Page 20 of Their UnBearable Destiny

The shy tilt of a head.

Raised brows.

A soft giggle.

And when Emiliana reached out her hands, the little girl all but jumped in.

Sitting back in her chair, Emiliana settled the little girl on her lap before she picked up her napkin and dipped the end into a glass of water.

She whispered to the girl as she wiped her hands free of flour and pressed a little kiss on an upturned cheek.

It was a simple gesture. A gentle expression of affection.

And yet, Uberto felt his heart seize up, and his lungs lock in a breath of air.

Emiliana pointed across the table at him and the little girl peered out at him from under her long bangs.

He was moments away from gasping for air when she raised her hand and waggled her fingers at him, offering him a gap-toothed grin.

When Emiliana’s gaze lifted and met his, he found himself floundering. He should say something. He should do something.

But for some reason, he had lost the ability to remember what they were.

The little girl had more aplomb than he did. She gave him another wave and laughed when he didn’t reply yet again.

Emiliana joined in with the laughter as she had done so many times when he was the focus of the joke.

And yet he didn’t have an ounce of anger in him, nor did he perceive it as a slight. All he could feel was a light lift of laughter in his chest and the muscles of his heart contracted at the sight of Emiliana with a child in her lap.

He saw her eyes as she looked down at the little girl and pressed a kiss on the backs of her hands. Peals of laughter erupted from the child and all eyes turned to their little table.

Maria rushed back to them with a basket of bread and set it down. “So sorry,” she apologized, “I hope she didn’t bother you.”

“Nothing to worry about, Maria.” Emiliana cuddled the girl to her chest. “We were having a little talk.”

“Oh?” The young mother relaxed visibly. “I’m so relieved. She’s quite a handful.”

Uberto looked from the girl to his mate sitting so close on the chair before turning back to Maria. “What is her name?”

Flushing with maternal pride, Maria gestured to the little one. “Renatta is our first and a special joy for us.” She set her hand on the upper curve of her belly. “Daniel is hoping for a boy next.”

Uberto felt something tug at his heart, a soft and unexpected emotion. “Boy or girl, I hope you will have a healthy child.”

Maria’s bliss mellowed into a soft wistful expression. “Grazie, Uberto. Thank you for your kind words.”

Maria turned to Emiliana with an unspoken question in her eyes, but Ana shook her head. “Go ahead and leave her with us, Maria. We’ll be happy to keep her here.”

The woman barely managed a nod before she walked away and disappeared into the kitchen. Worried that he’d upset her, he turned to Ana.

Her smile made him frown.

“What?”

She shook her head. “You don’t know your own power, do you?”

Before he could answer, she waved at him to hold his silence.

“What do you think, Renatta?” Emiliana gestured toward him. “Is Uberto a scary, scary bear?”

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