Page 44 of A Treasure To Keep
Why does he have to point that out? “Way to crush my soul. And I was thinking about giving you and Marco hot oil massages tonight. Maybe I’ll think twice about that.”
“We’ll discuss this in four months when we need to decide whether we’re moving or resigning.”
He kisses me on the top of my head, and I’m about to argue when my phone rings. I reach over and grab it, noticing Luci trying to video chat with me. I haven’t heard a peep from her since before Alessandro got shot, regardless of how much I’ve tried to reach out. Her due date is about nine days away, and I’m sure this added stress has been hard on her. I can only imagine the hot mess express she might be. Lord knows I’d bring out my mourning chic wardrobe if that happened to either of my men. Huh. My men. What a crazy thought.
“Hey, doll. How have you—” I don’t finish my question before I realize, instead of Luci’s face, I see a little dark-haired baby on the screen and scream, “Oh my god, she’s adorable!”
Andrea covers my mouth at the same time that Luci shushes me. “Shh. El, she’s sleeping.”
Andrea is still covering my mouth when he bends down to see the sleeping baby. “She’s beautiful, Luci. Congratulations. Now, mon trésor, if I take my hand off your mouth, can you avoid screaming?” I eagerly nod my head, incredibly excited to ask Luci all the questions.
Andrea has barely removed his hand when I ramble endlessly. “Oh my god. Babe. How are you? When was she born? What’s her name? When can I come see you two?” Does Marco know Luci had her baby? Did that asshat hide this from me? Too many questions and not enough time.
Luci laughs at my unending list of questions. “My emotions are up and down. Postpartum mood swings are significantly crazier than pregnancy mood swings. Quinn says it’s normal. I need to be aware if things get bad and let her know if it’s overwhelming me. Alessandro is still in a coma until his heart rate and blood pressure come down. It’s spiking randomly, and this way, it’s allowing him to rest. She was born the night Alessandro went into surgery. The stress put me into labor, and the second Dr. Rossi was finishing, she blessed us with her presence. We named her after Alessandro’s mamma, Gia. Please don’t hesitate to come over anytime. It would be nice to have a distraction. I’ve spent the majority of my time down with Alessandro. I’d say the afternoon is the best time. I can’t promise she’ll be awake, or I won’t have to feed her. If that’s a deal breaker, I understand.”
“Several statements. She’s asleep right now, and I’m sure she’d be equally as adorable awake. Also, no one should be upset if you need to nourish your baby. If they are, I’ll cunt punchthem. Can we come now? Andrea needs to put a shirt over his hot bod, and I’m about done getting ready. Maybe an hour?” My body simmers with excitement while I wait for her answer.
“I’ll let Domenico know you two are coming.” I give it about a second and a half after Luci and I hang up before squealing again.
“She’s so fucking cute, Andrea! What are you waiting for? Put a shirt on your delicious torso, we have a baby to see!” I pat his ass twice, shooing him away to get dressed while I put the finishing touches on my makeup.
Chapter 48
Andrea
We speed up to Luci and Alessandro’s house the second Domenico lets us through the gate. The whole car ride, El has been chattering about how excited she is to meet Gia. A baby is the one thing I can’t give her. While she says she’s okay with it, I can’t shake the idea that she could change her mind when she holds Gia. I’ve even avoided opportunities to go see James’s baby with El, pretending to be too busy.
I’m snapped out of my thought process when I jerk forward when El shifts the car into park, not bothering to come to a complete stop before doing so. She bolts out of the car, forgetting to close the car door as she runs into the house. My heart races as I take a second to emotionally prepare myself to go in.
The second I walk into the house, I hear El’s voice from the media room. I make my way in there to see El beaming down at Gia as a tired Luci sits on the sofa. Maybe we should have waited a few more days before coming over.
“Andrea, come over and see Gia. She’s soooo cute.” I walk over to El, noticing how she glows while holding Gia. Fuck. I bring my almost shaking hands to El’s shoulders, kissing her on the forehead.
“You two look good with a baby. Try to at least wait until the wedding night to get pregnant.” El stops rocking back and forth, her smile fading. I don’t miss how she swallows, containing her tears before they have the opportunity to fall.
El passes Gia to me and lays her in my arms. She keeps her body straight, but her eyes focus on the ground as she straightens her dress, taking a step back from me.
Throughout our relationship, I’ve noticed when she’s faking her confidence. To the average person, she would appear the confident person she normally is. To me? I know the signs from the lack of eye contact, when she tilts her chin up higher than normal, and how she meticulously straightens her outfit. It’s my little secret I keep to prevent her from shutting down.
“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.” The slight shake in her voice doesn’t go unnoticed by me, and I know she’s headed to the bathroom to get some space.
Once El is out of sight, I turn my focus to Gia, immediately noticing how alert she is. Most newborns I’ve seen are asleep or crying. Not Gia. She’s the perfect mixture of Alessandro and Luci, with his dark hair and her hazel eyes.
I walk over to Luci and sit down. Luci and I haven’t had much time together, but it’s important that she has as much support around her as possible. Especially with a newborn and Alessandro being in a coma. “How are you, Luci? Is there anything I can do for you? I can only imagine how hard the last few days have been. If having company is too much, please let us know.”
“Please, stay. It’s nice to have someone other than the people who live and work here around. If you wouldn’t mind holdingGia while I grab some water, I’d appreciate it. Breastfeeding makes you constantly thirsty.” I stop her when she attempts to stand, moving Gia to one arm as I pick up her water bottle with the other.
“No. You sit. I’ll refill your water bottle. Gia is content, and you should rest. Right now, El and I are here to keep you company and help you with anything you need. Don’t hesitate to ask for our help.”
Luci relaxes back into the sofa as I stand, walking into the kitchen to refill her water bottle. On my way back, I walk by the half bath and go to knock, but my heart stops when I hear El sobbing. I rest my head on the door, questioning what I should do. El wants to be alone, but it’s my job as her amour to give her everything she needs and wants. Everything except a baby.
The second I step away from the bathroom door, Marco comes around the corner. We almost collide with each other, and in turn, almost collide with Gia.
Marco’s eyes widen when he realizes that I’m holding Gia. “Fuck, dude. Make an announcement next time.”
“You want me walking around constantly saying I’m holding Gia? C'est ridicule.”
Marco points his finger in my face. He speaks loud enough that Gia starts to fuss. “Listen, Andrea. I look like a fucking idiot whenever I don’t know what you’re saying. Can you—”