Page 179 of Mafia and Gold Digger

“We’ll just call her Baby Girl Veneti for now,” the nurse replies.

“A girl?” It’s the first thing I’ve heard Saint manage to say since the baby came out.

The nurse smiles. “Yeah, a girl.”

And a sound of satisfaction leaves me as I watch Saint tentatively and carefully cradle our baby in his arms as if she were as precious as the rarest gem. The look on his face is so open and so raw that my heart does a flip just at the sight of it.

“She’s perfect,” he murmurs. His voice is thick. And then I see a tear roll down his cheek, followed by another and another.

And I’m totally floored.

He gives me a smile through the tears. “This is the first time I’ve cried since…” His voice drifts off.

“I know,” I whisper. It’s the first time he’s cried since his parents’ funeral. I put my hand on his arm and smile up at him. “You were saving it for something special.”

He keeps on looking down at our baby girl with wonder in his gaze.

“Can I?” I ask, reaching out for her. With the utmost care, Saint and I make the swap, and I feel a beaming smile on my face as I look down at the fragile little angel in my arms. And the tightness in my chest is not born of anything but something raw and wonderful.Happiness. Contentment. Love.

Saint kisses my temple again, and I look up at him. “Not really the birthday present I had in mind, but it’s the best present I’ve ever had,” he says, laughing through his tears.

And in that instant, I decide. “Liliana.”

“What?”

“Her name. It’s Liliana.”

Saint hums and nods. “A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.” Then he’s quiet for a few long moments.

“Saint?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you…okay?”

He laughs, kissing my temple yet again as he nods. “I’m perfect, Em. She’s the best present I could have asked for. It’s a new way to look at my birthday. Something special…instead of something broken and damaged.”

I lean into him a little.

“That was my wish that day, Em.”

My brow furrows. “Huh?”

“When you made me make a wish before blowing out the birthday candles on the ice cream.”

“You mean the day we first met? When I thought you were a cop?”

“Yeah. I wished…that my birthday would stop being so painful. That I could stop being sad every year for the months running up to that date. I should have guessed that you would be the one to make that happen. Because from now on, my birthday is going to remind me of the most special day of my life—when I first held our beautiful baby daughter in my arms.” We watch as the baby’s teeny tiny fingers wrap around his finger. “You know, before I wasn’t really sure if wishes could come true.But now I know that they definitely can…”

I swallow around the lump in my throat.

“I was always cold and didn't allow emotions. But that day, when you wanted me to have a birthday wish, it made me crack a little... You saying such a small thing shouldn't have mattered to me, but it did. Because no one bothered about my birthday when I was young since it was the anniversary of my parents’ murder.”

I give his hand a squeeze.

“I can’t believe how far we’ve come since that day, Em. I mean, you in that stolen dress?—”

“You lying that you were a cop?—”

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