CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Surprise
Nico
No one will tell me what the hell is going on. Uri has been muttering on the phone since that first call at his house. On the plane, I thought I would lose my mind wondering about what the fuck is really going on.
I don’t want to care, but I can’t help wondering if Reese has been hurt. Was she in an accident? Did someone touch her? I can’t shake the feeling that she really does need me. I have questioned myself over and over. Can I really walk away if Reese needs me?
The raw broken edges of my heart tells me that I can. The rest of my heart tells me otherwise. I don’t think I know how to walk away from Reese.
I am fuming as the car moves through Italy. All this time Reese has been in my home, literally. She has been staying on the estate. I had thought to come home a few times, but I wanted to be in New York in case Reese returned.
I’m going to kick Uri and Michael’s ass. I can’t believe they allowed this to happen. I am beyond fuming. I look up and out of the window to see we are not headed for the estate, but in the direction of the hospital. My head whips to Uri and Val.
They are both trying to avoid looking at me. My heart sinks. She really is in trouble. Something has happened to the love of my life. I drop my head in my hands and try to breathe.
She has to be okay. Uri and Val are too calm for this to be really bad. I lift my head and look at Val again and just as I thought. I was right. She may not be looking at me, but I can see the smile on her lips. My brows furrow and it hits me like a ton of bricks.
I really can’t breathe. I clinch my chest as my thoughts have their way with me. I don’t even want to dare think of the thoughts that are nudging my brain. I don’t want the hope that could crush me if I am wrong.
The car finally pulls to a stop. I stumble out without waiting for Uri and Val. I don’t even know where I’m going. Sim appears at the door to the hospital and falls in step beside me. She leads me in the right direction without saying a word to me. In this moment, I am grateful to Sim for being Sim.
My heart drops to my stomach as Sim leads me into a private room. My world stops, tilts, and starts spinning again as Reese comes into view. Our eyes lock and I feel whole again for the first time since she left me.
“Nico, you’re here,” Reese says tiredly in Italian. It is the first time she has started a conversation with me in Italian. Something about it warms my heart. “I’m ready. Tell the doctor I’m ready.”
My eyes drop to her stomach and my knees almost give. My suspicions are confirmed. It all makes sense now. I’m going to be a papa.
I do the math in my head. Reese has been gone long enough for our babies to have developed. I don’t know when she became pregnant, but I am so hopeful right now.
I don’t know how I reach her side, but I get there. I wipe the sweat from her forehead. I want to kiss her trembling lips, but I stop myself. She has run away and hid this from me. I am even more pissed now. Actually, I don’t know what I am. I want to be pissed, but the thought that I could be meeting my son or daughter has me vibrating with joy.
“Nico, I’m so sorry,” Reese pants after grunting her way through a contraction.
“Shh, Cara, we have time for that. How far are you?” I ask as my brain catches up with my mouth.
“A little over seven and a half months,” Reese smiles. “We’re going to be parents. I did it, Nico. I held on,” Reese says through tears and it breaks my fucking heart.
I place my forehead to hers and close my eyes. “I just wish you would have let me do this with you,” I whisper.
“I couldn’t watch you hurt. You said it would kill you if I lost another baby,” Reese says with a quiver in her voice.
“Oh God, Cara, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I breathe.
“It’s okay, Nico. I had to do this my way…,” Reese gasps and groans.
I pull back to see her face pinched in pain. To think, I almost didn’t come. She did this for me. Reese went through this all alone, because of me. If I loved this woman before, there are no words to describe how I feel about her now.
“We’re having a baby,” I mutter when her contraction passes.
“No Nico,” Reese says with a tired smile. “There was no way I was doing this without you. I’ve waited nine hours for you to get here to meet our babies. We’re having twins.”
~B~
Reese
I prayed and held on as long as I could. Michael promised that Uri said they were on their way. I was relieved when we arrived here at the hospital and the doctor said that the babies were fine. They were just ready to make an early appearance. About a half hour before Nico and the others arrived my water broke.
I had been hoping and praying since then that Nico would walk through that door soon. I didn’t know how much longer these babies were going to wait. Yes, I am having twins.
It has been the icing on the cake. Nico looked just as shocked as I felt when I found out. The tears of joy that filled his eyes, when I told him were worth it all. Better yet, the tears his shed when they placed his little girl in his arms was priceless.
Nico Jr. came out roaring his entry into the world first. Premature or not Nico Jr. is a whooping eight pounds three ounces. Lanya is her daddy’s little peanut at six pounds eight ounces. Both of my children are healthy with heads full of dark curls, ten fingers and ten toes.
I give God all the glory for my two precious gifts. Dr. Hashem left a few weeks ago and his parting words were. ‘Let spirit guide you, and you will birth the desires of your heart.’ I couldn’t agree more.
I listen to Nico finish telling the tale of our story to our son. I can’t keep the smile off my face. I know I hurt Nico. There was no way to avoid that, one way or another he was bound to be hurt.
“So that is how you came to be, my Son,” Nico whispers. “Now what do we do? I don’t want to push your Mama away again. So what do I do now?”
I wipe at my tears before I shift to turn and face Nico. He is nuzzling our son’s little neck. I smile as our little boy looks so tiny in Nico hands. He is so much bigger in mine.
Nico’s eyes lift and meet mine. “Hey,” I say through dry lips.
“Hey,” Nico says back with a small smile. He shifts our son in his arms and reached for a cup of water for me.
I take the cup and take a few sips. It is the most delicious water I have ever had. I feel like it is my first drink after being out in the desert. I gulp it all down and Nico takes it to fill it up again.
I take the second cup and sip a few times. “Thank you. Nico, I…,” I’m cut off by Lanya’s cries and Tam, Stacey, Alee and Brad walking into the room.
I gasp as I see my friends. Tam, Stacey and Alee all burst into tears as they see Nico Jr. in his father’s arms and Lanya, crying in her bassinet. Brad walks up to Nico and gives him a pat on the back as he peeks down at our Nico.
“Nice work, Donati,” Brad croons.
I am still in shock; I can’t believe my friends have stopped their lives to fly all the way here, to Italy for me. Tam goes for Lanya and Stacey and Alee rush over to hug me. I am pulled out of my shock when Alee squeezes me tight.
“I’m so proud of you,” Alee whispers in my ear. “If I didn’t know that that man loved you before you disappeared, I am sure of it now. Don’t let him go, Reese. Fight like you fought for these babies. Nico’s mom is in awe of you. She is telling anyone that will listen.”
I giggle. “Really,” I ask as Alee pulls away.
“Girl, Uri and Donatella are proud of you. Michael said you scared him a little, but you are his new hero. Oh, and that little baby out there, Vita. She is so precious, she has been thanking God for her new cousins since we got here,” Alee explains.
That brings a smile to my face as I remember Vita praying with me before I passed out. I came to on the ride over to the hospital. When I did, I just knew everything would be okay.
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Tam says as she walks over with Lanya and hands her to me. “You…Stacey lied to me. You knew Reese was pregnant and you knew that Uri already knew where to find her. So, my question once again is, how is it that you told Stacey and not me,” Tam lifts a brow at me and places a hand on her hip.
“Correction,” I smile sheepishly and bite my lips. “In Stacey’s defense, she didn’t know Uri knew. She only knew I was pregnant and why I left. I wanted to see your wedding so bad. Michael helped me get in contact with Stacey. It was too risky to try you or Alee.”
“Oh no you didn’t. So you only told me by default,” Stacey huffs.
“Sorry?” I shrug and stifle a laugh.
“I need new friends,” Stacey pouts.
“Who exactly do you think will put up with you, other than us. Girl bye,” Alee snorts.
“Well, I for one feel Reese has some kissing up to do. I move back to New York and she wasn’t even there to greet me,” Tam pouts and crosses her arms over her big belly.
I smile and point to her baby bump. “I’ll babysit,” I offer sheepishly.
“Girl, what are you going to do with two sets of twins,” Tam smirks.
“Really,” I gush. “You are having twins.
Tam nods and we squeal as she comes closer to give me a hug. Lanya fusses so we pull apart laughing. Nico comes and reaches for Lanya. “Come to Papa, Principessa,” Nico coos.
I stare up at him dreamily. Being a papa looks good on him. His blue eyes are brighter and that smile of his that I love the most is back. It has been so long since I have seen Nico smile like this.
I look over to see Brad holding Nico Jr. or N.J. as Nico has seemed to name him. I can see the joy on Brad’s face. It reminds me that he never had the opportunity to hold Ellie when she was a baby. He forgave Tam and he loves her so much. Just him being here says that.
Moving back to New York is going to be great. I miss everyone and now my girls have returned from Texas. The moment I heard Tam had moved back home, I knew Stacey would be soon to follow. Her father gave up trying to control her years ago. I think she only stayed in Texas as long as she did, because of Tam and Ellie.
Now I will have all of my family. I look over at Nico and I whisper a prayer. I hope I will have all of my family.