Chapter Forty-Six Leo
As I stood in front of Luca’s bassinet, my chest constricted. I reached my hand out to touch the top of the plastic. When I did, Luca turned his head towards me.
The sound of a voice caused me to jump and jerk my hand away. “Hello, Mr. Neretti. I’m Bea,” an older nurse with salt and pepper hair pronounced as she sashayed into the room.
“Hello.”
If she was a famiglia nurse, I would have told her to call me Leo. But I didn’t want to do anything to put her at ease. He might not have been my blood, but Luca would receive the best care possible since he bore the Neretti name on his bassinet.
With a bright smile, she asked, “You’re wanting to do some skin to skin, aren’t you?”
“Not really. I just came to check on him.”
It appeared she hadn’t heard me because she practically shoved me away from the incubator before guiding me over to the chair. “Go on and take your shirt off.”
“Excuse me?”
A girlish giggle escaped her lips. “From the looks of you, I’d never imagined you’d be a shy one.”
“I’m not.”
I’d barely spoken the words before her hands came to the buttons at my collar. Too fucking floored by her audacity to smack her hand away like I normally would have, I merely stared open-mouthed as she began unbuttoning me.
When she met what had to be my astonished eyes, she winked. “Don’t you be getting any ideas. I have a son your age, not to mention you’re a married man.”
“I’ll try not to.”
After spreading open the lapels of my shirt and baring my chest, she gave me an appreciative smile. Her reaction caused a laugh to burst from me. “You’re a donna civettuola,” I mused.
“Is that cougar in Italian?”
“It means a flirty woman.”
She tsked at me. “Those looks and that language–you could make a good woman go bad.”
“Is that right?”
“Mm, hmm.”
She then turned and went back over to the bassinet. With the ease of years of practice, she effortlessly picked up Luca. “He is such a fighter,” she mused as she swayed him in her arms.
At her words and tone, Luca flailed his tiny fists and made little cat-like noises, which caused Bea to smile broadly. “You’re going to be a tough guy just like your daddy, aren’t you?”
I didn’t correct her. If I was going to get Drea back, I was going to have to start thinking about Luca as my son.
After Bea eased Luca into my arms, she draped a blanket over us. Since I hadn’t held many babies in my life, I glanced up at her. “Am I doing it right?”
She gave me a kind smile. “Like a pro.”
A shaky laugh echoed through me. “It doesn’t feel that way.”
“That’s because for the first time in your life, you’ve met your match.”
“Oh no. He has me totally beat,” I replied in a shaky breath.
“You just gotta show him who's boss.”
“I’m not sure my usual methods will work on him.”
Bea laughed. “You’re going to be just fine.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
“I’ll leave you two.”
“What? No!”
At what must’ve been my expression of sheer panic, Bea replied, “I’ll be just outside if you need me.” With a wink, she added, “That bodyguard of yours is a silver fox.”
I shook my head with a laugh. “If you say so.”
After Bea left, I allowed myself to get my first good look at Luca. As I stared down into his face, my heart clenched in agony.
The bow mouth.
The button nose.
The shape of his eyes.
“Fuck me, you look just like your mother,” I remarked.
His tiny brows rose as his tongue flicked out. “Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t be saying cuss words in front of you. I’m sure if your mom was here, she’d have my a–, uh, butt.”
Exhaling a ragged breath, I said, “Somehow in my mind I thought you’d look like your father. That every time I saw you it would be a constant reminder of what I saw as your mom’s betrayal.
Luca scrunched up his brows before whimpering. “I’m sorry. Please don’t do that again. Bea will come back in, and I’ll look like a total fuckup.”
When he waved a fist at me, I sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m sorry for mentioning what happened with your mom. Just like I told her, I know she didn’t have a choice. She had to do what your bastard grandfather said.”
My apology seemed to soothe Luca because he relaxed his brows. He stared up at me with his tongue slightly poking out, and it immediately reminded me of Drea when she was really concentrating on a sketch.
“Maybe I wanted you to look more like him so you’d be easier to hate.”
At Luca’s grunt, I said, “I know I’m a real bastard for saying that.”
Grimacing, I said, “There I go again. I’m really sorry about my language, bud.
I shouldn't have said that word in front of you. Heads up that I’m going to make a lot of mistakes when it comes to you.
I mean, I already have made a huge one by not being there for your mom when she needed me. And now she could…”
My voice choked off as I fought off the tears at the idea of losing Drea.
“The truth is I don’t hate you. Even though I tried really hard, I couldn’t.
You might not have my DNA, but you’re mine.
I’ve been with you almost since the beginning.
I saw you as a tiny blob on the ultrasound screen and felt you move beneath my hand. ”
Tears clouded my vision. “No matter what happens, I want you to know I’m here for you. As long as I’m breathing, no one is ever going to try to hurt you again.”
At a sniffle in the doorway, I tore my gaze from Luca. While I expected to see Bea, Caterina stood framed in the doorway. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“How long have you been standing there?” I demanded in a hoarse voice.
“Oh Leo,” she hiccupped.
Fuck. She’d heard everything. While my mortification scorched my cheeks, Caterina crossed the room to Luca and me. Without a word, she bent over and threw her arms around my neck.
As she wept, I brought my free arm up to cup the back of her neck. “I must’ve been some bastard earlier, huh?” I teased.
“I thought I’d lost my brother.”
My chest clenched. “I’m sorry, Kitty Cat.”
She pulled away to smile down at me through her tears. “I prayed for this moment.”
“As a former nun, I would expect nothing less.”
“I’m serious, Leandro.”
Swallowing hard, I replied, “I know. And I’m glad you did.”
Caterina tenderly ran her finger over Luca’s cheek. “He really is beautiful, isn’t he?”
“He’s his mother.”
Pity echoed in Caterina’s expression. “I know.”
Bea came rushing inside. “What’s wrong?” I demanded.
Her face lit up. “They just called. Your wife is awake.”
For a moment, those words stunned me so much I couldn’t move. But then Caterina was taking Luca from me while I screamed at the muscles in my legs to work.
When they finally did, I leapt out of the chair and started running down the hall. I didn’t think I could get to Drea fast enough. Just as I was a few feet from her room, I skidded to a stop.
What if she wouldn’t take me back?
What if I’d hurt her too much when she was so vulnerable that she could never forgive me?
No, I couldn’t let that happen. Not as long as I had a breath within me. I had to prove to Drea that we belonged together.
And with Luca.