Total pages in book: 197
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 996(@200wpm)___ 797(@250wpm)___ 664(@300wpm)
He wanted to be prepared.
The baby was a girl.
A pretty little Conti princess.
Alessa didn’t want to know, so he had been extra careful not to tell her.
And he just fucked that up in a big way.
“I am so sorry,” Adriano said, laughing.
What else could he do but laugh?
Alessa smacked him on the shoulder. “You ... you ... asshole! I wanted it to be a surprise, Adriano.”
“I know, but it just slipped out. And if you don’t go over the next couple of days, they’re going to induce you anyway. What difference does it make? You’re going to find out today or really soon, babe.”
“Ugh.”
Adriano chuckled, leaned up, and pressed a kiss to Alessa’s scowling lips. “Sorry.”
“You’re forgiven ... I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well, now that I know, I just realized how little things we have for a girl.”
Adriano cocked a brow. “Is that so?”
“We need to go shopping.”
Dammit.
Adriano bent his head down, and let out a sigh. “Any excuse, I swear.”
“But she needs little dresses, and headbands, and shoes. Oh, my God, shoes, Adriano. She’ll need different pairs for church, and—”
“Tomorrow,” he interrupted quickly, chuckling. “We will go shopping tomorrow for twenty pairs of shoes and the dresses to match.”
Alessa smiled brilliantly. “Okay.”
“So ... about the name,” Adriano started, wondering how to go about the conversation. “We haven’t talked a lot about it.”
“I was thinking we could go with Adrianne if the baby was a girl,” Alessa said.
Adriano nodded quickly. “Are you dead set on that?”
“Kind of. Why?”
“I was hoping we could name her Corrine, after your grandmother, and Mia as a middle name.”
Alessa’s gaze widened, and an understanding dawned. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even consider—”
“It’s okay. I like your choice, too.”
“I like yours more,” she whispered.
Adriano grinned. “Corrine, then?”
Alessa nodded. “Corrine.”
*
“Adriano!”
Adriano bolted up out of bed, eyes wide and his heart racing. He cussed under his breath as his vision cleared. “Yeah?”
Alessa screeched his name from the bathroom again.
He pushed out of bed, ignored the cold floors, and made his way to the bathroom. He tried to push the door open, only to find it was locked.
“Let me in, babe,” he mumbled.
“No, go get me new pants,” Alessa said quietly.
Adriano’s brow furrowed, and he rested his forehead to the door. “Okay. Can you open the door?”
She scared the fuck out of him yelling like that.
The least she could do was open the damn door.
“No,” Alessa said, sounding entirely humiliated for whatever reason. “I peed my pants. Go get me new ones. I’ll clean up.”
Adriano took her words in for a minute, wondering ... “Lissa, did you wake up wet?”
Because the bed hadn’t been wet when he crawled over her side.
“No.”
“Lissa,” Adriano said again, firmer the second time.
“Adriano, leave me alone for a minute. I just want new pants right now.”
He was thinking it was more likely her water broke.
She was eleven days overdue, and supposed to be induced the next day in the morning if labor hadn’t started on its own. They spent the last three days walking up and down the malls, shopping for girl things that Alessa was sure the baby needed. He spent his nights loving his wife up and down.
Sex was supposed to help, after all.
Adriano didn’t mind helping.
“Lissa, was it pee, or did your water—”
“Just go get me new pants!”
Jesus.
“Fine,” Adriano said, surprised at her anger.
He stumbled back to the bedroom, still half asleep. It didn’t take him long at all to find a pair of thick leggings he knew Alessa liked, and to get back to the bathroom. After knocking on the door, he waited for what felt like forever before she finally opened it a crack.
Alessa snatched the leggings from his hand with a mumbled thanks. Then, she slammed the door in his face just as fast.
Adriano waited, quiet and patient, for his wife.
He knew Alessa was scared.
So was he.
This was new.
They were crazy young.
Maybe too young.
So yeah, he waited her nerves out.
“Adriano?” Alessa whispered from behind the door.
“Yeah, babe?”
“It wasn’t pee.”
He laughed tiredly. “Any pain yet?”
“No.”
“That’s good, right?”
Alessa opened the door a crack, and peeked out. Her eyes were watery and wide. “I’m scared.”
“Me, too. It’s going to be great. You’ll do fine. I love you, Lissa.”
“Don’t look down.”
Adriano rubbed at his forehead, confused and tired. Far too tired for this. “What?”
“During labor. You’re not allowed to look down. Or under the sheet. I said so.”
Well then ...
“It’s just birth—”
She pointed her finger in his face. “Say it, Adriano.”
“Okay, I promise. No looking.”
Alessa dropped her finger, and her gaze. “I made a mess on the kitchen floor.”
“I’ll clean it,” he said. “Why don’t you get your stuff ready, and it’ll be by the door when we have to go. Call your sister and Tommas, too. I’ll give Eve and Theo a call after I’m done in the kitchen.”
She opened the door a little wider, stepped out, and gave him a sweet kiss. Adriano woke up a little more at her sensual grin.