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“Hey,” Salvatore interjects. “What have I said about fighting? Be nice to each other.”
Dominic eyes the small toddler at his side like he’s seeing her for the first time. “That’s my little sister.”
“That’s right. She looks up to you.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, turning to her for a hug.
Salvatore and I share a sentimental look. Being only two years apart but still so young, we’ve had to remind them to get along. In moments like this, as Dominic hugs his little sister and she beams, showing off her tiny rice for teeth, it’s heartwarming to see the end result.
“Alright, kiddos, how about we leave Mommy and Daddy alone for a few minutes?” Stitches asks.
He’s taken on a babysitting role for the morning. Something Dom and Rena are more than used to whenever Salvatore and I have our date nights. He has a natural gift with kids.
Salvatore helps the kids off the bed, and they jump and skip, following after Stitches and asking him a dozen different questions. As the door swings shut, I hear Dominic ask where his nickname comes from.
I raise my brows at Salvatore. He scratches the scruff along his jawline with a laugh.
“Stitches can handle ’em. He’ll probably make up some story about doctors and booboos.”
“Jon,” I say with a soft sigh. The contentment swelling up inside my chest is almost too much to express. “You never cease to make me feel special. Thank you for doing this.”
He sits back down on the side of the bed and captures my lips in a tender kiss. “Let’s not forget what you did for me on Father’s Day last year. The Best Dad scrapbook you and the kids put together. It’s displayed on my desk.”
“Rena couldn’t get enough of the glitter,” I giggle at the fond memory.
“I can tell. She put it all over every page.”
“This looks delicious. Did you cook it by yourself?”
Salvatore strokes his jaw and tries to scrub the grin forming on his mouth. “I might’ve had some help from Shonda in the kitchen. The sauce in the eggs benedict is tricky. But everything else was all me.”
I kiss him. Several tiny, quick pecks on the lips. “I bet it’s delicious. Thank you.”
“Your father called earlier.”
“My dad calledyou?Notme?”
He shrugs. “I told him about the surprise this morning. That I was going to try to get you to sleep in. He didn’t want to disturb you.”
“What did he say?” I ask, half amused as I cut into my salmon and eggs benedict.
“He’s coming over this afternoon. We’re going to grill for dinner. The kids can play out back.”
“That sounds… great.”
I blink at the sudden flood of tears coming on. Salvatore curls his arms around me, and though he usually understands how I’m feeling at any given moment, for once it seems I’ve thrown him for a loop.
Stupid hormones.
I sniffle and shake my head. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I’ve always wanted this. For you two to get along and for us to be one big family.”
“We’ve come to an understanding,” Salvatore answers, taking my hand in his and caressing the back of it with his thumb. “There’s enough room for the both of us in your life.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I say, then I work up the courage to confess what else is on my mind and heart. A piece of news I’ve been meaning to tell him since I found out. “Is there enough room for one more?"
Salvatore understands immediately. His normally serious face relaxes into outright joy. His blue-green eyes light up and he releases a loud, husky laugh. “Phi, don’t tell me you’re pregnant?!”
I nod, biting my bottom lip to contain my own laugh. “I found out just the other day. Six weeks.”
