Gina tossed her hair with a laugh. “Please. I can’t wait to get to know you and the girls.” Then she beckoned Dom closer, hooking an arm around him in a quick side hug. “Hey, old man,” she teased, “glad to see you not scowling for once.”

Dom rolled his eyes affectionately. “I’m not that old. Where’s the rest of your stuff?”

“In the trunk, but I can get it later,” Gina said, waving a dismissive hand. She turned back to me, rummaging throughone of her suitcases. “I brought these for the babies.” She pulled out a pair of tiny designer dresses, the labels making my eyes widen. “Some more for them to grow into as well, but I couldn’t resist, they were on sale.”

“Wow,” I breathed, gingerly touching the soft fabric. “These are…fancy.”

She laughed. “I know, right? But they’ll look adorable.” Turning to Summer, she brandished one of the dresses like a toy. The baby reached out, squealing. Gina’s face lit up. “See, she likes it already.”

I huffed a small laugh, a knot loosening in my chest. “Thank you, Gina. This is really kind of you.”

“No biggie,” she chirped. Then her gaze flitted around. “Is Martha here? I want to meet the legendary nanny who keeps these two angels in line.”

Dom smirked. “She’s probably upstairs settling in. You’ll run into her soon enough.”

Gina nodded, then noticed a slight tension in my posture. “It’s Leo who’s the big question, right?”

I swallowed hard, grateful she’d spoken about the elephant in the room. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean…we didn’t end on great terms when we dated. And now?—”

“Now you’re with Dad, which is…complicated,” Gina finished, not unkindly. “But he’s in a much better place these days.”

I mustered a shaky nod. “Dom told me about rehab and everything. Still, I’m bracing myself.”

“I completely understand.”

Dom cleared his throat, adjusting Marissa in his arms. “Gina, want to hold your sister?”

Her eyes lit up. “Absolutely!” She accepted Marissa gingerly, cooing as our baby stared at her with wide eyes. “Hello, sweetheart. I’m your sister, can you believe that?”

Marissa stuck out her tongue in response, eliciting giggles all around.

For a moment, warmth filled the room as Gina introduced herself to the twins, half-babbling nonsense words and making faces that had Summer cackling in my arms. My pulse settled. Maybe this would all be fine. Then the doorbell chimed again.

“That’s Leo,” Dom said softly, sharing a quick, meaningful glance with me. The flutter in my stomach returned full force.

He opened the door, revealing Leo stepping in hesitantly. I was shocked. He looked…good. Healthy, in fact. His hair was pulled back, and he wore casual clothes—none of the damaged designer swagger from before. He clutched a paper bag, glancing around awkwardly.

“Hey, Dad,” he said, hugging Dom lightly. Then his eyes flicked to me, where I stood holding Summer. I swallowed, waiting for the tension to explode.

Instead, Leo offered a small smile. “Hey, Mariella. Good to see you.”

I blinked. “Uh, yeah. You too.” Not the greeting I expected from my ex—no hostility, no sarcasm.

He waved the paper bag. “I, uh, brought some baby toys. Thought…maybe they’d like them. I’m not exactly a baby expert, but the lady at the store said they’re good for their age.”

I stepped forward, adjusting Summer so I had a free hand. “That’s very thoughtful. Thank you.”

Leo swallowed, eyes darting between Dom, Gina, and the twins. “So…guess we’re all one big family, huh?” His tone held uncertainty, but I noticed sincerity in his expression.

Dom nodded, placing a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “We are. And it’s about time you met your little sisters properly.”

Leo exhaled, then crouched down beside Gina, who still sat on the floor with Marissa. He placed the paper bag in front of them, pulling out a set of rattles, plush animals, and teethingrings. Marissa’s eyes lit up, and Gina laughed, guiding Marissa’s hand to a soft plush lamb. Summer babbled in my arms, so I lowered her as well, letting her crawl a bit.

“Whoa,” Leo said softly, eyes shining as Summer tried to clamber over his foot. “They’re so tiny.”

“That’s usually how they come out,” Gina teased.

He smirked and rolled his eyes, before standing to face me, guilt in his eyes. “About before…I’m sorry for how I treated you back when we dated. I was angry at Dad, angry at everything. I took it out on you, said things that…didn’t even make any sense.”