Page 214 of Falling for the Wife

Quattro

The matter between annulling her marriage and getting my mother to deliver what was promised in the contract had been the highlight of the last few days. For a moment, I wondered if my mother would hold her ground and make the process tedious. As it turned out, it wasn’t much of a hardship. Well, it was Gino who directly dealt with my mother since I couldn’t stomach her shenanigans. Besides, what she had done was unforgivable. She didn’t deserve to be a part of this new life I had diligently crafted for my small family.

For the meantime, I was glad with how things were gradually falling into place. It would take time, but I was simply relieved that Anton hadn’t protested much when Kimberly had broken the news to him. He had been supportive of the belief that children should always be with their parents. In a way, the man was most likely relieved he didn’t have to put up with the farce of a marriage any longer. Apparently, as Kim had divulged, he had racked up debt, and my mother had used that to her advantage to coerce him.

In so many ways, he had been the perfect candidate for my mother’s plight. He wasn’t quite sure how my mother had found him, but when she had, he just couldn’t refuse it. It was either pay the debt he had incurred, leave the country, or face jail time. My mother’s offer was the best thing for him, even if his beliefs regarded it wrong in the first place.

You could surely put the word cunning to shame when describing my mother. I could only imagine what she had gotten herself involved in beforehand. Why my father had tolerated her, I would never know.

In reference to my father, I hadn’t yet spoken to him. However, he hadn’t had reached out to me, either, which made me wonder what in the world was going on in that man’s head. He and I were long overdue for a conversation. In the meantime, my focus was on the newly born infant and the mother who had captured me without even trying to.

They remained in the hospital longer than anticipated due to doctor’s supervision on Gian Luca’s progress. They needed to make sure he was one hundred percent fit before releasing him. And that time finally came. It was something to celebrate, and I couldn’t have been happier had it not been for Kimberly’s suggestion that she intended to go home to her father’s apartment.

“But why there? I get that you want to be with them, but they might find it too much to have a baby around their home. I have a huge house that is readily available for the both of you; you need not look elsewhere.” It was nonsensical of her to even consider a different choice.

I admitted I was a tad insulted that the very idea hadn’t even entered her head. How could it not? I wasn’t here as a bloody decoration. I was here, offering my services on a daily basis, yet she was still hesitant about me.

What else could I do to prove to her that I wasn’t going anywhere? I was going to be a permanent fixture in her and my son’s life. This wasn’t a drill. I wasn’t going to be dissuaded whenever she felt uncomfortable. She must have known that the moment I had demanded that she file for annulment.

“Do you have a nursery ready?” she questioned with an expectant look.

“A nursery?” I asked. “Well, no, I hadn’t thought that far, but it’s something that can be accomplished. If you have time, we can make it a project we can do together. That aside, I do have a lot of available rooms for you and Gian Luca. I also had Gino hire someone to help you with the baby.” I held up a finger to immediately shush her the moment she parted her lips to interject. “I just want someone there in any case you want to sleep, take a shower, go to the doctors, or whatever else you have pressing to do. You can do it without needing to worry about getting back quickly because the baby will be well taken care of.

“I’m here to make sure this will go as smoothly as humanly possible. I know there will be bumps along the way, but I want to reduce that if I can. So, please, don’t argue with me on this.”

She sighed, as if she had given up on the subject altogether. “You’ve figured all this out. I’m surprised the nursery has skipped your mind.”

I smirked at her sassy comment. There she was, the woman I was madly in love with, springing back to life.

“I’m a capable man, amore, but sadly, as much as I wish it to be, I’m not God, and I will forget important and essential things along the way. But you need not fret. I will try to be the best I can.”

“I like you just you are, Luca. As crazy as you are, I don’t want you to change.”

That was probably the sweetest sentiment she had given me in quite some time.

All this sparring and the strain of the days had worn on me, but I wasn’t yet done.

“Keep that in mind for what I have to say next. I meant to say that this move is permanent and not a temporary one, not when you first suggested you move in with your family.”

“Luca, this is moving too fast,” she immediately countered, clearly unconvinced.

I had known she was going to say that; however, I wasn’t done negotiating.

“Meet me halfway here, cara,” I said with the hint of a plea. “I’m trying my best.”

She bit her lip, pondering my words, before stating, “Six months … After that, we can discuss living arrangements again. For now, I don’t want anything cemented, if that makes any sense at all. I just don’t want to keep putting myself in a position where I don’t have much power in my hands.”

“Brilliant! Six months it is. We’ll treat it as a trial period.” It wasn’t what I had hoped to gain, but it was better than never. I supposed it would be a great opportunity for us to get acclimated to being a family unit and also get to know each other once again.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Kissing her forehead, I breathed her in—her intoxicating scent that was all her—before closing my eyes. “No, thank you. Thank you for giving me this chance.” Six months was enough time to prove to her that I was worthy of her and Gian Luca. It was a test, if you will, to show just how capable I was to be her partner and as a father. I best not take it for granted.

The next day, Kimberly settled into a room right next to my master suite. She had a small cot situated right next to the bed so she wouldn’t have a hard time getting to the baby if it was time for feeding, which at this rate, it varied from every hour, couple of hours or a few, depending on Gian Luca’s mood.

After five days, she had dark circles etched underneath her eyes, and I became concerned.

“You really need to have the nanny help you, or me for that matter.” The woman wouldn’t even pump her breast milk, because she thought it was best to feed him fresh each time. I got it—she had the best sentiments at heart—but not when she was putting her health on the line. “Most mothers get on fine when they have other people help them. Promise me you’ll think about it?”