Her breath stutters. Then she nods.
“Yeah,” she whispers. “I’d like that.”
The small box—containing the baby sleeper and pregnancy test Izzy had planned to use to surprise me—rests in the earth between us. Together, we each scoop a handful of dirt and let it fall over the top, sealing the moment in silence.
“What would you have named them if they were a girl?” I ask quietly.
“Alessandra,” she replies without hesitation.
“After your mamma?”
She hums low in her throat. “I never got to know her... just like I’ll never get to know our baby. Maybe this way, they’ll never be alone. They can be together.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “I love that.”
She leans into me. “What if they were a boy?”
“What do you think?”
“You choose.”
I only need a second. “Alessio.”
Just like her papa.
She sobs into my chest, but eventually, the tension in her shoulders lifts just a little.
“I needed this,” she whispers.
“We both did.”
51
Catharsis
Papa said that maybe we can visit the States next year! We could meet up and spend the summer together. —Yay, Izzy
Izzy
“Howdidthatmakeyou feel?”
I swallow hard, pausing to really consider Doctor Morgan’s question.
“I feel… a little lighter, I guess.” I shrug, the words uncertain.
She nods through the screen, her sleek hair bobbing with the movement. “Last week you barely spoke to me. This week you seem more forthcoming. So, the memorial helped?”
I blow out a breath. “Yeah, it did. Naming them made it more real. Gave me some closure. And it helped knowing Enzo was struggling too—I thought I was drowningalone.”
“I imagine it’s hard when you don’t grieve in the same way.”
“Yeah. Plus… I haven’t really had anyone to talk to. With Tess having the baby, we didn’t want to ruin things.”
Doctor Morgan smirks. “Well… you have me. Don’t forget that. And what about Noemi? Have you spoken to her at all?”
Guilt floods me. I haven’t spoken to her, haven’t returned any of her calls—there’ve been plenty. I just… couldn’t handle her sunshine when I was so far in the dark.
I admit as much.
