Tonight I was feeling warm content with my heart filled with happiness. The baby played in my lap while I lounged in my favorite overstuffed easy chair. A Delicious aroma wafted to my nose from the kitchen. It was easy to tell dinner was almost ready. After sitting the baby down in the playpen, I grabbed Valentino from the floor where he had been carefully building a castle out of toy blocks. Then I playfully tossed the boy into the air.
"Come on kiddo, let's get washed up for supper", I told the energetic five-year-old.
"Me too ,me too," squeaked Giovanna while twirling on her tiny ties in a pink tutu.
I scooped her up on my back. Then we all went to the washroom to clean up for dinner. Valentino sat down in his chair , while I lifted Giovanna into her booster seat. The baby watched us from his playpen and fussed in protest.
"Hold on little guy. We did not forget about you." I set up the high chair, then retrieved the baby from his playpen.
"I got him," his mother said taking the infant from my arms before placing the little guy in his high chair.
" Joe ,how was your day honey?"
" Not bad," I answered. "I bought donuts for dessert," I said. The little ones cheered happily at my announcement.
"Joseph Morelli you are going to spoil the children."
After dinner, I gave the kids their bath, then put them to bed. Next, I went to the kitchen and helped with the dishes. She washed and I dried as we chattered on about our day. When the dishes were all put away, I snapped her on the bottom with the dish towel. I saw her blue eyes go dark with desire. Then I picked her up cave man style and retired to the bedroom for some adult activates.
As I laid in bed spent , I thought about how this was the height of success according to Burg standards. Owning a house and having a great woman. She cooked ,cleaned, and stayed home to raised a family. My cell phone buzzed interrupting my thoughts. After I dragged myself out of bed I pulled on jeans and boxers from the floor. Then I put on a shirt and my shoes. I brushed the brunet locks from the face of the woman who had fallen asleep next to me. Gently I kissed her before heading to work.
It was early morning by the time I finished up with the liquor store robbery in downtown Trenton. I kicked off my shoes in the foyer and left a trail of clothing on the way to the shower. After I scrubbed down good, I dried off. Then I slipped into bed naked. My wife rolled over onto an elbow and looked at me.
"Tough day huh?" "That stakeout ran long." "I have not seen you since yesterday before breakfast ."
"Yeah cupcake," I said as I planted a kissed on her lips.
I had loved Stephanie Plum since I was eight years old. Now that she was Stephanie Morelli , I did not want to give her up. But the truth was that I had never been able to get her to be the type of woman I needed. Steph just did not have what it took to be a proper Burge wife like my mother. Everything she cooked came out of a box or a bag. She was not the best housekeeper. And don't get me started on her not being able to give me a child. We had been trying since we got married and still no baby. Now, I had fallen in love with someone else and she was everything my cupcake was not. She cooked like a gourmet chef and had dinner on the table every night. Her home was always spotless. Then there were the children. I had fallen in love with her little ones and enjoyed spending time with them. We had taken trips to the Philadelphia zoo , and children's museum. I also had plans to take them to Sesame Place. These days I found myself making more and more excuses for being at work , instead of at home. I just could not let Cupcake find out that I was off with someone else. All those times I had raged at Stephanie for not being able to make a decision between me and Manoso. Now I had to laugh at the situation I was in along the irony of it all. Because here I was in the exact same place. Somehow I found myself in love with two people. Letting go of either woman was not something I was prepared to do. I had forced my cupcake to give up so many things in her life. She was no longer skip chasing. It was communication non grata for Manose ever since he had moved on and relocated to Miami. I told her his band of thugs was not a part of her life anymore. Lula had a been bad influence on Stephanie. Now that she had married Tank, I did not want her around. This whole situation with two women was a powder keg waiting to explode. If Rosalina ever discovered I was a married man she would be so hurt. If my wife found out it would kill her, but not before Stephanie killed me first.
So should I make this a one shot or a Prologue ? You tell me, do you love it or hate?
