“Let me use the bathroom before you go.”
Gabriella carefully untangled the bundle from her arms and passed him to me. I cradled the wee lump tightly like a football player carrying the American sports ball. The babe stirred slightly, then settled back into a deep sleep. His wispy hair was light brown, the color of an acorn.
So small….
But already so perfect. I rubbed the tip of my finger over the shell of his ear. I would burn the world for this wee lad, and we’d only met a few hours ago.
When Gabriella came back out, stretching, she looked over the mountain of packages. “I took your suggestion literally.”
“Good,” I replied. “You would have been punished if you hadn’t.”
The flash of heat in her eyes nearly made me postpone the meeting.
“I can’t believe you took the time to come back and check on us,” she said.
“You come first,” I told her. “You always will.”
“I know,” she breathed. Brushing her fingers along the fuzzy green blanket, she added, “And now that he’s safe, I can pay more attention to you instead of having one foot in this relationship and one out the door.”
“We’re going to be good parents, Gabriella. We’ll figure this out together.”
My little wife sighed.
Thatwas not the response I was expecting. Toxic, brackish feelings surged to the surface, but before I could feel self-conscious about this kid having a brutish monster like me as a father, Gabriella spoke.
“You’d think with all my sisters I’d know what the hell I’m doing. But I really don’t know the first thing about babies.”
I blinked. It wasn’t me.
She wasn’t ashamed of me.
A ragged breath whispered through my lips. That was going to take some getting used to.
“How is that possible?” I asked, handing Luca back.
“Mom had a nanny raise us. The older kids weren’t involved. I know diapers and laundry and chores and tears, but I don’t know how to be a good mother.”
Gabriella was as nervous about this as I was. Relief made me want to scoop her into my arms and spin her around.
With the bundle between us, I thought better of the outburst.
“My only experience comes from my parents,” I admitted. “They were good examples, so there’s that. We’ll figure it out. With my father gone, my mom will love to know she’s a grandma.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she agreed. “Oh! And as soon as the paperwork is situated, we can tell your mom she’s a grandma!”
Those whiskey eyes blazed.
This woman…fuck. I was the luckiest man alive. “Get some sleep, my little bird.”
As I leaned in to kiss her goodbye, she pulled back. “Betty will be here in ten minutes.”
I frowned. “Why is my secretary coming?”
“Because I’m coming with you,” Gabriella asserted. “You need me, and I’m going to be there for you. And after having twelve kids, Betty will be the perfect babysitter.”
This time, nothing was stopping me from picking her up.
I took the sleeping bundle, set him carefully behind the boxes against the couch, and grabbed my wife before she could protest.
