Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 771 : Happy Family

*Caterina*

I woke up suspiciously late and immediately sat up, looking around for Emilia. She was the perfect baby in every way except for letting me sleep, and I instinctively knew that I had slept much later than usual. Elio was in the plush rocking chair in the corner holding her. He looked up at me and smiled, then back down at Emilia.

There was an expression on his face that he only had when he looked at Emilia. He was so filled with love and adoration for her and it showed in every smile line.

I could hardly look away from the two of them. It filled my heart with such joy just to see the way he loved her. I never had the chance to know my dad very well since he passed when I was so young, and seeing Elio with Emilia filled me with a strange sort of nostalgic longing. I would do anything to ensure that he was always able to be around for her.

She deserved that and so much more. She was the most precious thing in my life. Her very existence reminded me of how pure the love between myself and her father was, and every time I saw her, I could feel that love growing and growing.

I hated to break the precious moment between the two of them, but I couldn’t deny my curiosity any longer. “So, how’d it go last night?”

Elio grimaced. “Not great.” He looked up at me, and I could see the stress that I hadn’t noticed previously.

“What happened?” I asked, horrified to hear that it hadn’t gone well.

“We ended up getting ambushed by the cops. Obviously, I was able to get out in time, but a lot of my guys didn’t. There are already several who have been thrown in jail. It’s a fucking disaster.” He glanced down at Emilia. “Sorry, I meant, it’s a terrible disaster.”

I chuckled. “I don’t think we have to censor ourselves just yet.”

“Who knows how much they absorb? Plus, I think she might be a genius. Just look at her eyes. You can tell she’s smart.” He smiled down at her again and held her up so that I could see her face.

Her eyes were alert as she looked around the room in search of my voice. She couldn’t see well enough to track me, but I could tell that she had pinpointed where in the room I was.

“Yes, she is. Now stop trying to change the subject and tell me exactly what happened.”

“It was just too public. You can’t have a firefight in the middle of the city. I got Leo out. That’s all that mattered. But Ignacio is still going to be causing us problems, and now we’ll be having issues from the feds too. It’s going to mean we have to lay extremely low for a long time.”

I nodded. I wouldn’t mind playing happy family for a bit and just forgetting about the mafia life. I finally understood why Gio had been so insistent that Elio not follow in his footsteps. Now that we had Emilia, all I wanted to do was make sure that she was safe. “What happens with the guys in jail?”

“We’ll get them the best lawyers money can buy. Hopefully, we can get all of them out on technicalities, but I have to stay far away from all of it. If the feds get any idea that I’m in charge of the entire operation, everything will crumble and I’ll spend the rest of my life in prison.”

Just the idea of that was horrifying. “Yeah, we can’t risk that. I don’t know what Emilia and I would do.” I felt selfish as I realized that it was a reality for some wives this morning. I was so lucky that Elio had the ability to protect himself, and it made me feel horrible for the people who didn’t have that privilege.

“I’m so lucky to have the two of you,” Elio said, standing up with Emilia in his arms. He gave her one last snuggle and then laid her in her bassinet. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Our sweet girl has a doctor’s appointment today. Do you want to come with us?”

“Of course I do!” He crossed the room and pulled me into his arms. “You know there’s nothing I love more than spending the day with my girls.”

I relaxed into his hug, grateful as always for his presence.

We dressed quickly and I nursed Emilia one last time before leaving. She hated her car seat and always fussed while being put into it, but once we started driving, she settled down. Luckily, it wasn’t too far of a drive to get to the doctor’s office.

Elio had ensured that everything we needed for her was close by so that when I had to take her by myself I wouldn’t have to spend a bunch of time in traffic. We also used a pediatrician who had been fully vetted. We didn’t trust Emilia’s health to just anyone. Our people who had babies worked as guards whenever I had an appointment. They sat in the waiting room and looked just like everyone else.

Emilia started getting fussy while we waited in the exam room for the doctor. She was wrapped in her swaddle blanket with nothing but her diaper underneath so that the doctor could look her over. Her little fists beat against Elio’s chest as he held her up and bounced her lightly around the room. Even her angry cries were adorable.

Finally, the doctor came in and checked her over. “She’s gained six ounces since she left the hospital, which is excellent. Is she nursing every two hours?”

“Yes, for the most part. Sometimes she does longer stretches at night, but I read that was okay as long as she’s gaining weight,” I said anxiously.

I felt like Emilia’s doctor’s appointment was a test that I had to pass. I wanted to feel like I could handle being her mother. Elio rubbed my back reassuringly. I knew he knew how much I cared about getting it right.

“That’s perfect!” the doctor said. “If she seems comfortable with going slightly longer, that’s perfectly fine. I wouldn’t let her go more than about four hours in between feedings though, just to be on the safe side.” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

I nodded vigorously and made a mental note to set an alarm for every four hours. There was no way I was going to get this wrong.

“Do you have any questions for me?” The doctor took off her gloves and started to head for the door.

“Is there anything I should be doing to help Cat out more? I want to make sure I’m supporting her as best I can,” Elio said while I dressed Emilia back up in her pajamas.

“I always recommend that couples keep up regular date nights after having their first child. It’s easy to get so caught up in your new identities as parents that you forget to enjoy your time as a couple. Especially for new mothers, the transition can be difficult.”

Elio nodded seriously and I knew we’d end up having a scheduled out date night planned each week. He was the type of person who would do anything to help me.

“Well, I think we can plan on seeing you next week, and then we’ll start having longer stretches in between appointments,” the doctor said brightly as she opened the door. “Thanks so much for coming in today!”

After she left, Elio loaded Emilia into her car seat. After being poked and prodded for her appointment, she was less fussy about being strapped in. I knew she’d end up falling asleep in just a few moments. Her sweet little eyes already looked droopy.

We were home again before I knew it. Elio took Emilia out of her car seat and settled her into her bassinet. I hoped she would get a good nap in so that I could rest as well. I laid down on our bed and hoped that Elio had the time to lay down with me, but as soon as he stood up from laying Emilia down, he walked over to his closet and pulled out his suit jacket. He had opted for a more casual look for the doctor’s office, but I knew that he preferred to dress up when he had business meetings.

“Can’t you just stay with us today?” I asked, my voice on the verge of begging. I was terrified after hearing that the cops had gotten involved the night before. I couldn’t raise Emilia by myself. I wouldn’t be able to make it if Elio was put in prison. And I didn’t want that for Emilia.

“I’m sorry, I have to meet with Franky and Leo. We’ve got to get updates about our men. And I need to tell them what to do next.”

“I understand,” I tried not to sound too dejected. I knew that Elio had to lead his men, and I was proud of the job he did, but it was still difficult not to wish that he could take parental leave and just forget about all of it for a while, especially now with so many threats coming from all sides. If he was at home with me, he would be safe.

Elio crawled onto the bed and pulled me toward him so that we were laying facing each other. “I know. All I ever want to do is spend all my time with you two. And trust me, we’ll be going on those dates like the doctor ordered. First one is this Friday, so you better be ready, beautiful.”

I smiled at his words, but I struggled to make it reach my eyes. “I’m just so scared for you. I’m trying hard to be brave.”

“I know you are. You’re the bravest person I know. You think I’m brave? No. I know it’s a lot harder to stay by the sidelines while I go and put myself in danger. I could never let you do that. I don’t think I would be able to handle it.”

My eyes misted up at his words. He rubbed my back and pulled me even tighter. “I promise I won’t be gone long, okay? There might be dangerous days in my future, but today isn’t one of them. I’ll be back before you know it. You just take a nap with Emilia and you won’t even notice I’m gone.”

I yawned and nodded. A nap did sound amazing. Elio kissed me on the forehead and got out of bed, tucking me in tightly in the process. With one final blown kiss to Emilia in her bassinet, he left.

In spite of Elio’s confidence, I couldn’t help but wonder if he really had any reason to feel so sure that everything would be okay.

What if it all came crashing down?