Page 29 of My Italian Roommate

“Yes, I was thinking the same thing.”

“So, I’ve decided to retire early. We’ll just consider last year my last year of racing. I was going to tell Tony, but I wanted to let you know first.”

“No, I don’t want you to do that. What I was thinking was that I would go with you.”

“But, baby, you have school. I don’t want you to get behind. It’s better this way.”

“No, you were disqualified from the finals last year. I don’t want you to end your career that way. You have to go out with a win.”

“I go out with a win. It was the best win of my life. I won you.”

“I love that you feel that way but you’re a winner. You’re the best at what you do, and you need to be remembered as the man who retired victorious.”

“I don’t care what people think. I want to do what’s best for us. Most importantly, I want to do what’s best for you.”

“It’s not about what other people think of you. It’s about what your kid tells their friends when they brag about their daddy at school.”

“It’s sweet that you’re thinking so far ahead, princess, but we need to deal with this one right now.”

She smiles at me and says, “The future isn’t as far off as you think, Daddy.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that you’re going to be a daddy.” She reaches down and pats her belly and I nearly jump out of my skin.

I rush to her side of the table and take her in my arms.

“Thank you, princess.”

“Thank you? For what?”

“For being the mother of my child. For giving me the family that I’ve always wanted. I love you, baby girl.”

“I love you, too. Now, since I’m not going to be able to finish the semester anyway, let’s make a plan so we can go out on the circuit together. I want to be with you when you beat Dylan McGee’s ass. On the track I mean.” She buries her head in my chest as I hold her tightly. I don’t want to let go. This sweet little girl has made me the happiest man alive.

“How far along are we?” I ask her.

“By my calculations, we’ll have just about a month after the racing season before we have this baby.”

“A month? Then we better decide where we want to live.”

“Where do we want to live?”

“There’s no way that we’re bringing a baby home to your apartment. We need a place of our own with a big yard.”

“It’s going to be a long time before the baby needs a backyard.”

“Right, but you’re forgetting about the dog.”

Our dinner arrives but I can barely eat. I’m too busy staring at my beautiful wife. The thought that she’s carrying my baby inside her is almost more than my heart can take. It’s like believing you’ve been given the greatest gift the world could offer and then finding out it continues to get better with time.

* * *

Racingseason kicks off on the Miami circuit, and Mallory and I rent a suite on the beach. I want her to enjoy her time on the road with me and nothing is too good for her. As time passes, her belly grows. I can’t explain it, but with each passing month, she becomes even sexier.

I haven’t lost a race yet this season, and it turns out that the finals aren’t any different. My last racing season ends with a perfect winning streak just as my beautiful wife predicted.

Mallory likes Miami life so much that we decide we’ll winter here and, once the baby arrives, we'll spend the rest of the year in Italy with my family.

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