Page 17 of Resolution
I rush downstairs to find Frankie eating cereal in the kitchen.
“Hey, Squirt.” I give her a quick squeeze and kiss the top of her head. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, I’ve been up forever.”
I glance at the clock. It’s barely past seven. She still has nearly forty minutes before she has to leave.
“Have you seen your brother or sister yet this morning?” I ask, wanting to know if I should go up to check on them.
“Yeah.” Frankie rolls her eyes before continuing, “Maddie’s in her room texting Soren, and Dec’s in the shower, I think.”
“Good to know you’re keeping tabs on them,” I tease, then pull out food to make the kids’ lunches.
“Mom?” Frankie sounds rather reluctant, so I turn my attention to her.
“Yeah, Franks?”
“If you get married to Enzo, does that mean he’s gonna live here?” she asks so innocently, and I can’t help but smile. But, if I know my daughter, there’s more on her mind.
“Are you okay with that?” I ask, rather than just telling her that he will be.
“Um, yeah.” She seems shy all of a sudden and ducks her head to the side as she whispers, “I just miss him and can’t wait to see him again.”
My heart melts. Right there. “Oh, honey. He misses you, too.” I pull out my phone and open a text message. “Here, why don’t you tell him. It’ll make his day.”
“Okay.” She smiles as she types. The complete concentration she uses is almost comical. When she’s done, she hands me the phone. I can’t help but tear up a little as I read her message. She’s so sweet.God, I love this girl!
Me:Hi Enzo. This is Frankie. How are you? I miss you. I can’t wait till you’re here. Can you take me ice skating? Also, I want your chocolate chip pancakes. You make them better than Mom-but don’t tell her. Write me back soon. Love Frankie
Declan and Maddie barrel into the kitchen on a mission to grab some breakfast before I can say anything more to Frankie. Maddie gets cereal from the pantry while Dec grabs the milk from the fridge. I step out of their way to let them pass and can’t help but think how much I missed the simple things like this when I was away.
They hastily eat their meal in silence before Maddie asks, “Hey, Mom, can Soren come over after practice tonight? Neither of us have games and we want to study together.”
“Is that what you’re calling it these days?” I tease. Soren’s been nothing but respectful to me and I have no problem with him being here. They respect our house rule of ‘no boys’ upstairs. But I love to make Maddie squirm when I can. Parents have rights.
“Mom…” she huffs out in irritation. “I can go to his house instead, if you’d prefer…”
“Relax, Mads, it’s fine. I’ll plan dinner so we can eat here. How does honey chicken and rice sound to you?”
She exhales and I see her visibly relax. “It’s fine.” She scarfs down her cereal and rushes out the door. Now that they have been dating for a while, he picks her up for school from time to time, and I have a feeling it hasn’t happened much when they were at Devin’s house. Maddie was unusually chipper about this as she made arrangements with him last night.I might need to have “the talk” with her once again to make sure she’s being careful.
As soon as I drop off Declan and Frankie at school, I head to my office. I have a meeting with a client at ten. I want to make sure Lexi and I get back on track for what I need to do, now that I’ve returned. It’s nice to be in business for myself; it gives me flexibility, but I feel out of it after taking the last few weeks off.
As the end of the day approaches, I’m ravenous. Thankfully, while I was in Germany, I kept up with most of my work while Enzo was working, so I’m fairly caught up with everything by the time I’m ready for dinner. Just as I pack up my purse to head out to grab some groceries and the kids, my phone rings. Enzo’s beautiful face flashes across the screen.
I quickly sit back down at my desk as I swipe across the screen. I’m greeted with the sexiest voice I never knew I could miss so much. “Hey, beautiful.”
I sigh in relief to hear Enzo’s safe and sound. “Better now that I’m talking with you.”
“Are you settling in okay? How are you feeling? I actually have good WIFI, would you want to video chat?”
“Absolutely,” I gush. “Your sexy voice isn’t enough. I need to see the real thing!”
Enzo chuckles. “Good to know. I’ll call you right back.” He ends the call and immediately, there’s an incoming call to video chat.
I feel my face flush with heat as my eyes land on the rugged Enzo. His deep, green eyes pierce me on the spot. His eyes crinkle in the corners as a beautiful smile spreads across that chiseled jaw, that’s now sporting a few days’ growth of dark-blond beard. That damn dimple pops and I still feel my knees go weak. It happens every. Single. Time.Will I ever get used to his absolute handsomeness? God, I hope not.
Amusement fills his features. “God, I hope you don’t either.”
