Chapter 20 My Name, Our Home #6
I carry Lucia inside to feed her, settling into the chair in the nursery while Rafael gathers the things we'll need. He adds a fresh blanket to the baby bag and brings it upstairs.
"She's almost asleep again." I watch Lucia's eyes drift closed as she nurses. "She might not even wake up for the treehouse."
"That's all right." Rafael sets the bag by the door. "She doesn't have to be awake to be there."
When Lucia finishes nursing, I burp her gently and carry her back downstairs. My parents are standing by the terrace doors, ready to leave.
"Bring her to visit tomorrow." My mother kisses my cheek, then Lucia's. "I have something for her."
"Another blanket?" I shift Lucia to a more secure position. "Her drawer is already full."
"She can never have too many blankets." My mother is already heading for the door. "A child needs options."
My father hugs me carefully, mindful of the baby between us. "Take care of yourself. Both of you."
"All three of us." Rafael joins me beside the door, his hand on the small of my back. "I'm included in that, I hope."
"You're included." My father claps him on the shoulder. "Barely."
They leave with waves and promises to call, and I watch their car disappear down the drive before turning back to Rafael's parents.
"Her first visit." Beatrice looks at Rafael while I rock Lucia gently. "You'll have to tell me what she thinks of it."
"She may sleep through the entire thing." Rafael picks up the baby bag he brought downstairs with him. "We'll have to take her again."
"And now you're taking your daughter." Beatrice looks between us, smiling. "You two used to disappear into those trees whenever I turned my back."
"We still do." Rafael looks at me, and I have to press my lips together to keep from laughing.
Beatrice crosses to us and touches Lucia's cheek, then mine. "Go. Show her where her parents found their way back to each other."
"We'll let you get going." Corrado is already gathering their things. "Enjoy the afternoon."
We watch them go, Rafael's arm around my shoulders, Lucia sleeping between us. When their car turns onto the main road, he presses a kiss to my hair.
"Ready?" He keeps his voice low, opening the door for us.
"Ready." I carry Lucia to the car while he follows with the bag.
The drive to the grove boundary feels different with Lucia in the back seat, her small presence changing everything. I keep turning to check on her, watching her face as the shadows of trees pass across it.
"She's asleep." Rafael glances in the mirror. "She's been asleep since we left."
"I know." I turn forward again. "I just like looking at her."
He parks in our usual spot, and for a moment we both sit there, looking at the path that leads to the treehouse.
"I'll carry her." Rafael unbuckles his seatbelt. "You take the bag."
"I'll go up ahead of you." I watch him open the back door of the car, then reach for the bag. "You take your time."
"I've got her." He unbuckles Lucia's car seat with practiced ease and lifts her into his arms, cradling her head in the crook of his elbow. "We'll go slow."
I sling the bag over my shoulder and follow him to the path. He chooses the smooth part of the path, stepping around the roots without disturbing her. Lucia sleeps through all of it, her face pressed against his chest.
The treehouse appears through the trees, and I move ahead to climb the stairs first. The wood is solid beneath my feet, the railing smooth under my hand. When I reach the platform, I turn and look back.
Rafael is climbing with Lucia in one arm, his other hand on the railing. He moves slowly, each step deliberate, and I watch the way he curls his body around her, keeping her face sheltered from the breeze.
I set the bag beside the bench and move away from the top step to give him room. He takes the last few steps and joins me on the platform. Lucia stirs in his arms but doesn't wake.
"She slept through the whole thing." He looks down at her with something like wonder. "She has no idea where she is."
"She'll learn." I turn to look at them both, unwilling to hurry him toward the bench. "We'll bring her back, when she's older. She'll learn to climb these stairs herself."
Rafael settles onto the bench, and I sit down next to him, close enough that my shoulder presses against his. Lucia is still deeply asleep, her small fist curled against his shirt, entirely unaware of where we've brought her.
"Comfortable?" Rafael shifts to give me more room, keeping Lucia cradled in his other arm.
"Yes." I lean into him and rest my hand on his arm, just above our daughter. "Stay there."
The light is going amber around us, the sun dropping toward the horizon, casting long shadows through the branches of the oak. Below the platform, the groves stretch out in both directions, and I can just make out the roofline of the main house through the trees.
Rafael leans his head against mine, and we sit there in the quiet, watching the light change. Lucia sighs in her sleep but doesn't stir. His arm is warm under my hand, steady and sure.
The boy who found me in the groves sits beside me with our daughter in his arms. When I look up, he's already looking at me.
THE END