Chapter 20
No Diapers Bags Allowed
GAbrIEL
I wake up before Millie and reminisce about what happened last night. I can still feel her tightening around me as she came. It was, truthfully, the best sex I’ve had in over a year.
I want to do something nice for her. Something she will appreciate. A few days ago, I remember her saying that she wanted to attend two types of cooking classes while we are here. A savory class and, in her words, not mine, “something that will enhance the bakery.”
After making a dozen failed calls trying to make my plan a reality, I hear the door open and close, and I quickly close my laptop before Millie comes into the room.
“Hey,” Millie says, wrapping a robe around herself before sitting in my lap.
“Morning, Bumper,” I whisper into her neck.
I am so excited for the day ahead of us. I want to show Millie how much she means to me. This isn’t just a vacation fling. I felt real and permanent feelings for her. I just hoped she feels the same.
“Hey,” she says before I cut her off by kissing her softly.
Shaking her head, she continues, “I just realized we are here. Alone. Where is sweets?”
“My mom wanted to take her so I could hang out with my buddies. Among other things,” I reply, kissing her neck and lightly nipping at her earlobe.
Her eyes widen. “Oh Gab, I’m so sorry, you should hang out with your friends. I won’t bother you any more than I already have,” she says, moving off of me.
I pull her backward, pulling her legs to straddle me. My dick perks up at her touch.
“Bumper, if you move off my lap one more time, I’m going to have to show you just how much I would rather be here with you than with my friends,” I say, my voice low.
I stare into her eyes.
Cheeks flushed.
Lips parted.
Her hair falls, framing her face like a fucking halo, making her look more angelic than she already does.
Now that I’ve seen her, I couldn’t look away. I stroke her hair away as her eyes drop, then lock with mine.
“I just thought, I mean, we leave in a few days,” she says, stuttering as if she was nervous.
“Well, stop thinking that what I want to do doesn’t involve you. I want you to be with me. Go to dinner with me tonight,” I say, cupping her face in my hands.
“Okay, I can do dinner, but please spend time with your friends. We can spend all the time in the world together when we get home. I promise,” she says, wrapping her hands around my neck.
After Millie and I eat breakfast together, I get a shower and get ready for the day, afterwards heading to the main house to see and retrieve my daughter from my mother.
“Ciao, Mamma,” I yell, entering the foyer of my parent’s home.
I hear voices coming from the kitchen.
“Ah, Millie, I am so glad you finally came to visit me! Please make yourself at home,” my mom says cheerfully, moving to the refrigerator to grab sodas.
Aura’s head rests against Millie’s chest, and they both look so happy and content with each other’s company.
The sight hits me harder than I expect. It’s a quiet domestic moment that makes you ache a little, like your chest is too full for your ribs.
Millie has her hand gently resting against Aura’s back, rhythmically patting in that instinctive way mothers do.
My mother is vibrant and full of warmth, radiating that unmistakable Italian energy that turns a kitchen into the very heart of the universe.
I clear my throat and make my presence known. Aura looks in my direction, giving me a big gummy smile as I go to take her from Millie’s arms, nuzzling into her tiny neck.
“Thanks for watching her, Ma.” I say, giving my mom a side hug.
“Oh, stop it. I loved every second, and you know it. I’ve missed her dearly,” she says, smiling at my little girl.
Millie looks good today. She looks amazing, actually.
She has on a cute cropped t-shirt and jeans, and she has her hair in braids.
Seeing her in jeans, especially after last night, makes me angry at any other man who has seen her in them.
Her legs go on for days, and her ass fits in these jeans like a glove.
I swear I try not to look, but how can I not?
It’s like the damn gods stitched the jeans themselves, and her curves were their favorite blueprint.
The contrast of her sweet laugh with the way she looks—how she moves, how she owns every inch of herself without even realizing it—makes it so hard to stay cool.
Chill out, Sirolli. Chill the hell out.
I can’t blow this with Millie. I am determined not to fuck it up.
I smile at her, and she seems taken aback at first, then her cheeks flush as she grabs a maritozzi that my mom just put a platter of out.
That blush? It’s going to kill me. She’s shy and confident all at once. She doesn’t even know how captivating she is. And it drives me absolutely wild.
“I’m going to take Aura back to my quarters and get her dressed for our adventure today,” I say, leaving before my mom can say anything more.
When I get back to the house, I give Aura a quick bath, giving her the spa treatment, using her Italian-made baby products. When Haley was pregnant, I struggled to imagine being a girl dad. Now I can’t picture anything else.
I settle on putting Aura in a long-sleeve onesie with ruffles on the shoulders along with a brown plaid skirt. Topping off the outfit with the smallest Mary Jane shoes and ruffle socks.
Aura was born with a full head of lush hair, and I’ve had to learn to do hair earlier than I expected. I choose to put her hair in two ponytails, finishing with two bows.
Her tiny giggles echo around the room as I fuss with her hair, and every sound she makes anchors me more deeply to her. There’s no greater sound on earth. I catch a glimpse of us in the mirror—her perched on the vanity, me on my knees in front of her like she’s royalty—and I can’t help but smile.
I hear the door open and close. Assuming it is Millie, I say to Aura, “I think Millie is back. She just can’t resist us, can she?”
Millie walks into the room, wrapping her arms around my torso. “You talking about me Gabby?”
I smile, picking up Aura, turning us both in Millie’s arms. When we are facing her, she smiles at Aura. “Sweets, you would tell me if your dad were talking bad about me, right?”
Millie takes Aura out of my arms and walks into the living room. When I dispose of the dirty diaper, I join them at their spot on the floor.
“Not talking bad about you, Bumper. Definitely talking about you, though.” I say, kissing the top of her head.
Something feels different between us, in the best way possible. I feel lighter. It seems like I was keeping my feelings for Millie to myself for a lifetime. Well, other than when I constantly talked to my infant daughter about loving her nanny.
There was a time when I thought this might be temporary. A phase. But that time has long passed. Now, I see her holding my daughter and laughing in the sunlight, and I can’t imagine a future where she’s not in every frame.
“What are your plans with Sweets today?” Millie asks, standing to check if the diaper bag is stocked.
I pick Aura up, walking to where Millie is standing.
“Bumper, I am just taking her around to the little shops, maybe to lunch since she is eating solids. I would love for you to join us. I know Beanie would definitely love spending her day with you,” I say, looking at my daughter, smiling right on cue.
Millie looks conflicted, and for a minute, I almost think she is going to decline my invitation.
“Ah, what the heck. Sure! I’d love to go with you guys,” she says in a high-pitched voice, throwing her hands in the air.
And just like that, I feel ten pounds lighter.
I don’t know why I was nervous. Maybe because asking her to spend the day with me felt like more than just a casual offer.
It felt like something closer to a test—a glimpse of what our lives could look like, wrapped up in tiny shops and sippy cups and stolen glances.
Not even an hour later, Millie, Aura, and I are strolling around Lucino. When we pass a small children’s boutique that is nestled on the cobblestone street, Millie insists we go in.
“Come on, Gab. It’ll be fun!” She says, pushing the stroller through the double doors.
When we enter the store, the air is infused with the scent of lavender and lemon. The storefront has arched windows that are encased by vibrant flower boxes overflowing with geraniums and baby’s breath, enticing visitors to come in.
Inside, soft Italian music played, blending with the sounds of laughter from the piazza.
“My God, this place is magical,” Millie said, walking towards a display table in the center of the store.
“It really is, isn’t it? I have to admit, I’ve never been inside this store before. I know my Ma has bought some clothes for Aura here, though,” I reply, admiring the neatly arranged clothing racks.
I saunter to the back of the store to find a small café, the aroma of fresh pastries filling the air. I purchase two drinks and a pastry for Aura.
The store feels more than just a shop. But a place brimming with love and creativity. I appreciated the entire atmosphere as it reminded me of simpler times.
The place where time slows down. Where strangers greet each other like family, and every item on the shelf tells a story.
I want to remember this moment. The low hum of voices, the clink of coffee cups, Millie’s laughter in the distance, and Aura’s coos as she reaches for a stuffed bunny on the lower rack.
I find Millie and Aura at a rack overflowing with frilly dresses lined with sequins.
“This place is so enchanting,” Millie begins, before noticing the drinks in my hands. “Have I been so preoccupied in my own world that I didn’t notice you leave the store?”
I shake my head. “No, Bumper, I didn’t leave the store. I found a little café area in the back and wanted to get you a drink. Here, it’s a latte macchiato.”