Page 96 of The Red Queen

After a few seconds of prodding and another contraction, she announced, “I see the head.” She looked at Desi, her dark eyes determined. “It’s time to push as hard as you can.”

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing, you fucking halfwit hack!” Desi screamed, but took the woman’s advice and, biting the inside of her mouth, pushed for all she was worth.

The pain was so intense, she thought she would pass out. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but push. Nausea rolled over her as she felt something tear, a streak of pain ripping through her pelvis. Finally, she felt a rush of fluid and the pressure began to ease.

“I have the shoulders,” the midwife announced, her entire focus on the baby. “One more push, Desi, you’re doing so well.”

Desi thought the woman was being generous considering the past half hour of death threats. In respect to the woman literally holding the life of Desi’s child in her hands, Desi chose to bite back the angry tirade that threatened to spill out.

Giovanni wrapped his arms around her chest as she bore down one last time. She gripped his arms and dug her nails into his flesh.

The look of concentration on the midwife’s face deepened for a second, then released as she lifted Desi’s baby, holding up the wriggling red creature for its parents to see.

Desi reached out automatically, and the midwife handed the baby over. Giovanni cupped her hands, steadying her as she took the infant and cradled it to her chest. It was covered in gore, but she’d never seen anything so beautiful. After a moment of just staring, she finally thought to check the gender.

“A boy,” she whispered, then grinned up at Giovanni, who looked both proud and shell-shocked. “You were right.”

Dr. Danilo gently took the baby from Desi. During the birth negotiations, he’d agreed to oversee the birth while giving the midwife the lead. He took the baby so he could clean him, check him over, and make sure he was breathing okay. After a moment in the doctor’s care, a tiny but clear cry reached them.

Tears rushed to Desi’s eyes. She loved the creature she’d pushed out of her body. She didn’t understand how or why, but she did. She would spend her life protecting and loving him.

“We have a little more left to do here, Desi,” the midwife reminded her. “Are you up for it?”

Desi narrowed her eyes at the woman.

A few hours later, Desi and Giovanni were cuddled on the freshly made-up bed with their brand-new son. They couldn’t take their eyes off him, though Desi was feeling the pull of exhaustion.

“What should we name him?” Giovanni asked softly.

They’d talked baby names before the baby was born, but nothing felt right.

“Gavino,” she said, as though the name had always been there, waiting for them. The name was similar to Giovanni’s, but strong enough to stand on its own.

Giovanni nodded, passing his fingertips gently over Gavino’s sleeping face. “It’s perfect.”

Chapter Forty-Four

Five Months Later

It was their first time away from Gavino. Donada had insisted they go, that they’d been cooped up with their infant son long enough.

Desi suspected Donada wanted the baby to herself for a few hours, but Desi was so desperate to get some alone time with Giovanni that she didn’t argue. Giovanni was harder to convince. He was as obsessed with his son as he was with Desi.

He hovered over the baby constantly, taking Gavino with him to his office, where he had a bassinet set up so their son could sleep while he worked.

“Where are we going?” Desi demanded, stumbling through the vineyards after Giovanni, who was ahead of her, holding what looked like a blanket and a basket. “You told me to dress up, Gio. If I’d known I’d be tripping around out here in the dark, I would have left my heels at home.”

“Stop complaining, wife, and keep up.”

She looked mournfully down at her four-inch Jimmy Choo’s. She couldn’t really bring herself to regret the choice, because really, who could ever regret Jimmy Choo heels? Absurd.

Still, as her heel sank once more into the dirt and she nearly fell over a vine, her temper rose.

His lack of sympathy for her situation was going to get him stabbed. In a non-lethal place because she loved him and didn’t want him to die. Yet.

Finally, after what felt like miles in heels, Giovanni stopped abruptly, looking out at the ocean, which was easily visible from his vantage point. Desi stopped next to him, resting her hand on a tree as she tried to ease some of the pressure in her feet.

Giovanni turned to her with a breathtaking grin that made his eyes sparkle. “The perfect view,” he told her, then turned to shake out the blanket. “I used to come here to relax, breathe in the fresh air and lose myself in the view.”

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