She lifts a brow. “Already?”
“Yeah.”
A small smile curves her lips. “Okay. Let’s hear them.”
I shouldn’t feel nervous. I’ve walked into gunfire calmer than this.
“Daniele. For a boy.”
She blinks, then repeats it softly, trying it out. “Daniele…”
“It was my grandfather’s name,” I say, voice lower than before. “He built the foundations of everything I run now. My father was Davide. I broke the chain, but I think it’s time to start it again.”
Beatrice nods slowly. “It’s beautiful. And for a girl?”
“Serena.”
She tilts her head. “Serena?”
“My mother’s name.”
She watches me—reallywatches me—for a long second, and I know she sees something most people never get close to.
A partof me I don’t hand out freely. A part only she gets.
“You’ve never spoken of your mother so often,” she says quietly.
I shrug once. “There isn’t much to tell. She died because of this world, and talking about her isn’t easy. But she was the light for my father and me. When she died, that light went out in him. If we have a daughter, it would be good for her to carry that light forward.”
Beatrice studies me, softer than I deserve. “You’ve thought about this more than I expected.”
I allow myself a small smirk. “I’ve had time. And this is our first child together. I never planned on kids, but now that we’re here, I want to do it right. I want to be present. I want to be involved.”
She laughs—soft, genuine—and something settles in my chest like it finally found the right place to land.
I squeeze her hand. “You will make the best father,” she says.
I lace our fingers and bring her hand to my lips. At a red light, I turn to her fully.
“I don’t need to be the best father in the world, amore. I just want to be the best one for you both.”
Her eyes shine before the tears slip. She tries to blink them back but they fall anyway.
“Damn these hormones,” she says, laughing through the tears. “They make me so emotional.”
I wipe the tear with my thumb, guiding her face to mine, and kiss her—slow, steady, grounding. When I pull back, there’s a new light in her eyes.
“I happen to like your hormones,” I say, “considering they have you wanting to ride me like a?—”
“Matteo!” She shoves me, cheeks flaming. “You can’t say that.”
“Why not? It’s true. You’re insatiable, bella.” I smirk. “Not that I mind. I’m just as gone for you.”
I give her a look she knows too well, and her blush deepens.
“Just drive,” she says, biting back a smile as the light turns green.
I pull forward toward the penthouse, her laughter still lingering in the air. If this is what the rest of my life looks like, then good. I’ll take it.
