Page 82 of Enzo's Vow

“How are you, Gemma?” Carina beamed, her gaze lingering on the swaddled bundle in my arms. No doubt dying to hold the newborn.

“I’m well considering the long labor.” Those eighteen hours dragged on forever. Poor Enzo fell into panic mode the second my water broke. He ran between consoling me and scouring our bedroom for the overnight bag, which he passed several times in his frantic state. I’d never seen this confident man so rattled, but he’d been a champ by my side, and accepted every ounce of abuse I hurled at him while squeezing my hand through the entire ordeal. The marks on his palms where my nails bit into his flesh made me flinch, leaving me a tad guilty at my lack of control.

Perhaps eager to distract himself from the memory of the labor, he hopped off the bed, greeted his mother with a kiss on the cheek, and took the bouquet to place the flowers in an empty vase. “Are you ready to meet your granddaughter?”

I grinned, and passed our little girl to Enzo, who handed her to her Nonna.

Carina crooned at the baby and bent to kiss her head. “Oh, she’s beautiful. What have you named her?” She peered at us, awaiting an answer.

He squeezed my hand. Learning about the baby’s gender felt like a chance to offer Carina something precious. My own pregnancy had only deepened my understanding of her long-ago loss, and I could never fathom her pain. “We hoped you’d tell us?”

Her brows wobbled as she shot us a skeptical look. “What do you mean?” She stroked the baby’s soft cheek.

Enzo puckered his lips, barely able to contain his grin. “Do us the honor of naming our daughter.”

Her nostrils flared. Tears filled her hazel eyes. She stared at us in disbelief.

“Don’t keep us waiting, Ma,” he insisted, at last beating out a laugh. “We’re eager to learn her name.”

Carina chuckled and wiped away a tear. “I’m honored,” she whispered. “Thank you.” Once again, she peered at the baby.

Our little girl grimaced, probably impatient to learn her name, too.

“We’ll call her Serafina.”

He elbowed my side. “It means angel.”

“Not just angel,” Carina corrected and winked at me. “Fiery angel because I don’t doubt for a second God hasn’t blessed her with her mother’s fiery nature.”

I flattened my lips. “Or she might get her fiery side from her Nonna.”

Enzo cast his face heavenward. “If either notion holds true, may God have mercy on me.”

We all broke out in hysterics, frightening poor Serafina who wailed aloud. Father and Nonna rushed to hush the baby, and I soaked in the beautiful image they portrayed. We might have all started out on a dark path, but even with the shadows lurking in our past, we were determined to fill our future with light, laughter, and love.