A cry.
Small, sharp, and alive.
My head snaps toward the bassinet where the sound is coming from, and for a moment I don’t move.
Holy shit! That’s my baby!
My feet begin to move toward the bassinet unconsciously until I’m standing over it and looking down at her.
She’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen. She has a tuft of dark hair on her head; her face is scrunched up as she cries.
“Congratulations,” a nurse says, walking into the room.
“Thank you. Can I hold her?” I ask, my hand hovering because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
“Of course,” she tells me, picking my baby girl up from her bassinet. She points to the chair next to it, and I take a seat. She walks over to me and places my baby carefully into my arms. “Make sure you support her head… Yes. There you go.”
I can’t believe I’m holding my daughter in my arms for the very first time. Tears fill my eyes because this moment is surreal. She’s so delicate and perfect. And as I continue to stare at her, my entire world centers around this tiny bundle in my arms.
The time spent in the waiting room, the uncertainty, the fear, and every other emotion I felt earlier all pale in comparison to what I’m feeling now.
My heart feels full, bursting with so much love for this tiny human. Half of me and half of Aria, and the result is just stealing my breath away right now.
“Hello, my beautiful girl. You are so precious, and Daddy already loves you with all his heart. I promise to protect and love you until my dying breath,” I say with tears in my voice.
Her little eyes flutter open, unfocused. I don’t even think she can see me yet, but she settles at the sound of my voice as I continue talking softly to her.
She’s quiet for a few minutes before she lets out another cry, quieter this time, her face scrunching up and tiny fist curling against the blanket she’s wrapped up in.
“Daddy’s got you,bambina,” I whisper, gently rocking her in my arms. “We’ll just hang out together until you can meet your mommy when she’s awake. She’s going to love you so much. Well, she already loves you beyond words.”
“Do you have any news about my wife?” I ask the nurse who is still in the room, keeping an eye on us.
“Let me check, and I’ll get back to you,” she says, leaving the room.
Just then, my parents, Luca and Aldo, step quietly into the room. They walk over to where I’m sitting, and my mom's eyes fill with tears, which make tears leak from mine.
“She’s so beautiful,” my mother whispers.
“She is,” I tell her, pride filling my voice.
“She’s perfect,” Luca says, tears in his eyes as well. The nurse walks back into the room.
“Your wife is being cleaned up now, and once that’s done, she’ll be moved to her own room, and then once we get her settled there, we can move you and the baby to her room. She’s not awake yet, but she should be soon, though she will be a bit groggy for a while.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, grateful for the update. She leaves the room, and everyone around me continues to fawn over my baby girl. The moment is perfect, and I just wish I could have shared it all with my wife right now.
CHAPTER 40
ARIA
I wake up expecting to be in pain, still lying on the ratty old mattress Salvatore made me sleep on, but instead, all I feel is some soreness.
The agony has dulled to something throbbing just beneath the surface. I want to open my eyes, but they’re not cooperating. I just want to continue lying here and sleeping some more.
There’s a thought niggling at the back of my mind… it feels like it should be something important, but when I try to reach for it, it just disappears.
It takes me a second to remember that I’m not Salvatore’s captive anymore, and that’s because Enzo saved me along with my brother.
