“Behind my back!”
“He said I’m family. Is it true, Honora?” He looked down at her. “Am I your family?”
She looked at him.
“Now and forever. I love you, Nico.”
Joy filled his dark eyes as he bent and kissed her forehead, her cheeks. “Cara...”
Then the pain took over, and her doctor was suddenly there, and nurses, and her doctor was telling her to push, and the pain was so blinding that Honora thought she might die.
Then, suddenly, the pain was over, and forgotten, as a sweet little baby girl was placed in her arms, and her husband wrapped his powerful arms around them both, and all of them were crying.
Many hours later, as Honora held her new daughter, she looked over at Nico. He’d fallen asleep in the hard plastic chair. He had dark circles under his eyes, and scruff over his jawline, and his clothes were wrinkled, and he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. And he’d never been more handsome.
As if he felt her gaze, Nico looked up, then smiled. And the love she saw in his dark eyes filled her heart.
As she held her baby, the dawning sun came in through the window, covering them both with a soft golden glow, and Honora knew that their happiness would always last. They both deserved to be loved. And they’d finally come hom
e to the circle of each other’s arms.
* * *
The summer sun was bright and hot in the cloudless August sky, as the wild Atlantic waves splashed against the white sand.
Sitting on the grass outside their Hamptons mansion, in the same exact spot where they’d been wed the previous year, Nico looked at the people around him, feeling gratitude and quiet joy.
His wife was snuggled beside him on one of the soft blankets covering the grass, wearing a short, pretty sundress that showed off her slender curves, and a wide-brimmed sun hat. She’d thought of wearing jewelry—nothing fancy, just the golden heart necklace he’d given her for her birthday—but quickly thought better of it the first time baby Kara’s hand had wrapped around it and pulled.
No matter. Honora didn’t need jewels to make her sparkle brighter than the sun. Nico was dazzled every time he looked at her, as her green eyes glowed and danced while she laughed, her full lips a festive red to match the balloons and streamers.
Their baby sat nearby, wearing a little jumpsuit that revealed the adorable fat rolls at her thighs. She had her mother’s green eyes and dark hair. They’d named her Kara, because she was beloved.
Their butler, Sebastian, smiling from ear to ear, had just served sandwiches—tiny ones with the crusts cut off, and fancy cookies with jam, and tea with milk, although their daughter was drinking hers in a sippy cup.
“A tea party?” Nico had asked his wife with amusement. “For a baby’s birthday party?”
“Kara likes tea,” Honora answered primly, then grinned. “Especially tea with milk.”
Now, Nico slowly looked around him at the people who’d somehow become his family.
Honora’s grandfather, Patrick, was telling some drawn-out story about the proper raising of lemons, to Egidia, of all people, who’d raised more lemons in Italy than the retired gardener ever had.
His stepmother’s leg had completely healed. She no longer had to worry about rickety flights of stairs, as he’d bought her a luxurious single-floor apartment in Rome to live in while her longtime home, the Villa Caracciola, was remodeled and furnished with an elevator. She’d happily accepted Nico’s offer to come visit the Hamptons for her granddaughter’s birthday. The baby’s great-grandmother, Phyllis, was giving Egidia a sympathetic smile, and offering her a cup of Italian espresso and sugar cookies.
His wife’s best friend, Emmie Swenson, had arrived in a fluster a few hours before. The two women had laughed and talked together as they’d put up the decorations for the family party, all in red which was Kara’s favorite color. Nothing made Honora happier than taking care of people.
Her patience might soon be tested, though, since any minute now, Nico’s friend Theo Katrakis was expected for dinner. Which Nico honestly didn’t understand.
“Why would Theo ever agree to come to a baby’s birthday party?”
Smiling at their baby, his wife had crooned, “Because he loves Kara. And she loves her uncle Theo, doesn’t she?”
Honora often fretted that his friend didn’t have any family to look after him. Nico wasn’t worried, but his wife seemed to care about the whole world. It left him in awe. He loved his family, but he couldn’t imagine having the capacity to worry about absolutely everyone, not like his wife did.
She’d even been happy to read online that Lana Lee was dating rising star Benny Rossini. “I hope they’ll be happy.” She’d smiled. “They deserve it.”
That was what Nico had learned from her. Everyone deserved love. And he knew he’d spend the rest of his life protecting and caring for her—the heart and soul of their family, and beyond.