"Oh look at you!" Cassondra Rossi gushed, her plump barely five-foot frame wrapped David in a hug, her chin nearly grazing his shoulder as he stooped down. He was locked in her embrace, and a lack of oxygen was imminent.
"Ma," Dave grumbled, without completely pulling back. His face was bright red from embarrassment. "Ma, Ma let me go. You're squashing the baby!" At some point between the porch and walking into the house, Erin and Dave switched kids. He took Ava out of her seat and Erin held Matthew.
Just then, Ava decided to make her presence known against Dave's shoulder.
Mrs. Rossi jumped back in surprise. "Let me see that baby!" She demanded; the picture of the doting grandmother, reaching for her newest grandchild.
Dave flashed Erin an apologetic look. Suddenly he wasn't convinced this was a great idea.
"Go ahead, David." Erin said, with her hand on his arm. "Hand her over."
"Who are you?" Mrs. Rossi asked briskly, narrowing accusing eyes at Erin.
Erin's eyes widened, her shoulders stiffened. "I'm-"
"Mama!" Dave said sharply.
"Ma!" Lucy chimed in, embarrassed."This is Erin. Ava's mother."
"Oh!" Mrs. Rossi brightened, when it dawned on her, she silently sized up the woman standing next to her son. A blonde and two little blonde kids...Cassondra always thought David would prefer an Italian woman, but then again, Carolyn was Italian-American and look how well that turned out. She took another quick look at Erin, she was young...maybe..early thirties. She had a worn-out, exhausted look on her. "I've heard so much about you!" David never said a cross word about that woman. That was the strange part. David," She turned to her son, "make her a plate. Sit down, Honey." She offered, pulling out a chair.
Dave glanced from Erin to his mother and back again, they were off to a good start. When he brought Carolyn home, a cold wind blew when they walked inside the house. With that thought in mind, he passed Ava off to his mother and grabbed a stack of plates off the sideboard. He poked his head around the corner, Cassie and Lucy were thick- as- thieves in the living room emptying a plastic container of blocks on the living room floor.
"What are you making?" Dave asked, watching his sister interact with Cassie. Lucy really did pull out all the stops, just as he asked. Currently they were both sitting on the floor, sorting the wooden blocks.
"Me and Lucy are making a tower," Cassie said, matter-of-fact.
"Sounds fun," Dave grinned. "Whatdya think, can your brother help?"
Cassie added another block to her stack and shrugged. "Yeah, okay."
Dave laid the plates down on the sideboard, next to a pan of lasagna. "Come here, Buddy." He said, reaching for Matthew. He sat the boy on his hip and gave Erin a quick kiss on her temple. "We'll feed them when they stop having fun."
Mrs. Rossi lightly cleared her throat, "David, you seem to be settling in nicely."
Erin drew in a breath, bracing for the criticism.
"They're great kids, Ma." Dave stepped into the living room and sat Matthew on the floor next to Cassie.
Mrs. Rossi sat down studying the child in her arms, "She looks just like David," Mrs. Rossi cooed fondly.
"She does," Erin agreed.
"No, look." Mrs. Rossi stood up, with her back to Erin she opened a drawer. She'd dug out the old pictures when David told her he was coming home and bringing a new baby with him.
"This is David," Mrs. Rossi passed Erin an old, faded photo. "He was about a year old here."
Erin studied the photo, bright dark eyes stared back at her. "Where did his curls go?" Erin asked, admiring the dark ringlets that cascaded over David's shoulders in the photo.
"His father cut them off when he started kindergarten." Cassondra scoffed lightly. Shaking her head, "They never grew back."
"That's a shame," Erin said, laying the picture down on the oak tabletop. "They're beautiful."
"The true shame is that my husband didn't sleep for a week after that," Mrs. Rossi said, with a proud smile. "I couldn't get over it. Thankfully, the girls in the family all seem to pass them on," she praised, lightly caressing Ava's head.
"He didn't want me to get teased at school," Dave cut in. "That's why he did it."
"We sent you to Catholic school, nobody teased anyone. They all knew better."
"Lies." Dave said, scooping lasagna and tiramisu onto a plate. He stuck a slab of garlic bread on the edge of the plate and sat it in front of Erin. "They knew better than to get caught." He said, passing her a fork.
"Either way," Mrs. Rossi cut in before he could continue, she pulled out another photo and passed it to Erin. "This is David when he graduated high school-"
"Did you drag out any pictures of the rest of the family?" Dave complained, embarrassed.
Erin made a mental note to ask him about his school experiences later.
"But you were so cute," Mrs. Rossi insisted. "I thought Erin might like to know what to look forward to with this one-"
"She's aware, Momma-" He said, pointing to himself. "It's all right here."
"Okay, fine." Mrs. Rossi said, holding up both hands. "I'll stop." She flashed Erin a conspiritol wink. "I'll bring the rest out later." She whispered, patting Erin's hand.
"That went well," Dave whispered, keeping one hand firmly wrapped around Erin's, the other hand kept hold of his plate in his lap.
"I think so," Erin agreed. They sat on the sofa in the living room, watching Matthew play on the floor with Dave's nieces and nephew, Cassie was in the kitchen with Dave's mother, learning how to make fresh pasta. Ava was being passed back and forth like a hot potato; currently Lucy was across the room enjoying her.
"I told you she would fit right in," Lucy said as Ava started to fuss and Lucy patted her back.
"Nah," Dave shook his head, "She never cries," he insisted.
"Only because you don't give her a chance to," Erin teased.
He shrugged and pretended to look guilty. "Why should she have to?"
"That's it!" Mrs. Rossi declared loudly as she emerged from the kitchen a brightly colored apron tied to her front, covered in flour. Everyone turned towards the kitchen. Even little Ava lifted her head from Lucy's shoulder to see what the commotion was about. "I'm keeping this one," Mrs. Rossi declared, smiling at Cassie, who was equally covered in flour. "She's cute, she's helpful and her pasta folding skills are pretty good."
Erin stood up and went towards the kitchen. "Her hair looks cute like that," she said, lightly touching the ballerina bun on Cassie's head as she ducked under Erin's elbow and went to play with the other kids.
"Two of my granddaughters took dance lessons, for a season." Mrs. Rossi shrugged and led them back into the kitchen. "I had to learn." She said, pushing the kitchen door closed.
Erin glanced from the door to Mrs. Rossi and back again, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Somehow, she knew this wasn't about showing off David's baby pictures.
Wordlessly, Cassondra pulled out a chair from the table and sat down. "So…" she said. folded her hands, waiting for Erin. An antipasto platter sat in the middle of the table, two small plates and cutlery. Erin pulled out a chair and sat down, with a knot in her stomach.
"You don't seem like the type," Mrs. Rossi started to speak, then picked up a plate. She added some bread, cheese and fruit to the plate and slid it across the table to Erin's side. "You don't seem like the type to buy something so expensive after having a baby." She said, eyeing the sea turtle charm laying against Erin's collarbone.
"I'm not," Erin shook her head, picking the bread apart with her fingers. "How did you-"
"I found the receipt-" Mrs. Rossi said, "David dropped it out of his pocket when he walked inside."
"I see." Erin felt like a child, having a 'talking to,' with a parent for misbehaving. "He surprised me with it," she said. "He went in the store to get your flowers and-"
"I'm not criticizing you," Mrs. Rossi cut in. "Please don't think that- I'm just wondering what the hell the two of you are doing. David called me from the hospital, barely coherent, telling me that he had a daughter and that he needed my help to keep you all safe. Of course, when he said your name I knew he was serious."
"What do you mean?" Erin asked, leaning in close.
"Honey, he wouldn't shut up about that lighthouse."
"That wasn't about me," Erin insisted. "He was proud of his big romantic gesture-"
"Not true. He's proud of you, he told me all about how far you've come at The Bureau, how you've helped him negotiate with the higher ups to get the BAU off the ground-"
"He told you all that?"
"Uh huh." Mrs. Rossi nodded, "I'm his mother and he's a grown man. He doesn't have to tell me anything. I know what he feels for you and your children. My son is a good man, Erin. He was good to Carolyn in the divorce, she swore she loved my son…." Mrs. Rossi said, staring off into space, lost in her thoughts. Her former daughter in law played the part of the doting wife, but she never understood the pressure David was under. The worst part, for Cassondra was, David didn't come home for Christmas. He didn't even call. Carolyn kept him away from his family until she started cheating. "Carolyn swore she loved my son and then...she took his house. She took his house, his artwork, she would've taken the clothes off his back if the judge would allow it. As if that's not bad enough, she cheated on him. Now, I know you and David had an affair."
Erin swallowed, did he tell his family everything? "That sounds worse than it is-" Erin said, defensive. She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes fixated on the door. If she stared hard enough, someone would bust in and save her from the rest of this conversation.
"Carolyn had already moved on before you came on the scene. David would never cheat on his wife, if she wasn't already stepping out."
"He pursued me," the chair creaked against the tile floor as she pushed back from the table.
"I know that," Cassondra laid her hand on Erin's shoulder. "That's not what I'm saying, Dear."
"What are you saying?" Erin asked, standing was tired of being under a microscope. "If you have something to say, some judgement you're holding back, stop beating around the bush, just say it.
Mrs. Rossi's eyes widened. "Sit back down," it wasn't a suggestion. "We're not finished."
"I know what you think," Erin said, her whole body prickled under the gaze of Mrs. Rossi. "I know you think I'm a horrible person, I'm out to take David for a ride, I don't love him," Erin ticked off the list of her perceived faults, her voice growing louder by the minute. "You're supposed to think that, because he's your son, but what you don't know is he stepped in, when the rest of the world stepped out. I don't know how to define our relationship because we're good where we are. "We just got comfortable with each other, I don't want to rock the boat by slapping a label on it."
Mrs. Rossi opened her mouth to respond, when a light cough caught her attention.
"Everything okay here?" Dave asked, standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"David-" Mrs. Rossi said quickly, standing up. "I'm sorry-"
"Are you finished interrogating her?" He asked, leaning against the door frame. His eyes shone darkly, arms folded across his chest, sizing up Erin and his mother. "Are you done, Mother?"
"David, I'm sorry-" Cassondra tried again. "You weren't-"
"Supposed to hear that?" He cut in, snidely. "No kidding."
"It's alright, Dave-" Erin cut in.
"No," Dave shook his head, embarrassed. "Erin, I'm sorry. I didn't bring you here for this."
"No, you didn't." Mrs. Rossi cut in, full of contrition. "David, Erin, I'm so sorry." She said, looking at them. With her hand on his arm. "Your relationship is none of my business-"
"It's not," Dave agreed, harsh and unyielding. "This wasn't part of the deal."
"Stop it, David." Erin flashed him a hard look. "She's your mom."
"Look," Mrs. Rossi said, spreading her hands wide. "I butted in. I misjudged the situation."
"That usually happens, Ma, when people start judging others without knowing the whole situation. No disrespect Ma, but what Erin and I have, may not be perfect in your eyes, but… it's perfect for me. If I made a mistake by asking for your help and coming here, just let me know now, and we'll leave," Rossi said to his mother, the anger seething in his voice, only barely restrained by the fact that this was his saintly mother he was talking to.
"No!" Mrs. Rossi said quickly, "Please don't go anywhere."
"It's okay David," Erin stated, trying to diffuse the situation, because the last thing she wanted to do was come between David and the mother he loved so dearly. "Your mother is only asking questions because she loves you and wants to protect you from getting hurt. I know, I'd do the same for any of my children and if you are honest with yourself, you'd do the same to protect Ava."
As if on cue, Ava decided to remind everyone in the house of her presence by letting out a loud angry cry. Her meal was late and she was none too happy about it.
She cried longer as she had to wait. She was definitely going to be a diva and have the Rossi temper. Erin rushed into the room, and Lucy reluctantly handed the baby over.
"I'll bring her right back," Erin promised.
. Before Erin could even get out of the room, there was an argument about Lucy hogging the baby.
"Uh uh, nope." Marcy said, shaking her head. "I'm next, you've had her all day Lucy."
"Cuddle with your own kids," Lucy snapped. "Did you even kiss them goodbye before you shipped 'em off with Theresa?"
"Go have some kids!" Marcy clapped back. "Don't worry about mine."
Lucy took off her gold hoop earrings and laid them on the table beside her as she got to her feet. That was a low blow and her sister knew it. "Oh you little bi-"
"Come at me!" Marcy said, egging her on.
"Oh God," Mrs. Rossi made the sign of the cross. "Here we go."
"Ladies," Dave bellowed, he walked past his mother and into the living room, stepping between his sisters before a catfight broke out.
"Neither one of you are getting Ava," Dave said, putting his foot down.
Both his sisters stared at him, as they slowly realized what they'd done. Cassie and Matthew had abandoned the toys on the floor and retreated into the kitchen with Erin.
"That was a low blow," Lucy said, turning to her youngest sibling. "I started it. I'm sorry."
"Me too." Marcy said quickly, "Dave-" she shook her head, repentant. "That was a stupid arguement."
"It was." He agreed and turned back to Erin. "Come on, I'll show you upstairs."
He led her to the staircase, with his hand on her back.
"You've been breaking up their fights for a long time," she acknowledged when they were out of earshot.
"Yup. They've been fighting like wet cats in a paper bag since Ma brought Marcy home from the hospital-"
"It's that bad, huh?" Erin adjusted Ava in her arms as they reached the top of the staircase.
"Lucy's two years older and since Marcy got married, she's been a little….uh she thinks she has to compete with her sister."
"Better to be single, than to settle," Erin said dryly. She made a mental note to sit down with Lucy, her experience with Peter had to be good for something. Maybe her story would help Lucy.
"I keep telling her." Dave said, shaking his head. "She'll be better off. Between me and Mario, we're keeping the bail bondsmen and divorce attorneys in business."
"You're just helping the local economy," she responded with a grin.
"Ha!" Dave pushed open a door, "This is your room. Marcy brought over Elizabeth's old crib for Ava," he said, pointing to the solid wooden crib on the back wall. A queen sized bed took up most of the room, there was a dresser at the foot of the bed with a TV on top. "Come on," Dave led her into the room. He'd brought some of her things up earlier, her suitcases were stacked on the floor against the wall by the door.
"That's nice of her," Erin said, sitting down on the bed to finish feeding the baby. "They're nice people, Erin. I know my mom came on strong-" Dave started to say, as he sat down beside her, but Erin cut him off, "she's supposed to. You're her son and you've been hurt." She laid her hand on his elbow.
"It didn't hurt that bad," he assured her and got to his feet. "Unpack a little bit and I'll feed the kids. We'll go see the apartment tomorrow." He said, plugging in the baby monitor he bought on their way over. He took one and hooked it to his belt loop and gave an exaggerated strut towards the door, showcasing the antenna up against his shirt.
Erin cackled. She tried to hold it in and failed.
"What?" He turned towards her feigning innocence, "What's so funny? Haven't you ever seen a man wear a baby monitor before?"
"No," she said through a laugh, "I haven't."
"Good. There's a first time for everything, besides I've always liked being a trendsetter."
She didn't know what to say, so she settled on the truth. "Fatherhood looks good on you."
"I'm going to take the compliment," he said with his hand resting on the doorframe.
All the kids were upstairs asleep in bed. Erin was worn out and as soon as the kids were asleep, she retired to her room to get some rest before Ava's next feeding. Dave was sitting down in his mother's den, enjoying a cigar and some thirty year old scotch with his brother and brother-in-law. He kept trying to steer the conversation away from his relationship with Erin but his brother kept steering it right back in that direction.
"What's that?" Mario pointed to the table next to Dave.
"What?" Dave asked, "this?" He picked up the baby monitor and sat it back down.
"Yeah, that." Mario affirmed, "What is it?"
"It's a baby monitor," Dave said, in a tone that questioned his brother's intelligence.
"My kid's eight, okay? Gimme a break," Mario grumbled. "Why'd you bring it in here?"
Dave shrugged, he'd forgotten he had it until he went to sit down. "Erin sleeps hard-"
"And you're worried she won't get up?" Clark asked, genuinely curious about his brother-in-law's reasoning for bringing a baby monitor to 'guy's night.'
"Not at all," Dave said easily. "But just in case…"
"Are you ever going to tell us what's going on with you two?" Clark asked.
"Yeah, David, just tell us." Mario said, leaning in close, eyeing his younger brother up and down. "I got some years on you. Let me help ya out. What's the deal with you and-" he made a gesture, pointing upstairs, because he'd forgotten her name.
"Would it kill you to open your mouth when you talk?" Dave grouched. "Stop mumbling. Just because you're asking me stupid questions, doesn't mean you have to sound stupid-"
"I'm just sayin'" Mario slurred. It was clear he wasn't driving home tonight. "I got a right to ask, ya know?"
"No, you don't," Dave grumbled.
"Okay," Clark cut in, before the brothers could go to war. "I think what Mario is saying-"
"Slurring, more like." Dave cut in, dryly.
"Whatever," Clark said sharply. "He's only asking the obvious question,"what the hell are you doing? Taking care of your own kid, I get but come on, Dave what kind of hold does she have on you?"
"The same one my sister has on you," Dave responded and drained his glass. This conversation was getting nowhere and he was sick of it. He extinguished his cigar in preparation of saying good night when his brother stated, "You know Davie,'' something he only said when he was trying to get his goat. Dave couldn't stand that nickname unless it came from his mother. "I just realized something." Mario continued, "you're Erin's 'Splackavellie'."
"Her what?" David asked both he and Clark stared at Mario like he'd grown a second head. "Her 'Splackavellie,' Mario repeated himself, grinning like a drunken idiot.
"What the hell is that?" Dave bit out.
"You know, like that song says 'He ain't ya boyfriend, he ain't ya husband'…" The sound of a glass hitting the wall after narrowly missing his brother's head, brought their mother out of the kitchen.
"What's going on here?" Mrs. Rossi asked, hands on her hips, glaring at her sons.
"Everything's fine," Dave said. "It's been handled."
"Dave threw a glass at me," Mario said, rubbing the back of his head, dramatic as always.
"If I wanted it to hit you, it would have," Dave warned.
"You're cleaning that up," Mrs. Rossi glared at her wayward sons, "and the two of you are going to replace that set."
"Why?" Mario asked, looking at his mother. "I'm the victim here," he protested.
"You're an adult," she countered. "And my set is now incomplete, therefore you're replacing it."
"I'll get you one tomorrow, Ma." Dave said, to placate her. When she walked back to the living room, and the door was closed, Clark spoke. "Okay...so we know what it's not."
"Do you want a glass at your head?" Dave threatened, lifting Mario's glass from the table. "I already have to buy a set, what's stopping me from breaking another one?"
"Okay! Okay!" Clark lifted both hands, "not necessary, David."
"Good." Dave laid the glass back on the table.
Mario snickered.
"Are you going to get off my ass now?" Dave bit out.
"No." Mario said and meant it.
"I might," Clark said quickly, folding his long torso further onto the sofa.
Dave narrowed his eyes at his brother in law, who was still squirming in his seat. When Marcy and Clark started dating, there were rumors that he was running with the local Mafia, back then, Dave would have believed it, just on the off chance it was true. Now that he knew Clark, there was no way he would get within 100 feet of someone who looked at him funny. Either that, or he was a snitch. It was a 50/50 chance. "You know, Clark, I have a hard time picturing you with the mob."
"No shit." Clark said, taking another sip of his drink. "Me too," he said, adjusting his wire rimmed glasses.
"A rat, maybe." Mario said.
"Nope," Clark said quickly, "But nobody believes me when I say I'm a pharmacist. Anyway, this isn't about me."
"Well, I'm not talking about Erin," Dave warned him. "Find something else to gossip about."
"Ah," Mario waved his hand. "You're no fun, Davie."
"Have fun dragging your asses home," Dave said, standing up, he clipped the baby monitor back on his waist.
"Ya know," Mario stage -whispered to Clark. "Before the baby, I bet Dave got more ass than a toilet seat."
"Idiot!" Clark hissed, slapping Mario on the shoulder. "How do you think they got the baby?"
"I heard that, You're both pricks," Dave called out from the bathroom. He washed his hands, dried off on his mother's nice hand towels and went back to the group.
"We're only having this conversation because you're both too hammered to remember it tomorrow." He said, warning them. Erin obviously wasn't a secret, but he didn't need the chief officers of the peanut gallery broadcasting his business to the rest of the family.
"Deal!" Both men said quickly.
"Mario?" Dave asked sternly.
"I didn't hear shit, didn't see shit, don't know shit." Mario said, shaking his head. He had a memory like a steel trap, but his lips were locked tight.
"Good." Dave sat back down and poured another drink. He swirled the whisky in the glass, thinking. His brother and brother-in-law didn't need to know all the dirty details, a man had to keep some things for himself, after all. "Have you ever had a perfect day?" He asked and waited for an answer.
"Yeah, sure." Mario nodded, "I uhh...took Andrew fishin for the first time when he was six. The weather was good, he caught a boot. We got ice cream. He was happy, I was happy. No complaints."
"Good, good." Dave sat back, this was easier than he thought. "Clark?"
"Uh huh…" He nodded and went to speak.
"Wait a minute!" Dave held up his hand, "If it involves my baby sister, don't share."
"Right!" Mario inclined his head in agreement. "Good thinking, Davie. There's a line we can't cross."
"Okay, fine. I'll keep my story to myself."
"Please do," Mario grumbled.
"God, if I knew you two were so easy to distract-"
"Yeah, you're not getting outta this!" Mario said sharply, "Keep talkin."
"Fine," Dave sat back in the chair. "Close your eyes and think about your perfect day. Not too hard, not the specifics. Just think about how you felt." There was a moment of silence… "Do you remember? The sunshine on your face, the pride you felt watching your son bait his first hook?"
"Uh huh…"
"That's how I feel when I'm with her," he admitted. "Even when I'm up to my neck in diapers and chicken nuggets and we're sleeping in a shitty motel in New Jersey and she won't sleep next to me because she's afraid to wake me up. Every day that I'm with her feels like a perfect day. I'm not about to let that go without one hell of a fight."
Erin rolled over, the static sounds of the baby monitor got her attention. She grabbed it from the shelf, fumbling for the switch in the dark. She wanted to turn it off, she didn't need to hear anything David was talking about with his buddies. But, her hand stalled, when she heard his voice.
"Every day that I'm with her feels like a perfect day. I'm not about to let that go without a fight."
Of all the things to overhear, that was a good one….warmth and affection for David, spread through her chest. For all she knew, he was talking about Ava, but either way...it was nice to hear him say something so sweet. She turned off the monitor, there was no reason to keep listening.
A loud, mocking chorus of "awwww!" filled the den. Clark and Mario were working their way through the bottle of scotch, Dave picked it up to gauge just how hammered they were. The amber liquid barely covered the bottom of the crystal decanter, it was time to go.
"That's my cue to leave," Dave pushed to his feet and went to the kitchen.
Mrs. Rossi turned away from the counter, when she heard the kitchen door open, laying the roll of aluminum foil aside. The leftovers could wait. "Everything okay?" She asked softly, as Dave strolled casually into the kitchen. He snagged a cookie off the tray and bit into it. David never completely fit in with Mario. He wasn't loud and obnoxious and crude, like Mario. He enjoyed needling his older brother, but the two of them mixed like oil and water when they were alone for too long.
"Fine." Dave chewed thoughtfully, "sorry about the glass."
"Were you intending to hit him or did you miss on purpose?"
He shrugged, he didn't bother trying to look repentant. "It was a 50/50 shot."
"Now, David." Mrs. Rossi tsked, shaking her head. "You know how I feel about blood- he's your brother and I'd rather not have to clean his out of my italian rug." She scolded, pulling up a chair and sitting down. She watched David chew through the cookie in his hand. "Are you waiting for that cookie to go stale before you sit down and talk to me?"
"Not tonight, Ma," he checked his watch. "It's a long story and it's late-"
"Fine," Mrs. Rossi held up one hand. "Get up early and I'll make your favorite breakfast."
"Omelettes and hashbrowns?" He asked hopefully. "Extra greasy?"
"Whatever you want."
"Goodnight, Ma." He kissed her cheek, "Thanks for uh..having my back."
"David?" She grabbed his wrist as he walked away, holding him still. "I'll always have your back, but you know how I feel about having sex in my house."
Dave chuckled, "We've got three kids and Erin just had a baby, Ma, I think that's the least of my problems."
"How do you think your sisters got here?" Mrs. Rossi countered, with a shrug of her shoulders. Hiding her smirk behind her coffee cup. "Why do you think they're so close in age?"
He grimaced, a disgusted shiver slipped down his spine. "Too much information. Goodnight, Mama."
The next morning Dave threw the blankets back and put his feet on the floor, sunlight streamed through the eyelet lace curtains of his mother's guest room. He stretched until his back popped, the lumpy mattress did a number on his back. That was the price he paid for sleeping alone. His mother didn't approve of him and Erin sharing a room and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, even though that rule was created for high schoolers and went out the window when he brought home a baby. Tugging on his bathrobe, he slid his feet into his slipper and padded to the door. The baby monitor on the bedside table was silent. Erin probably got up and fed Ava before she could cry, either way, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It was too quiet. He walked down the hallway, a little faster than normal. Knocking twice on Erin's door, he didn't wait for her to respond.
"Are you up?"
She wasn't. She was dead asleep, one arm thrown casually over her head, the other dangled off the edge of the bed. "Erin!" Crossing the room to the crib, he didn't have to look inside to know it was empty. "Erin!" He shoved her leg, hard. "Where's Ava?"
"What?" She stared at him, bleary eyed. Ava was up all night, cluster feeding. If Erin didn't keep her fed, she would have woken the whole house.
"Where's the baby?" He pressed, urgently. "Erin, where's Ava?" He gripped her shoulders, not hard, but enough to get her attention. "Where's Ava?"
She knew he was talking but the words he said didn't register. Her thoughts floated, disconnectedly in her head. Blinking quickly, she swiped her hand over her face. "David, wh-what? What are you talking about?"
God dammit, Erin!" he growled, stomping out of the bedroom. "Ma!" He shouted, thundering down the staircase as fast as he could. The kitchen door was wide open as Dave stepped off the staircase into the den. "Ma! Have you seen-"
"What? David, what'd you lose?" Mrs. Rossi asked, keeping her back to him as she scrambled eggs in the skillet. The door separating the den from the kitchen stood wide open.
"Ma! Have you seen my-" He scanned the room, he didn't know what he was looking for. Ava couldn't roll over, much less take herself downstairs.
"You're what?" Mrs. Rossi pressed. "Did you lose your wallet, Honey?" She asked sweetly, turning away from the stove. Ava, peacefully asleep, strapped to her grandmother's chest.
"My." Dave choked out, rapidly blinking. "My kid!" He shouted, rushing towards his mother, relief swept through him like a tidal wave.
"She's right here," Mrs. Rossi flipped the dial on the stove, turning it off.
Dave carefully lifted Ava out of the carrier, she fussed slightly at being disturbed but he didn't care.
"Hi…" he cooed gently, "you were down here with Nonna the whole time…." Then it dawned on him. "You had her this whole time?" Dave glared at his mother, "somebody could have told me."
"She was up all night," Mrs. Rossi explained with a shrug. "I sent Erin back to bed a while ago."
"Why didn't she come get me?" He sat down on the sofa, laying Ava on his chest.
"I don't know," Mrs. Rossi took a sip of her coffee and sat it back on the counter. "I guess she thought you needed your beauty sleep."
"I don't," Dave practically growled at his mother, looking down at his daughter's angelic face.
Mrs. Rossi chuckled, hiding her smirk behind her coffee cup. "Payback's a bitch."
"SHE told you about that!" Dave exploded, pushing off the couch.
"Of course she did, now calm down and have some eggs," Mrs. Rossi laid a plate on the table beside him.
Dave shook his head, "Ava's the only woman in this family who isn't trying to scare years off my life. That was twenty-five, at least," he grumbled. Ignoring the food next to him.
"As long as they're taken off the backend," Mrs. Rossi said dryly. Shaking her head at her son's dramatic streak.
"What else did you and Erin talk about, when you weren't conspiring against me?"
"Oh honey, you should know by now, that's a privileged conversation. How is Erin ever supposed to learn to trust me, if she thinks I run back and tell you everything she says? She's in a very vulnerable position right now and needs all the allies she can get. Don't worry, Davie, we just cleared the air a little bit, from where we got off on the wrong foot yesterday."
"Thanks Ma," Rossi gratefully told his mother. The last thing he wanted was for Erin and his mother to be at each other's throats.
"No need for thanks David, that's what families do. Now I am going to give you a day or two to get your thoughts together, but sooner or later, you and I have to sit down alone and finish our conversation, from when you called me from the hospital."
"Ma-"
"No, no, no," she chided. "Not today, I don't want to spoil the day by getting into such a heavy conversation. I went up to the attic this morning and retrieved your Baptism gown. I need you to run it by the cleaners today and call father Jimmy to see if he can perform the Baptism on Sunday," his mother informed him matter of factly.
"Yes, Ma'am." Dave responded, shaking his head. "I'm guessing Erin and I don't get a choice here?"
"Oh, I already talked to her!" Mrs. Rossi patted her son's arm enthusiastically, "she's completely on board. Now, you go take the christening gown to the dry cleaners and when you get back, I'll pack a picnic basket for you and Erin. Take her to the other house and get her opinion on the backsplash in the kitchen. Lucy and I will watch the children."
Mrs. Rossi had it all figured out, either David needed to break it off with Erin completely, or, they needed to bond. Considering that Mrs. Rossi suddenly had a new grandchild to consider; she didn't want them to break up, plus, playing matchmaker was more fun.
"Thanks Ma, but you don't need to do that. Erin and I can take the kids with us." Dave saw the look on his mother's face and was quick to add "Mom it's not that we don't trust you and Lucy with the kids, it's just that Erin is not too keen on Ava being bottle fed. I tried it when we were on the way here and I think I would have been safer trying to come between a lioness and her cub."
"Well," Mrs. Rossi nodded, "considering what she's been through, I can't say I blame her. Let us keep Matthew and Cassie, Ava will sleep the whole time you're gone-"
"You hope," Erin said, stepping off the last stair and into the den, freshly showered, her hair fixed, ready for the day. "She barely even naps-"
"Which is why, I think you should leave her with me," Mrs. Rossi said. "Give yourselves a break-"
"We'll see how the day goes," he cut in before Erin could respond. She was poised and ready to tell his mother, 'no' and he hadn't had enough coffee yet, to intervene in another fight.
Erin reached for the baby, "let me see her."
"She's asleep-" Dave said, without handing her over. "She's okay."
"It wouldn't hurt you to catch a bit more sleep, while the kids are sleeping." Mrs. Rossi said kindly, before he could respond.
"I'm alright-" Erin deflected.
"Get it while you can, Tesoro," he said. "Don't worry about the kids either, if they get up while you're sleeping, I'll take them with me-"
"That's not necessary," she brushed him off and held out her hands for Ava. "I appreciate that you let me sleep, but I'm awake now and I'd like to hold my baby."
"Well, now I see what you mean about lions and cubs," Mrs. Rossi deadpanned as Dave handed Erin the baby.
"What does that mean?" Erin asked, glancing at David.
"Nothing," he put his arm around her and made a mental note to keep his mother as far out of the loop as possible. "We're going to see the apartment today," he wanted to put Erin as far from his mother as reasonably possible.