25. Epilogue

GAbrIELLA

T hirty-Two Weeks Later…

I waddle along the cobblestone pathway, barefoot and as big as a freaking house. I’m exactly forty weeks pregnant today and I’m ready to pop. As much as I’ve enjoyed this journey, these last few weeks or so have been pretty miserable because I’m uncomfortable almost all of the time. It’s hard to sleep, I can’t stop eating, my feet are swollen, my back hurts…

It’s a long list of gripes, but I know the moment our baby is born, every last ache, pain and nauseous feeling I’ve experienced during my pregnancy will have been worth it.

Stretching my hand out, trying to grab my laptop off the table without losing my balance is a challenge. When you’re as big as I am, your balance and coordination get all screwed up. I’ll be happy to get back down to my normal size again once I give birth. I’ve downloaded a bunch of exercise apps and I’m ready to start dropping this baby weight fast. I also miss my high heels and can’t wait to be rid of the incessant swollen ankles and feet that have been plaguing me for months on end now.

“Aww, honey, I would’ve gotten that for you,” Enzo says, hurrying over to grab my laptop. We’re in Sicily at his parents’ estate and vineyard. It’s absolutely stunning here and, the moment we arrived, I knew I didn’t want to leave. I fell completely in love with the island, the people, the language. Everything about Sicily is enchanting and I knew I wanted to give birth here.

Luckily, Enzo and I can work from anywhere, so this last trimester has been spent surrounded by the beauty of Sicily and the grapes, flowers and stunning views. His parents have been nothing short of wonderful, spoiling me rotten, and I’ve enjoyed our time here tremendously. It’s so laidback compared to the hustle and bustle of New York City and it’s exactly what I needed these last few months. It was very important to me that I avoided any additional stress and ended my pregnancy in a quiet place with calm, soothing energy. Besides, Trista and Marco are making sure everything is being taken care of and they’re quite reliable. I also think they’re secretly seeing each other, but neither has admitted anything to me or Enzo. I’m absolutely fine with it, though, and think they make an adorable couple.

“You’re not supposed to be working, anyway,” he chastises me, setting my laptop back down on the glass table, but closer.

I lower myself down onto the rattan sofa and sigh. Getting around is getting harder and harder. Way more of a challenge than I ever thought it would be. “I know, but I just wanted to check my email quickly.”

“Quickly. Then how about a nap?” he suggests.

“I can’t sleep. It’s too hard getting comfortable and she’s kicking all the time. I swear, she’s going to grow up and be a boxer or a soccer player.” I round my hands over my enormous belly and, yep, she’s going at it like I’m some kind of punching bag.

Enzo sits down beside me and slips his hands over my vibrating belly. I watch as his mouth curls up in a huge smile and I cover his hands with mine. We couldn’t wait to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. As soon as the doctor could accurately tell the baby’s sex, we discovered I was carrying a little girl. After she told us, I was thrilled and Enzo…well, my big, strong, tough husband may have shed a tear or two. I’ll never forget that moment for as long as I live.

“Maybe we should name her Rocky,” he teases.

But I shake my head. “No, I love Luna. It’s rather fitting, too, since she was conceived by the light of the moon.”

“God bless faulty condoms.”

“Well…we don’t want it to become a habit.”

“What? You’re not ready to get knocked up all over again after this?”

“Go ahead and try. I will hurt you,” I threaten. “I miss seeing my feet.”

Enzo sends me a sultry smile, his hand sliding lower, inching between my thighs. “How long after you give birth until we can have sex again? Because I’m going to be dying.”

I huff out a breath. “You? What about me? I’m the one who’s going to have to push a baby out of her vagina. You’re going to have a couple of months of celibacy, Mr. Rossi. So you’re going to have to handle that unruly thing yourself.”

He throws his head back and laughs. “Since when is my dick an unruly thing?”

I’m about to give him a smartass reply when his fingers begin stroking and all that I can muster up in response is a moan.

“Lay back, Bri. Let me make you feel good.”

“What about your parents?” I cast a worried look toward the back door. Even though we’re on the back patio, surrounded by flowers and plants, somewhat hidden from view, I’m still nervous they could appear at any moment.

“They know we have sex all the time,” he murmurs, slipping his hand under my dress. “We’re newlyweds and that is our right. Besides, the secret’s out, honey, since we’re expecting a baby any day now. And, let’s face it, you can get pretty loud.”

“Me? You’re the one who was practically yelling last night. I thought I was going to have to stuff a pillowcase in your mouth.”

He chuckles, sliding my panties over to the side. “Can’t help it. That might’ve been the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”

“Might’ve been?” I echo. His index finger glides up and down my wet slit, teasing, prodding. My breathing increases and I dig my fingers into a nearby pillow.

“Best so far, but I’m willing to bet tonight will be even hotter,” he murmurs, voice husky. “Because every time with you blows my mind even more.”

He’s thrusting two fingers inside me now and massaging my clit with his thumb. “Ohhh,” I cry, trying to be quiet, but it’s hard when he knows exactly how to touch me and what takes me right to the edge. “Enzo…oh, God…”

At this point, Enzo knows my body better than I do. My inner muscles clench and pulsate, trying to draw his fingers deeper. I never knew being pregnant would make me so horny and I’ve been jumping Enzo every day. Usually multiple times a day. Of course, he has no complaints and is always ready for a romp.

The orgasm hits me hard and Enzo muffles my cry with a deep, passionate kiss. I’ve already decided to drag him down to our bedroom and have my way with him when my eyes suddenly pop open, and I realize something strange just happened. Enzo always makes me come hard, but whatever is happening down there seems a lot wetter than usual.

“Um, Brie…”

I look down and my dress is soaked.

“Oh, my God, I think my water just broke,” I say and swallow hard.

“Holy shit!” Enzo pops up off the couch as though his ass were on fire. “I’ll call Dr. Adami.”

“Could you help me get up first? Ugh, I got the cushion wet. Shit, I’m sorry.”

Enzo grabs my arms and heaves me up off the couch. “Don’t worry about that. You’re having a baby! Christ.”

I try not to laugh as he rakes a hand through his hair, mussing it all up, and sends me a very distressed look.

“Yes, me, not you. Why the heck are you so worried?”

“Because you’re the most important thing in my life and I love you with everything that I am, Bri.”

“Oh,” I whisper, tears filling my eyes, his answer touching me deeply. Emotions take over and the tears start slipping down my cheeks. “Enzo, I love you so much, too.”

He tries to pull me into his arms, but my belly is too big, and we just sort of end up colliding and reaching for each other. Laughing through my tears, I lean forward and he kisses me hard. “Let’s do this,” I whisper and he nods.

Almost twenty-four hours later, I’m not sure what the hell I was thinking when I decided to have my baby in Sicily, at home, and using a local doctor. Yeah, okay, so he delivered all of the children here in the village for the past thirty years. That’s just great. But, no one told me that labor could last so long and here I am saying I don’t need any drugs and I’m so tough.”

Crying, clutching onto Enzo’s arm, I’m not sure I can take much more of this torture. I’m exhausted and sweating and feel like I’m going to die.

“You’re almost there,” Dr. Adami tells me. “One more really good push.”

“I can’t,” I wail. I’m squeezing Enzo’s hand so hard, I’m probably cutting off his circulation, but I can’t help it. He’s my anchor right now and I couldn’t let go if my life depended on it.

“This is it, Bri,” he whispers in my ear. “Just one more push and we get to meet our daughter.”

My heart constricts and his words give me the strength I need. With a cry, I push as hard as I can, my nails digging into Enzo’s skin. He grits his jaw, but he’s a trooper. And it certainly can’t hurt any worse than what I’m currently going through.

“Congratulations!” Dr. Adamo exclaims and lifts a squalling, slimy-looking baby into the air. He hands Enzo a pair of scissors and my husband looks a little pale as he cuts the umbilical cord. Enzo quickly returns to my side as Dr. Adamo cleans her up, swaddles her in a blanket and places her on my chest.

For a stunned moment, I look down at the tiny little human laying on my chest and it hits me hard that she’s half me and half the man I love. A perfect little miracle that we created. The tears begin to flow again and when I look over at Enzo who is uncharacteristically quiet, I see tears falling from his eyes, too. And, of course, that makes me cry even harder.

We look at each other and laugh. “What a mess we are,” I say, sniffling.

“You’re perfect,” he tells me, pressing a kiss to my temple. “And so is she.”

“Our lovely Luna. It’s so nice to finally meet you, my feisty, little kickboxer.”

“What did you expect?” Enzo asks with a grin. “She’s got her mom’s sass and spice. No one is going to mess with her.”

She’s looking up at us with big eyes and I’m surprised that they look so light since we both have brown eyes.

“What color are her eyes?” I ask, trying to figure out the strange combination of blue, green and brown.

“Aren’t all babies born with blue eyes?” Enzo asks.

Dr. Adamo takes a look. “No, that’s a myth. Some babies may have eyes that appear gray or blue because of lack of pigment. But, usually most are born with brown eyes. If I had to guess, your little girl is going to have green eyes.”

“Green?”

“Like Vin’s,” Enzo says. “He’s the only one of us that doesn’t have brown eyes.”

Vincentius has striking green eyes and I press a kiss to Luna’s soft head which is already full of dark, wispy hair. Yep, I have a feeling our daughter is going to be a beauty. But am I surprised? Not really because Enzo is the most beautiful man I’ve ever laid eyes on. All of his children, our children, are going to have his genes and good looks. Modesty aside, my genes are pretty damn good, too.

“I have a feeling I’m going to have to beat the boys off with a stick,” he says darkly, and I chuckle.

“You can try, but if our little girl is anything like her headstrong mama then she’s going to do whatever she wants. And that means she’s going to probably end up with a man just like her daddy.”

“Oh, God help us,” he groans.

“Enzo, if Luna is as lucky as I am and winds up with someone like you then she will be the happiest woman in the world. Just like me.” He leans and we kiss over our daughter.

“Thank you,” he whispers, forehead pressed against mine.

“For what?”

“For saying yes when I asked you to get a drink. For letting me knock you up after our first time together?—”

“Enzo!” I laugh.

“For forgiving me after I was a jerk. For saving my life. For marrying me. For having our baby…The list goes on, honey. On and on and on.”

“I love you, Enzo Rossi,” I declare, looking into his deep brown eyes. Eyes so full of love and happiness.

“And, most of all, thank you for loving me, Bri.”

“Always,” I whisper.

Our lips meet again and I don’t think I’ll ever experience such pure joy like I’m feeling right at this moment—with my husband’s lips moving against mine and our baby girl in my arms. Life is beautiful and wonderful, and I know our future will be full of everything bright and lovely.

How could it not be? I have everything I need right here.