“That she is, calabaza.”
“So is Dee-go.”
I smile, picking Gabby up in my arms. Her little hands come around my neck and she kisses the side of my face, giggling. She’s turned into daddy’s little girl, and I couldn’t be happier.
We’re supposed to go to Dragon’s little boy’s birthday party. Nicole had a little boy they named Thomas and he and Dom keep him and Nicole completely on their toes. I hate to miss it, but Diego has had trouble sleeping through the night. Looking down at my beautiful wife and my son, there’s no way I’m going to disturb them. I let Gabby slide to the floor and then I pull the cover up around Beth and a sleeping Diego, who is napping, spooned by Beth. Mi mundo.
“How about we skip the birthday party and go fishing on the dock?” I ask Gabby.
Her face breaks out in a big smile. “Can snuffles go?”
Snuffles is her teddy bear that her grandpa Tucker bought her. Tucker, who bought the property across from me and set up house there just to be close to his family. Tucker is a pain in my ass, but the best grandfather a little girl could ask for, and we won’t even begin to talk about how he’s trying to spoil Diego and BB—which is what we call Torch’s and Katie’s son, but then again, I warned them not to name him Bartholomew.
“Absolutely. We can make him bait the hook.”
“Snuffles can’t do that, daddy!” She giggles as I pick her up. When I get back to the door, I look back at Beth and Diego and smile. My heart feels so full it’s about to burst.
Mi familia…
Life couldn’t be more perfect. The pain, the hurt, the ghosts from the past… They have been released, and all that we have around us now is love.
The End.