Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
New Orleans demanded exploration on foot, and I was prepared.
Now back to the kids. Will we ever get out of this hotel suite?
Getting the kids ready for our outing in New Orleans was an adventure I may look back on with a fond, warm smile. However, currently, I felt overwhelmed and bordering on hysteria as I frantically searched through suitcases and bags, worried that I didn’t have all the necessary items packed.
This is insane. How do other women handle this without any help?
My mind was already formulating plans to create a large foundation to support single mothers around the world.
But for now, I needed to focus on getting ready for our day out in the bustling streets of New Orleans’s French Quarter.
Did people even take kids there? Fuck it. This was my bright idea so we will find something family friendly to do.
I returned my focus to the cutest little kid ever.
Paolo.
After leaving Italy, he had been growing into a happy, energetic kid. I think the time in Moscow had truly helped. He smiled and giggled all the time. If we weren’t painting together, then we raced around in the garden, or swam in the pool.
I checked my watch. “Damn. Another hour already passed?”
Who knew that a little kid could keep me busy just with putting on his clothes?
Of course, it had been my bright idea to tell Baba and the nannies to take a break. Currently, they relaxed in a spa that I had booked for them. They would be receiving the works—facials, hot stone massages, herbal body wraps, aromatherapy, laser treatments for unwanted hair removal, along with manis, and pedis.
I looked Paolo over. “Are you ready, buddy?”
He bobbed his head.
Since Paolo was obsessed with the color green, it shifted to a love for snakes—cobras to be precise. Kaz even wanted to give Paolo a snake as a pet.
All I need are lions and cobras all over the property, scaring the shit out of me.
Regardless, Paolo was absolutely thrilled when I showed him the outfit I picked for him—a bright green shirt adorned with a chuckling cobra, paired with khaki shorts, and topped with a matching green hat.
Kneeling down, I finished adjusting Paolo’s hat. His eyes sparkled with an excitement that lit up the entire room.
“You’re looking good, buddy.”
He bounced on the balls of his feet, hissed like a snake, and clutched at the hem of his cobra shirt, his small fingers tracing the outline of the fierce snake on the front. “Look. Look.”
“I see.”
“Cobra.”
I made a serious face. “Deadly, swift, and silent.”
He widened his eyes.
“And don’t forget, they strike like this.” Fast, I lunged forward, mimicking a snake’s strike with my hand.
Paolo jumped back with a dramatic gasp before he crumbled into a fit of giggles.
And I couldn’t help but laugh too, since his joy was infectious.
In the midst of our laughter, Harlem trotted over with that glossy coat and big, soulful eyes.
I studied him.
When did you start getting bigger?
Harlem, our chocolate cocker spaniel, had grown noticeably since Kaz had first given him to me.
Yet, Harlem seemed blissfully unaware of his increasing size and strength, still considering himself the small puppy that could easily nip at Paolo’s fingers without consequence.
Harlem attempted to nip at Paolo’s chin, and the suddenness of it caught Paolo off guard.
I stared at my fur baby. “Harlem, no.”
The puppy looked up at me with those large eyes, a soft whine escaping him as if he were apologizing for his forgotten manners. Instead of nipping Paolo again, he gently licked my hand and wagged his tail.
“You’re not a tiny pup anymore, Harlem. You’re a big, protective brother now.” I scratched behind his ear. “Let’s keep those teeth to yourself.”
Paolo tapped my leg. “Haalem come?”
Turning towards the other room where Kaz was dressing Emilio, I raised my voice slightly. “Baby, are we bringing Harlem too?”
The sound of Kazimir’s laughter echoed back, before he yelled, “Who else would truly protect us?”
“Good point.” I looked down at Paolo, who was still fascinated with his cobra shirt. “Alright, baby. Go get Harlem’s leash.”
Paolo’s eyes lit up with a new mission. He tapped the cobra on his shirt as if consulting with it first, then looked up at me with determination. “I walk Haalam, mysh.”
“Can you say please?”
“Peez.”
“Sure. You can walk him when we’re outside.”
I shouldn’t have allowed it, but that was my baby. Already, I pictured Harlem getting out of Paolo’s control and us chasing after Paolo as he raced for the dog.
This is going to be a shit show.
Paolo scampered off with a sense of purpose only a child could muster.
Harlem, probably guessing the upcoming adventure, sprinted closely behind Paolo, his tail wagging vigorously.
Alright. Let me check on the Lion and his cub.
Shaking my head, I went off to Emilio’s room. “Have you finally picked something?”
“I did, but I am not happy, mysh.”