Page 147 of The Proposal

Her words hit me like a sucker punch, and for a moment, I can’t breathe. Is that why she never wanted to know the sex of our child, or was hesitant to discuss baby names?

“Your father wanted that, Arabella … never me.”

She looks at me with wide, uncertain eyes. “You don’t care that we had a girl?”

“Fuck no,” I say, the words coming out sharper than I intended. “And I’m a little offended you thought I would be.”

Her gaze shifts downward, and I instantly feel like an arsehole. “Arabella,” I murmur softly as I cradle my daughter against my chest, freeing one of my hands so I can lift my wife’s chin, making her meet my eyes. “I’m happy. Deliriously happy. This little girl is everything I never knew I needed. And that’s the God’s honest truth. Nothing else matters.”

I sit beside my wife’s hospital bed with her hand clutched in mine as I observe my brother holding, or should I say, hogging, my daughter. I’m giving him five more minutes; then I’m cutting him off like he did with me and Luca at the baby shower.

Two can play that game.

It’s midday, and my wife has just finished a feast of all her favourite dishes that I had one of my restaurants hand deliver. She thought it was overkill, but she needed all the sustenance, in my opinion, after everything she went through earlier.

Although the events of this morning are well and truly behind us, I’m still riding my high. Bringing my little girl into this world is a moment I’ll never forget. A definite highlight in my life. I also got the added benefit of gloating about delivering my own child the moment Alexander and his family arrived.

I texted him on the way to the hospital since it was still early, but he called me straight back to say he would organise a flight and would be here as soon as he could.

I could have told him about my newly found midwifery skills then and there, but I wanted to see his face. He didn’t disappoint.

“Do we have a name yet?” Chloe asks.

I steal a quick glance at my wife as I raise our conjoined hands to my mouth, pressing a chaste kiss to her knuckles. Her soft green eyes have been fixated on me all morning. It’s like I’m suddenly some kind of rock star. Sure, I came through in the end, but she was the one who did all the hard work. She’s the one who deserves all the praise and admiration.

“Yes,” I say, my eyes returning to my brother. “We named her Caterina Gabriella Mancini.”

“You named her after Mamma?” he asks, his voice cracking as he speaks.

“She’s named after both our Mamma’s,” Lucia answers.

“Yes. It was Arabella’s idea. Gabriella was her and Lucia’s mother’s name.”

I see a smile curve on my brother’s lips as his eyes move back to his niece. When he leans down and places a soft kiss on her forehead, that damn knot in my throat returns.

I have all my family right here with me, including Lina, Theo, and Romeo. I rode in the back of the ambulance with my wife and daughter this morning, and when I told Lucia I’d organise one of the guards to bring her to the hospital, she told me there was no need.“I’ve already texted Romeo; he’s on his way to get me now.”

When my phone vibrates in my pocket, I slide my hand in to get it. I’m expecting to see another congratulatory text from one of my men, but my heart drops into the pit of my stomach when I look down at my screen.

Roberto: Giuseppe Salvatori and a group of his men just boarded a plane bound for Australia.

Fuck!

Chapter 34

Arabella

Iwatch as my husband retrieves his phone and glances down at the screen. I can’t see what it says from here, but when he slides it straight back into his pocket, I can only presume it’s nothing important. It’s been pinging all morning.

Dante lets go of my hand, and I instantly feel the loss. His touch anchors me. He rubs his flattened palms down the front of his trousers, and all I can do is stare.

I’ve always had a weakness for his hands … the way they hold me and make me feel safe, or how they caress and pleasure me. They are also the hands that safely brought our baby into the world this morning, so now they’ve elevated to a god-like status right alongside him.

When my contractions first started, coming hard and fast, I was a little dubious as to whether he was going to be able to handle it, but then that stoic, unshakeable man stepped forward, ready to dominate the situation. He didn’t falter, handling it all like the world was his to control.

My eyes follow him when he stands, rounds the bed, and heads straight for Alexander. “Times up,” he says, reaching for Caterina.

“What? Why?”

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