Page 78 of Sin City Obsession

“Alessa? You okay, beautiful? Should I call the doctor in?”

Alessa drew a shaky breath and turned her smile to her husband. She couldn’t have hidden her tears if she’d wanted to. “He’s a third,” she said, her voice cracking. “Just like Al.”

Rocco blinked once before his expression softened. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Yes, he is.” He dipped one hand beneath baby Rocco’s head, beneath the blanket, and curled his fingers enough to show he was cupping the softly whining boy’s head. “And together, we’ll make sure he lives the life your brother was denied. I swear that to you.”

Baby Rocco—Rocky, she was going to call him Rocky—began to cry again.

Alessa bumped her head on Rocco’s arm. “Yes. Yes, we will.” She allowed the nurse to slip in and take Rocky, remindingherself it was a very temporary—and highly monitored—separation. Then she latched onto Rocco’s nearest hand. “We’ll raise him strong, like his father, with all the love our families can muster.” She turned her teary smile to him. “But now I really hope the next one’s a girl.”

Rocco matched her smile and kissed her gently. “I’ll get to working on that for you, just as soon as possible.”

She gave him a half-hearted shove. “You’re terrible. Go tell our hovering families the good news. I need to sleep for a year.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He kissed her forehead as he stood, pulled the blanket to her chin, and slipped from the room.

Alessa let her eyes close as visions of Rocky, growing into a rambunctious boy, filled her mind. She was glad they’d moved out of the penthouse and into something on solid ground. Gladder still that her parents had humbly allowed her and Rocco to buy them a smaller, single-story second home for anytime they wanted to come to Las Vegas. Which they were joking would be every winter.

The vision in her mind evolved, a second, faceless laugh joining the first. Maybe she wasn’t so opposed to one or two more, after all.

The End