ARELLA (A Mafia Story)

Three

Damon

Arella sleeps peacefully on my shoulder while I carry her out of the hospital. Two weeks spent in that horrible, chemically smelling room and we're finally going home. It's about time too, because my men got her room put together.

We had to prepare properly. It's not just the bedroom we had to worry about. We also had to think about clothes, diapers because she's not potty trained, baby cameras, and child proofing.

Arella has proved that she can do this weird crawl thing to get around. Freya and I would prefer that she doesn't sleep by herself until she can walk and is used to her own environment.

Freya and I's room is quite large, so we turned our sitting area into a nice spot for her. A toddler bed, toys, and a table for tea. Everything is bright pink, going against the theme of our room, but I could care less.

We just want her to feel comfortable and welcomed. It's a big adjustment for her.

Robert pulls up in front of us with the car. I hold my hand out to him in a signal to wait. I would prefer to get Arella in the car without much fuss. She still is wary of men. Well, strangers in general, especially men.

Arella's car seat is a rear facing thing. She's still too tiny to ride forward facing. I cautiously set her down in the seat, trying to get the buckles where they're supposed to be. Grunting, I bite my lip in concentration.

Seriously, how do I do this? Car seats weren't this difficult when my boys were little.

"Move out of my way." Freya, not so gently, pushes me to the side.

She leans in, quickly finding the right places for the buckles, straightening with a smug smirk.

"Don't say a word." I warn her as I round the car to get in.

"I didn't say a word." Freya defends with a faked innocent look on her face

"Your face says it all." Unbuttoning my suit jacket, I slide into the middle seat beside Arella's.

She's woken up and is playing with her buckles. Not trying to undo them, just playing around.

"Are you ready to go, sir?" Robert asks.

I nod, reaching over to grab my baby girls hand. She squeezes me tightly while Freya puts her hand on my knee. I don't think Arella has been in many cars based off her reaction.

She watches the tall sky scrapers pass by in awe. Everything seems to be new for her. The sunlight hits her face, showing off the freckles and rosy cheeks that I love so much.

I laugh loudly when she spots a dog on the sidewalk. Her little nub moves up and down as she wiggles with excitement. She's going to love our dog, then.

"That's a doggy, princess. We have one at home. His name is Cerberus. He'll love you."

Despite the mean sounding name, Cerberus is the friendliest dog. To children at least. He's a big black pit bull. I've raised him since he was ten weeks old. The shit is stubborn and doesn't listen to anybody but Freya.

"I forgot to warn her about Cerberus." Freya admits.

"He'll be alright. He loves children. Arella will be no different."