Page 223 of Falling for the Wife

The track was my everything. The smell of burnt tires, the deafening sound of the engines pushed to their maximized velocity and pressure, the roar of the crowd—everything about it would be missed, yet it was high time to move on to greener pastures.

“Are you going to do a press release?” my mother asked in a less than subtle, high-pitched tone.

She was still angling for the best way to spin the media and revert the attention to her; nothing would change there.

Shaking my head, I sent her a definitive look before uttering, “No, there’s no need for that. My accident was enough media circus; I don’t want to bring that kind of energy to my new life.”

Underneath the table, I felt Kimberly reach out to give my thigh an appreciative squeeze, as if she were pleased to hear I was making this decision.

“Happy?” I asked her.

“Very. It’s great news, Luca.” She beamed at me with those bright eyes and the kind of smile that made me forget things.

It was a good thing when the cook asked if we were ready for coffee and dessert to be served as they began to clear the table, because my mind would have resorted to lingering elsewhere. Tonight, she was going to be sharing a bed with me, so I would resume such thoughts then.

Just as she had been instructed, the nanny brought down Gian Luca. Instead of watching my parent’s reaction, though, I was looking at Kimberly’s expressive face.

A mixture of emotions played havoc within her as she watched her son.

My father and mother were both delighted at the sight of the new addition to the family. They both gushed that the little man was my mini-doppelganger and how he reminded them of when I was born. So much so that my mother was brought back to tears once again as she recalled that memory.

I wasn’t particularly moved by her epic display of being a doting grandmother. One couldn’t be blamed since I still had a ton of reservations about her sincerity. I supposed time would tell with her, but for the time being, she seemed thrilled to see the grandson she had plotted to have killed since she had been frightened that he would turn out less than perfect, and that would be an outright tragedy for the primed and guarded pedigree of our society.

They stayed for another hour before taking their leave. My father and Kimberly were getting on well. And as for my mother, they both tried to find a common ground to talk about, which wasn’t much, so they opted for the safer subject of Gian Luca. Well, maybe the operative word wasn’tsafer; that would be overkill.

Nove

Today had been quite eventful. After lunch, my thoughts were basically consumed by the anticipation of tonight. I shouldn’t put much effort into fussing about it, but I took it as a token that things were moving fluidly in the right direction. I had been a starved man, vying for some affection, and I loathed myself a little for even feeling the way I was. There was nothing appealing about being too obsessive.

Shaking my head, I carried on, finishing up work. It took me about another ten minutes to send out all the required emails before I finally made my way upstairs. My mind was so boggled it took me a while to realize that Kimberly was standing in the hallway, peeking through the small crack in Gian Luca’s door.

My heart ached at the thought of the agony she experienced each day, missing her newborn baby yet not having the strength to overcome her fears.

Without another thought, I reached out to her, pulling her beside me as we both looked in the room as the nanny tried to put him to sleep.

“He misses you, too.”

I heard a sharp intake of breath from her.

“I still feel so guilty. Dad’s been telling me I should stop before this negativity takes hold of me and really takes root inside my heart. He said, if I let it fester for a long period of time, I will miss out on Gian Luca’s best years, and I might come to regret that.”

John had a point. He had delivered it rather boldly, but then again, maybe it was what she needed to hear. Her father’s words had obviously influenced her, or she wouldn’t be standing here.

“Come,” I whispered as I grabbed her hand. “We can do this together.”

She immediately looked startled, but she didn’t outright reject my suggestion.

“If you feel like it’s too much, we can leave, but you have to try every day, even if it’s the most difficult thing you have to do. As much as I love him, it isn’t enough, Kim. He needs you. He needs his mom.”

She nodded, and then I pushed the door to let us inside. Upon seeing me, the nanny beamed as she strode towards me and gently transferred the little bambino into my arms, allowing me to cradle his warm, tiny form.

“Do you mind giving us some privacy?” I asked softly, and she happily sprinted out of the room.

Not wanting to make her feel pressured now that we were all by ourselves, I just continued trying to put him to sleep.

As much as I adored feeding him, these nighttime rituals were my favorite, because I loved watching him sleep like the little angel he was. There was nothing more peacefully beautiful than watching my son sleep.

“May I hold him?” Kimberly meekly asked before adding, “Please.”