“Grace, come on!  We’re going to be late!”

Tommy Gabrini stood at the bottom step of their sweeping double staircase and waited for his wife to come downstairs.  His baby, Thomas, Jr., or TJ as they called him, was in his arms.  His daughter, Destiny, was holding onto his pant leg and standing beside him.

And it was like father, like daughter, as far as Destiny was concerned.  “You’re going to be late, Mommy!” she yelled upstairs like her father had done.  “Come on down!”

“I’m coming!” Grace yelled back at them.

Destiny looked at her father.  “She’ll be down, Daddy,” she said.  “She’s a girl.  Sometimes it takes us a little longer than it takes you and TJ.”

Tommy, a man who once upon a time was far more of a ladies’ man than a family man, looked down at his small daughter with a big smile.  “Yes, I’ve heard,” he said.

“But she’ll be down.  It just takes time.  You want Mommy to look good, don’t you?”

“Mommy always looks good as far as I’m concerned.  I don’t want her to be late for her own party.”

And just after he made that declaration, Grace Gabrini appeared at the top of the stairs and began hurrying, and high-stepping down.

“Wow,” Destiny said with a big grin as she looked at her mom.  Then she looked at her father, to see if he approved too.  But he was staring at Grace.

Tommy couldn’t take his eyes off of Grace.  She wore a gorgeous white, beaded Mackie dress that fit her body as if it had been stitched onto her black skin; a dress that gave a sensual definition to her big breasts and slim hips.  She also wore matching high heels that made her shapely legs look smooth as silk, and her hair was down her back in straight bounciness that framed her narrow face into a serious, intelligent, regal look.  She was an African Queen to Tommy, as he watched her descend the stairs.  His African Queen.  And he couldn’t wait, he thought, to remove that same beautiful dress and fuck the shit out of his queen tonight!

Destiny was rocking from side to side and grinning as she watched her mother descend the stairs.  “You look pretty, Mommy,” she said.  “Really, really pretty!”

“Thank you, baby,” Grace said, causing TJ, who was chewing on his knuckle, to turn toward the stairs when he heard his mother’s voice come nearer.  When he saw Grace, he grinned too.  Not because he thought she looked particularly exceptional like his father and sister did, but because he always grinned when Grace came near.

Grace was smiling too as she walked toward the bottom stair.  Tommy looked so handsome, she thought, in his dark blue Valentino suit that highlighted his big eyes.  She also thought it was so cute the way he held onto their baby boy while Destiny held onto his long, elegant leg.   This was her family.  A family she never thought she’d have.  A family she almost lost because of her own stupidity.  She never thought she’d ever get this kind of second chance.

The only person who wasn’t smiling was Tommy.  His look was far more serious as he stared at his wife.  Not because he wasn’t thrilled to see her, too, but because his heart was so heavy.  He and Grace divorced once, but they hung in there, got their act together, and now they were inseparable.  And despite the fact that everybody and their cousin made it their business to constantly point out to him that Grace was perhaps the least attractive woman he’d ever dated, especially considering the black bombshell supermodels he used to favor, no woman looked better to Tommy.  Grace was the standard for him.  From her devotion to their children, to her devotion to him, she was the most beautiful woman on the planet to Tommy.  And the sexiest too.

“You look fabulous, baby,” he said to Grace when she made it all the way down.

Grace smiled that big, bright, beaming white smile he loved.  She’d never thought of herself as any particular beauty maven, but the way Tommy looked at her made her feel as if he thought she was.  “Thank you,” she said, thrilled to be pleasing in his sight.  “You look wonderful, too.”

Tommy spent his entire life with women, as well as men, regaling about his supposed beauty.  He came to despise the topic.  It seemed like a precursor to them wanting something from him.  It was only when Grace said it, with the innocence he knew she brought with it, did he believe it.  “Thank you,” he said, and leaned over and kissed her on her lips.

“Now let’s get going,” he said anxiously.

Grace took TJ out of his arms, gave him a hug and a kiss, and carried him to the nannies.

“Have fun, Mommy,” Destiny urged as she followed beside her mother and brother.  “You need to have fun sometimes.”

“I will, Des,” Grace responded.

“You promise?” Destiny asked.

Grace smiled and looked down at their smart-as-a-whip little girl.  She was like the mother hen of the family.  She worried about all of them.   “Yes,” she said.  “I promise.”

  Destiny began galloping as she walked.  “Well good then,” she said happily as they made their way into the living area and Grace handed TJ to his nanny.  Destiny’s nanny was also in the room.

Grace began putting on her gloves, with her small, Prada clutch on her arm.  “Call us if anything at all comes up,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” replied the nanny.

“You won’t be disturbing us at all,” Grace added, “so don’t hesitate for a second.  We shouldn’t be too long.”

“But we’re going to be late if we don’t come on,” Tommy said as he stood in the foyer.  “Come on, babe!”

Grace leaned down and kissed Destiny goodbye, kissed TJ goodbye again when he began reaching for her, and then hurried for the foyer too.

“Bye, Daddy!” Destiny said, waving at her father, and it was only then did Tommy realize he hadn’t kissed her goodbye.  He hurried to her, while she hurried to him, and he lifted her into his arms, kissed and hugged her goodbye, and she beamed as he sat her back on her feet.  Grace smiled, too.  They were two parents whose children truly loved them.  What more, she thought, could they ask for?

And then they were off.