Page 21 of Good as Gold
CHAPTER9
LEILA
The TV is located in a den at the back of Zara and Dave’s house. It’s where Matteo will be sleeping tonight, and Zara has already turned the foldout couch into a bed for him. So we stretch out on it to watch our favorite movie from high school and finish the bottle of wine.
This is cozy.
Reallycozy.
Even better—by the time Greg Focker gives the most awkward pre-dinner blessing in the history of time, Matteo is howling with laughter. When the credits roll, he turns his head and smiles at me. “Thank you.” He reaches over and squeezes my arm. “I needed that so badly.”
“I know you did. Why does your phone keep lighting up?” I ask.
“Does it?” He hauls himself up and grabs it off the end table. “It’s just my idiot family. They’re hazing me about getting the baby to sleep. Look.”
He hands me the phone, and I see the photo he’d texted them of Micah asleep in the crib, followed by their jokes.
There are several new congratulatory texts, too:
Damien
Dude, you slay!
Benito
Good work, bro!
Alec
I was sure you’d get a panicked call asking for help.
Benito
Nah. He’s smart enough to ask someone outside the family. We’d be too mean about it.
I snicker. But then I scroll down.
Zara
Funny you should mention that, because look at this doorbell notification we got at dinner!
Cue a photo of me on the front porch, smiling at Matteo as he opens the door. “Oh boy. This is gonna be bad, yeah?”
“Nah.” Matteo shrugs. “Those hooligans can think whatever they want about me. But that baby is asleep either way.”
His family is having a field day with it.
Damien
LOL! Busted.
Benito
So resourceful! Asking the hot preschool teacher to bail your ass out. **Slow clap for big brother**
Zara
I know, right? Leila is magic. Micah probably fell asleep the moment she stepped into the house.
