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“I want to,” I tell her, smiling warmly. Two parents arguing over who gets to be the one to feed her Nicola is never going to feel like she is lacking in love, for the whole of her life. “You should take a break. You made all this delicious food, so I want you to enjoy it.”
Liliana hesitates before handing the spoon over to me. “Alright,” she concedes. “Thank you.”
I only smile and shake my head. “You don’t have to thank me for looking after my own child,” I tell her. “You know, you’re right. Maybe I could take a step back. The business doesn’t need me as much as it used to.”
“You could probably manage to give Henri a promotion and a pay rise without it affecting the bottom line too much, don’t you think?” Liliana says. She watches me carefully for a moment as I spoon food into Nicola’s mouth and then, satisfied, begins to eat her own meal.
“Most certainly,” I say, and smile. “What’s the difference in a few hundred thousand every year, when we’re making millions?”
“Well, then,” Liliana says as if it’s settled. “You should try it for a few months, first. Call it a sabbatical, or something. Make sure it’s what you want.”
I smile at her and shake my head. “How did you get to be so wise?” I ask.
“I think I was born with it,” Liliana laughs.
Nicola burbles along with us, spraying sauce down her own chest and across her chair. My arm takes some of the shrapnel, too, making me shake my head in amusement.
“First order of business,” I say. “I’m putting all my suits into storage and bringing back all those easier-to-clean shirts I was wearing when she was born.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Liliana says, biting her lip to keep from laughing at me, and I can only shake my head and grin.
Extended Epilogue
YEARS LATER
Liliana
“This is a lot bigger than the last time we were here,” Dad says, standing on the edge of the deck and staring down the side of the boat as if he knows anything about sea-faring vessels.
“We needed more space for the kids,” I say, depositing Leo in his life jacket in the middle of the deck. He’s only toddling around, but at two he has developed a strong sense of curiosity – one that only rivals his sister’s. At five, she is a lot more dangerous. We’ve come up with a system of not just the life jackets but also a bungee cord firmly attached to the cabin so that they can’t run themselves right off the side of the boat.
I have the uneasy feeling that one of them is going to find a way to do it regardless, but at least there are enough adults here to make sure that someone has eyeballs on them at all times. Between me and Nico, my dad, mom, and mom’s new husband, it all works.
Which is great, because I have my hands full with baby Cal, who is remaining firmly in his baby carrier. I definitely don’t want to take any risks with him – and we even invested in a baby carrier with built-in flotation devices, just in case the worse should ever happen. If the boat was sunk in a flash, Callum would float right on back to shore – we never go out far enough to hit the strong currents anymore. We sail sideways instead, up the coast, to one of the quieter spots that are still in view of the houses facing outwards.
“I think it’s a lovely upgrade,” Mom says, hanging onto Patrick’s hand as they stand near the bow, watching the world flash by. Nico is at the helm, which leaves Dad at somewhat of a loss, I suppose.
“Will you take Callum for me?” I ask, taking pity on him. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with Patrick, or with the fact that Mom has remarried. He even attended the wedding, although he sat at the back. I think he just feels a little lonely sometimes.
I think about the friends that I’ve made in Monaco, the people we spend our time with. A lot of them are young and beautiful, but there is the one divorcee who managed to hang onto her Monaco apartment in the settlement. Maybe I can set him up with her or one of our friends.
“It’s such a shame we have to go home,” Mom sighs, pulling my attention as I hand the baby carrier to Dad. He’s already looking down into it with that sheepish kind of expression I’ve noticed that grandfathers get, absolute love and adoration for this tiny little being.
“You’ve enjoyed the trip, then?” I ask, settling on the railing next to them. Just the lightest spray of water kicks up from the sea, making me feel refreshed on this warm day. I keep one eye on Nicola and Leo, who are playing with a set of sea creature-shaped toys on the deck.
