by Mya Black
He was so adorable in his concern, and she wished things were different between them. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon and we’ll have a son or daughter.” Too bad we won’t be one big happy family.
“I’m so sorry, Eve. I never meant to neglect you or the baby, but Sabrina was sick and-”
She cut off his explanation, unwilling to let his wife ruin this day for her. “I don’t want to hear it, Alessandro, not now. This is my day, go somewhere else and talk about your wife.”
Before he could say any more, Dr. Baker entered with a bright smile. "Today’s the happy day! Are you both ready?”
“I’m ready, and he’s leaving,” she said with as much happiness as she could muster. The silence was awkward as Alessandro got up to leave.
He kissed her forehead. “Good luck, Eve. I love you.”
The tears came before she realized what was happening. “I love you, too, Alessandro, and I’m sorry.” He nodded and left the room.
***
Twenty minutes that felt like a lifetime later, Alessandro was walking back into the delivery room to hold his baby girl. A girl.
“Oh, Alessandro, she’s so beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful,” he said and he meant it. Her hair was slicked back in a ponytail, but her skin still glowed from the rigors of childbirth. She looked tired, but so happy with tears in her eyes. “Can I see her?”
“They took her to clean her up and get her vitals. She’ll be back in a few minutes.” She smiled up at him, her earlier anger gone. “She’s so beautiful, Alessandro. She has your lips, your nose, and your hair. Her eyes are brown like yours, but with gold flecks like mine.”
His heart squeezed tighter and tighter with her words. He leaned into her and pressed his lips to hers. “Thank you.”
“Thank you. She’s wonderful and you gave her to me.”
“God, I love you so much, Eve. Please let me talk, at least until she gets here. Okay?” She nodded and he told her everything about Sabrina’s infection and death, his fight with her parents, and her quickie funeral. “They held everything up out of spite. I should have just acted without them.”
“You’re too good a man for that, Alessandro. It’s why I love you.”
His shoulders fell. “Even though you wish you didn’t.”
“Yes. Do you know how it felt to wait quietly while the ambulance came to pick me up, to not freak out because I had to rely totally on myself? To sit in that hospital room alone day after day while you were tending to your wife?” She wiped away a few tears. “I don’t like feeling like that and it’s not easy to forget. But I do love you, so much.”
“Tell me there’s still a chance for us, Eve, please.”
“There is,” she whispered just as the nurse wheeled the baby in.
“Here’s Julianna, come meet your papa,” she handed him to Alessandro.
“Julianna?”
Eve smiled up at him. “Julianna Mae Scotti.” When a tear slipped down his cheek as he looked in awe at his daughter, Eve knew she would give him another chance. Give them another shot at being a family. She hadn’t had much family growing up and this was her chance to make a family with the man she loved.
“She’s incredible, so beautiful.” She was the perfect blend of her mama and papa. “I’m your papa, Julianna, and you are the most beautiful little girl the world has ever seen.” He cradled her in his arms and leaned down for another kiss.
“I’m so in love with you, Alessandro. Say you’ll help for these next few months.”
He saw everything she wasn’t’ saying – the next few months would allow them to rebuild their relationship without the specter of his wife hanging over them. “I’ll help. Forever.”
She smiled and kissed his lips and their daughter’s forehead. “Forever. That sounds like a good start.”
THE END
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