Chapter 1995 - Weekend At The White Rock Lake (6)

Angelo arrived shortly after 8 AM at a property that was eerily quiet. Usually, that is the time when the Cliffside Villa is buzzing with activity, but last night everyone stayed late and this was a vacation, so most of the people present were just waking up.

Angelo was delighted to hold Holly who was peacefully sleeping in his arms.

"Look how comfortable she is with me. She knows who is her grandpa!", Angelo beamed. Holly was his first grandchild, and he didn't have much time to bond with his children, so this was very special.

Emma looked at Angelo who was grinning from ear to ear and she didn't have the heart to tell him that the baby would sleep like that in anyone's arms. Holly is Emma's first baby, but as a nurse practitioner, she held many infants, so she knew about these things.

Angelo gave Emma his phone. "Take a few photos for me…"

"I will do it.", Charlie insisted. "Emma should rest. I can stand and move around and capture different angles."

Angelo approved.

While Charlie snapped photos, Holly woke up and looked at Angelo. He gave her his pinky finger and to his delight, she grasped it.

"Take a photo of this!", Angelo said breathlessly. "Did you get it? Did you get it?"

"I did.", Charlie said dryly. Why did Holly hold Angelo's finger and not his? He is the father, and he should have all the firsts! And Angelo stole the first finger-holding!

"Take more!", Angelo demanded, oblivious to Charlie's displeasure.

Emma smiled at the heartwarming scene in front of her and she wondered if Angelo looked so happy when she and her brothers were born. Probably.

When JoAnna came to check on Emma, Angelo reluctantly placed Holly in the crib and excused himself, saying that he will come back later. 

Ever since they remodeled the property, Sarah and Aiden dedicated one room as a nursery with cribs and stockpiles of diapers, wipes, onesies, bibs, and anything else infants might need. It allowed Sophia, Anna, and any of their friends with babies to come without worrying if they packed all the necessities.

That is why they had everything for Holly, and they placed one crib with fresh linens next to Emma's hospital bed.

JoAnna encouraged Emma to stand up and walk a bit.

"Everything looks great.", JoAnna said after doing a checkup on Emma and Holly. "Whenever you feel comfortable, you can move to the guest bedroom. Just let me know and we will help you get there in a jiffy. We have a crib and everything else set up there for you. I suggest that you wait at least another twenty-four hours before heading back to Los Angeles. If you can stay until tomorrow evening and return with everyone else, that would be perfect."

Emma exhaled sadly. "We came here to unwind for the weekend, and ended up with a baby."

"This is fine.", Charlie said. "If we are in Los Angeles now, we would struggle to keep my Uncles and Aunts away from the maternity ward. Like this, we get a few days of peace with Holly."

Emma agreed with this. They are not in a hospital how they planned, but she could not think of a safer place than in the company of Hill sisters, their husbands, and kids from the Cliffside Villa. Also, Angelo, Donnie, and Emma's brothers are here, so she was not missing anyone in particular.

Emma decided to move to the guest bedroom and to have breakfast there. Jamari and Imani helped in moving Holly and whatever baby might need, while Charlie supported Emma. They settled in very quickly.

Sarah and Sophia arrived to visit the baby while pushing a trolley with breakfast items for Emma and Charlie.

"How are boys?", Emma asked.

Sarah was not sure who are 'the boys' Emma asked about, so she gave a recount for everyone. "Corey is with Merve, they are fine. Mike is with Tiffany, they said they will come after you are done with breakfast, as for Sean and Ryan…" Sarah fiddled with her phone and gave it to Emma.

Emma looked at the phone and saw a video of Sean and Ryan sitting at the table with Harini and Panya. They were munching on food, chatting, and laughing, and even though there was no audio, Emma could see that the mood was good.

Emma was not sure what was she supposed to see other than her twin brothers having breakfast with two girls. "What am I looking at?"

"They are officially couples.", Sarah said.

Emma didn't get it. "What?"

"While you were having your baby, Sean and Ryan got themselves girlfriends.", Sophia explained.

Emma stared at the phone and then a smile slowly appeared on her face. She knew that Harini and Panya are Sarah's girls and that Sean and Ryan wouldn't dare make a move if they are not serious. And the fact that Sarah is calm about it confirms that Sarah knew they were close and that this was not sudden. Emma chided herself silently. This was one more thing she didn't know about her brothers.

Angelo arrived with a property deed for a sea-facing piece of land in Italy, that was on the name 'Holly Smith'.

"This is a gift for my granddaughter…", Angelo announced. "No matter how and where she grows up, she will have a piece of Italy with her."

"Thank you…", Charlie said as he accepted the deed. He didn't expect anything, and he appreciated that Angelo thought about Holly. "I will safekeep it until she is old enough to hold onto it."

"Now you have two of my angels to take care of. Watch them well, Charlie."

"I will do my best because they are my angels as well.", Charlie responded to Angelo solemnly. 

Unless it was necessary for Angelo to leave for privacy reasons (Emma's checkup or breastfeeding), Angelo was next to Holly most of the time, enchanted by her existence. He even wanted to change her diaper, but JoAnna shooed him away.

Later that day, Melissa also joined. Considering that she has Grayden and Amber, Melissa was a professional when handling the baby.

"Do you think she can be matched with my Gray?", Melissa mused while looking at Holly.

"It's early of that, don't you think so?", Emma asked stiffly.

Melissa laughed. "I'm just giving you hints, sweetie… She will be a fine young lady. Perfect for my Gray."

"My Jay is available, and Sarah is expecting a boy also…", JoAnna chimed in, making Melissa frown a little. "And let's not forget that Sophia also has two boys."

Charlie let out a dry laugh. "Ah, my Holly is already popular. What will I do when she grows up?"

Everyone laughed. They could imagine Charlie with a shotgun chasing away suitors from the main entrance of the Smith villa.

After lunch, Emma wanted some air, and they all went to the garden. Charlie was next to Emma as he pushed a stroller with Holly. Angelo, Melissa, Jarred, and Donnie followed closely behind.

They all sat around one table that was set under the shade of a massive oak tree. The weather was warm and pleasant, and the kids were doing their own thing.

The kids from the Cliffside Villa who didn't see the baby so far, took turns peeking into the stroller and congratulating Charlie and Emma who beamed with happiness.

Of course, curious toddlers also got their turns to see the baby.

"When will she play with us?", Alice asked.

"When she is bigger.", Emma responded.

"She sleeps a lot, just like Val.", Lia said dryly.

"Little ones sleep a lot.", Jayden said knowingly. "My mom said that babies grow while they sleep."

"Val does not sleep much at night. It's horrible…", Adam said.

"Why are you complaining?", Lia asked. "It's not like you need to change his diaper."

"Babies have it all wrong. They sleep at day when everyone plays and they cry at night…", Alice said to what all toddlers nodded.

Emma leaned into Charlie's embrace and smiled dreamily while listening to toddlers chatting. They were all serious like little adults and it was adorable.

There was a commotion before most of the people moved toward the training ground.

"You are on!", Jeff exclaimed while pointing at Felix. "I am itching for a rematch!"

Felix grinned tauntingly.

"What is going on?", Jarred asked Aiden who was moving with the others toward the training ground.

"Spar sessions. You are welcome to watch or join.", Aiden said and walked away.

"Hey, boss!", Jamari shouted after Aiden.

"I told you not to call me boss. It sounds like I'm a gangster.", Aiden reprimanded Jamari. Ever since Aiden and Sarah found them in Central Africa, Ade and Jamari call Aiden 'boss'. It's not that they didn't try to call him something else, but calling him by his name didn't sound right, and calling him 'father' or 'dad' didn't sound right either, so they stuck to 'boss'.

Jamari ignored Aiden's warning and moved onto the topic that was pressing for him. "I need five minutes to set up the betting station."

"You better start two minutes ago…"

Charlie frowned when he heard about betting. Last weekend was Emma's baby-shower party at the Smith family villa, and Charlie lost a fortune because he agreed to cover losses from the betting. That was one of the worst financial decisions he ever made in his life! Who in their right mind bets hundreds of thousands on friendly spars? If Charlie knew that the amounts will be so outrageous, he would NEVER agree to it!

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