“This again,” he muttered impatiently. “I went from demon to saint in pretty short order, didn’t I? I want you to listen to me very, very carefully Theresa because I won’t be saying this again. I’m not a saint. I’m being very selfish when I say that I want you and our baby with me and when I say that I want us to be a family. I have duties back in Italy, people I love and need to take care of but right now I don’t give a damn about any of that right now because I want to spend my every waking moment with you and this baby. This life I’ve built with you, it’s the only one that matters to me anymore. So please stop telling me what I really want and try listening to me for a change.” Theresa stared up at him uncertainly. Dare she believe that he meant this? That it wasn’t just a really good act? She cleared her throat, trying to formulate a response but he leaned over and kissed her gently, stilling the words.
“Don’t say anything, cara. Just give me a chance…” He looked like a man perched on a ledge with her as his last chance of redemption. How did she resist that? How could she? “I know I’m asking you to make yourself vulnerable again and I’m so sorry for that. But I want you to trust me. Just one more time… allow yourself to trust me.” She bit her lip, before taking a deep breath and stepping out onto that ledge with him.
“We need to name this little one before we take her home,” she said lightly, ignoring the way he released the breath that he’d been holding for countless moments. She felt the tension drain out of him and his relief was so overwhelming it was an almost tangible thing.
“Any ideas?” He asked huskily, reaching over to stroke the top of the baby’s soft head with his thumb, somehow managing to brush the sensitive skin of her breast too and she shivered at the contact. “Well, since she has all this fuzzy black hair, we should probably stick with Lily,” his face lit up with pleasure and he dropped a quick kiss on her smiling mouth. “I only hope she has the temperament of a Lily and not that of a Sofia.”
“If she takes after you, we’re in for a bumpy ride,” he joked and she rolled her eyes.
“Please, you’re no angel yourself,” she retorted without any heat. “Let’s just name her Lily and hope for the best.”
“Hmm, if she does have your stubbornness and fiery temper, I’ll adore her even more,” he admitted. “It’ll certainly make life interesting.”
“Why did you keep buying girl’s toys and clothes, Sandro?” She asked after a short silence and his thumb paused its stroking for an infinitesimal second, before continuing on. “I mean, I’m grateful for them now, of course. But why?”
“Why?” he shook his head and hesitated again before raising his eyes to meet hers. “I was just… hoping for a girl,” Her jaw dropped as she simply gaped at him for a few moments. That thought had never once crossed her mind.
“You were hoping for a girl?”
“Yes. Very much,” he staggered her by confirming, his eyes remaining steady so she was in no doubt as to his sincerity.
“I don’t understand…” she shook her head slightly. “Why?” He didn’t respond, dropping his eyes to the suckling infant at her breast.
“Sandro?” She prompted and he raised his eyes to hers once more. He smiled cryptically before shrugging.
“This is neither the time nor place to be having that particular conversation, Theresa,” he frustrated her by saying.
“But…”
“We’ll discuss it soon but right now I think Lily is ready to be burped,” he pointed to the infant whose tiny mouth had slackened. She awkwardly dragged her bodice back up and then clumsily repositioned Lily until the baby was draped over her shoulder.
“Could you get the nurse?” She asked Sandro, putting his previous comment from her mind for now. “I’m not sure how to do this.”
“Rub your hand on her back in a circular motion,” he noted the surprise in her eyes before shrugging. “The nurse showed me how to do it last night after I’d bottle-fed her while you were asleep.”
Theresa complied with his instruction and was soon rewarded with a tiny burp. The sound was adorable in a way that only a new parent could appreciate and they grinned at each other when they heard it. In that one glorious moment of solidarity, Theresa started to believe in the possibility of a happily every after again… and it frightened her to death.
The thin sound of a distressed infant’s wail jerked Theresa from a restless sleep. She sat up and fought her way out of bed before groggily trudging to the nursery. When she got there she blinked up at the already-present Sandro who was cradling his crying daughter tenderly in his strong arms. He was wearing only a pair of boxers and held the tiny baby up against his strong, naked chest. He was crooning gently to her and Theresa was transfixed by the sweet picture they presented.
He looked up suddenly and saw her standing in the doorway. His hair was messy and standing up in spikes.
“Hey,” he smiled over at her. “I was hoping you’d sleep through this. You looked exhausted earlier. I don’t think she’s hungry. Just cranky, I think her wet nappy woke her up. I changed her and she’s all dry and comfy now but she hasn’t worked the bad mood out of her system yet,” Theresa walked over to them and peered over one bulging bicep into Lily’s scrunched up little face and smiled in amusement.
“Very cranky,” she leaned over to drop a kiss on the baby’s damp forehead and felt Sandro tense when her cheek brushed against his chest in the process. They both paused awkwardly before Theresa cleared her throat and stepped back. She dropped into the padded rocking chair and tucked her feet up beneath her and watched as Sandro continued to pace and gently talking to the crying baby.