Summer groaned. “Because Bianca had finals, and getting a new cousin doesn’t fall under the category of an excused absence.”
Matteo’s girls were growing up too fast. It blew my mind that my eldest niece had just finished her first year of middle school.
The alert that the gate was opening echoed throughout the house.
“They’re here!” Rory’s face was flushed in her excitement.
I looped an arm around her waist. Lips against her ear, I teased, “Don’t tell me you have baby fever again.”
When she twisted around, there was a guilty expression on her face. “Maybe.”
My palm slid to her stomach. “You know I’m obsessed with seeing you big and round.”
She pressed a kiss to Rafe’s head. “Our boys are my whole world, but there’s a part of me that longs for a little girl.”
A chuckle rolled through my chest. “Can’t make any promises there.”
Lifting a shoulder, she released a breath. “No, but I want to give it one more try. And if we have another boy, I’ll love him with everything that I have because he will be a piece of you and me, made with love.” A smile tugged onto her lips. “With four nieces, I’ll get plenty of girl time.”
“But it’s not the same as having your own.”
“It’ll have to be enough. Neither of us is getting any younger.”
She was right about that. I’d crossed over to forty a month ago, and Rory was on the verge of thirty-five. We’d been warned that any future pregnancies would be deemed high-risk due to her advanced maternal age. While Rafe’s birth had been uneventful, taking place within the confines of a hospital, the reminder that her own mother had died during delivery was enough that Rory didn’t want to tempt fate any more than necessary.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Enzo’s cheery voice preceded him into the living room with Allie by his side, and a baby carrier held in his hand.
There was an all-out stampede as everyone rushed to get a look at the newest Bellini.
Though I might be biased, given our shared genetics, my cousin and his wife had managed to make one beautiful baby. Full cheeks, a button nose, pursed rosebud lips, and dark hair that matched that of the rest of the crew.
Rory hugged Allie with her free arm. “She’s precious.”
Allie had tears streaking down her face. “I can’t believe she’s ours.”
Summer joined their embrace. “I bawled like a baby when you texted her name. It’s beyond perfect.”
Our niece’s full name was Giada Angelina Bellini. Giada meant jade in Italian, paying homage to the woman who’d carried her for nine months and given birth to her. Angelina was a nod to her older sibling whom she would never meet, the one Allie and Enzo still mourned to this day.
Serafina stared up at Enzo with big puppy dog eyes. “Can I hold her?”
Enzo assessed her for a long moment before declaring, “Yes, but you have to wash your hands first.”
My chest puffed up with pride. I’d taught him that.
The one my brother affectionately called his little mouse bolted from the room, seeking the nearest sink.
The carrier was placed on the ground, and Allie undid the buckles, pulling the baby into her arms. The two other women crowded her from both sides, cooing nonsensical words at the infant.
I clapped Enzo on the back. “Congrats, man.”
“Thanks,” he breathed.
Matteo chimed in, asking, “How was the drive?”
Enzo groaned. “Most terrifying four hours of my entire life.”
A chuckle rolled up from my chest. “Welcome to parenthood, where you’re forced to live in a constant state of terror, worried about your kids.”
