Chapter Thirty-Eight
Zia Carm’s new baby was a week old already and all anyone could talk about, including Zio Rico. Gina liked the name they gave him—Nicholas Antonio—because he was born on Christmas Day, and his papa and grandfather were both named Antonio. Everyone called him Nick though.
He was adorable, and tonight Mama J let Gina hold him for the first time.
“His hand is so tiny.” When she held up her pinky, Nick wrapped his whole hand around it and squeezed.
Wow, is he strong!
“I’m sure he’ll grow to be big and strong like his papa,” Mama J said before turning to Gina. “You were tiny like that at one time too, and look at you now.”
“Unbelievable.” But Gina couldn’t imagine ever being that small.
Nick scrunched up his face and let out a scream that scared Gina—but she didn’t drop him.
“Want me to take him?” Mama J asked with a smile.
Gina nodded rapidly, ready to hand him back. Mama J took Nick and held him up to her shoulder and patted his back. Soon, he let out a very rude burp. If that had been Gina, she’d have to say excuse me, but babies didn’t have to have manners.
Zia Carm came into the room and smiled at them. She had dark circles under her eyes, but nobody had hit her. Zio Rico said she was just tired because babies don’t let you sleep very much.
“How’s he doing?” Carm asked.
“A little tummy gas,” Mama J said, “but he’s almost asleep now.”
“I wish he’d sleep that easily at night.”
“I’m sure it will get better.”
Gina got up so Zia Carm could sit next to Mama J and Nick. Nobody seemed to notice when Gina left the room. In the kitchen, she found Zio Rico and Zio Franco talking and making goofy eyes at each other.
They really must love each other. She wondered if they’d get married someday, like Becky’s moms did. But they sometimes disagreed about where it was better to live—Denver or Aspen Corners. Why couldn’t they see it didn’t matter where you lived, as long as you were with the people you love?
Gina wanted to stay in Denver with her friends, but she couldn’t ask Zio Rico to do that for her. He wanted to get back here to his job. As far as Gina knew, he planned to bring her with him. Where else would she go? She supposed she could live with Zio Franco and still be able to go to the same school, but she didn’t want to choose which one to live with, and Zio Franco wasn’t even related to her. They just had what Mama always called a heart connection.
As long as Gina kept being good, Zio Rico wouldn’t send her to live with anyone else. Would he? Maybe she should test him to make sure he really loved her to the moon and back, like he said sometimes.
But what if he got mad at her and decided she was too much trouble? Then again, maybe it would be better to know for sure that Zio Rico wasn’t going to leave her.
Her therapist talked a lot about feelings of being left by a loved one, like when Mama died. She’d painted a picture in after-school art class the other day that showed how broken her heart felt. Mama couldn’t help that she had to go away. But could she believe Zio Rico when he said he would never choose to leave her on purpose?
Gina needed to know where she stood with him. She’d seen what he was like after she’d been super good. Someday she’d slip up and be naughty.
But what if she did something bad? On purpose. Just to see what happens?
For the past several months, any nights Matteo worked, Franco called to check on Dakota. The expectant mom had a lot of anxiety about how she’d do giving birth, not that Franco could help her in any way. But he was a good listener.
Dakota picked up on the second ring.
“How are you tonight, Sis?”
She hesitated. “Pretty good.”
“Now, tell me how you’re really doing.”
Dakota’s sigh carried through the phone. “Okay, maybe not so good.”
“What’s up?” He felt close to both his brothers’ wives, but he and Dakota shared a special connection lately, partly because they’d bonded over the secret kiss. She seemed to trust him to keep her confidences too. Mainly, she didn’t want Matteo to know she was worried. But she also liked having Franco to talk with when Matteo was on duty. Must get lonely out on the ranch.
“I was just reading in one of my baby books about a woman who broke her tailbone delivering her baby. What if that happens to me?”
He wasn’t sure if she was worried about the pain of another broken bone or what it would mean as far as getting back in the saddle—literally. He’d feel her out before commenting. “What worries you the most?”
“Everything! I remember what a broken rib felt like. How would I deliver a baby with a broken tailbone?”
Certain she wouldn’t call her OB tonight to ask the question, he needed to reassure her in some way. He put the call on speaker and googled the condition. “Has your doctor expressed any concern about this happening?” he asked, while scrolling through the results.
“No. She says everything looks great. Apparently, it happens more to women having babies well over eight pounds. Mine’s estimated at about seven now.”
“See? Nothing to worry about.” Although now that he was reading over his search results, he started worrying himself. What if the baby was breech? Had Dakota ever broken her coccyx before? From what Franco remembered in his EMT classes, that could make her a higher risk for breech and maybe even a recurrence of the break. Riding broncs and bulls, who knows what injuries she’d suffered in the past? Of course, they’d just do a C-section in that case, and mother and baby should be fine.
But he didn’t want to worry her about that tonight. “If you’re still concerned about it in the morning, call your doctor and let her know.”
“Good idea. I just don’t want to embarrass myself. With all the bones I’ve broken and other injuries I’ve suffered, you’d think I’d have built up a higher tolerance for pain.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine, but if you need to scream and cuss Matteo out, go for it.” Franco smiled as he pictured the scene. Back to Dakota. “Carmella says all thoughts of pain disappear when that baby is placed in your arms.”
“I wish I could fast-forward to that part.”
“The baby will be here before you know it.”
“Okay, let’s talk about something else. How’s Rico? Gina?”
“Haven’t seen much of them lately. They’re still in Aspen Corners for Gina’s Christmas break. But apparently, Gina’s begun acting out in little ways and there’s been a battle of wills going on between them that I’m trying to stay out of.” Much as he loved his uncle role, that didn’t include discipline or other parental duties.
“Doesn’t sound like her at all.”
“I didn’t think so, either. Hopefully it’s just a phase.”
“Is she worried about something?”
“Rico doesn’t know what it could be, and she’s not saying. He’s stumped. This is the first challenge he’s faced with her since Michelle died.”
“I’m sure Rico can handle it,” Dakota assured him.
“He sounded a little frazzled, but you’re right. He’s got this.”
Still, Franco missed them. Maybe he’d go over tomorrow night and see if he could at least distract them if they were still at an impasse.
Dakota sighed. “All I can say is, being a parent isn’t for wimps.”
Franco grinned. “Something neither you nor Matteo can be accused of being.”
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to rope and subdue kids like I might a steer.” They both laughed at the imagery before Dakota grew more serious. “I guess Matteo and I will have our work cut out for us.”
“Especially if your baby is anything like Matteo was as a kid.”
“Wait, what? He assured me he was an absolute angel.”
Franco laughed even harder. “You just keep listening to him, Dakota, but prepare for the worst too.”
“Yeah, well if you think Matteo was a hellion, you should have seen me. At least, I tried to rebel. Ran away at seventeen.” She paused a moment, before continuing more seriously. “Our kid won’t have a reason to do that, though.”
Franco knew a little of Dakota’s story, but let the silence lie until she decided to fill it. When he heard the yawn she tried to stifle, he figured it wouldn’t happen tonight. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You want to be well-rested when the time comes.” Her due date was just nine days away, which meant she could go into labor at any time. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will. Once the baby is here, Mama J plans to move in with me when Matteo’s on duty, but I think we’ve convinced her that we’ll be fine otherwise. At least, I hope we will.” Dakota laughed. “Carm tells me not to bet on keeping your mama away. She’s in an even tougher spot, with her own mama in the mix too. There might be a bit of a tug of war going on up there.”
“I promise you, Mama will be more help than Matteo will. After all, she’s been through this five times before.”
“Yeah, but she’ll be torn between our baby and Nicholas. Don’t think she ever had two to take care of so close together.”
“I’m convinced Mama can handle anything.”
“She’d probably be better to have in the delivery room. I’m a little worried about your brother passing out or something.”
Franco smiled, but if he ever had the opportunity to be present for the delivery of his own baby, he’d probably do the same. Not that he had to worry about that, unless he and Rico wanted to have one of their own with a surrogate. While Rico had been present when Gina was born, he didn’t seem to retain much when Carmella’s baby was coming. Still, Franco couldn’t help but be a little envious of his brother for that experience.
Dakota groaned.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just need to get up and walk this kink out of my back.”
“Sure that’s all it is?”
“Not sure of anything these days, but if not, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go. G’night, Sis. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”
“You know I will. Thanks for listening, Franco.”
“No need to thank me. I enjoy our talks, Dakota.” His younger brothers had both gotten lucky in love, as had Angelina. Maybe Franco had as well. Certainly looked that way.
After hanging up, Franco paced around his apartment, winding up at the window staring at the city lights. Was this a precursor to her going into labor? He hated being so far away if she needed him. More than likely, one of the officers at the Leadville firehouse would have someone cover for Matteo when the time came if he was on duty and not involved in a call.
Just in case, he texted Rick to let him know he might need to take a personal day tomorrow. Then he turned his focus in the direction of Rico and Gina’s apartment, wondering if things were going any better over there.
He picked up the phone and called. Rico answered on the first ring sounding flustered.
“How’s it going?” Franco asked.
“Don’t ask.”
More and more, Franco had begun to feel a desire to co-parent Gina in some ways, even though Rico ultimately bore the responsibility for her. He enjoyed helping out in small ways where he could. But this issue didn’t seem to be small.
“That bad, huh? Listen, I’ve been thinking about this and thought maybe I could offer some help.”
“How so?” Rico didn’t sound as though he really expected Franco to be of any help.
“Gina’s misbehaving, almost like a brat might, and I know a thing or two about dealing with brats.”
“Not the same thing,” Rico argued without hearing him out.
“No, but the response is the same.” Franco wondered if she might be testing Rico to make sure he wasn’t going to abandon her. “Be consistent and stick to a clear message,” he offered.
Rico sighed. “I’ll try anything at this point, but thought I was already doing that.”
“I feel for you, Baby. Maybe you can draw her out. Find out if something’s going on in her life that you aren’t aware of. Then again, maybe she’s just testing you. Wanting to see how far she can push you before you lose your cool. She could even be making sure if she does something bad you will still love her.”
“How could she even think that? I’ll love her forever.”
“Just make sure she knows that—speak the words. She can’t read your mind, and you can’t read hers.”
“I’ll try anything at this point.”
“I’d be happy to come over later, if for no other reason than to give you a neck rub.”
“Sounds divine. But you have work tomorrow.”
He’d already forgotten that he might not be available if Dakota did go into labor and explained that to Rico.
“I think I’ve got it, but we’ll play it by ear,” Rico said. “First, I need to talk with Gina.”
“Good luck.”
Gina’s tear-streaked cheeks broke Rico’s heart into a million pieces as she lay in bed ten minutes later. This week had been one challenge after another, and he was at his wit’s end. No matter what he did to discipline her by removing privileges and such, she continued to act out.
I sure am sucking at this parenting thing.
Rico stroked her hair. Her eyes were closed, but he didn’t think she slept yet. Just before he stood to return to working on his pub’s books, she opened her eyes and stared straight at him.
“You hate me now, don’t you?”
Rico smiled, albeit grimly. How could she even think such a thing? “I’d never hate you, Gina, no matter what you did or didn’t do.”
“But I’ve been awful.”
“Realizing that is half the battle toward correcting the behavior.”
She thought a moment, then said, “We’re related. I guess that means you have to love me.”
What on earth was going on in this little girl’s head? “Sweetie, there’s a whole lot for me to love about you, even if we weren’t related. You’re kind, smart, strong. Blood doesn’t matter. Look at you and Zio Franco. He loves you too, and he’s not related to you by blood.”
Again, she seemed to digest what he’d countered with, then said, “But he loves you, so that means he has to love me.”
This was going nowhere fast. Gawd, if only he could figure out what had prompted this shift in their relationship.
“Sweetie, you’re the most lovable person I know. If I wasn’t your mama’s cousin, and I’d been lucky enough to meet you some other way, I’d still have loved you.”
She cocked her head. “Do you believe we were meant to be?”
“Absolutely.”
“Do you think Mama is looking after me?”
“Every minute of every day.”
“Is she looking after you too?”
He nodded. “I feel her around me a lot, especially lately.” Rico stroked her hair. “I wish you’d tell me what’s going on. I’m worried about you, Sweetie.”
A line formed between her brows. “You are?”
“Of course, I am. I’ve known you your whole life, and this is totally out of character, so I have to wonder if something’s going on you haven’t told me about. Or if I’m doing something wrong. I’m trying to figure out how to be the best parent to you I can be, Gina, but—”
“But you’re doing great!” Her eyes glistened in the light from the nightstand lamp. “I don’t want you to think you’re doing a bad job.”
“Then what should I be thinking?”
Gina nibbled on her lower lip. “Promise you’ll love me no matter what?”
How could she think anything else? “Sweetie, you’re my little girl, as much as if I were your papa. I love you to the moon and back.”
“I never had a papa.”
“Michelle loved you enough for both a papa and mama, and I couldn’t have loved you any more than I have since the day I watched you being born.”
“I forgot you were there. And I didn’t think of it that way.” She glanced away. “So you won’t send me to foster care or an orphanage or something if I’m bad?”
What the—?
“Of course not! Parents don’t send their kids away just because they do something naughty or break a rule or something. They love them no matter what.”
“You still love me? Even after all the bad things I did? Her eyes welled up even more and a tear spilled onto the side of her face.
Rico leaned down and hugged her, whispering in her ear, “As if you were my own little girl, because you are.”
Her little arms wrapped around his neck, and she clung to him. Best feeling in the world. “I love you, Zio Rico. I promise I’ll be good from now on.”
“We’re going to get through this and anything else that comes our way. Even when you’re a terrible teen.”
She pushed him away by the shoulders to meet his gaze. “I promise not to be bad ever again.”
Rico chuckled. “I’m going to hold you to those words in the coming years.”
Long after she’d fallen asleep and he was back at the books, his mind went over this bump in the road. He couldn’t help but feel they’d turned an important page in their father-daughter relationship. Thankfully, they seemed to be back on solid ground again.
But how long before the next hurdle he’d have to jump surfaced?
When Franco’s phone rang after one o’clock in the morning, he thought maybe Rico had changed his mind and wanted to see him.
Instead, Dakota’s name showed on caller ID.
With his heart pumping, he sat up as he accepted the call. “Everything okay?”
How could it be. She’s calling me at 1 a.m.
“I’m sure it is. Doctor says it’s just the early stages. But Matteo’s on a three-alarm fire call, and I just needed someone to talk to. Sorry if I woke you.”
“Don’t worry about it. Tell me what’s going on.”
“The pain in my back seems to be coinciding with contractions. They’re ten minutes apart but sometimes they’re fifteen apart. My OB says to call her and head to the hospital when I’m at five minutes, but—”
“I’ve got the day off.” At least he would when he called in for a personal day. “Heading out there now.”
“Oh, don’t do that! I’m sure Matteo will be back before it’s time. Rafe or Mama can help too.”
“I’m already headed out the door.” Not true, since he wasn’t even dressed yet, but he put her on speaker while he reached for a pair of pants. “We can talk on the phone during my drive so you won’t feel alone. Might lose the signal in the mountains, but I’ll keep checking in on you.”
“I appreciate that,” Dakota said, her voice cracking. “How’d I get so lucky to find a family like yours?”
“We’re the lucky ones, Sis.”
He checked the weather forecast. Thank God there shouldn’t be any new snow today. Yesterday had been clear too. Roads should be in good shape unless there were any blowing-snow conditions.
During the more than two-hour drive, he and Dakota kept a running conversation about nothing in particular. They did lose the signal a couple of times, as predicted, but were never more than fifteen minutes without connecting.
When he pulled into the lane to her ranch house, his heart pounded a little more rapidly. The last check he’d done on her contractions, they were seven minutes apart and more regular.
Should he call Mama, Rafe, and the others, or wait until they went to the hospital to confirm this was the real deal? Not much anyone could do even if they knew. Everything was going to be fine, he was sure.
Well, I hope so, anyway.
Dakota opened the door before he was halfway up the sidewalk. “I’m so sorry I called you out like this, but I’m glad you’re here.”
He gave her a hug. “Glad you called me.”
“Good thing there wasn’t a blizzard tonight!”
“We should be good, but don’t jinx it.” He closed the door behind him. “How many minutes apart now?”
“Last one was five apart, but I want to see if there are a couple more before I call it a pattern.”
“You sure? Maybe we should head to the hospital, just in case.” Already, he wasn’t sure he was the right man for the task.
Dakota laughed. “You sound more nervous than I am.”
“This is probably the closest I’ll get to rushing a pregnant woman to the hospital.”
The smile left her face as she started breathing through another contraction. “Here, sit down.” He helped her to a chair, not sure what else he could do to help. “Eyes on me.” His Dom-like command would have been funny if he hadn’t been so out of his element. “Let’s breathe through this one together.”
When the contraction subsided, she smiled again. “That was a doozie.”
“You’re doing great.”
“I think I need to walk around.”
He got her up from the chair. “Sure we shouldn’t head to the hospital?”
“I have no clue. One more, then we can decide.”
“I know you like to push the limits, especially with broncs and bulls, but maybe we should let the doctor know how close they are.”
“Let’s walk.”
He let her lean on him as they walked up and down from the kitchen to the living room several times until she came to a standstill.
“Oh, shit. My water broke.”
Franco looked down to see the puddle forming.
“I’m going to throw some towels on there, and we are leaving for the hospital. Where’s your hospital bag?”
“In front of the closet. Hurry.”
Oh, yeah, now she was in a hurry. How long between water breaking and babies arriving? He hadn’t read up on that part. No time to do so now.
Within ten minutes, they were heading down the county road toward the hospital. Another contraction came, and he tried to coach her through it while keeping his attention on the road. With such precious cargo, he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their safety by having an accident. No telling what critters might be running across the road this time of night either, so he kept his high beams on and scanned the shoulders of the road for any sign of movement.
“Have you texted or called Matteo?”
“He’s out of reach right now, but I did call and the officer on duty is going to try to relay the information to him. I hope he gets here before this baby does.”
Me too, Baby. Me too.
“So, are you having a boy or a girl?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Even from me?”
Dakota laughed. “Gee, you’re almost like a surrogate dad at this point. I suppose I could—”
Her words cut off as she gripped the oh-shit strap and started breathing through the contraction.
“Slow, deep breaths. Don’t want this baby being born in my truck on the side of the road.”
She nodded rapidly and slowed down her breathing. “I feel like I want to push.”
“Don’t do that!” Panic set into his voice, and he tried to regulate it before continuing. “Doctors never want you to push until they tell you it’s time. Right?”
She nodded a few times in quick succession, unable to speak as she breathed more slowly.
Franco was never happier to see the sign for the hospital and to make the turn. Her contractions were less than three minutes apart now. What the hell? Everything was speeding up faster than he expected. “Almost there. Hang on for me, Sis.”
“Try—ing.”
“Does the doctor know you’re heading to the hospital?” He hadn’t thought of that earlier.
“Yeah. She’ll be meeting us there.”
“Good.” Lame as it sounded, he couldn’t wait to hand her off to someone who knew what the hell to do in this situation.
But Dakota had other plans. As her chair was wheeled to the labor and delivery department, she refused to let his hand loose. “Stay with me. Please.”
How could he refuse?
“That’s what I’m here for.”
By the time she was examined, the doctor declared her at nine centimeters. Jesus. Almost time to push, right?
Where was Matteo? Would he be contacted in time to be here for the birth?
Matteo barreled down the road, faster than he should be driving, but being so far away when his lieutenant finally reached him to tell him Dakota was heading to the hospital, he had to make up time.
Dakota hadn’t responded to his calls or texts. Was she okay? No doubt, she was busy at the moment bringing their baby into the world.
When his phone pinged, he glanced at the screen.
Franco.
What was he calling about at this hour? Normally, he wouldn’t talk while driving, but he pressed the button to accept the call. “Franco, what’s up?”
“Hey, bro, good to hear your voice. How far out are you?”
“Just getting into the Leadville city limits. Where are you?”
“In the hospital with Dakota.”
A sense of relief came over him before it was immediately replaced by dread. “How is she?”
“Doing great. Just wishing a certain husband of hers would get his ass here in time to watch their first baby being born.”
“She didn’t have her yet?”
“So it’s a girl?”
“Yes. Was that a secret?”
“I wanted to surprise him,” he heard Dakota shout at the phone. “You blew it.”
“Sorry.” They’d held the secret so long. Dakota thought it would be fun to surprise everyone, and she wasn’t one to want to surround their daughter with pink and gender-specific toys or colors. “I have a lot on my mind, Sweet Lady.”
“I don’t care. Your brother has been a great stand-in for you, but get here soon. I want you with me.”
She’d called Franco? From Denver? Go figure.
“Franco, thanks for being there. I’m pulling into the hospital lot now. Be right there.”
Minutes later, he was wearing a paper gown and a matching cap to cover his head and was being escorted into the labor room. Dakota lay on the bed, her face and hair drenched in sweat. Franco was right there helping her pant through the contraction. He stood back a moment, not wanting to interrupt.
But when she saw him and the pain subsided, she teased, “Get your ass over here, Cowboy. Talk about waiting until the last minute.”
Franco smiled at him and let go of her hand, stepping away as he slapped Matteo on the back. “I’ve never been so happy to see you in my entire life, Bro.”
When Franco moved to leave, Dakota called out to him. “You’ve seen me through it this far. Stay, Franco, if you want to.”
The relief he’d seen on his brother’s face moments ago vanished. He looked like he’d prefer to be anywhere but here. “Your choice, Bro, but I’m good with you staying if you’d like. Still a smaller crowd than was present when Carm delivered.”
“Dakota, we’re ready for you to push on the next contraction,” the obstetrician said.
Everything else was a blur until a wet and screaming little girl was placed on Dakota’s chest. Matteo’s eyes blurred, and he blinked away the tears not wanting to miss a second of this.
“Cheyenne’s gonna be loud, like her mama,” Dakota quipped.
“She sounds beautiful,” Matteo said.
“Cheyenne’s a beautiful name,” Franco said, “and I think her voice sounds perfect for her.”
It wasn’t until then that Matteo remembered his brother was even in the room, and he turned around to see he’d been crying as well. “Congrats. You’re an uncle again, bro.”
Franco swallowed hard, unable to speak for a moment. “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.”
He stood and went to his brother to give him a hug. “I’m just glad you were able to get Dakota to the hospital. I owe you one, man.”
Franco shook his head and whispered. “No, I’m the one who owes you for taking care of Rico all those years ago.”
Matteo pulled away, confused. “These aren’t debts owed. Family looks out for one another.”
Franco nodded, once again speechless. “I appreciate you calling Rico family, even back then.”
“He’s looked out for Angie when the rest of us couldn’t be there. He’s definitely family, even if you do screw things up and don’t seal the deal.”
Franco grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it official in the eyes of the law as soon as he’ll let me.”
“Good. You two are good together.”
With that, Matteo’s attention turned back to his own new family. Dakota stared in awe at Cheyenne Arelene Giardano, their baby girl.
Life would never be the same again.