The Mafia's Babies by Kaycee Romano (little readers TXT) 📕

"One cookies and cream, one chocolate chip cookie dough and one buttered pecan." River listed out to the young girl behind the counter.

She quickly printed the receipt and the doctor paid before she scooped out the icy goodness and passed the three cups in a tray.

"Have a good day."

River smiled at her, mumbling a "You too." before making her way to the table near the window, where her kids sat, talking animatedly to each other.

Ah, she could watch them all day.

But it was almost four now and that meant they had to quickly finish their ice cream and head to Uncle Sebastian's. She had to drop them back home before she went back to the hospital for her six o'clock shift.

"There you go!" River exclaimed, placing the cups of ice cream in front of her very excited kids before taking her own cup of buttered pecan.

"Thanks Mommy." They said in unison.

"Your welcome babies." Kiara grinned while Lucas scowled. He really did not like being called a baby and he knew that his Mommy called him that on purpose to rile him up. But River really couldn't help it, her son looked way too cute when he was mad.

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"You look like you crawled out of your grave." River greeted her best friend of thirty years as she watched her kids run over to little Mia who was playing with her toys sitting on the carpet.

"When are you crawling back into yours?" Sebastian Shane asked, closing the door behind him, his eyes on the bag from the ice cream store in his best friend's arm.

"Six o'clock."

"Can the kids stay?" He looked at her with the stupidest puppy eyes while she gave him a weird look. "Why?"

Like, wasn't one demon enough?

"Because she forgets about my existence when they are around." He pointed at his little devil. Mia was just two but she was the devil reincarnated. Though she did act like an angel in front of her mother and god-mother and only saved the worst for her dear old father.

River burst out laughing.

My poor poor bestie does look like he could use a break! The inner voice was feeling a bit sympathetic. He was the only sibling-like figure she had in her life.

"Fine. But you have to drop them back in the morning. Lucas got school." River finally said after giving it a thought. She placed the bags of goodies she had brought for her two-year-old godchild and thirty-two-year-old best friend.

"Is there ice cream?" He whispered, watching the kids play with Mia's toy train.

"Yeah." River whispered back. "Buttered pecan."

The two besties both liked the same ice cream. And that was probably the only thing they had in common other than their love for bike riding, something they left behind after job and kids. And they also shared the same hatred for a particular part of their past.

The doctor and architect knew each other through their mothers. Susan and Josephine were best friends who were attached at the hips since childhood, so as children they had to spent way too much time together and inevitably became attached at the hips just like their mothers.

And they continued and cherished their friendship though they lived completely different lives now.

"What time is it?" River asked her best friend when she realized that she had left her stupid phone in the car.

"Quarter to five." He said, stuffing his face with ice cream.

"Jesus, Shane! Eat slowly. You are gonna choke at this rate!" River whisper-yelled, slapping him by the arm, knowing very well there would be war if Mia saw the ice cream.

She had wheezing so her parents and godmother kept her away from cold stuff as much as possible but of course, the two-year-old loved ice cream, like any other normal child.

"I am gonna head back to my apartment." She told him before making her way to the kids.

"Gomama!" Mia squealed seeing her favorite aunt. She was yet to frame proper words. She called River 'Gomama' because Alison kept saying she was her godmother.

Yes, the same Alison River had met at her apartment after Sebastian and her one-night stand was now her sister-in-law and mother to her godchild.

"Hi my baby." River cooed, tapping her nose making her giggle.

"Who wants to stay with Uncle Sebby and Mia?" She turned to her other two darling little babies.

"Me!!" The both of them said in unison, throwing their hands in the air.

"Hmm..." The doctor pretended to give it a thought just for the suspense even though she had already made up her mind. "I guess you could stay tonight."

The kids squealed with excitement while Sebastian shook his head at his best friend's antics.

What? I need some entertainment in my life, don't I? The inner voice thought to herself as River grabbed her purse.

She said her goodbyes and instructed what and what not to do with Kiara and her cast. She had painkillers only in the morning so she could just take it once she was back home.

River drove back to her apartment where she found Mrs. Marley waiting for her with pasta.

"I had a feeling the twins would be staying with Sebastian today." Mrs. Marley said as she added some chocolate bags into River's emergency duffel bag.

River changed into her scrubs and left after kissing her housekeeper and mother-like figure goodbye.

Now I just have to report to work...

And apologize to a certain Italian.

Even her otherwise shameless inner voice was embarrassed to a level about having fallen asleep for so long at a patient's room.

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It was half past six in the evening. And Mateo was already super exhausted.

Who would have thought having to walk after staying in bed for a week would be so difficult?

He had only practiced walking about an hour in the evening after all the massage and therapy they gave him, but he was tired. And mad. Hella mad.