3| Profession

☁︎Lorenzo☁︎

"I don't like boats." Isabella randomly muttered, her mouth full of mashed potatoes.

Lucas' eyes widened from where he sat across the dining table, his hand slowly reaching up to grasp the little boat figurine that he brought to the table.

"Isa, we don't talk with our mouths full," I warned arching up an eyebrow at her tiny figure that was seated next to me.

She nodded with a pout and muttered an apology after I had wiped her mouth clean with a napkin.

Lucas had already finished his food and was waiting for his sister. He swung his feet lightly under the table, his eyes trained on the boat in his hands.

"Guess who's here?" A loud voice erupted from the living room startling Isabella for a second before she started giggling, both her and her brother's face lit up waiting for the owner of the voice to come in.

"Uncle Theodore!" Lucas beamed when a familiar body came into the room.

"We've been over this little guy, it's just Theo," Theodore said with a laugh as he went over to tickle the boy. His laughs spilled out uncontrollably making Isabella laugh beside me too.

I sighed tiredly pinching my temple as I picked up a piece of cut steak from my plate. I frowned when I saw that it was covered in gravy, I don't like gravy.

You don't even like mashed potatoes.

Yes, but Julia already made them-

"Daddy, Uncle Theo is making weird noises at the table again," Isabella said tugging at the ends of my sleeve as she tried to control her giggles.

I looked up at my brother who had already served himself a plate of food. I gave him a look, silently daring him to moan while he was eating in front of my kids again.

He responded with a sheepish look before continuing with his dinner.

I fed Isabella another spoonful of food watching as she tried to count her fingers while she chewed.

I picked up my fork again and tried to wipe off the excess gravy over the damn crushed potatoes.

After getting most of it out, I stuck the piece of meat in my mouth.

My mind slowly trailed off as I chewed.

I've got to catch a flight at midnight. Shipments are dropping in Italy tomorrow. I've got a business meeting in Italy in two days and in Boston two days later.

Fucking business meetings. I hate meeting up with people, they all just want you to sign a few papers and partnerships. Hell, they'd want you to sign over your life if they had the chance.

"I know that you're a successful businessman."

Like hell I am. It's fucking exhausting to run two types of businesses while being one person. I've got deals to close, lives to change, people to kill. I don't have time to fly around and go to business meetings or some dumb conference shit. I feel like pulling out a gun and shooting down anybody within a mile's radius or anybody who breaths too loud-

"Daddy," Isabella called scattering down my train of thoughts. "I'm full." She declared pushing away her plates.

I nodded understandably and proceeded to wipe her mouth with a napkin.

I have to look after my children too.

"-ow and she was nice too. She got lost on her way downstairs, but I helped her get there." Lucas blabbered to Theodore who was listening attentively to the kid. "Her eyes were like this big when she was close to me, and they looked like caramel-coated chocolates!" Lucas exclaimed using his juice glass to explain that 'her' eyes were as big as the whole bottom rim.

"Is that so?" Theodore drawled, confusion drawing in as he skeptically looked at the glass.

"Uh huh, and guess what?" He asked but before Theodore could guess he carried on. "Her face had all these dotty thingies, like the ones Isa has on her nose." He said touching all over his face.

Isabella frowned touching her nose before looking up at me.

"He means freckles, darling." I chuckled at her confused face before leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"And her hair has an orange color-"

Is he talking about the redhead from earlier? Did they meet?

"Luke," I called making him pause completely. "Allow your uncle to eat his food, si?"

"But, lui sta mangiando," he whined pointing at Theodore who nodded in agreement.

(But he's eating.)

"Peacefully," I added together with a warning look that made him flush bright pink. He muttered his apology before facing front, to his forgotten boat.

"Zo, I don't really mi-" I redirected the look towards my brother making him shut up instantly.

"Both of you should go upstairs," I said helping Isabella down from her chair. "I'll be there in a minute to get you ready for bed."

Lucas nodded at my instructions and took his plate to the sink before coming around to hold his sister's hand.

"Good night, Uncle Theo." They said in unison and Theodore raised both of his hands giving them a thumbs up before they disappeared to the living room.

Once their footsteps started clambering up the stairs, Theodore snapped his head towards me making me roll my eyes.

"Bambinaia?"

(A Nanny?)

"Si, é?" I responded grabbing mine and Isabella's plates and taking them to the sink.

(Yes, and?)

"I feel hurt," he said feigning disappointment. "Does that mean I'm fired?"

I ignored him and started doing the dishes.

"Did she get the job?" he asked, I could hear his chair screeching as he got up.

How many goddamn times have I warned him not to scratch my floors?

"Yes," I answered simply, and he hummed in approval coming to stand beside me.

He started to slip his plate into the sink but retreated it once I shot him a glare.

"Fratello!" He whined like a goddamn kid. "It's just one plate."

(Brother!)

"All the more reason for you to do it yourself."

"Wait, if you've gotten the little ones a nanny does that mean I get a vacation?" He quipped excitedly.

I took off the rubber gloves and slapped his nape hard making him yelp.

"It means that you've got to take your work more seriously and have your men track down Emilio," I explained moving on to wipe the dishes with a clean cloth.

Theodore slipped his plate into the sink and started slipping on the gloves.

"I wish I was older," he mumbled while washing his dish.

"You'd still follow my orders," I mused stacking the dishes and hanging the dish towel. "And I'll still slap some sense into your fucking head."

His jaw dropped at that.

"Also, turn off the lights, and don't touch the mint chocolate chip ice cream, it's Isa's," I told him as I walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs.

"Hey, no fair! That's my favorite too," he complained.

He's a fucking airhead, but he's smarter than he seems. He's also my kid brother, Leonardo Theodore Moretti.

He's 28 years old but he likes to think he's younger because that age is too old in his opinion. We have a sister, she's younger than me but older than Theodore. And he thinks it's unfair that he gets to be the smallest.

"Hey, what's the use of having a dishwasher then!?"

Idiota