The Dancer and the Don | ✔️

Chapter 29

One-two more chapters guys...and I wish I'd written the last parts of the story better. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy! As always let me know what you think!

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"How soon can we leave?"

Francesca was dying to get started on their new home. She missed her life, her husband, and her house, but now they had a baby and she wanted her to grow up in a stable home. This wasn't a stable home.

"About that," Tony muttered, rubbing the back of his neck, "I can only stay for tonight."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm trying my best—"

"I want to go home," Francesca sobbed. She collapsed onto the bed and ran her hands through her hair roughly. She lobed Gabriella with all her heart but she hadn't been sleeping enough before she came into her life, and now it was pretty much down to about one hour a night. She just wanted her husband, and she just wanted to go home.

Tony set Gabriella back into her little cot and pulled Francesca into his arms.

"Just wait a little longer, Fran, and we'll be able to move into a new home and live there happily...for the rest of our lives. Hm?" He began to shush and softly rock his wife in his arms. Tony released one arm and pressed his earpiece.

"Maran?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Come get Gabriella, please, and put her to bed."

"Yes, Sir."

Tony took his hand off of his earpiece and smiled down at his wife. She could relax while Maran focused on Gabriella, and Tony focused on making sure his wife was alright. His eyes watered when he thought about leaving her the next day—he cleared his throat and tried to clear his mind.

"Take a break for the rest of the night, Fran, Maran will take care of Gabriella," Tony soothed to Francesca. She immediately sat up in his arms.

"No, no," she muttered, "He's been taking care of her a lot, I don't want Gabriella to confuse you with him, I want you to take care of her."

"I can assure you that she won't even notice, Fran," he tried to tell her, but she wasn't having it.

"Let's take care of her together, Tony. We're her parents."

This was his daughter...it still hadn't really settled in his mind. He coughed and touched his earpiece again.

"Maran, cancel that order."

"Yes Sir," he answered without any questions. Tony picked up Gabriella again and held her with one arm, wrapping the other around his wife.

"Why don't you show me where everything is, huh?" Tony wanted his wife to be happy that he was here, but then again, all he could think about was how hard it was going to be to leave her. She stood and gripped his hand tight.

They silently made their way to the nursery, and Tony had to stop his eyes from watering. She was doing all of this without him and it just made him want to work that much harder when he left.

God, he needed to stop talking about leaving.

"Show me what you do," he whispered and set his chin on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a giggle and they inched towards the changing table so they wouldn't have to separate. He watched her careful hands as they touched their daughter with love, and saw the sparkle in Gabriella's eyes when she stared up at them.

He clenched his eyes shut and one tear managed to escape.

"It'll be alright," said his wife, the same woman that was breaking down a few minutes earlier. Tony thanked whatever being was up there for making his wife so strong. He could do this. She could do this.

They could do this.

Francesca changed Gabriella fairy quickly and led the way to the kitchen. Nathan and Maran were there but made themselves scarce when the family entered the room.

"I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, Fran, but I want to get this done as soon as possible."

"It's alright, I understand," she assured. Just because she understood didn't mean she liked it. Fran would deal with whatever she had to deal with if it meant her family being complete.

She handed the bottle to him as he held Gabriella in his arms and she couldn't help but sigh.

"My Ella," he whispered to her as she suckled the milk from the bottle. Slowly but surely he began to sob, in turn causing Gabriella to let out screeching cries and drop the bottle from her mouth. Francesca wrapped her arms around him and Gabriella and just held him for a minute.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. When she tried to respond he spoke up again, refusing to let her say it was alright. It wasn't.

They put her to bed fairly quickly and watched her drift to sleep through the baby monitor.

"She's amazing," he chuckled. "We have a daughter!"

"We do," Francesca put her arms around him, "I love you."

He took her mouth in his and slipped his tongue into her mouth. She groaned and heard the baby monitor clunk to the floor. Her arms slipped around his next as he pushed slightly to make her lie against the bed.

Their mouths broke apart only to breath and Tony's hands were shaking as he unbuttoned his wife's shirt. She yanked on the collar of his shirt until he pulled it over his head and she unclasped her bra.

They both let out loud moans as their skin met and he reached down to rip off his pants. Lips only separated so they could both slide their pants and underwear completely off before meeting again.

It was quick, and it was exhausting, but it was love.

They laid next to each other breathing heavily when Gabriella's loud cry was heard through the monitor. Tony jumped up and slid his pants back on so he could race out of the room and take care of his daughter for the first time.

Francesca leaned over to grab the monitor and watched as Gabriella stopped crying right as Tony picked her up. Her heart felt so full in that moment that she thought it would burst.

He came back quietly and snuck back into bed with his wife. Tony wrapped his arms around her as they both fell asleep and promised himself he would do whatever it took to bring them home.

The next morning was more difficult than Fran leaving a few months ago.

Tony held his daughter in his arms and forced himself to take a mental picture...real ones were out of the picture in fear of being hacked, so he was trying to remember her as best he could.

He didn't know when he'd be back.

"I love you," he whispered through his tears, "both of you." Tony handed Gabriella back to Francesca and pulled her into a harsh but loving kiss before leaving through the door he'd come in.

She let out a loud sob and Maran was there to grab Ella when she fell to her knees. Nathan sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She turned into him and wet his shirt with the many tears coming from her eyes.

"Bring him back, bring him back," she wailed. Maran quietly took Ella out of the room so she didn't begin to cry.

"He'll be back in a little bit, hm? He'll be back," Nathan assured. She rubbed her eyes and Nathan watched as they grew more and more red before pulling them away.

"Go rest," he suggested, "we'll watch Gabriella."

She didn't want rest, she wanted her husband back.

Now.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed.