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She’d given her father an ultimatum: change, or she and Claudia would cut him out of their lives forever.
And Cesare had capitulated. In fact, he had blubbed like a child, apologised, and then made promises which, so far, he was keeping.
‘Why are you smiling like that?’ she asked slowly.
‘I was just thinking what a great aunt you’ll be, Zia Imma. Of course I’ll be the most fantastic uncle too.’
She laughed. ‘That won’t be hard as you’ll be the only uncle.’ Her face softened. ‘Vicè, if you’re half as good at being an uncle as you are at being a husband and a boss, you’ll be better than fantastic.’
‘Let’s see if you still think that after the harvest,’ he said lightly.
‘I will.’ Her eyes met his. ‘I spoke to Manfredi this morning. He said that you have the same feel for the olives as your father.’
He felt his heart contract.
Stepping into his father’s shoes had been nerve-racking. He still had doubts about his ability to pull it off. But with Imma by his side...
He felt a fierce, unpremeditated quiver of anticipation. She was his partner, his equal. Together they had already faced their fears. And together they would meet whatever happened in the future.
* * *
Watching the mix of sadness and pride in Vicè’s eyes, Imma felt her heart swell.
She knew how much this estate meant to him. It was his father’s legacy and one day it would be his.
Her breath caught in her throat.
‘So, are you going to be Zio Vicenzu or Zio Vicè?’
‘Not Vicenzu.’ He shuddered. ‘Too serious. Vicè is what a cool uncle would be called, and I am definitely going to be a cool uncle.’ His eyes gleamed. ‘I cannot wait until this baby is born. Hopefully he’s going to be just like me. That’ll keep Ciro on his toes.’
‘It might not be a boy.’
‘It is.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘And you know this how, exactly?’
‘Man’s intuition.’ He grinned. ‘It’s very rare—only the most impressive males of the species have it.’
‘Right... And I’m guessing it’s infallible?’
He nodded, and keeping her expression innocent, she took his hand and rested it gently on her stomach. ‘So what are we having, then?’
He stilled, his eyes widening with shock. ‘You’re pregnant?’
She nodded. ‘I did a test after Claudia rang. Actually, I did two. Just to be sure.’
‘And it’s definite?’
She drew a deep breath and nodded again. ‘I was going to wait for the perfect moment to tell you, but then I realised that every moment is perfect with you.’
There was a shake in her voice that matched the tremble in his hands as they tightened around hers.
Looking up, she bit her lip. ‘Are you pleased?’
‘Pleased?’ His eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m ecstatic.’
He pulled her against him, burying his face in her hair, pressing her close to his heart, which was hammering as wildly as hers.
