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One Year Later
We made it to the beach in Italy where we eloped. And with Il Fiore Raro in the shockingly capable hands of Elena and Marie, we stay there for weeks. I think it might have been months if I hadn't kept getting sick every morning, and Dominic hadn't woken me up one sunny day with a pregnancy test in his hands. "Take this."
I did. And it was positive.
Our daughter, Bella, was born a month ago, and it's been non-stop since then. Dominic has been spoiling her rotten, and I'm sure she'll be the most pampered child in existence. She's already well on her way.
Today is the first time we've left her behind—with my mother, of course, who came to stay with us for a few months after Bella was born. I hate leaving my baby, and I can tell Dominic is on edge about it too, but Mom and Elena schemed to send us both to a couples spa for some much-needed relaxation time.
"You're both wound up so tight you're about to snap," Mom insisted, all but shoving me out the door while Elena held the baby. "It's just for the afternoon. Go!"
Dominic, of course, booked a private suite at the spa. It's a gorgeous place, and the staff is absolutely wonderful. I feel the tension easing out of my body by the minute, and Dominic's shoulders finally relax as I snuggle close to him in the private thermal pool.
"Mmmm," I hum, leaning against his chest. "I could get used to this."
He chuckles, his hand stroking over my bare stomach. "I can afford for us to come here every week."
"Good because I'm going to demand it," I tease, looking up at him. His dark eyes are soft, and his mouth is relaxed, and I'm so happy to see him at ease.
His lips find mine, and just like always, my entire body lights up at his touch. We've got weeks to go before we can be physically intimate again, but it's been an incredible bonding experience to learn how to be intimate in other ways. Dominic is secretly a romantic, and seeing him dote on me and Bella has made me love him even more than I thought possible.
He pulls away and brushes the hair back from my face. "Happy?"
"So happy," I respond.
"Good," he whispers.
Dominic kisses me again, and I sink into the embrace, feeling more relaxed and blissful than I've ever felt. But I bet I'll be thinking the same thing sometime soon—Dominic always has something up his sleeve.
Whatever the future holds, I look forward to it.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
DOMINIC
Ten Years Later
At the time, booking a private villa in Capri, Italy, for Daisy and me seemed like the most genius idea I've ever had. Bella is 11, and the twins, Lucy and Leo, are 9. Plenty old enough to stay with Daisy's mom for a week, who is always keen to fly back to New York to spend time with her grandkids.
But now, as it's time to tell the little ones goodbye, I'm starting to doubt myself. The idea of leaving my kids behind in an entirely separate fucking country is giving me heart palpitations.
It all makes me think of my oldest.
Carlo was supposed to be a memory, out of our lives forever, but just last year, Daisy started to hint that maybe, just maybe, it would be a good idea to open the possibility of reconnecting with him. For my sake. She knew me better than anyone and saw how his absence weighed on me.
So, at her urging, I contacted him with my number blocked, just in case it was a mistake. To my pleased shock, Carlo was happy to hear from me. He settled in Canada and started over in life as a deep-sea fisherman—an easy way to make a living fast, apparently. He married a local girl three years ago, and they're trying for a baby now.
They're coming to New York for Christmas. Not in our home, but in an Airbnb. We'll see how it goes, but despite everything, I have hope.
Daisy and I are standing on the tarmac as the private plane whirs behind us, and she puts her hands on my arm, leaning into me. "Easy, Dom. They'll be fine."
The twins are each holding their grandma's hand, waving goodbye with their free arms. We told Bella bye earlier, who chose to stay behind and have a private cooking lesson with her Aunt Marie. So much like her mother.
"They'll be okay," Daisy repeats, rubbing my biceps.
"I know." I sigh. After a few last hugs and kisses, my wife and I board the plane, and soon enough we're in the air.
Now that we're on the way, it doesn't feel so daunting. What I don't tell Daisy is that I've rerouted all of my security to watch the house while we're away—it's my secret to calm my own nerves.
