“I didn’t realize how sexy motherhood would be on you, Mrs. Lucchetti.” I grab her wrist and pull her to me. Nuzzling my nose against her cheek, I growl, “I will happily put as many babies inside of you as you will allow me to, piccola ladra.”
“Two will be plenty,” she quips, pushing out of my hold so she can keep a better eye on Emilia.
“When?”
She smiles coyly, shaking her head. “You really want another baby so soon?”
“What’s not to want? Emilia is perfect. Just like you.”
Sighing, she leans into me, and presses up on her tiptoes to kiss my lips. “Always charming me, aren’t you?”
“I promised you I’d never stop.”
“Dada!” Emilia squeals again, pulling my attention from her mother. Scooping her into my arms, I pepper kisses all over her face while she wiggles against my grasp. “Down, peas!”
Laughing, I set her down, and she begins chasing another duck that’s just emerged from behind a lavender bush.
“So, baby number two…” Vinnie begins, lacing her fingers through mine again. I quirk a brow, her tone of voice makes my heart skip a beat, and when I look down at her, she’s biting her lip.
“Should we start practicing this evening, piccola ladra?”
“There’s no need to practice. You’re already a professional and have succeeded.” She giggles, and the sound, along with her words, are like music to my ears.
“You’re pregnant?” I ask, excitement pouring out of me as I stare at her wide-eyed.
“I’m pregnant!”
Beyond thrilled, I pick her up and spin her around as she laughs. When she’s firmly on her feet again, I grab her face in my hands and kiss her, absolutely speechless by the excitement I’m feeling.
She’s made me a father again.
Just as I deepen the kiss, the piercing sound of Emilia’s cries emit through the air and Vinnie and I pull apart. Immediately, she springs into action, racing the short distance to where Emilia lies on the ground, crying after falling down.
Vincenza lowers herself to tend to her, running her fingers along her slightly bloody knee, and I watch her in awe.
My heart inflates as I admire the woman before me, kneeling in the dirt to wipe our daughter's scrape, and I thank God, as I do daily, for the woman he made specifically for me to love.
My life could have been drastically different had we never met. From the age of nine, she captivated me, and though we both resisted, fate had a plan much bigger than either of us.
Vincenza completes me, and I cherish every day we spend together, looking forward to our future together as we grow old.
And when the time comes for us to pass on, I hope I am the first to go.
Because a world without her is not a world worth living in, and I can say with utmost certainty that my final breath on this Earth will be her name.
