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His cell phone rang, saving him from any further rebuttals. “About time,” he said as the caller ID popped onto the screen. “It’s Ryan,” he told Rafe. “You tell my sister she better have a good reason for skipping out on her own party. The rest of us have been here for hours working on this float.”
Ryan’s reply came back garbled. The building and its terrible service. “Say it again?” he asked.
“I said, would a girl be a good enough excuse?”
“What do you mean ‘a girl’?” Nico straightened at Ryan’s announcement. “Are you talking about a real girl, as in—?”
“A baby, yes.” His brother-in-law gave a breathy laugh. “The most beautiful girl you’ll ever see. Seven pounds, nine ounces and as perfect as her mother.”
Nico’s jaw dropped. He didn’t know what to say. “Congratulations!” he finally managed to get out.
No sooner did he speak than Rafe nudged him with an elbow. “Baby?” he asked. Nico nodded, setting off a small cheer in the garage. Immediately, both Dani and Louisa dropped what they were doing to join Rafe by his side. “Boy or girl?” Louisa asked.
“A girl,” he whispered back. It was hard to believe his baby sister was a mother herself. “How is Marianna?” he asked Ryan. “Is she all right?”
“She’s fantastic. Amazing. When you see what a woman goes through to give birth...” Admiration laced every word Ryan said.
Nico felt a pang of jealousy in the face of such love and devotion. His eyes sought Louisa, who waited for details with folded hands pressed to her lips and eyes turned sapphire with anticipation. Like everyone else, her emotions showed on her face. Everyone but him, that was. His insides were numb as he struggled to process Ryan’s news.
The gulf that separated him from others in the world widened. See? He wanted to tell Rafe. People don’t always change.
He certainly hadn’t.
CHAPTER NINE
MARIANNA WORE MOTHERHOOD as though it was a designer dress. Sitting on the living room sofa of her villa, wearing pajamas and a terry cloth robe, she’d never looked lovelier. Every time she looked down at the bundle sleeping in the bassinet, her face glowed with contentment. “We named her Rosabella,” she said to Louisa, who was sitting next to her. “Rosa for short.”
“She’s beautiful,” Louisa said. As peaceful as an angel, her little lips parted in slumber. It was all Louisa could do not to run her finger along a downy cheek.
“The nurses said not to be fooled by how much she’s sleeping,” she said. “In a day or two she’ll be wanting to nurse all the time.”
“Then we’ll be wishing she’d sleep,” Ryan added. He looked as smitten as his wife.
“What do you mean, we? I’m going to be the one doing all the work. You’ll probably just roll over and go back to sleep.”
“Ah, amore mio, you know I’d help nurse if I could. It would let me bond with the baby.”
“Then it’s a good thing I bought you this,” Louisa said, reaching for the pastel pink gift bag she’d set on the floor. She’d almost said “we.” Living and working with Nico the past week had her thinking of them as a pair.
“A breast pump!” Marianna announced with what could almost be described as evil glee. “Thank you, Louisa; it’s perfect. Looks like you’ll be able to bond with the baby after all, amore mio.”
“Yes, Louisa,” Ryan said, much less enthusiastically. “It’s exactly what we needed.”
They were both exaggerating for effect. From the moment he’d learned of the pregnancy, Ryan had been determined to be as active a father as possible. Louisa had no doubt he would be awake every time no matter who did the actual feeding. She looked over at Nico, to see what he was thinking. The man had barely said a word since their arrival. In fact, he’d been unusually quiet since Ryan had called to announce little Rosa’s arrival. Currently, he stood next to the bassinet, staring down at the sleeping baby.
“She’s so tiny,” he said.
“Not for long,” Marianna replied. “She’s got her father’s appetite. Would you like to hold her, Uncle Nico?”
At his sister’s suggestion, Nico paled. “I wouldn’t want to wake her...”
“You won’t, and if she does wake up, she’ll probably fall right back to sleep. The little angel has had a busy couple of days. Haven’t you, Rosa?” Adoration beaming from every feature of his face, Ryan ran the back of his finger along his daughter’s cheek. “You might as well get used to being hands-on,” he said to Nico. “No way is your sister going to let you get out of babysitting.”
