Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 450 -

*One Year Later* *Olivia*

I flew through the house, frantically double-checking the decorations for Elio's first birthday party. After Gio told me that paintings done by an artist in the first year of their career was too obscure a theme for a child's birthday, I'd settled on Elio in One-derland, inspired by one of my favorite books growing up, which I'd already begun reading to him.

We'd decorated the front door like a rabbit hole for guests to fall down, and the rest of the rooms were inspired by moments from the book. The presents would be left in the living room, which I decorated like the Queen of Hearts' castle, games would be played in an oversized flower garden out back, and cake and snacks were in the dining room, which was a near-perfect recreation of the Mad Hatter's tea party.

I made a straight plate more crooked and smiled over my handiwork. Gio said I was doing too much for a party Elio would never remember, but I'd put disposable cameras all over the place, so we could get enough pictures to remember this moment forever.

We'd survived our first year of parenthood, and Elio was growing up into a fine young man already. He toddled around holding onto furniture, which meant we had to baby-gate the place like crazy. Luckily, Gio didn't have any legal guns, so most of his firepower was already well hidden away. His babbling sounded more and more like words every day, and he had a few he could use on command.

I swept into his room and found him in his crib, standing and holding onto the side.

"Mama!" he called.

I grinned and rushed for him. "What is it, my handsome birthday boy?"

"Ag-ah-bah!" he declared, pointing imperiously at the door.

I grabbed him in my arms. He was starting to get big, but I'd hold him for a long while yet.

"You wanna go out?" I asked.

He babbled something else, and I spun him around. "All right, little man, but it's party day. You and Mama both gotta get dressed."

I carried him over to his changing table, where I'd laid out his Alice in Wonderland-inspired outfit the day before. I'd gone simple, somewhat at Gio's request. He said it was a party for me, not Elio, if he couldn't toddle around and play. So I helped my squirming son into a light blue onesie with a white tie painted on the and black shoes so he looked a bit like Alice, though in a masculine way. He wriggled and struggled, but he'd run around in his diaper all day if we let him. By the time he was dressed, I was winded, and I became grateful I'd chosen a simple outfit for myself as well. If a year of motherhood had taught me anything, it was the value of comfortable clothes.

I pulled on my Mad Hatter-inspired outfit, a pair of olive pants, a dark green button-down I tied at the waist, and a large top hat I'd gotten at the store in Florence on a whim.

Elio clapped and giggled.

"Yeah, you like it?" I asked.

"Mama gadabah!" he said.

"Exactly, my love."

I carried him out to the front room where the rest of the family had gathered. Tallon, Alessandro, and Dahlia were hitting each other with balloons they'd pulled off the banister, and James, Becca, my mom, and my stepfather were standing in a cluster and oohing over the decorations.

Mom rushed over to me. "Is that my grandson looking that handsome?"

I allowed her to take Elio out of my arms and spin him, causing a cascade of giggles.

My stepfather, Ben, joined us. He wore a polo and khakis, and my mother grinned at him. He was a nice enough guy, but he'd come on the scene too late for me to think of him as my dad until much later in life. Thankfully, he made Mom happy.

"His hair's coming in great," he said.

I nodded, feeling a little awkward about small talk in this important moment, but Ben wasn't wrong. Elio had a thick head of dark curly hair already.

Gio appeared at the top of the stairs. He had some last minute work to get done, but he promised to be finished before the guests arrived in I checked my watch-five minutes. He'd dressed down into a T-shirt and jeans and set up his guys in plain clothes to blend in so as not to scare the parents of the friends Elio had made at the park. I grinned up at him, and he beamed down at me.

"My boy!" he boomed as though he hadn't seen him at breakfast. He raced down the stairs and played peek-a-boo with the birthday boy in my mom's arms.

I clapped. "Alrighty, folks, guests in five. Presents in the living room, games out back. Make friends, and don't seem like mafiosos!"

Everybody laughed, and the doorbell rang. I scooped Elio back into my arms and raced to open it.

On the other side of the door stood Elena. We'd had a rough few months of it during her pregnancy, and she'd been too busy to spend a lot of time with us since, but with distance came appreciation. The new, more honest Elena we all got to know after she came back was fun to have around, and she'd become an important part of Elio's life.

"Lele!" he called, his name for her.

She thrust a gift bag through the door, and Tallon grabbed it instantly. "Alright, let me see my little nephew."

I poured him happily into her arms, and she spun inside. "God, Olivia, this place looks spectacular," she said to me as she cooed at him.

I laughed and bowed.

"Nothing but the best for everybody's favorite little guy." I looked over my handiwork, and it was impressive. The doorbell rang again, and I shook out my hands. "Alright, for real now, acquaintances incoming."

Gio took my arm, and my family turned as one to face the door.

The party was a flurry of games and laughter and celebration. Elio had gotten popular at the park a few blocks down, and nearly a dozen of his friends showed up, ranging in age from a little younger than him to nearly five. The parents flowed in and out of the rooms, complimenting the decorations and asking where I found the time to do all this. I laughed and demurred and didn't say anything about the six or seven made men I'd forced to help me blow up balloons one afternoon. All of Gio's guys fawned over Elio, but then, everybody fawned over Elio. He had the sort of face you couldn't say no to.

At one point, Elena found me out back where I watched Gio lead Elio through a round of hokey-pokey to limited avail.

"Did you ever think we'd end up here when you knocked on my friend's door?" she asked.

I choked out a laugh. I still didn't like thinking of those dark and difficult days. "No."

She laughed more easily. "Me either. I was pretty sure I'd blown everything."

I nodded. "It sorta felt like it for a moment there."

She put her hand on my arm, and I turned to her as my boys collapsed in a pile of giggles.

"Seriously, Olivia, thank you," she said. Honesty shone through her eyes. "I really love being a part of your family, and anybody less amazing than you wouldn't have let me do that. I owe you a lot."

I smiled and put my hand on hers. "We've got years to come to square all that. I'm just glad you're here."

She smiled, looking a little teary-eyed, and Gio, our son in tow, called me over to attempt the dance with both of them.

Later, everyone gathered in the dining room to cut the cake. Just like all my birthdays growing up, Mom had demanded to make his cake. She'd truly outdone herself with a massive replica of the White Rabbit's pocket watch, big enough for everybody at the party to have a slice. She'd even iced the links of the watch chain onto cupcakes that sprawled away. Of course, we had a smaller smash cake just for Elio that was shaped like a rose from the Queen of Heart's garden.

I stroked a finger over Elio's face where he cuddled in Gio's arms. He'd gone down for a short nap so we could be totally sure he'd be awake for cake-cutting, and he was still waking up. His hair was mussed on one side, and I decided against stroking it back into place. I wanted to remember this day how it actually was.

Gio smiled at me over the top of his head. "One year down."

"The rest of our lives to go," I replied.

Inside the room, everyone began holding the first note of "Happy Birthday," and we carried him in.

Someone had dimmed the lights so the fire on the single candle shone brightly, but what caught my eye was the new decoration. While we were in the hall, somebody had put up strings and strings of Elio's baby pictures, from the first day in the delivery room to yesterday when he saw a bubble for the first time. Tears filled my eyes, and I was briefly thankful Gio had asked to hold Elio for this part of the day.

I looked out over the table for a culprit and found the three siblings I grew up with all winking and shooting me thumbs-ups. I blew them a kiss and helped Gio get our son settled in his high chair.

Elio stared at the candle as the song came to an end, totally transfixed by the fire. He swayed back and forth with it.

I leaned down. "You gotta blow the candle out." I pursed my lips to show him.

Gio leaned down on his other side and did the same.

"Mama, Papa, kandelow!"

I blew a little air, and the flame flickered. He pursed his lips and spit a little as Gio and I blew out his candle.

A camera flashed just as Elio leaned forward and smashed his tiny fist right into the top of the cake.

Everybody aww'd, and the other kids started clamoring to help him out with his destruction. Elio brought his fist to his mouth and gnawed on it, then burst into delighted laughter and reached out to smear more all over his face. "Is that yummy?" I asked.

He grinned at me, his tiny teeth covered in red frosting. "Yummy!"

By the time we got all the cake handed out and cleaned up the worst of the messes, the party was beginning to wind down. Gio and I had agreed that opening gifts after seemed smarter, and Elio was riding a sugar high that I knew would crash soon with a whole lot of screaming. A few of the other parents started saying their goodbyes and making plans to see us at the park soon.

Elio perched in his high chair while Dahlia and Elena fussed over him, trying to get the best picture of his cake-covered face.

I allowed myself to sit for the first time since maybe last night. Mom came up to me, having left Ben with James and Becca.

She rubbed my shoulders, and I groaned a little.

"It was a wonderful party, honey," she said. "But maybe next year you let somebody else help you plan?"

I chuckled ruefully. "Are you offering?"

She shrugged. "I was serious about moving to Italy someday."

I twisted to face her. "Really? No more stalling? I'd love Elio to have grandparents in his life."

She smiled. "And you'd love to see your dear old mom?"

"Of course, I'd love that," I replied. "You were so busy when I was younger, and now I'm halfway across the world. I'd like nothing more than to have you down the street so we can go out for coffee whenever I feel like it."

She sat down next to me. "There's a lot of things I didn't get to tell you when you were younger. I think I might like to let you get to know who I was back then."

"That sounds incredible." I took her hand. "I'm sure Gio can convince the neighbors to sell their house."

She laughed, and I looked across the room to my husband. He was in conversation with one of the "parents" I knew to be one of his men in casual clothes. His brow furrowed, and he looked up to meet my gaze. He gestured for me to come

over.

"I'll be right back," I said absently, fear settling in the pit of my stomach. I didn't like the look on Gio's face, didn't like the whispering.

He took my hand. "Marco just spoke to the gate guard. There's someone outside."

That fear roiled, doubling in intensity. Who could want to crash my son's birthday? What enemy had I forgotten?

I had no idea who it might be, and I was afraid to replace out.