"He'll handle it," Roberto says with absolute confidence. "Look at his parents. You two have exceeded every expectation anyone had for this marriage."
It's true.
What started as a necessity has become something none of us anticipated. Viviana and I aren't just making the best of an arranged marriage—we're actually happy.
"Any thoughts about when you might give him a brother or sister?" my father asks with a grin.
"Dad," I warn.
"What? I'm just saying, children should have siblings. And Lorenzo's going to need help carrying on the family legacy."
"Let us get used to one baby first," Viviana laughs. "But ask me again in a year or two."
"I'm holding you to that," Roberto says. "This one needs cousins too. Big family, lots of children running around."
"Careful," I tell him. "Keep talking like that and you'll jinx it."
"No jinxing allowed today," Viviana says firmly. "Today is perfect exactly as it is."
She's right. Looking around this room—at our son sleeping peacefully in her arms, at both grandfathers already completely smitten, at the woman who somehow became the center of my entire world—I can't imagine anything being more perfect.
"I have something for you," I tell Viviana, pulling a small velvet box from my jacket pocket.
"Damon, you already gave me a present. The earrings are stunning."
"This is different." I open the box to reveal a thin gold chain with a small pendant—Lorenzo's birthstone surrounded by tiny diamonds. "I thought you might want something to wear that connects you to him when we're apart."
Her eyes fill with tears again. "It's perfect. Help me put it on?"
I fasten the chain around her neck, and she touches the pendant gently.
"Now you'll always have a piece of him with you," I say.
"I love you," she whispers. "Both of you. So much."
"We love you too."
A soft knock on the door interrupts us, and a nurse peeks in.
"Sorry to bother you, but there are about twenty people in the waiting room asking for updates. Should I tell them you're not ready for visitors yet?"
I look at Viviana, who nods.
"Give us another hour," I tell the nurse. "Then they can come in small groups."
"Of course. And congratulations!"
After she leaves, we fall into comfortable silence. Lorenzo sleeps peacefully, occasionally making small sounds that make all of us smile. Roberto and my father have found chairs on either side of the bed, both of them looking like they have no intention of leaving anytime soon.
"You know what this means," my father says eventually.
"What?"
"We're going to have to start planning his future. Education, training, preparation for taking over both organizations someday."
"He's six hours old," Viviana protests.
"It's never too early to start planning," Roberto agrees. "The best schools, the right connections, proper preparation for the responsibilities he'll inherit."
