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“I don’t think I’ve ever had it,” Francesca replies.
“Babe, where have you been? Mac ’n’ cheese is the best, and when Izzy makes it, it’s sublime,” I say with a chuckle.
“Agreed. I could eat it every day,” Saint adds. “I’d end up having a heart attack, but it might be worth it.” He laughs.
“That’s why I only make it once a month,” Izzy tells her husband, bending down and kissing him on the cheek. “I need you around to help raise our daughter.”
The room goes silent, and Saint locks eyes with his wife. Francesca glances from one to the other, a huge grin coming across her face. Personally, I’m finding Saint’s reaction to learning he’s going to be a father immensely amusing.
He bolts to his feet, nearly knocking me over to get to Izzy. He cups her face in his hands. “Babe, don’t fuck with me,” he whispers. Saint told me they’ve been trying for a while and their next step was going to be seeing a specialist. Izzy was anxious about that and was refusing to go. Izzy always dreamed of being a mother. That’s part of the reason she went into teaching, because she loved kids.
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” she murmurs. “Not about this. Although I reserve the right to fuck with you later.” She has a glint in her eyes, and they share their own secret wordless message. Saint scoops her up in his arms and swings her around several times before setting her down in the armchair near Francesca.
He kisses her sweetly. “Thank you, Boots. I didn’t think I could be any happier, and you went and did it. The second I met you, I knew that my life was going to change forever. I just didn’t know it could be this good,” he says. Saint is completely oblivious to our being in the room. The man who rarely spoke of his feelings is baring them all without giving a shit who’s there to hear him.
“This was a two-person job,” Izzy teases before tugging him closer to touch her lips to his.
“I don’t want to hear this,” I say to remind them we’re still in the room. “What about it, brother, do I get to hug my sister?” Saint looks over his shoulder and comes to his feet. I shake his hand, pulling him in for a manly hug and slap his back. Then I kiss my sister’s cheek. “I’m going to be the best uncle ever!” I tell her.
“No doubt. You’re already the best brother,” she says. That’s Izzy, sweet to the very core.
“I’d love to give you both a hug, but I’m a little laid up at the moment.” Francesca adds. She stretches out her hand to take Izzy’s. “This is the best news. Congratulations!” she exclaims warmly. “I have dibs on hosting the baby shower. I better get in there fast. Once the Lady Pride know, it will be a battle over who gets to host it.” She laughs.
Izzy joins in with laughter. “It’s all yours.”
“Both of you stay put. Saint and I will dole out dinner and be right back.” I kiss the back of Izzy’s hand, then reach over and do the same to Frankie’s. Reluctantly, Saint follows me to the kitchen to help out, but he never takes his eyes off his wife.
* * *
Francesca
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man so happy about becoming a father. Proud, yes. But never with the exuberance that Saint is showing. I was taught it’s unrefined to show your feelings this way. Decorum must be maintained at all times. Geez! I was one of those people. Fake smiles, practiced laughter, and saying all the “right” things to all the wrong people. And those I did care about were playing the same game with me. Karma’s a bitch, and I’ve certainly learned my lesson the hard way.
“Hey, Frankie, where did you go?” I hear Izzy call to me. “It’s okay to call you Frankie, right? I’ve heard Hammer call you that.”
“Perfectly okay,” I reply. “I’m just thinking about how much I’ve missed out on. I’ve been living in a world of make-believe. People pretending to be happy. They do it for the public eye, but God only knows what’s happening in their own homes. What you and Saint have is real and very beautiful.”
“What you and Hammer have is real,” she states decisively.
“Yeah, and I’m loving every second of it,” I say, but I can’t help the hesitation in my voice.
“But…”
“What if I’m not enough?”
“What if you are?”
“Izzy, I haven’t always done the right thing,” I confess.
“We all falter. I did, Saint did. Heck, all of us have. We hurt others without meaning to, and sometimes we do mean to. It’s called being human. I’m not going to be the perfect parent. I’m going to make mistakes. I only hope that the village around me helps me to see them and I can fix them.” Izzy is wise beyond her years.
“What if?—”
“What-ifs aren’t true until they happen. Stop speculating on the worst and think about what amazing things are happening now,” she says. “What’s the best thing that happened to you today?”
“Being part of the moment when you told Saint he was going to be a father,” I say quickly. “He’s so happy,” I glance back to look at the two men working side by side at the counter.
“Name another.”
