast it with the same technique I’d just shown him. Proud of how quick he’d learned, I tossed out my own line. We stood side by side at the side of the river that cut through our property.

“When is our house gonna be done so we can live here?” Luca asked as he jigged his rod a little.

I glanced behind me at the spot where we’d knocked down my uncle’s old house and started framing for the foundation. “Well, there’s still a lot of work to be done, but hopefully within six months.”

“Is six months a long time?”

Shrugging, I wiggled my pole. “Not in the long scheme of life. But it feels like a long time because we’re all excited to move in.”

“We’re really getting a game room?”

Blowing out a puff of air, I glanced down at him. “Hel—heck yeah, we are. You and me are gonna get the biggest screen TV we can find so we can play video games together. It’s gonna be sweet.”

“Awesome!” Luca grinned up.

Oh, my heart. Each time he smiled, he had the same effect on me as his mother did. Between the two of them grinning at me all the time, I’d started to worry I’d have a heart attack one of these days. Whenever either of them smiled, it felt like it would burst, and I’d heave out a sigh as I returned the grin.

I was so excited to get our new house built and move them into it that I’d practically bulldozed my uncle’s place the day we got back. Normally, I would have done a lot of the upcoming construction solo, but I couldn’t wait to move my family into our new house, so I’d hired every construction worker I could find to speed the process along. In six months, or less if I really cracked the whip, we would be resting our heads in our new home.

“Got one!” Luca shouted, jerking up his reel to increase the tension. Another thing I’d taught him, and I swelled with pride watching him fight the fish.

“Atta boy.” I quickly reeled in my lure and set my rod aside, getting the net ready as he continued his impressive fight. “Keep the tension! Don’t reel too fast!” I kept spitting out tips as I watched him handle the fish like a pro.

What I wouldn’t have given to have had an experience like this as a kid, and my stupid heart swelled to bursting again watching his smile as he got the fish up near the shore.

“Get it, Knox! Get it!”

I hopped in the water, sweeping my net beneath it and pulling it up. It wasn’t a huge fish in reality, but I wanted him to explode with the same pride I felt, so I grinned extra wide as I pulled the net out of the water. “Whoa! It’s huge, buddy! Look at the size of this thing!”

Luca’s mouth fell open when I grabbed the fish and hoisted it up out of the net.

He jumped up and down, his little light-up shoes that he never took off, blinked with the movement. “Damn! That’s a big fish! I caught that!”

I grinned. “You said damn.”

He covered his mouth with his free hand. “You gonna tell Mama?”

I twisted my lips and lifted my eyebrows. “You gonna buy me an ice cream?”

“I don’t have any money!”

I struggled not to burst out laughing, stiffening my face to stern. “How about you help me clean this fish, and we’ll call it even?”

“Deal.” Luca nodded with big eyes. Then, he furrowed his brow. “But this still means I get ice cream, right?”

“A deal’s a deal, bud. A deal’s a deal.”

I took a picture with him holding the fish and sent it on to Lucia.

Me: Get the skillet ready! Your boys are bringing home dinner!