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Gio's face turns serious for a moment before he looks back at Chiara with a smile. "Yeah, someday. It's hard enough taking care of the family members I currently have." He glances up, green eyes narrowed. "Did you know that Nonna Chiara already got into the prune juice and mixed it with vodka?"
"Seriously? I told Gabi to hide that stuff."
"Yeah, well, Nonna can be sneaky when she wants to be. That's for sure. Lexi’s supposed to be babysitting her, but let's just say the two of them are more buddies than babysitter and charge right now."
"Dammit. And you know the rest of the guys—Halstead, Manning, Parker, and them—are about to roll in any minute."
"Great. Just what we need. A tipsy Nonna, the Abominable Alexandra, and a house full of hockey players."
"Wow. Using Lex's full government name." I snort. "That little TV segment she did on you must've really gotten under your skin, huh?"
"The woman is insufferable. I've had hangnails I liked better."
"Doesn't mean she's not good at what she does. Plus, you know how the media is always looking for a story."
"Yeah, yeah. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. I just put up with her because she's my sister's best friend. And while we're on the subject of putting up with people...is your dad still coming tonight?"
"Unfortunately, yes. He's on his way as we speak. Seems I get sentimental around the holidays."
"Sentimental's the theme of the night, I guess." He pauses, his gaze scanning my face. "How are you feeling about tonight’s proposal to Gabi? No pressure or anything.”
I glance down at my daughter, her eyes sparkling, oblivious to the brewing chaos around us. “If tonight goes as planned, it’ll be the best moment of my life."
"And if it doesn't?"
I take a deep breath. "If it doesn't, I'll still have the most amazing woman by my side. And that's all that really matters."
Gio nods, his expression solemn before he breaks into a grin. "All right, enough of this serious talk. Let's go wrangle Nonna and get ready for tonight."
"Yeah. I'll be right behind you. Just gotta get Chiara cleaned up first."
As Gio heads off to find Nonna, I turn my attention back to Chiara. She giggles as she plays with her tiny fingers, completely unaware of what's to come.
I smile, grateful for this moment of peace before the chaos ensues. It's moments like these that remind me of how blessed I am, not just with the love of my life but also with the crazy and loving family that comes along with her.
Focusing on Chiara, I gently clean her up and change her into a clean outfit. She coos and babbles as I work, making it nearly impossible for me to stay focused.
But somehow, I manage. I toss a wipe into the trash, but something catches my eye.
A glimpse of pink peeking from the bottom of the trash can.
My heart stops as I bend down and pull out a small pink box.
Holy...fuck. It's a pregnancy test.
I stumble back, my head spinning as I try to process the implications of this discovery. Could it be...?
But before I can even finish that thought, Gio bursts into the room, his dark brows furrowed on his forehead. "Come on, bro. Hurry up. I'm trying to pry that prune juice vodka bottle out of Nonna's hands, but she's surprisingly strong. Makes me wonder how Gabi and I ever…" He stops. "What's wrong?"
Balancing Chiara on my hip, I turn to the trash shoving the test back inside. "Nothing. Have you seen Gabi?”
“Last I saw, she headed to the treehouse in the backyard. She says you guys kept decorations in there."
I nod and hand Chiara over to him.
“Keep an eye on her, will you? I need to talk to Gabi.”
Gio nods and takes Chiara from me. I give her a playful tickle before heading off to the backyard.
