Sweet, Sweet Superstar

I pouted down at my large stomach as Tony got ready for the day, Macie sitting next to me as she watched Blue's Clues on Nickelodeon. She stared at the screen with her mouth hanging open, scrunching her nose at her dad every time he passed in front of the TV. Tony and Macie were going out as a fun,3 father-daughter day in order to get her out of the house since I had been put on bed rest a week after our fun day at the beach. My doctor told me I was doing too much, stressing that he had told me too many times to slow down and now it was time for me to be put in bed until I was ready to deliver. Tony stood in front of the TV once again, his hand in his hair as he looked around the room.

"Daaadddyyyyyy!" Macie exclaimed, standing up and launching herself off of the bed. Tony caught her, his paternal instincts kicking in when he saw a flash of pink. He held her close to him as she looked over his shoulder, sucking on her thumb softly. She continued to watch the screen as Tony moved around the room, shuffling things on his dresser.

"Babe, have you seen my wallet?" He asked me, turning towards the bed. Macie turned her head too, thumb still intact as her eyes trained on Blue who was prancing around in the kitchen.

"No, I haven't seen anything but this room for the past two fucking weeks." I grumbled. Tony put a hand to Macie's head, giving me a look. "As if you haven't sworn in front of her. I'm crabby and she isn't even paying attention. Get your butt on the bed and give me some loving." I huffed at him, feeling extremely needy and upset. Truth was, I wanted him to stay home with me, and lavish me with foot rubs and back rubs while I ran my hands over my huge belly. I desperately needed to be close to him due to my crazy hormones. Tony smiled sympathetically at me and crawled up the bed, sitting down with Macie leaning back against his chest. She sighed as her head hit him with a soft thud.

"Mommy needs love huh?" Tony murmured softly, his hands running over my belly just the way baby looch and I liked it.

"Yes," I whimpered to him, opening and closing my hands to him just like Macie always did. He grinned at me, pulling me into his body.

"Only a little bit longer and you can get out of this bed. Then we'll be a family with baby looch, mommy, daddy, and cheeks here." Tony leaned down to place a kiss on both of our daughter's cheeks. She leaned away from him, her attention not able to be deterred from the TV show. He brushed her shoulder length, thick, brown hair away from her face.

"Where are you taking her?" I asked Tony as his fingers brushed lazily over our baby.

"The big mall in the center of the city. I know it's big and probably not the best place, but there are a lot of things there that we can do. We can go on rides, we can go to the aquarium, and maybe we can go to build-a-bear." The last one got my daughter's attention as she snapped her head around to look at her dad. She grinned wildly at him, standing up on the bed and jumping up and down.

"Really daddy? Really? I was good enough!? I helped mommy stay happy enough!?" Macie exclaimed as Tony chuckled softly. He nodded, reaching for her as she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him with as much grip as her little body could hold. "I love ya papa." She snuggled into his body, curling up into a tight, pink ball.

"Love you too, cheeks." He kissed the top of her head before looking at me. My face held a rather unamused look. He chuckled at me, leaning forward and placing a kiss on my cheek. "I'll bring you back something pretty." Tony winked at me, climbing off the bed as Macie bounced excitedly, suddenly wanting nothing more than to get on the road.

"Be sure to carry her, Tony. Don't lose her," I told him as he walked out of the room. He backtracked immediately, looking at me with a look that said it all.

"Really? I'm going to lose my kid?" He rolled his eyes shaking my head.

"You're right. But when you're out, don't buy her everything. You have a tendency to go a little crazy when it comes to your baby girl. But do get her some Uggs for when we go back home for Christmas."

"Anything else?" He asked, half in the room half out. I glared at him over my big belly.

"Yeah, bring me some Chipotle when you get home."

"Okay," he told me, walking away from the room.

"Tony!" I called out to him. He reappeared in an instant, this time coming all the way back into the room and next to the bed. "I love you." I whispered to him, grabbing his face and giving him a kiss. He kissed me back as if he would be gone days instead of hours, his hand floating down to baby looch, feeling him kicking against his hand. He grinned at me.

"That will never get old." I shook my head, agreeing with him.

"One more thing," I murmured to him as he looked down at me, "whatever you do. Do NOT come back with a dog."
***

Bed rest is not for those easily bored. It took me less than a week to go through the large movie collection Tony and I had accumulated. So now I spent my days shopping online for cute outfits for Mace and baby looch, and checking out several of Tony's opponents. Tony would come home and I'd tell him ways to improve his game, or who he needed to watch out for on the ice, as if he didn't already know. Being the nice man he always is, he played along with me, nodding and sometimes asking more questions. But today I was too irritated and restless to do any of the normal things.

I tried to sleep while the loves of my life were gone, but my eyes would pop open each time I felt them close. Instead, I spent my time ignoring the TV as it droned out the silence while my hands brushed over my tummy as the baby kicked. I looked down as he began to move, his tiny body stretching out enough that I could see the outline of his foot. I pressed my hand against the little indent, my son not daring to move away from my touch.

"You're ready to come out, aren't you?" I cooed down to him, biting my lip as he pushed against my hand with more force. "I'm ready too, baby boy." I sighed softly, carefully moving around the bed.

Tony and I had been on high alert for the past two days since I had been having mini contractions, something fairly common before pregnant women go into labor. My bag was packed for my hospital stay and Tony had his cellphone on him at all times, powered on and able to be felt or heard.

Tony and Macie were gone for another hour as I talked to baby looch. Macie came wheeling into the room once she had returned from her fun afternoon, leaping for the bed the second she stepped into the room. She crawled up to me after a safe landing. My eyes widened immediately when I saw her mouth completely covered with a thin coat of blue. Her eyes were enlarged and glazed over from her obvious sugar intake.

"Mom! I gots a bear and new boots!" She squealed loudly, laying down and propping her leg up into the air. I smiled at her cheetah print Uggs which would join her brown and hot pink ones that I had already gotten for her.

"Looking good, Mace. Watch out, all the boys are gonna be running after you." I smiled at her, motioning for my baby girl to get in my arms. She snuggled in immediately, thumb going into her mouth. "Where is dad?"

"Bringing Apollo into the house," she told me around a mouthful of thumb.

"Is Apollo your new bear?" I asked, letting my nails scratch against her scalp. She leaned into my touch, eyes fluttering at how good it felt.

"No, Apollo's a puppy mama." She giggled at me.

"Dad got you a bear and a puppy? I thought build a bear only had bears." I looked down at her, tilting my head down to kiss her softly on the crown of her head.

"They do. But we saws puppies in the window and I wanted one bad. He's so cute mama."

The more my daughter talked, the closer I listened to the movements downstairs. I pursed my lips as I heard the telltale scratch of nails clicking against the maple floors below. I covered Macie's ears quickly, feeling anger bubbling up.

"Fuck." I shook my head, sucking in air to yell. "Anthony Lucia get your ass up here!" I knew Tony was cringing from where he was in the kitchen.

The stairs began to creak as Tony came up them before his footsteps swished towards the bedroom doorway. I lowered my eyes, ready for him to enter. I flipped the TV to Macie's favorite channel to watch Dora the Explorer while I chewed her dad out. She would be too wrapped up in the show to feel or see the distress. Tony wasn't who walked in through the door though; no, instead a small baby Samoyed was thrust into the room, two hands keeping him suspended in the air. The puppy's hind legs thrashed about, but his face remained calm.

"Love me," Tony called from outside the door.

"Oh, I love the puppy, just not you." I scolded him as he finally appeared, his face holding a sheepish smile. "Tony!" I growled at him as he sat the puppy down next to me. The white pup walked along the bed, sniffing at my tummy with his wet, cold nose pressed against my skin where I had moved my t-shirt up. The cool sensation made the baby kick at Apollo's nose. The dog yelped in surprise, looking down at my stomach with a confused expression. Macie, who had been tuned out until now, looked at her new friend.

"I know Apollo. Baby likes me too. That's what mommy says. If baby kicks; it likes you." Macie petted the dog.

"Bri baby, I'm sorry, but she did the eyes, and he was so cute. And then the sales lady let her hold him, and it all went to hell after that. She named him, babe. I couldn't take him away from her after that." Tony explained, waving his arms around. "Please don't be mad."

"Tony, we have a baby on the way, and now a puppy along with a three year old. All of them need more attention than I can give."

"It will be fine; he has a calm demeanor." Tony tried to tell me, sitting on the bed. His knuckles ran tenderly across my face, but when I scrunched my nose at him his hand dropped quickly.

"Yeah, okay. But a newborn baby, and a cranky three year old don't." I snapped at him. The puppy whimpered, looking between Tony and I. "You need to ask me before you make decisions that affect the whole family." I shifted around, feeling a stitch of pain in my side. "Ow." I complained, closing my eyes.

"Don't get worked up about nothing." He told me, hand on my shoulder while his thumb rubbed tender circles into my muscles.

"It's not nothing Tony. There was a reason I told you not to get her a dog. It wasn't a passive demand. I was serious. She has been asking for a puppy for how- fuck." I stopped talking, an all too familiar feeling surged through me once again, this time stronger than the last. Images of the night I went into labor with Macie danced across my closed eyelids, the pain that never went away after it started.

"Baby?" Tony asked me. I pursed my lips, pulling in a deep breath of oxygen through my nose. Tony placed a hand on my back and one on my stomach where Macie had fallen asleep. His eyes never left my face as he waited for me to speak.

"Get my bag." I huffed out as Macie was removed from my body by her dad.

Tony flew into action, much slower than he had when I had spoken that same sentence with the little girl sleeping in his arms. He grabbed my bag and whistled, snapping his fingers at Apollo who obediently went to his side to my surprise. Maybe he would be a decent edition to our family. But at the moment, I had to worry about getting baby looch out safely. Tony helped me down the stairs, holding Macie who looked at me over his shoulder.

"Time mom?" She murmured to me, eyes shinning with barely contained excitement.

"Yes, baby." She nodded at me, laying her head on Tony's shoulder again.

In less than an hour, I was settled into my room, hooked up to an IV. Macie laid next to me on the bed while Tony had stepped out to call our families back in Minnesota. I ran my fingers through her thick, brown hair, the soft silk comforting me. I hummed softly to my daughter until Tony walked back into the room. He smiled softly at me, crossing the room.

"I know this isn't our first time, but I'm nervous." He chuckled quietly, his green eyes dancing.

"We'll be fine." I sighed loudly, cringing at another contraction. Tony grabbed my hand which I gripped tightly. I sat back once it passed, already feeling tired.

"Want me to move cheeks?" He asked about Macie.

"No, she keeps me calm." Macie would make the pain bearable because if she was next to me, I needed to worry about being calm enough for her to know I was alright. "The doctor came in while you were out. I'm almost five centimeters dilated."

"That fast?" Tony wondered.

"He's ready to come out." I shrugged, my hands running over my tummy. It was weird to think that after nine months, pretty soon there would be nothing left to touch. I would miss the feel of him kicking against my stomach, even the nights where he wouldn't settle down so that I could sleep.

"He?" Tony squeaked out. I gasped immediately, clasping my hand over my mouth.

"Ohmygod! Ton! I'm sorry!" I exclaimed, grasping the wrist of the hand that was now resting atop of my mountain of a stomach.

"It's okay." He laughed, his eyes twinkling with tears. "We're having a boy." I nodded, pouting at his expression. He was ecstatic, completely over the moon. He rested both hands on my stomach now, his thumb tenderly brushing over my skin and our son. "Come out now, please," Tony whispered, leaning down to press his lips to my stomach. The baby fluttered against his dad, jumping excitedly. I raked my fingers through Tony's hair, but another contraction hit before Tony or I could get comfortable enough.

Tony got his wish an hour and a half later when our second child and first baby boy was born at 6:30 in the evening, a healthy 9 pounds on the dot. Aaron Anthony Lucia entered this world, quiet as can be, scaring the shit out of both of his parents until the doctors poked him, his lungs pulling in their first breath only to let it out with a loud scream. I fell back onto the bed as Tony murmured softly to me, telling me how good I did. I simply nodded to everything he said, too tired to thank him for pushing me through.

Later that night, after Tony had gone home with Macie to attempt to get some sleep, I looked down at the newest Lucia, running the pads of my fingers tenderly over his facial features. He already looked like Tony, almost the spiting image and it made me nervous for when he would shine those intense green eyes in my direction because just like when his dad did it, I would want to give in.

"You're perfect." I whispered down to him, my lips ghosting over his face as he stirred slightly in his slumber. I waited for him to settle back down before kissing him again and placing him back in his plastic bin. I watched him for the next few hours before sleep came tugging at me, a result of being in labor hours before. I blew baby looch one last kiss before laying down, watching over him until sleep became too much of a necessity to stay away anymore.
***

"Daddyyy!" Macie whined as Tony tightened her tiny Bauer skates, top of the line for daddy's little girl.

"What Mace?" Tony asked, a grimace passing over his features. It's like he knew what was coming next, but I guess he should since this was the fifth time he had laced up her skates for her, each time they were either too loose or too tight.

"It's too tight!" She exclaimed, her tiny nose wrinkling as she swung her foot around to fight off the discomfort.

"Where?" He asked her, looking up into her face as he pressed into her foot. She pointed to her ankle as her eyes shone with tears, making Tony feel bad for not asking her when he was halfway done if the laces were too tight.

"My sock is bunched up, papa." She explained as he got the skate off her right foot, leaving the left one on since she hadn't complained about that one yet. I chuckled from my seat next to Macie on the bench at Mariucci arena, watching Joyce take a picture of my husband and my daughter while firmly holding Aaron in her loving, grandmother grip.

All the Lucia's were finally in one place after being apart for a large amount of time. All the kid were older and doing their own thing while the retired grandparents finally got to live their dream of traveling to various countries they had always planned to visit. The money had never been the issue, but there had never been time. The last Lucia, Mario was graduated from college and Don had finally stepped down as the head coach of the Gophers, handing the demanding job off to some other unfortunate person, giving him loads of time to finally spend with his wife. Luckily, however, Don was able to call in a favor to the manager of Mariucci to get the family one last skate on the rink they had put so much effort and work into.

"Better?" Tony asked Macie with a slight frown on his face. We both watched as the little girl pursed out her lips, sucking her cheeks in as she flexed her ankle and foot, pondering if she needed to put her dad to work once again.

"Yes!" She finally exclaimed, leaping into Tony's arms. He sighed happily, placing a kiss on top of her head as she snuggled into him.

"Are you ready to skate, cheeks?" Tony wondered, smiling at her excited grin as she walked to the end of the bench, cautiously stepping out onto the ice. Her sleek, metal blade cut into the ice as Tony followed after her, barely having to do anything as my little girl glided across the slick surface like a natural.

"Oh! I got a good picture of her skating." Joyce smiled at me as I stood up, my skates already tied tightly and grabbing my four month old son who looked like he was ready for a nap.

"Good. She barely gets to skate in California except when Ton brings her to practice," I told Joyce as we joined the other Lucia's on the ice. Aaron snuggled into the crook of my neck, his pudgy baby hand grasping the necklace Tony had given me a couple days after he was born. There was a stone for each one of our kids, a token of both his love for them, and his love for me, along with his thanks to me for giving him two healthy babies.

"Mom! I can skate backwards!" Macie exclaimed as she swooped in front of me, her little blades making perfect C's as Tony followed her, watching for any sign that she was going to fall. Macie had been skating almost from the moment she could walk and I was pretty sure that she had yet to feel the pain of her knees or butt connecting with the ice. She always had a safety net with Tony's arms.

"Good job, baby." I told her, clapping my hands around Aaron.

"Mommy, why isn't baby brother going to skate?" She wondered, stopping and standing right in my way so I couldn't skate away from her.

"He can't walk or stand up yet honey, how could he skate?" I chuckled softly at her ignorance as she studied her baby brother.

"No, I think he's just lazy." Tony and I started laughing as I bent down to her level, letting her place a kiss on her baby brother's head. He turned his head to look at her, supporting the weight all by himself before I turned him so he could face his older sister.

"Yep. He just wants to hog mommy some more." She pouted, glaring down at the baby.

Although Macie was excited to be an older sister, she hated the fact that this meant she didn't get to be the center of attention anymore. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that mom and dad need to focus more attention on the new baby than her. We tried to tell her that because she was a big girl she didn't need mom and dad like the new baby did. But she didn't listen.

Instead, she cried and complained that it was because we just loved the new baby more than her. I don't think I've ever seen Tony so upset with her when Macie started screaming to drown out Tony's voice while he was trying to explain the situation to her. He had scooped her up, dangling her from her ankles as she screeched her protest, but Tony had her attention. When he flipped her back up, Macie seemed to understand a bit more, but she continued to grumble about the new baby when she wasn't getting enough attention.

"Maybe, but while Aaron is hogging mom, we can have fun." Tony told her, crouching down to her level and swooping her bangs back from her green eyes. She looked up at him with an obvious eye roll, keeping the drama queen part of her out in the open as she huffed softly before wrapping her tiny arms around her neck.

"I don't want to skate anymore." She mumbled into his neck. Tony sighed as he looked up at me, wondering what to do for her. I bit my lip and looked to Joyce who was hovering near the boards, snapping pictures of all the grandkids.

"Joyce?" I called to her as she turned to look at me, skating the couple strides in between us. "Can you hold Aaron for a bit while we tend to the little actress." I gave her a grin as she nodded knowingly, taking the sleepy baby from me. "Thank you!" I called to her as she skated away. "Alright, Macie, you have my undivided attention." I watched the little girl let a smug little smile play out onto her lips; she got exactly what she wanted.

"Let's race!" She exclaimed, pushing away from Tony as he tried to grasp for her.

"How about something a little more safe!?" Tony called after her, a nervous tint in his voice.

"Baby, you can't protect her from everything." I reminded him, running a hand through his hair as he turned to me, placing his hands on my hips. He leaned down nuzzling my nose before kissing my lips softly.

"Is it terrible that I just want to make sure she's never hurting?" He whined softly to me, sticking out his mouth in an adorable pout.

"No, but you can't." I reminded him, kissing the end of his nose before resting my lips against his. His grip on me tightened as Macie grasped our legs with both of her arms.

"You guys! You aren't being fun!" She screeched at the two of us, her nose scrunched in the most annoyed, but cutest way ever.

"Sorry, cheeks, mommy distracted me." Tony grinned at me, licking his lips before turning to our fussy daughter. Sometime she was more of a handful than Apollo and Aaron put together.

"Mom!" Macie complained before she grabbed my hand with her right one and then Tony's with her left one, skating in between the two of us.

We spent the next couple hours, skating and entertaining Macie, taking turns chasing her around the rink while Tony would throw her up in the air and catch her as she squealed in delight. Sometimes I joined in, others I watched from the sidelines, thinking that my life had turned out so much better than I even imagined. I had a great husband, a great family to be a part of, and two beautifully healthy kids who meant the world to me. That was even before you add in the house, the happiness, the financial security, things that some people never get to have. I did pretty good for being hopeless going into college and into a party where I ended up finding the love of my life.

"Brianna!" Tony called to me from his spot on the center ice face off dot, his butt in the middle of the huge maroon M. "Come here, we're taking a family picture." He laughed as Mace screeched at her father's tickling hand while his other arm was occupied by our son who was gurgling at his father.

I did as I was told, settling in between Tony's legs and grabbing Macie. She settled into my lap as Tony handed me Aaron while I instructed Macie to put her legs together so Aaron could have a firm place to sit. I then gave her Aaron whom she handled like he was glass, carefully setting him in her lap as the baby made cute little sounds at his sister who kissed the top of his head.

"I wish they would get along like this all the time," Tony whispered into my ear, making me shiver from surprise and the feeling of him being next to me. Even after all these years, his voice and his touch would send me over the edge, making my body shake and yearn for him. "Cheeks, smile really big!" Tony told her, reaching around me and squeezing her side as I smiled for Joyce who had the camera ready.

The flash went off as I looked around at my little family, happy that I had finally ended up where I had always belonged, wrapped tightly in Tony's arms, surrounded by the loves of my life.