Baby By Accident(88)
“Papa!” The dark-haired boy raced to his side with an eager, impatient look on his face. “They stole it!”
He arched a brow.
His son’s ice-blue eyes turned wary. “They did.”
“Have we not had this conversation before, Paulo?”
“Si.” The boy grumbled under his breath.
“Is it not true that a man takes care of his women, making sure they have everything they need?”
“Yippee!” The twins jumped around their mother. “Papa! Papa!”
“For goodness’ sakes, Vico.” His wife flipped her sunglasses to the top of her head and glared at him. “Don’t say such a thing to him. We, women, are completely capable of taking care of ourselves.”
Striding over to her, he leaned down and put a hand on her bulging tummy. Another son in two months. Pride swelled inside him along with anticipation. “Trust me?”
The iced irritation in her blue gaze faded, and she finally gave him a chuckle. “All right, all right.”
He kissed her forehead before gazing over her to the two little girls. Who immediately stopped jumping. Two sets of tawny eyes widened.
“Is it not true, la mia piccola ama,” he said calmly. “That it is important to respect another person’s toys?”
Both of the four-year-old girls’ gazes went wary, too.
“Si, Papa.”
“I guess so, Papa.”
“And is it also not true that hurting your brother because of a ball is not something any daughter of mine would do?”
Two small blonde heads bowed and two sets of tiny shoulders drooped.
A silence descended among his family and he let it. He’d learned during these past few years that sometimes silence was better than shouting and sometimes letting his children come to their own conclusions was more satisfactory than trying to make everything right for them himself.
His son suddenly bounced to his side and patted his arm. “Papa. I forgive them for hitting me.”
Pride and love threatened to explode his heart.
Vico looked at his girls. His little loves. Both blonde heads bobbed up.
“I’m sorry that I hit him, Papa.” Camila gave him the gift of her shy smile.
“We can play with the ball together.” Ciana chimed in, her grin wide and charming. Just like his.
He glanced down at his wife and winked.
His Princesse looked back with her shot-glass blue eyes filled with love and respect.