Forty Five

                                    

                                          

"You all ready, baby?" Serenity turned her attention to Luciano although she still felt Angelo's stare on the side of her face. 
                          
"Yeah! We can go now?" He nearly bounced out of his shoes in excitement. Angelo finally released his grip on her waist and she shuffled towards her son. Running her fingers through his hair, she scanned his outfit. He'd managed to find a pair of black joggers, a spider man shirt, and his Nike's. 
                          
"Alright, let mommy put on her shoes then we can go." She cooed, her hand finally smoothed down the unruly strands. 
                          
"Dada, are you comin?" Luciano gave him his signature puppy dog eyes and Serenity chuckled at the tactic. Angelo looked conflicted, the hesitation making the smile fall from Serenity's face. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a challenging stare- begging him to say no. 
                          
"I-I can't, figlio." Angelo gave him a sorrowful look and Luciano hung his head. Serenity placed her hand under Luciano's chin to pull his head up before she kissed his cheek. 
                          
"What daddy means is he can't right now because he's not dressed. Are you okay to wait while he goes to get dressed?" She placed a kiss to his forehead as she rubbed his cheeks softly. Luciano's eyes lit up and he nodded his head rapidly. 
                          
"Come on, Angelo. Let's get you dressed." Standing up, her eyes dared him to protest and he silently followed her up the stairs. Once in their room, she closed the door, her face set in a scowl. 
                          
"I can't go, bella. I have meetings to go to and inventory coming in this morning. There's too much going on today." Angelo immediately began spewing excuses- his eyes begging her not to be upset. 
                          
"Does it look like I give a fuck? You agreed to take care of your son this summer. That means you schedule around him- not the other way around. You better figure it out and fast because you're going with us and you better pray he doesn't sense anything's wrong. Now get dressed." She ordered before leaving the room. 
                          
The scattering of heavy feet down the stairs let her know his men were just as nosy as her friends. A smile appeared on her face at the idea of these scary men being exactly like gossipy girls. 
                          
Once downstairs she slipped her shoes on before making her way towards the couch. Soon the giggles of Luciano approached and he appeared on the shoulders of Angelo. 
                          
"Come on, mama!" He cackled as Angelo moved like an airplane towards the door. Grabbing her purse, she exited behind them, smiling as Luciano raced Angelo to the car. 
                          
"Buckle up, big man." Angelo instructed as he placed Luciano in his car seat. Serenity hopped into the passenger side and checked her phone. Tate had been blowing up her line about what Italy was like. Rolling her eyes, she replied to each of his messages- not bothering to look up as Angelo started the car up. 
                          
"Mama?" Luciano called out. 
                          
"Yes, baby?" Serenity sent the last message before turning in her seat to look back at Luciano. 
                          
"How long till we get there?" He leaned his head against his car seat- she could tell he was getting restless already. 
                          
"It's a 45 minute drive to the city, so 45 minutes." She chuckled as he let out a loud groan. 
                          
"That's like...like years!" Luciano pouted. 
                          
"How about we play some music to make the time fly?" She suggested watching as his face lit up. He began to bounce in his chair excitedly as she connected her phone to the Bluetooth. 
                          
"Play Abery!" He cheered, unable to say the artists name correctly no matter how much she'd corrected him. Clicking Song for you, he immediately began to sing the song animatedly. Luciano had immediately taken to this version, but didn't seem to enjoy the original as much.
                          
"Sing it baby!" She cheered as he sung his heart out. If there was one thing Luciano loved, it was a good ballad. Kimberly always told her that her child had an old soul. 
                          
"Just listen to this melody cuz my love is in there hidin!" Luciano belted and Serenity waved her hands high as if she was at his concert. It didn't surprise her when he followed the runs to a t- Luciano's voice was gorgeous.
                          
She couldn't keep the smile off her face as he poured his heart out to the song. A part of her knew one day, he'd be a famous singer. His voice was already developing to the point where he could hit the same runs as Avery- his tone like velvet. 
                          
Hitting the last high note, Serenity cheered loudly, clapping and sending praise his way. Turning, she noticed Angelo had a frown on his face, his hands gripping the steering wheel. She rolled her eyes and turned on the next song- another love ballad. Luciano began singing again and she once more cheered him on. 
                          
"I woulda only grow young so I have more time to give!" Luciano sung along, his hands guiding himself through the notes. From the way his body immediately took to the beat, to the way he sung with such soul, to his voice alone Serenity knew her baby had a gift. 
                          
Angelo reached to turn the song off and Serenity slapped his hand harshly. Pointing at him in warning, she didn't miss the scowl he sent her way. Serenity couldn't care less. They'd already expressed how they felt about Luciano's future- she meant every word she said. If he wanted to be a singer in the future, she was willing to give her life for his dream. 
                          
Finally arriving at the ice cream shop, Serenity hopped from the car and unbuckled Luciano. 
                          
"Was I good mama?" He questioned, a bright smile on his face. Every time they sung, she always asked how he sounded. 
                          
"You sounded magnificent as always. My baby's got a gift!" She egged him on loving the way his face lit up. There was no dream too big for her baby. 
                          
"Dada, did you like it?" Luciano turned to Angelo. Serenity made eye contact with him- her eyes warning him to choose his next words very carefully. 
                          
"You sound amazing, figlio. There's a stage out there waiting for you." He praised as he ruffled Luciano's hair. Luciano squealed excitedly as he wrapped his arms around Angelo's legs. Serenity felt her expression soften as Angelo kissed Luciano's forehead. 
                          
Approaching them, she wrapped her arm around Angelo's side. Luciano stared up at them, a bright smile on his face. That was all she wanted- him to be happy. 
                          
"Thank you." She whispered into Angelo's ear before she kissed his cheek. Angelo leaned down and placed his lips against hers softly before he pulled away and laid his forehead against hers. 
                          
"I love you, Serenity."
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