By mid-morning, Alyssa was exhausted, frustrated, and annoyed. Despite calling everyone, no one could stay with Gavin so she could make the casting call. To make matters worse, he cried for nearly an hour after Rocco left for work.  

She put together another one of the frozen vegetarian entrees for lunch. This was an enchilada meal, and she liked it better than her breakfast, so she hoped Gavin would too.

She fastened him in his booster seat, and Gavin stared sullenly at the plate before him. Rocco, if he hadn't run down breakfast, this wouldn't be such an issue right now! 

"It's yummy. Try it." Alyssa offered ger best attempt at a warm smile and then took a bite to show him.

Gavin grimaced and pushed the meal around his plate sullenly. 

"Gavin, stop picking at it and eat."

He ignored her and kept pushing the food around his plate. "I don't like it."

"You didn't try it," she countered. "You're worse than your dad. You eat what Mommy makes you."

Her phone went off, drowning out his pleas for his Mary or his daddy.

"Hello?"

"Alyssa, hey, it's me, Dani ." Came the voice on the other line. She sounded nervous as hell. "Your sister."

"I know who you are, Danielle," Alyssa scoffed. "What do you want?"

"I uh...I'd never ask if it wasn't— I'm desperate. I'm about to get kicked out of my apartment, and it's not my fault. I just need--"

"Are you begging me for money? Is that what this is?" Alyssa cut her off as a smirk curled over her lips. 

"I'll pay you back, I swear," Dani pleaded.

"Just how would you do that?" Alyssa decided to toy with her. She might as well get some amusement out of her otherwise crappy day so far.

"I don't know, but I will."

"You don't know. So basically, you're not asking for a loan but a handout, is that right?"

"No, not a handout. I will pay you back somehow." Danis voice was growing rougher.

"Just admit it's a handout, and maybe I'll ask my husband if he feels like donating to a charitable cause." Alyssa was thoroughly enjoying the game now. 

"Mommy down." Gavin held his arms up, trying to wiggle out of his booster seat.

"Eat your lunch first." Alyssa pointed to his still full plate.

"Forget it, forget I even called," Dani muttered before hanging up the phone.

Alyssa giggled gleefully. "That was so fun."

"Mommy, it's yucky." Gavin was cringing as he took a bite of food.

"You're not getting down until you finish your plate," Alyssa said firmly.

He looked down and sniffled, his eyes pooling with tears. "I want Mary."

"Stop saying that." Alyssa huffed and walked over to him. She unhinged his booster chair and lifted him down. "Fine, if you don't eat what I made, you must not be hungry."

Her phone rang again, and she sighed in frustration. She glanced back at Gavin but knew she couldn't ignore the call, it was her manager, Edward Smith.

"I'll make you something else right after this call. Now go play." Alyssa dismissed Gavin, and he nodded and ran through the archway toward the living room.

"Downstairs in your playroom!" She hollered. He turned and ran back, racing through the kitchen.

 The basement, which led to the nanny's room and his playroom, was next to the kitchen door to the outside. It was handy for when Mary wanted to come and go and not have to use the main entrance. Gavin started climbing down the stairs as she sat to take her call.

"Eddy," she said as she answered. "I'm sorry about the casting."

"Don't worry about that Ali-baby," he said, booming with excitement. "I have much better news."

"You do?" She raised an eyebrow.

"How does fashion week in New York sound? We leave Friday."

"Amazing," she breathed out, her eyes lighting up and then dimming as she realized. "There's no way. We don't have a full-time nanny, and my husband doesn't want one. I won't be able to go."

"Make it happen, Ali," Edward said, an edge to his voice. "The window is closing fast. A lot of fresh faces are right behind you, ready to knock you further back. I cannot waste my time on someone who cannot commit."

"Eddy get off it. We both know you'd never replace me. What am I supposed to do? Rocco's never going to let me go."

"I remember when the world was yours. No one told you what to do, and you could make anything happen."

"I know, but my son..."

"Make it happen," he said crisply before hanging up.

** 

late that evening, Rocco was surprised to walk into the house and smell Italian food. He entered the kitchen to find that Alyssa had ordered food from his favorite Italian restaurant.

"Daddy!" Gavin raced into the kitchen to Rocco, who scooped him up and spun him around.

"Hi Gavi, bud!"

"Don't make him too dizzy. It's time to eat." Alyssa gestured to the table.

"Let's strap this big guy in, then." Rocco set him down on his booster chair.

"No." Gavin pushed away the small seatbelt as Rocco went to hook it in. "No, want that."

"Okay, bud. You don't need it anyway. We used to sit on phone booths," Rocco shrugged.

"That's silly, Daddy," Gavin laughed.

"It's true."

"He walked to school uphill both ways, too," Alyssa said with a small smile that further surprised him. She was joking around and smiling? That was a rarity.

Alyssa dished up plates for them, and Gavin dug right in with his hands, making a saucy mess all over himself. Rocco laughed as his son smashed penne pasta into his face.

"This is good, Mommy," he muffled out as he chewed.

"Use your fork, Gavin." She cringed as she leaned over to try and wipe him up.

"Oh, let him eat messily. It's Italian food." Rocco grinned at Gavin, who laughed loudly and shoved more pasta into his mouth.

"You're bathing him tonight." Alyssa surprised him by letting it go. 

"So, what is all this?" Rocco asked, giving her a suspicious look.

"Can't I just order food? I know you hate all the healthy stuff. I figured you deserved a treat."

Rocco raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I was thinking about our fight last night, and I think you're right. I need a balance. I think a part-time nanny would be a reasonable compromise, right?" Alyssa continued.

"Yes..." he said slowly as he waited for the catch.

"Good then, I'll need you to find one. I will work harder at establishing a schedule and balancing Gavin's time and work time. But I expect you to support my career."

"I do, Alyssa, just not at the expense of..."

"No, you don't, Rocco. Maybe you did once, but not anymore," she cut him off.

"Do you want me to list the ways?"

"No, I don't. I want you to prove it now. I need to go to New York for the week. This will open some doors for me. If I can get known again, I won't have to do so many of these little events. This is your chance to prove you support my career."

"One week?" Rocco raised his eyebrow. if she truly meant it when she said she was willing to work out a schedule and balance things better, he didn't see why he couldn't 'prove it' was like she wanted. He wished she would have just asked instead of manipulating him into it, but he decided not to swell on the details.

 Besides, a little breather from her would be kind of nice.

"Yes, just one week."

"Well, we've finally wrapped up the case. I can be home more for a while until something big comes along again," he said thoughtfully.

"So that's a yes?" she asked, looking surprised.

His phone rang, and he frowned, seeing it was his grandmother from Italy.

"Hold on a sec, Lys, it's my nana."

"Really?" she muttered. 

"Nana?" He answered hurriedly. She was upset and started babbling in Italian. Her good friend and long-time live-in nurse, Pearl, had died in an accident, and she was beside herself.

Rocco soothed her and promised he would be there soon, ignoring Alyssa's sharp intake of breath.

"You're leaving?" Alyssa asked the second he ended the phone call.

"Her caretaker died, and she's distraught. She needs me through the funeral, and I need to get her a new caretaker right away."

"When will you be back?"

"The funeral is Saturday, Lys. I won't be back until Sunday. You can still go. You'll only miss the first weekend."

"The most important days!" She slammed her fork down on her plate.

Gavin looked up and jumped at her harsh tone before dropping his eyes back to his messy plate.

"I need to be there for my nana. She was there for me when I needed her the most. She needs me now. I have to go," Rocco insisted.

"Take Gaviin with you then."

"I have to leave tonight. I don't have time to get him a passport, and I don't think he's ready for a funeral," Rocco sighed. "I will try to get back Saturday night. How's that?"

"I can't believe you! A second ago, you were going to say I could go!"

"I'm not your dad telling you no," he scoffed. "We have a son. I can't be here, so you need to be."

"Maybe Katherine will stay here with him," she mused.

"No, I don't trust your mother with him for any extended period."

"She's not that bad. She's just—"

"She's dismissive and rude, and I'm not going to forget finding her drinking champagne while she was holding him."

"It was one glass."

"He was a newborn!"

"Well, I'm sure I could find a trusted sitter," Alyssa offered pleadingly.

Rocco scooted his chair closer and lowered his voice so Gavin wouldn't hear, 

"I don't want to leave him with anyone right now. A few hours is fine, but you're not leaving him with anyone for two days until I get back. Not after Mary had just left and now I have to go. He'll feel abandoned." 

"He'll be fine. You're being overprotective as usual," she whispered back annoyedly. 

"This is your chance to step up and prove you want balance like you claim." Rocco threw her words back at her, and she flinched at them. She stood up and stormed out of the kitchen wordlessly. The tension remained heavy in the room even without her.

He glanced at Gavin to see him pushing the food around his plate.

"Hey bud, you full?"

"I don't know."

"I'm sorry, Mommy and Daddy fight," Rocco said softly. Gavin always got quiet when they fought, and it hurt to see him like this.

"Don't go, Daddy," Gavin begged.

"It's just going to be for a few days, okay?" Rocco said, brushing some sauce from Gavin's hair and smiling a little.

"No," Gavin whined, his eyes welling up with tears and his lips trembling.

"I'm coming right back, okay? I promise." Rocco picked him up and hugged him to his chest. After a few moments, he got up and carried him upstairs for his bath. Rocco's heart was heavy, and his gut twisted with worry.

Gavin calmed down in the bathtub as they played with all his bath toys, and Rocco managed to take his mind and Gavin's off the fact he was leaving. He wasn't sure about going, but how could he not help Nana through this? Pearl meant the world to her.

This would give Alyssa some one-on-one time to bond with Gavin; she needed that they both need that, he told himself.

"Daddy, I want to go with you," Gavin announced once Rocco had him tucked into bed.

"Not this time, Gavin." He curled in next to him and stroked his hair.

"I'll be back before you know it. Tomorrow is Thursday, and Daddy will be back by Sunday, okay?" He held his four fingers up for him. "Four days."

"I don't want to stay here with Mommy," Gavin cried.

"Shh hey, it'll be okay, I promise. Daddy will be home before you know it," Rocco soothed him.

"Guess what else?" Rocco asked.

"What?"

"When I get back, I'm going to take some days off work so we can hang out a lot and do lots of fun stuff, me and you. How's that sound?"

"Yes!" Gavin exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

"I love you, Gavin." Rocco kissed his head. "I could never be gone for long."

"I love you, Daddy," he whimpered, but his tiredness took over, and his little eyes fluttered closed.

"Good night, buddy. I'll see you soon, okay?" Rocco promised and then kissed his forehead again.

"See, he's upset too." Alyssa snapped at him as he quietly left the room. He ignored her, walking into their room to pack.

"You can't just leave," she demanded. "This thing is important to me."

"So, is this." He said, refusing to back down this time. "You still get to go."

"Too late," she spat back.

"Your  photographer can show off photos of you until you get there."

"Manager, Eddy is my manager, who also happens to be a photographer. Both our careers will take off together. Do you not listen to me at all?"

He sometimes tuned her out when she'd go on and on about her and Eddy's plans for her career. It honestly grew irritating how much more she valued Eddy's advice over his or anyone else's. He was the one person in Alyssa's life she did cater to. If he weren't gay, Rocco would have been a little concerned about it, as sometimes it felt like his wife had a crush on the guy or something. 

"Do you see how there is no support?" Alyssa challenged.  

"I want you to go, but someone died, Alyssa. What do you expect me to do?" He glared at her. "Can I trust you here with him?"

"Of course, you can. I'm his mother, for crying out loud."

"I have to go, Lys. This is family," he pleaded now, and he hated that he had to.

"Fine, go. I'll go to New York when you return." She backed down, but her eyes remained cold.

"Thank you," he sighed as he zipped his bag.

"Have a good trip," she said dismissively, leaving the room.

"It's a funeral!"