Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Look at you," Gabby said, taking both of Olivia's hands in greeting.
"It's kind of hard not to look at me. I take up most of the room."
Gabby laughed, leading her farther into the room to the place of honor—a wing-back chair decorated with multicolored balloons. The whole room was decorated similarly with baby-blue and baby-pink streamers and banners that proclaimed welcome baby.
About thirty women occupied the room, mostly chatting in small clusters. Olivia only recognized a handful. She chewed nervously on her lip, uneasy at her first family event without Nico by her side. The family was very traditional. No men attended showers of any kind. But at least she had Gabby.
Olivia had tried to convince her mom to come. She'd even braved the stores to buy her a new outfit, but at the last minute, she'd said she wasn't feeling up to it. She had looked a little peaked, so Olivia hadn't forced the issue. But now she wished she had, sad her mom was missing this.
Olivia spotted Nico's mom, Dona, over by the refreshment table and skirted the coffee table to go say hello. As she drew near, she couldn't help but overhear Dona's conversation with a woman Olivia didn't recognize. "It was unexpected, but she's a sweet girl," Dona said, filling a paper cup with punch.
"But I heard she's not Italian," the woman said with a touch of a sneer.
Dona was quick to defend, lightening Olivia's heart. "No, but she does make my Nico happy, so that's all that matters."
Did she make Nico happy? She'd like to think so. She moved closer, making her presence known. "Dona!"
Dona turned, a smile lighting her face. "Olivia, you've arrived. Now the party can start."
The next couple of hours were a whirlwind of games, presents, and cake. That part had been fun. The questions—all from people she didn't even know—were what she hadn't liked. The pregnancy questions had been easy.
"How far along are you?"
"Seven months."
"Are you having a boy or a girl?"
"We've decided to keep it a surprise."
"What names have you picked out?"
"We haven't really talked about that yet."
But the personal questions probing into her and Nico's relationship, she hadn't been sure how to answer those. Not without embarrassing Nico or his family. She'd spent half the day deflecting, and it had been exhausting.
Olivia felt her phone vibrate from the pocket of her maternity dress. Nico sent her a text.
How's it going?
If I asked you to come rescue me, would you?
In a heartbeat.
Help!
Fifteen minutes later, Nico walked into the room. She honestly hadn't expected him. She'd figured he'd think she'd been joking.
His eyes scanned the room and narrowed at finding her tucked in the corner. His stride was direct and purposeful as he navigated the room full of people and objects. It didn't take him long to reach her side.
Eyes slightly misting, she searched his face, looking for an ounce of emotion. None was there. But he had come. That had to mean something, right?
He took her hand, helping her to her feet. Dona had made her way over to them, surprise clearly lining her features. "Nico. What are you doing here?"
"I've come to collect my wife."
She laughed for a few beats before the seriousness of his expression diminished her humor. "Is everything okay?"
Olivia saw his rigid stance relax, obviously realizing he'd worried her. "Everything's fine. I have a surprise for Olivia, and I don't want it spoiled."
That seemed to appease her. "Well then. Off you two."
Olivia spoke up. "Thank you so much for the party."
"You're welcome, my dear. Go have fun."
"So how terrible was it?" Nico asked as he pulled out of the driveway.
"It wasn't that bad."
"You're lying."
She swung her gaze his way.
Nico stopped at a stop sign and looked at her. He pointed to her hand. "You're playing with the hem of your dress." Then his finger traveled up. "And chewing on your bottom lip. You only do that when you're lying or nervous."
She immediately released the hem of her dress and pulled her lip from between her teeth.
Nico chuckled. "Too late, tesoro. Now I'll ask again. How terrible was it?"
She shrugged as if no big deal. "Some parts were good. Like spending time with your mom and Gabby, and the games were fun."
"But."
She sighed. "But... evading personal questions about us from people I don't know was not fun."
"What kind of questions?"
"Oh, you know, the typical how did you two meet questions."
"I'm not ashamed of you."
But maybe she was ashamed enough for the both of them. He must have seen something he didn't like cross her features because he said, "You're beautiful, sweet, kind, and caring. It doesn't matter where you came from or how you grew up."
They were still at the stop sign, but the street was quiet. In a small voice, she acknowledged something they'd never actually talked about. "My mother's a prostitute."
He put the car in park. Leaning over the console, he captured her face in his hands. "Who gave birth to an angel."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Yeah, I really fucking believe that. I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks, what assumptions they make, or what biases they have."
"But I do."
And that was the root of her problem. Growing up, she hated thinking her life might not end up any better than her mother's. Then Carmine came around, and her mom got sick, and she knew her life wouldn't be better than her mother's. It had taken a while for her new reality to sink in, but she soon became resigned to her fate.
Then Nico came along, offering her a different life. A way to be respectable. She could handle the sneer of others looking down on her if the allegations were true, but it cut deep when they were not.
Nico placed his forehead to hers and said in a soft voice, "Then that's something we need to work on. I don't care how long it takes. I will tell you and show you every damn day how special you are until it sticks, and then you can tell the rest of the world to go fuck themselves."
Tears slid down her cheeks. He brushed them away with his thumbs before kissing the tip of her nose. She wanted to believe his words, but she wasn't there yet.
But maybe with time, she could be.
Olivia sighed, closing her eyes. She'd finally found a comfortable position, lying on her side but still couldn't nod off. The baby was restless, making sleep impossible. Nico was at her back, his hand rubbing circles along her stomach.
Her thoughts drifted to the baby shower and one of the questions she'd been asked. "We need to think about names for the baby."
"I'll be happy with whatever you like."
That didn't help. She decided to narrow the field down. "Will Grandma Rossella roll over in her grave if we don't choose something Italian?"
"What do you know of Grandma Rossella?" Nico asked with a smile in his voice.
"I know she didn't like frozen lasagna."
Nico barked a laugh, and the baby gave a hard kick.
Olivia groaned. "I think that might have damaged my kidney."
Nico kissed her shoulder still chuckling then helped her roll to her back before saying, "An Italian name would go over well with my family, but I don't want you feeling obligated to go that route."
"Well." Feeling a bit shy, she reluctantly admitted, "I've been doing some research for Italian names on the Internet."
Nico's eyes lit, and she knew that had made him happy even if he wouldn't admit it. "And what did you find?" His hand found her stomach again and started rubbing.
"I like Angelica for a girl and Antonio for a boy."
"A's, huh?"
"I thought we could start at the beginning of the alphabet."
"Please don't tell me you want twenty-six kids."
That made Olivia laugh. "No. But I would like a couple. A little boy and a little girl, maybe. What about you?"
Nico got up on an elbow, hovering his face over hers. "I want whatever will make you happy."
She smiled, running a hand up his arm. "Even a little girl?"
He sighed closing his eyes, looking totally defeated before lowering his forehead to hers. "Even a little girl."
Olivia fell asleep, wrapped in her husband's arms, with a smile on her lips.