Alessandro DeLuca

“Thought you said you liked it,” I tease back.

“I do. I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about my little one here,” he says, wrapping his arms around the two of us and then tickling Zoe until she’s squealing and squirming on my lap.

“Okay, okay,” I say. “That’s enough of that, you two. It’s time to put this one back to bed.”

When I move to put her off my lap, both Zoe and Carlo start tickling me at once until I’m squirming in a fit of giggles. The two of them are relentless and don’t let up until I find myself on the floor on my back, trying to escape their torture.

Tears seep from my eyes, and I’m wiggling and shouting.

“Carlo! Stop! I gotta pee, Carlo!” I holler between giggles.

He finally lets up and reaches for my hand to pull me off the floor.

Zoe giggles and says, “Mommy’s gonna pee on herself!”

“No. I’m not, but Daddy can have the task of putting you to bed while I use the restroom. Good night for the second time, scuddle bug. And don’t get up again,” I say, leaning down and kissing her forehead before exchanging butterfly kisses.

“G’nite, Mommy,” she calls after Carlo swoops her into his arms.

“Good night, baby. Mommy loves you….”

“To the moon and back!” she calls out as my husband disappears from the kitchen.

I wipe down the counters and then head for our bedroom to use the restroom and take a shower. My mind is full of the blessings bestowed upon our little family. I have nothing to complain about.

I just pray we can get over this hump we’ve been going through the last couple of months. When my husband inherited his Uncle Mike’s vineyard three years ago, we knew we had our work cut out.

We’ve put our blood, sweat, and tears into this place, and we don’t have a single regret. But lately, something’s been bothering him about the business, and I wish I could make it easier or better for him. I suspect he’s not telling me something, but he won’t budge on it, whatever it is.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to invest in the business. My fitness business has grown exponentially over the last year and expanded into opening a wellness center.

Hiring people to staff the center and expert instructors in Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Krav Maga has taken up much of my time. When I am home, I’m busy taking care of the household and spending time with Zoe and Carlo. It’s a rare moment that I have for the vineyard like I used to.

But if there’s anything that I can do to bring that joy and peace back into my family, I will.

Anything.