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Her helpless plea stopped his heart. In fact, Cesare was sure he hadn’t taken a complete breath since he’d walked into the room. The enormity of the sacrifice she’d almost made swept him away.
Tears prickled his eyes and he squeezed his jaw tight to stem the flow. But he knew he’d failed when he felt wetness on their entwined fingers.
‘I love you, Ava mia. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving how much I love you.’
‘I love you too, so much my heart bursts with it.’
Ava felt her heart lift at the complete adoration in her husband’s eyes. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she basked in Cesare’s love. When he leaned over and brushed them away more fell.
Gently, he cupped her face and smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks. Then, leaning forward, he kissed her eyes closed. ‘Amore, don’t cry. I hate seeing you cry.’
‘Get used to it. I intend to cry very often.’
‘But only tears of happiness, sì?’ he asked desperately.
‘Maybe. I can’t promise that any more than I can promise not to turn into a scream-with-happiness girl.’
‘Whichever you decide to be, I’ll be by your side, loving you.’
Ava’s heart leapt and basically did crazy things that would’ve scared the doctors had they known about it. Cesare kissed her again and kept on kissing her until the nurse found the courage to knock on the door. The almost indecent scene she found made her hesitate before giving a delicate cough.
‘The doctor’s ready for you now, Mr di Goia. If you’d like to come with me, please?’
Ava grabbed him when he started to move away. ‘Sorry, change of plan. We’re both leaving.’
Cesare frowned. ‘Ava?’
‘If I’m not having the procedure, neither are you. We’ll find another way. Together. Yes?’
His eyes shone with love as he nodded. ‘Together.’
EPILOGUE
‘ARE YOU ALL right?’ Cesare whispered in her ear as they watched the old, gaily painted SUV travel slowly up the driveway.
‘No,’ Ava whispered back.
A deep masculine laugh caressed her lobe. ‘Why can’t you be like other women and say, Yes, I’m fine, thanks?’
She grinned and faced him. ‘Where’s the fun in that?’
‘For a start, it would cause me less heartache.’ He caught her fingers in his hand and kissed the di Goia wedding emerald he’d placed back on her finger the day he’d come for her in London.
She placed her hand over his heart and delighted in his hitched breath as it skipped a beat. ‘I see what you mean.’ When she went to remove it, he placed his hand over hers. He looked over her head at the advancing car.
‘Do you think they’ll like us?’ His voice was tinged with anxiety.
Ava marvelled at the change in the strong, self-possessed man she’d renewed vows with six months ago. Cesare hadn’t lost any of his endless self-assurance, but he’d become more open, more in touch with his feelings in a way that made her love him even more than she’d ever dreamed possible.
They’d agreed to go ahead with Cesare’s vasectomy—he’d been too tortured by the idea of passing on his Tay-Sachs gene to any future children—but only after Ava had insisted on gene therapy and a rather large sperm bank deposit. The idea of a vasectomy reversal had also remained firmly on the table.
So, whatever the future held, they had options.
For now, though, one decision they’d made together had come to fruition.
She leaned up and planted a swift adoring kiss on his lips. ‘Cesare, the babies are six months old. The likelihood that they’ll fall in love with you at first sight is very, very strong. Trust me.’
The vehicle stopped and two women alighted. Cesare, with his arm still around her, stepped forward to greet them. The moment he smiled, they melted.
Dear heaven, even nuns weren’t immune to her husband’s charm.
Smiling too, she descended the stairs and greeted the two nuns who ran the orphanage in Amalfi. After introductions were made, Ava led them into the salone before, heart thumping wildly, she brought herself to glance into the twin car seats.
There, lying sweetly beneath their blankets, were their son and daughter. Their approval for adoption had gone through two weeks ago. Her heart skipped in joy as Suor Rosa pushed the first seat gently towards her.
‘Here is Maria. Her afternoon naps are very precious to her, so be warned.’
