“Hey there,” her chipper voice comes through. “How’d everything go today?”
“Went as hoped. Her dad is settled and comfortable, and her mom is tired but hopeful.”
“You’re a good man trapped in a goon’s body. You know that?” She laughs on the other end of the line.
In the last two weeks, Karen’s been to the house a few times and been a wonderful support for Esme, and I’ve come to think of her as part of our new family. When I wanted to do something special for Esme, she stepped up to help make it happen while we are gone.
“Yep,” I answer. “So, how are the arrangements coming along? Will it be done by the time we fly home day after tomorrow?”
“Yep. Things look good. They have the frame of the house built, and the walls are framed in, as well.”
“Perfect. Make sure it looks just like the one in the picture I left.”
She laughs. “I will. I’ll go by a few times a day and harass them until it looks just perfect.”
I hired a specialty building company that makes the finest dollhouses in the world. I have them constructing one that looks just like our own house in one of the empty rooms upstairs. They will have it built and ready for Esme to put in all the final decorating touches as she envisions.
“Thank you. I’m grateful for your help,” I reply. “Is Hamilton taking care of running you around and to the house? Did you get the envelope I left for you?” I want to take care of her in my own way, as well, so I left her ten grand for helping me out.
She pauses, and my heart skips a beat, thinking something may be wrong. I’m ready to inquire when she finally answers.
“Yes, I did. Thank you so much. It was beyond generous. Okay, here’s the thing. Malcolm has actually been the one driving me, not Hamilton.”
“Oh.” I bite back my laugh, knowing Karen’s been driving Malcolm crazy ever since the day I sent him to Esme’s apartment and Karen showed up to check on her. He’s got it bad, but she’s given him a run for his money.
At least up until now. Sounds like he’s finally got his hooks in.
“Yeah, yeah,” she snaps back. “Don’t read too much into it. I just didn’t want to lie about Hamilton and let you hear from Malcolm.”
“Sure, no problem.” I hear Esme cough from the bedroom and wrap it up. “Okay, I’ll call you tomorrow after two, so you get some sleep. Check up on things.”
“Okay. Signing off from home base.”
We click off, and I make my way to the bedroom, close the door behind me and set my phone on the nightstand, then crawl in next to my baby.
She snuggles right in, throwing an arm across my chest and laying her head on my shoulder.
“I love you, Daddy,” she whispers in her sleep.
“I love you too, babygirl. You just have no idea how much.”
14
Esme
EIGHT YEARS LATER
I rub my eyes and stare at the computer screen, my vision blurry. It’s close to midnight, and I’ve been up since five-thirty when Vito Jr. came banging on our bedroom door demanding heart-shaped waffles, which I make nearly every morning for both my boys.
It’s my only contribution for the most part to the cooking around here, so I’m happy to do it whenever requested.
I’ve got a big presentation coming up for a Hamptons mansion just purchased by a freshly married Silicon Valley exec and her husband, who runs a venture capital firm out of New York. I empathize with them—their long-distance work schedules make my life look a lot simpler.
My eyelids are heavy as I put the final touches on the document I’m finishing. Then I stretch and yawn, just as Vito comes into the office carrying a cup of hot tea, wearing just his boxers, and even after eight years, the sight of him still makes my belly flutter and my pussy drench.
“Sweet girl. You need to sleep.” He leans down and kisses me, handing me the cup of hot liquid. “Whatever you’re working on isn’t as important as your health.”
“I know, Daddy.” I still call him that because it's who he is to me, and our dynamic feeds us both in more ways than we could have imagined that first day I said that word to him. “I just finished.”
I’ve been working so much lately. I have my own design firm, and it’s grown more than I can keep up with.
Vito’s all but retired. He still owns the security company with Malcolm, but he’s basically a silent partner at this point. It’s grown nationwide, and Malcolm still enjoys the day-to-day work, even though he and Karen have four kids of their own now.
We still just have little Vito Jr. I had a small stroke during my delivery, and both my little man and I almost didn’t make it. After consulting with specialists and getting the best care in the world, Vito and I decided we would put our all into our one baby and be happy with the family God gave us.