34. Arabella
Chapter 34
Arabella
I watch as my husband retrieves his phone and glances down at the screen. I can’t see what it says from here, but when he slides it straight back into his pocket, I can only presume it’s nothing important. It’s been pinging all morning.
Dante lets go of my hand, and I instantly feel the loss. His touch anchors me. He rubs his flattened palms down the front of his trousers, and all I can do is stare.
I’ve always had a weakness for his hands … the way they hold me and make me feel safe, or how they caress and pleasure me. They are also the hands that safely brought our baby into the world this morning, so now they’ve elevated to a god-like status right alongside him.
When my contractions first started, coming hard and fast, I was a little dubious as to whether he was going to be able to handle it, but then that stoic, unshakeable man stepped forward, ready to dominate the situation. He didn’t falter, handling it all like the world was his to control.
My eyes follow him when he stands, rounds the bed, and heads straight for Alexander. “Times up,” he says, reaching for Caterina.
“What? Why? ”
“You’re being a hog, so I’m cutting you off.”
“I’ve had her for an hour tops.”
“Fifty minutes too long, in my opinion.”
“You’re kidding me? You held my son almost the entire day at the baby shower. You’re doing this to get back at me, aren’t you?”
“Never.”
“I call bullshit. That smirk on your smug face tells me that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
“Daddy just said bullshit,” Giovanni chimes in.
“Who’s the pottymouth now?” Chloe mumbles under her breath, and my shoulders shake with laughter.
“Hand her over,” Dante demands.
“No!” Alexander replies, taking a step backwards.
“It’s time for her feed. Do you want your niece to starve?”
Alexander rolls his eyes. “She’s hardly going to starve; your wife fed her an hour ago. If she was hungry, trust me, you’d know it.”
As if on cue, Caterina lets out a little cry. “Ha!” Dante counters.
“That’s not an ‘I’m hungry’ cry, that’s a ‘My daddy is being an a-hole’ cry.”
“What’s an a-hole?” Giovanni asks.
“Never mind,” Alexander murmurs, finally handing Dante his daughter.
I know these two act like this regularly, but I’m still left feeling a little sorry for Alexander. My husband is always busting his balls.
“Thank you,” Dante says, snuggling our daughter to his chest and looking down at her with all the love in his eyes. “Why don’t you guys head downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch?”
“You expect me to eat hospital food?” Alexander replies with a frown. “I don’t have a death wish.”
“You’re acting like a snob. Now go.” Dante glances over his shoulder, giving me a soft smile. “My wife needs some rest. It’s been a big day for her.”
“Let’s go,” Chloe says, shoving her husband towards the door. “There are plenty of restaurants nearby.”
Dante follows them out into the corridor, and when he comes back a few minutes later, he’s smiling. “I thought they’d never leave.”
“That was a little rude.”
He shrugs, that cheeky grin of his still lingering. “I wanted some alone time with my wife and daughter; sue me.”
I watch as he walks over to the chair beside my bed and sits down, hugging our baby further into his chest as if he’s protecting her from the world.
It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come from those early days that were filled with doubt, fear, and uncertainty. But now, with our daughter in his arms and his eyes locked on mine with that familiar intensity, I realise that nothing else matters. We’ve made it through the hardest parts, and I know the future is ours to shape.
“Sleep, Bellezza . We’ll both be here waiting for you when you wake.”
“ Ti amo (I love you),” I whisper as I roll onto my side to face him.
“ Ti amo di più (I love you more).”
He may believe he loves me more, but he clearly underestimates the depth of what I feel for him. Being loved by this man has given me strength, but loving him as deeply as I do has also restored the courage I lost when I was a little girl. To me, that is priceless.
The day I met him, I thought Dante Mancini was going to be my worst nightmare, but instead, he turned out to be a dream come true.
My knight in shining armour.
The biggest blessing ever!