Marry Me Mafia

Not So Mundane Days

Antonio surprised the girls with a pan of decadent fudge brownies before dinner. The smell was so incredible, even the hardened security teams were standing at the kitchen door just to catch a whiff of the rich chocolate like children. Not to be outdone, both Nico and Renee sat at the kitchen counter smiling like idiots, just waiting for the pan to come out of the oven. When the pan came out, and that heavenly scent erupted through the kitchen, the twins came running; two tiny tornadoes dressed in pink fluffy tutus, yellow rain boots, and plastic tiaras. "Chocolate!!!" they squealed loud enough to crack an eardrum. It was as if a tornado had erupted in the kitchen with poor Antonio at its center, holding the screaming hot pan of brownies over his head in a vain attempt to protect himself. "Ninas! My ninas, they must cool first, please! Five minutes, my darlings, and you can have them." Renee and Nico could only smile at the chaos.

The email concerning the removal of Dr. Skinner had come late that afternoon. The DCFS caseworker, Mrs. Brooks, strongly voiced her concerns about Dr. Skinner's inappropriate behavior, coercion of minors, and assaulting a minor during an at-home visit. In the email, Mrs. Brooks strongly recommended that Skinner be removed from the case. She also made the recommendation that Skinner's medical license be suspended pending an ethics review. The judge was swift in the ruling. Following Mrs. Brook's recommendation, Skinner was removed not only from Hannah and Ava's case, but removed from the rotation for DCFS cases in total. The judge even followed through by sending an ethics complaint to the Medical Licensing board. A new family grief counselor would be assigned within a week. As Nico read the email to Renee as they were sitting on the couch in the den, he felt a wave of relief. Maybe things would start to go their way. Maybe this crazy idea about his fiancée wasn't so crazy. She was sitting beside him, her arm resting lazily on his shoulders, her fingers brushing the hair at the nape of his neck. They had simply fallen into such ease with each other over such a short amount of time, Nico couldn't think of any other woman he had been with before who had taken such care, been so devoted and, without trying, had been making him crazy from day one. He took a deep breath as he placed the phone on the coffee table in front of them, "Well, that's one problem gone." he exhaled slowly, feeling her soft fingers playing with his hair. Renee let her head fall onto Nico's shoulder. The day had been exhausting, and the adrenaline had long worn off. "So, what's next?" she sighed. Nico looked at her and placed a soft kiss on her temple, "Well, the first hurdle is done, and until the new counselor takes over, the next court date is set for three weeks, so there isn't much for us to do, except go on with life. Why did you have any ideas?" Renee sat calmly beside him thinking. "Maybe Bug could help?" Nico's brow furrowed, "Your dog? How is a dog going to help?" Renee sat up and slowed her hand, playing in Nico's soft waves. "Bug is a trained therapy dog. She has been since she was 18 months old. She has been to the VA hospital in Memphis hundreds of times with me. She's been to St. Jude too. Sometimes, just having someone there that doesn't look at you like you're broken or different helps more than hours of therapy with a person." Nico looked at the beautiful woman sitting beside him, and pulled her onto his lap. "You were never broken baby," he whispered in her ear. "We can try. I'm sure for the dog, it beats sitting in the apartment all day."

So while the brownies were cooling, Nico and Renee sat the girls down and explained to them about Bug. That she was Renee's dog and that she was very special. They explained that Bug couldn't eat what people ate, especially not chocolate. Nico was still wary about the pitbull. He knew they had a reputation even in the mafia. Fighting dogs, dogs used for protection and security by some low-tier thugs, but he would never think such a dog belonged in a home with kids. So, when Renee walked into the kitchen with the 50 lb dog, the girls walked over, slowly introducing themselves as Renee taught them, he held his breath with his hand on his pistol. What happened next dumbfounded Nico, Antonio, and the two security guys standing at the door. Bug sniffed the girls' hands slowly and gently, then laid down and went belly up. "See?" Renee sat on the floor with the girls, who were both furiously giving the dog belly rubs and ear scratches. Nico just stood staring, "What do we do now?" he asked. Renee just stood up, smiling, "Nothing, just leave them alone with her. Best babysitter, ever."

It was 3 hours later and the girls had the pitbull dressed in one of their dresses, with pink painted toenails and socks on her feet. Nico was just sitting on the sofa, reading an email, when the dog walked over wearing Hannah's Easter dress, with pink toes, and Ava's yellow duck socks on her back feet. Bug simply walked over and laid down beside his feet and gave a deep sigh. Renee walked in from the dining room with a cup of orange blossom tea in hand and sat beside Nico. She leaned over and gave Bug a soft pat on her head; the dog looked up and licked her hand slowly before laying her head on the soft carpet. Nico glanced over at Renee, "I can't believe that is the same dog that looked like she would bite my head off when we met." Renee snuggled closer into his side. "She is protective of anyone she considers her family. That will include the girls and you. I got her while I was still on the waitlist at the VA for a service dog. A homeless woman sold her to me when she was maybe 8 weeks old for 40 bucks. I could see so much intelligence in her eyes even then. I asked a friend in Memphis who trains police dogs to help me train her. She took everything we threw at her and crushed it. She took her exam for canine good citizenship at 18 months and passed, then her certification for therapy work a month later. Nothing could stop her. We've been together ever since, and she is 12 years old now." Nico just listened and looked down at the dog. At first glance, she didn't look that old, but there were some white hairs around her face, her eyes seemed to carry a lot of time behind them. He reached down and patted her head softly. Bug looked up and smelled his hand for a moment before breathing a heavy sigh and lying back down. "I always thought pitbulls were dangerous, not this." he said softly. Renee tilted her head to look at him, "Any dog can be dangerous. Both Bug and I were lucky we found each other. She could have ended up a bait dog." Nico kissed her forehead softly. "You always surprise me, Bella."

Nico sat up and looked down at her, "I have something coming up next week that will take me back to New York for a couple of days. I need you to come with me." Renee sat up and listened carefully, "Antonio and his sister, Maria, are going to be here with part of my security team to take care of the girls. Can you leave Bug here with the girls?" Renee didn't blink,"Yeah, she can stay with the girls. She loves the attention. What's going on in New York?" Nico sighed deeply, scratching his head absently. "Family business. The other families are getting together to discuss future business and treaties. They are not happy about me moving to New Orleans, even temporarily. They think I am getting soft, I think. So I need to go, make sure no one gets any dumb ideas." Renee placed her hand on his; it was warm. His fingers closed around hers, protectively. Renee looked serious for a second, "So a show of strength and stability?" Nico nodded. "Some of it will be boring for you, sitting around with the other wives and girlfriends. Be careful of those women too though. A lot of them are connected to other families, and most of them are bat s**t crazy." Renee put her head on his shoulder, "I'll check and see if I need to renew my carry license in New York. If I do, I'll just bring some of my fun toys." Nico smiled, his scarred eyebrow going up, "What kind of toys?" Renee rolled her eyes, "Not those kinds of toys, you perv."