Chapter 11 #3
Eventually, he quieted down in my arms.
“I can take him if you want,” Stefan offered. He set his hand on the baby's back and on my lower back.
“It's okay. He's probably just overwhelmed. I'm sure he wasn't expecting to wake up to a wedding going on in the backyard.”
Stefan chuckled. “True,” he said, then kissed the top of the baby's head.
“But that doesn't mean he can get away with hitting you. Nobody hits you, Francesca.” He looked down into my eyes—and my knees nearly gave out. I knew he had no idea of what he’d just said.
The gravity of his words hit me and nearly bowled me right over.
I wondered what he would have done if he'd been there when Raul's goon hit me.
Stefan set his hand on my arm. “Are you all right? You look like you're going to fall over.” His hands moved to my elbows and held me there.
I let out a short laugh. “I'm fine. Don't worry. Just tired.”
A loud, long, strained smoker's cough interrupted me. We turned our heads to see the priest smoking at the table while he scrolled on his phone.
“Not exactly the cream of the crop,” Stefan muttered under his breath. “I'm sorry. That was the best we could do on short notice.” He jerked his head in the priest's direction.
The priest pushed his chair back and kicked his feet up to rest on the table.
I stifled a giggle and raised my eyes.
“Giselle and Eve are going to have a shit fit if they see that.” Stefan sighed and shook his head.
“Where did you find him?” I asked, wondering if he was a family friend or related to them somehow.
“Let's just say—” Stefan hesitated for a moment, “he owes us.” That was all he said.
It didn't sound like he wanted to get into it.
And really, it wasn't any of my business.
Although I was curious why a priest would owe them anything.
Maybe they made a significant donation to the priest's church or something?
I had no idea. Again, it wasn't my concern.
Maybe he'd make it easier for Stefan to get an annulment when the time came.
“We need a few more minutes,” Giselle declared as she bolted out of the house and walked up to us with yet another baby in her arms. “Dani just projectile vomited all over Nick.
So, he's in the shower again.” She sounded exhausted.
“Can you guys look after Marcello, too? Please? Carlo and I are trying to help with—”
Stefan cut her off. “Give him to me.” He reached out for the baby. The baby clearly knew who Stefan was. He nearly jumped into Stefan's arms.
“Thank you, thank you,” Giselle said gratefully.
Then she turned to me and touched my arm.
“I'm so sorry for all of this. We'll get everyone sorted shortly. I promise.” Before I could say anything, she turned and hustled back into the house.
Then she turned back around and strode up to the priest. She gestured to his feet on the table and said something to him that was too low for us to understand.
But I could tell from her body language that whatever she said, it wasn't kind.
Her arms were stretched up above her head, and the priest immediately pulled his feet off the table.
Giselle stormed into the house as she shook her head.
Exactly one second later, the priest put his feet back up on the table.
“Do you think we should go inside and help?” I asked Stefan. “I could help clean up or something?” I suggested. I felt guilty for staying out here while it sounded like complete havoc inside.
“In that dress?” Stefan's eyebrows rose as he nodded at me. “I don't think so.”
I rolled my eyes and rubbed the baby's back. “I can take it off, Stefan. I wouldn't mop the floor wearing this.”
Stefan chuckled while his eyes grew dark. “Oh, you'll definitely be taking it off—later.”
The way he looked at me made me shiver. And I was fairly sure it wasn't from the cool night.
“You're terrible.” I sighed and kissed the baby in my arms. He was blinking and rubbing his eyes. He was tired. And that was the cutest thing I'd ever seen.
“Why am I terrible?” Stefan asked in a cocky, confident tone. “You will be taking that dress off later.” He smirked.
I acted annoyed. But in reality—my lower belly got all achy.
Good grief.
“There are children around, Stefan.” I fake-frowned at him. Well, I really frowned at him. But I wasn't mad.
My arms were growing a little tired, though. How did Eve and Giselle do this all day? With all these babies? I didn't see any nannies around to assist. And surely Nick and Carlo weren't around every second of the day.
“I guess what I'm trying to say—” Stefan cleared his throat and loosened his tie slightly around his neck. “Is that I missed you, Francesca.”
Okay.
Now my knees were in real danger of giving out right here under the sparkly archway.
Stefan's words swirled through my brain, reminding me of how things had been between us all those months ago. Not that I'd forgotten. Because I could never forget Stefan.
Ever.
And being so close to him now like this—and hearing him say sweet words like he was—made me want to grab him and kiss him.
“Stefan…” I gazed down at the tile for a moment, trying to collect myself. What was I supposed to say? That I missed him, too? Desperately? And that every morning when I woke up, I still reached for him? Thinking he was still right beside me?
Because that was exactly what I wanted to tell him.
But I also knew there was no way I could admit that to him. Or to myself. The truth was, I was not only a danger to myself, I was also a danger to him. And to the babies in our arms. As well as to the beautiful people inside the house.
There was no future for us. Yes, I'd marry Stefan. Then hopefully, Raul would stop being a psychopath. Then, Stefan and I would get divorced, and he would go his way—and I would go mine.
“We need a few more minutes.” Giselle rushed through the patio doors, with Dani in her arms.
Stefan and I stepped away from each other and waited for Giselle.
“I’m sorry. Can you take her, please?” She handed Dani over to Stefan. “She's not feeling the greatest. I think the kids brought something home from the mommy and me class on Tuesday.”
I shifted the baby to my hip, which wasn't too hard to do seeing as he was asleep. Then I touched the baby on Stefan's chest and said, “Give him to me for a minute while you sort Dani out.”
Reluctantly, Stefan handed over the baby.
Then he told Giselle that we had this covered, and for her to go back into the house.
She apologized again profusely but quickly turned and headed back toward the house.
She stopped in her tracks in front of the priest. Then she stomped forward and without hesitation, pushed his feet off the table.
Then she said a few words that the children should not hear before retreating back into the house.
“Are you feeling sick, Dani?” Stefan asked the little girl in his arms. Then he touched her forehead. “You feel hot. Did your mom give you some medicine?”
She shook her head on his chest and mumbled.
“Nope. But my brain hurts.” Then she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She seemed to be comfortable enough where she was.
And Giselle could decide whether to dose her with fever meds or not when she came back.
A few minutes wouldn't make any difference.
The newest addition to my arms was an angel. He was just as big as his brother. But they definitely weren’t identical twins. Must be fraternal.
He immediately snuggled into his brother and sighed. Then he, too, fell fast asleep. Now I had not one, but two sleeping babies in my arms.
Huge—sleeping babies. Pure dead weight.
Carlo made large children.
I really needed to start doing some arm work.
“Here, give him back to me. Dani's okay now.” Stefan shifted Dani over slightly and opened his free arm.
“Nah, they're settled here. Looks like they enjoy being together.”
Stefan's eyes dropped to the two babies in my arms. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “They even sleep in the same crib. Giselle says they comfort each other in the night. And that means more sleep for all of them. And she needs all the sleep she can get. Especially since she's expecting again.”
I kissed Marcello on the head and nodded. “They didn't waste much time in between, did they?” I smiled over at Stefan.
He laughed and shook his head. “No. Carlo wants a big family. Always has. And he can be rather—” Stefan looked off toward the house, “convincing.”
That made me giggle. Carlo was incredibly hot. And I saw the way Giselle looked at him. I doubted he needed to convince her of much.
“Okay, okay, we're here!” Eve emerged, carrying a baby. Nick right behind her. Giselle, and Carlo next.
The priest rose and tossed his cigarette onto the ground. After he stepped on it, he straightened up and followed the group over.
“Everyone take your places,” Giselle said breathlessly.
Her hair was frizzy, and she seemed more than a little distracted.
“Here, we'll take them back now.” Giselle picked up Marcello from my arms. Or more like she tried to.
He instantly howled and tightened his grip on me and his brother.
Giselle let go and frowned. Then Carlo tried to grab Nicco from me, and—the exact same thing happened.
He, too, screamed and clutched on tighter.
Yikes.
“It's okay, really. Just leave them,” I said even though my arms were starting to hurt more and more every second.
“Are you sure?” Giselle asked while Carlo attempted to remove Dani from Stefan's chest. She cried louder than both her brothers.
Double yikes.
“She's fine here. Let's just get on with the ceremony,” Stefan said and kissed Dani on the forehead. “She feels hot to me, though.”
Carlo sighed and said, “Yeah, we're out of medicine. I've got one of the guys out getting more.”
Ah, that explained it. This household must go through a lot of everything—including pain and fever-reducing medications.
“Someone,” Giselle glared at her fiancé, “forgot to pick up more the last time he was at the store.”
Carlo closed his eyes at the pointed remark and then said, “You texted me after I was already at the register. What did you want me to do? Take everything off the belt and go back for one thing?”
Giselle set her hands on her hips. “No. I wanted you to—not—buy it. That's why I asked you to buy it.”
Eve spoke up, “We're in the middle of a wedding.” She reminded them with a very strained smile on her face.
“The medicine will be here momentarily. Until then,” she turned to the priest with a smile, “let's continue while the kids are all quiet. And not throwing up. Okay?” Her voice rose on the last word, betraying how stressed she currently was.
The priest took over from there and talked us all back into wedding mode.
Stefan grabbed my hand.
Kind of.
I couldn’t exactly let go of the babies, so he held my hand as best he could. And then—just as the priest directed—he began saying his vows.
To me.
“I Stefan Sovrano—”
And I swear—I nearly stopped breathing.
The intensity of his stare—
The powerful cadence of his words—
And then it was my turn.
Holy.
Cow.
My turn.
To say my vows.
To Stefan.
I repeated after the priest. Stefan's hand completely wrapped around mine like he was trying to hold me in place or something. The whole time, our eyes were locked together.
I felt like I was in a daze when the priest finally announced, “I now pronounce you, Mr. and Mrs. Stefan Sovrano. You may kiss the bride.”
Stefan smiled like I'd never seen him smile before. He stepped forward and leaned down—
“Daddy?” Dani's voice rang out. “Daddy?” she yelled and pushed away from Stefan. Right into me and the babies. Nearly knocking us over.
Stefan barely had enough time to step back and hand the crying child over to Carlo before she leaned over his shoulder and—
Vomited.
All over Nick.
Triple yikes.