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A massive smile spread across Gio’s face. “And I can get a double scoop with hot fudge and sprinkles and whipped cream!”
I lightly poked his chest. “You can get three scoops.”
“Deal!” Gio held his hand out, and I shook it.
“Deal.” I kissed Gio’s head, and Sally’s tongue flung out, swiping at my face. Damn it. I wiped my cheek, and Sally attempted another swipe.
“Did you know that beardies lick their owners as a display of affection?” Quinn asked.
“No, I didn’t.” My lip curved upward. “But now that I do, the licks seem less annoying. I just thought she thought I was a bug she could eat.”
Quinn laughed, and it was the sweetest sound. I wanted to hear it over and over again.
“I told you Sally loves you.” Gio smiled, taking Sally off his head and holding her to his chest.
I handed Quinn a list of numbers. “In case of an emergency.”
“This is a lot of numbers,” Quinn said, her eyes glancing down the list.
“It’s my cell at the top, the wineries below that, each individual line at the winery that’ll bring you to one of my siblings. My best friend Brady, Gio’s doctor, and poison control.”
She held the list up. “I will keep this on me at all times, but I promise I can handle Gio.”
I inhaled and let my breath out slowly. “That’s what they always say.”
Getting Franc out the door was almost as bad as getting my high schoolers to take their seat. I was almost insulted he didn’t think I was capable of handling a six-year-old. Then again, it also showed me how great of a father he was. He was worried, and it was understandable.
Gio and I waved to Franc’s Porsche SUV until we could no longer see it. Gio immediately took my hand and yanked me into the house. “Come on. I’ll show you my room!” I followed Gio up the stairs and down the hallway until we stopped at what I would assume was the master bedroom, except it wasn’t Franc’s room. It was Gio’s.
A small blue wooden ladder led up to a matching blue… tree house, except there was no tree. Just a frame that housed a mattress. Beneath the structure was an orange, blue, and white carpet lined with pillows and an orange wooden box that looked like a toolbox was filled with books and coloring books. A very large tank for Sally sat on its own custom stand in the far corner. The walls were white except for one that was natural wood of varying colors. Boxes overfilled with all kinds of toys sat on both sides of the room. A large TV hung from one wall, and beneath it was every gaming system imaginable.
This wasn’t a bedroom. This was a spread in a magazine.
“This is my room!” Gio exclaimed. “And this is Sally’s.” He pointed toward the tank. “But she prefers to hang out with me in my bed. Isn’t it cool?”
“The coolest,” I said, and wondered if he realized how lucky he was. I didn’t even have a kitchen table, yet this six-year-old had everything he could ever want or need and then some.
“Dad and Uncle Brady built my bed.”
My head swung to the house, and I pointed. “They built that?”
“Yup!” Gio grinned. “Dad hit his finger with the hammer and said a lot of bad words, and then Uncle Brady took the hammer away from him and told him to go wash his mouth out with soap. I don’t think he did.”
I stifled a laugh but couldn’t stop the smile from forming. “You are very lucky.” Other than Gio’s earlier moment of shyness, he was clearly comfortable around people, and I imagined it had a lot to do with Franc and the people around him.
“For what?” His head tilted, brown hair flopping to the side.
“For having a dad and uncle who love you so much that they built you this awesome bed.”
He nodded. “I am pretty lucky.” He took my hand and tugged me toward the hall. “Now come on. I have to show you my playroom.”
“Playroom?” I stammered. “Don’t you have enough toys in your bedroom?”
“You can never have enough toys.”
He hurried down the hallway, and I managed to keep up, wondering how many tours he had already given. He turned into the last door in the hallway. It was another large room, but not as large as his bedroom. These walls were white and navy blue. There was a basketball hoop, a trampoline, a punching bag and… was that a rock wall? “This is the room where I let out all my energy, and Dad says I have a lot of energy.”
“Where’s your dad’s room?” The words were out before I could stop them. After seeing Gio’s room and his playroom, I could only imagine the extravagance of Franc’s. The man had money, and he clearly put it into giving his son every amenity possible.
