Chapter 19
19
Giselle
“H e’s going to crawl.” Carlo’s voice brought me back from almost-dreamland. I yawned and opened my eyes.
Marcello was on all fours, rocking back and forth. A huge, beautiful, gorgeous, drooly smile on his face.
Carlo had his hands out as he encouraged his son to crawl to him.
“He’s far too young.” I rolled onto my side and rested my head in my hand. “Besides, once they start moving—they never stop. This is not something you want, honey. At least now, when we put him down, we know where he is.”
Carlo looked at me with a small frown on his face. “That’s ridiculous. You should want him to move around.”
I heard what he said. But I also knew what he hadn’t said.
And that was the fact that Carlo wanted his boy to be the best at everything. I did, too. I could just wait a few more months for him to do it.
Carlo hadn’t been around when Dani was this tiny. He didn’t understand the amount of extra work it took to look after a baby once they were mobile.
Even so, it was beyond cute. The amount of fatherly pride he held in his heart made me all gooey inside.
“He just needs the right motivation.” Carlo was still trying to get our son to crawl.
I just sighed and shook my head. He didn’t know what he was doing.
Carlo suddenly pulled his keys out of his pocket and swung them in his fingers. Just out of the baby’s reach.
“Come on, Son. You’re ready. Let’s go.”
Dani ran over and plopped herself beside her father. “Come on, Chello! You can do it,” she cheered with a sweet, excited look on her face.
I giggled and grabbed my phone, quickly tapping the screen and putting it into video mode.
This was too cute to pass up. I couldn’t wait to show Eve this.
“You’re almost there. Come on. You can do it.” Carlo kept swinging the forbidden keys in front of our son.
Marcello did his cute little baby squeal, and we all laughed. He really was such a sweet baby.
“Show your momma what a strong boy you are,” Carlo said, glancing over at the phone in my hand.
“He’s your son. Of course, he’s strong.” And that was the darn truth. I doubted there’d ever been a stronger baby than Marcello. He took on more and more of Carlo’s traits every day.
Physical and personality wise.
Carlo set the keys down on the checkered blanket.
Marcello cried out with excitement. This time—his right hand moved forward—and so did his left knee.
“Oh, boy,” I whispered to myself as I saw the end of having a stationary baby.
“Yes! You did it!” the proud daddy yelled. He scooped up his son and lifted him high above his head. “See? I knew you were ready. Daddy was right.”
Dani was jumping up and down, pumping her hands in the air.
The looks on all of their faces were utterly priceless.
Marcello had Carlo’s keys firmly in his grasp. And he was pulling them quickly to his mouth.
And Carlo didn’t do a thing to stop him.
“Honey, don’t let him mouth those. The keys are filthy.”
Carlo grinned at me. “He deserves a reward, Momma. This big guy worked hard.”
Watching their celebration made me suddenly feel all weepy. There were so many times in the past when I never even dreamed that this would be possible.
Me, Carlo, Dani, and Marcello. Out for a leisurely picnic by the pond.
Not doing anything particularly important.
Except being together.
And that really was the most important thing of all.
Dani hugged her daddy, the excitement still swirling around inside of her little girl body.
“You did it, Dani. You taught your brother how to crawl.” Carlo wrapped his arm around her and kissed the side of her face. The look of accomplishment on her face was priceless.
As was the validation from her father.
Even though they didn’t share an ounce of DNA, Carlo was her father. Just as much as she was his daughter.
And it was beautiful.
Dani’s hand gently patted Marcello on the back. “Good boy! You did it!” Then she leaned over and kissed his chubby cheek.
I wiped away a tear or two from my eyes, but still managed to keep the video going.
“You’re crying?” Carlo asked quietly, his voice tinged with concern.
I sniffled. “No, I’m not.” Then I wiped away a few more tears.
He smiled and turned to the stroller. He set Marcello inside. After he buckled the baby in, Dani started pushing the back of it. “I can take him for a walk?”
Carlo nodded. “Just around here, okay? Stay close.”
As soon as Carlo let go of the stroller, she started pushing him. She couldn’t get far. For one thing, her brother was huge. He was taller and heavier than any baby alive at his age.
Also, Dani was very careful with him. Just like she was with Nick and Eve’s kids.
“Okay, Dada!” she yelled out cheerfully. And off they went. Dani with a big smile on her face, and Marcello squealing and clapping his hands.
Carlo stalked over to me with a look in his eye. He pulled the phone out of my hand and tossed it onto the blanket beside us. “Why are you crying?” he asked in a husky tone. His eyes scanned my face. Just like they did several times a day. I knew he was checking in on me. Making sure I was all right. I could tell he was still worried about me.
“I’m not,” I lied to him with a smile on my face.
“Giselle,” he said in a tone that made me sigh.
“I’m happy. These are happy tears. You guys were really freaking cute.” I reached up and touched the side of his face. He hadn’t shaved for the last few days, and it was rough against my palm. “All of you.”
He grinned down at me and rolled me onto my back. “Yeah?” he asked, settling on top of me.
“Yeah.”
His eyes practically sparkled in the midday sun. “Then we should get busy making more freaking cute babies. Immediately.”
His lips touched mine. I opened for him, and he gave me a devastatingly wonderful kiss.
“I love you, Giselle. And I want more babies. You’ve gotta admit we make great kids.”
I laughed and let my hands slide down his face, to his neck, and to his chest. “Maybe we should wait until the kids are asleep?”
He chuckled and let his tongue slip down my neck, creating goose bumps all over my body. “They’re busy,” he mumbled into my neck.
I pushed against his chest and laughed. “Dani’s going to push that stroller into the pond if we don’t watch her.”
He kissed his way to my cleavage. “Why are you ruining my fun?” His warm breath felt wonderful across the tops of my breasts.
“That’s my job. I’m the official fun-ruiner for the next eighteen years.”
Carlo thought that was hilarious. He laughed loudly and rolled off me.
“I hate to tell you this, but we are not done having kids. Not even close. So, you’re going to be ruining fun for a lot longer than eighteen years.”
Without warning, my eyes filled with—tears.
And hope.
In that moment, I realized—that was what I really wanted.
Lots of kids—however they came. Natural. Adopted. Whatever we had to do.
We’d do it.
And suddenly, it felt like a door had opened wide. A door I hadn’t even known existed. And I saw many beautiful dark-haired children running around. Having fun. Playing.
Laughing.
Yelling.
And they were all ours.
Mine.
And Carlo’s.
“Now why are you crying?” Carlo wiped my cheeks with his thumbs. “I was just teasing you.”
I shook my head and sniffled. “No, it’s all good. I just realized that I want more babies with you. A lot more babies.”
Carlo’s expression shifted to one I’d never seen before. I couldn’t decipher it. But whatever it meant, he was completely focused on me right now. “You sure?” he asked in the most genuine tone he’d ever used on me.
I nodded and let my happy tears overflow out of my eyes. “Yeah. I’m sure. But you understand that this might take some work. It might not—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Carlo’s mouth was over mine, kissing the heck out of me. “Shut up, Giselle,” he muttered between kisses.
When he finally let me breathe, I continued, “It might take—a while.” I wanted him to really understand that making more babies might take a long time. Or it might not be possible at all.
He was in the room when all the doctors said that same thing. He knew.
And I’d been there, watching his face fall each time. It was subtle. But I’d seen it.
“Or it might take no time at all.”
I shut my eyes and offered his words up like a prayer.
Please. Let it happen.
Let us be parents again. And again.
Allow us to fill his house up with loud, happy, loving children.
“You good now?” Carlo kissed my lips gently, and I opened my eyes.
I looked up into his handsome face and his sparkling eyes. “I’m really good. How about you?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I’m fucking fantastic, Giselle.”
And for the rest of that afternoon—we were.