Right as he’s about to devour me, the kids come back.
“Ew,” Aaron states as he walks past us. Armando laughs, tucking my hair behind my ear and placing a kiss on my forehead before helping me off the counter.
“Aaron, why don’t you tell your dad what we made for dinner?” I ask, still flushed from that kiss.
“You made dinner?” Armando asks our son. Aaron holds out his hand and leads his dad around the table, showing off the dishes we made for his special birthday meal.
“Mom helped a little,” he says, throwing me a bone. I roll my eyes as Armando stifles a laugh. I don’t mind.
Aaron has been really into cooking lately, and I love encouraging that in him. It’s worth the stacks of dishes in the sink and the disaster zone that is the rest of the kitchen to see how much pride he has showing off the lasagna and homemade bread sticks.
I get Alison settled in her booster seat at the table, then take my place next to my husband while he serves everyone.
“This is incredible,” he says after everyone has started.
“I got the recipe from Thalia,” I tell him with a grin.
“The very same recipe that convinced you to stay with me all those years ago,” he says softly.
“Yes, if it weren’t for the lasagna, I would have been out of there,” I tease.
“I’m thankful you stayed, angel,” my sweet husband whispers, resting his hand on my thigh underneath the table.
“Me, too. Happy birthday, love.”
“Love you with my whole heart, Allegra. Thank you for bringing so much joy to my life, not just today, but every day. You make life worth living.”
I swallow through the tears clogging my throat and manage to give Armando a smile. “There you go again, always saying the perfect thing.”
“I’m trying, angel. Anything I can do to keep you by my side.”
“Anything?” I ask, raising an eyebrow in challenge. “I might have a few ideas for later…”
Armando’s eyes turn dark, and a rush of liquid heat trickles down my spine.
“...And then uncle Romeo let us practice throwing darts and a picture of an old, wrinkly man in a suit!” Aaron says excitedly, pulling us out of the moment.
“He let you throw darts?” I ask in shock, looking over at my son. Aaron nods enthusiastically and mimics throwing a dart.
Armando chuckles, and I glare at him. He raises his hands in surrender, though he still has a grin plastered on his face. “I’ll talk to him about letting the kids play with pointy objects,” he promises, though he gives Aaron a wink.
Truthfully, I know Romeo, Dante, and Valentino love their families as well, and would never harm our kids. Still, someone has to keep these guys in check every once in a while.
Armando laces his fingers through mine once more, resting our joined hands in his lap. We listen to our kids tell us about their day, and I soak up everything about this moment. I have a family filled with love, two kids who laugh and smile all the time, and the sweetest husband in the world, despite his less-than normal career.
I had no idea life could be this good. When I look over at Armando, his hazel eyes meet mine, a spark of love and understanding buried deep inside. I know my husband is thinking the exact same thing.
I can’t wait to see what our future holds.
* * *
THE END
