Page 36 of Mob Boss Daddy

“Because once this party is over and the kids go to bed, I need some time alone with my little girl.”

“I can’t wait, Daddy, but right now, I need to bring those little ones up here. They need to eat or they’ll never get to bed tonight. Just look at them down there. Joshua is the same age that Macy was when I first met her. Soon it will be him that’s graduating high school. We’re going to be old before you know it.”

I pull her into a long, deep kiss then release her, watching as she glides down the steps toward the kids. “Like a fucking gazelle,” I mumble. I might be old before we know it, but she has a long way to go. The fact that she has no idea makes her that much more desirable. She takes the kids by the hands and dances one more circle with them before bringing them to the table.

“Daddy, Daddy, did you see my dance?” Jade shouts.

“I did, sweetheart. You’re very graceful. You get that from your mother.”

“I danced too,” Joshua tells me.

“You did. You looked very handsome out there.”

Jessie makes them each a plate and sits back down in my lap. Jade giggles and says, “Daddy holds Mommy like a baby.”

“That’s because Mommy is my baby,” I tell her and she laughs louder.

“Mommy’s not a baby. She’s a Mommy.”

“Yes, but I’m so big she’s like a baby to me,” I growl and give her my best grumpy face.

“You’re a giant, Daddy.”

“Am I a good giant or a bad giant?”

“You’re the best giant, Daddy. You’re a happy giant.”

“Do you know why I’m a happy giant? Because you, Joshua, Johnny, and Macy make me happy. But you know what else? Mommy makes me the happiest giant of them all.”

Jessie kisses my cheek and whispers in my ear, “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, little mama.”

The party slowly dies and Macy goes out with her friends. Jessie puts the kids down as I shower and wait for her to join me in the bedroom. She comes in carrying a bottle of wine and two chilled glasses.

“I thought that maybe we could have a private celebration now that all the fanfare has died down,” she tells me.

“Oh, baby, you’re all the party I need.”

She hands me the bottle and I pour us each a glass.

“Here’s to a wonderful day and our wonderful life.” She raises her glass.

“Here’s to my beautiful wife,” I add.

“We’ve certainly come a long way in the past few years. It’s hard to believe that we lived through such a dangerous ordeal all those years ago.”

“You shouldn’t think about that. Those days are long gone. I promised that I would be here to protect you and nothing would ever hurt you. Haven’t I lived up to that promise?”

“You’ve lived up to that and more. Even when the whole thing was going down, I knew you were protecting us. I told Macy that you were going to come for us. I never had a doubt.”

“Neither did I, sweetheart. Neither did I.”

“Are you tired, Daddy?”

“Not really, why?”

“How about we move this party out to the hot tub? I could use a soak.”

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