Page 95 of Sin and Redemption

My family visited in the afternoon, and the moment Mom spotted Ambra, she burst into tears, which led to more tears from me, and soon from Inessa and Alea.

I could see Maximus, Flavio, and Dad exchange looks of confusion and had to laugh.

“Tears of happiness never made sense to me,” Flavio said with a shrug as he came up to me and gave me a one-armed hug so as not to hurt Ambra.

“She looks squishy.”

“She’s the most beautiful baby in the world,” Mom contradicted. Dad came over and hugged me too. He didn’t cry, of course not, but I could see that he was touched by the sight. “My little girl’s now a mom. I can’t believe it.”

To be honest, sometimes I caught myself thinking the same. Maximus’s proud and adoring expression whenever he looked at Ambra was almost the best part of becoming a mother.

“Next time, you should stay close to a hospital on your due date,” Dad said with a laugh.

“Who knew it would go this fast?” I said with a shrug. The movement made Ambra stir and open her eyes, then she did her little newborn scrunch. Dad and Flavio pretended to grab something to drink when I helped Ambra latch on and only returned when I was done breastfeeding her.

“Mom, do you want to hold her?”

Mom nodded with wide eyes and carefully took Ambra from me. “She’s the cutest. These chubby cheeks almost make me want another one.”

Dad’s expression made us all burst out laughing.

“Almost,” Mom said and rolled her eyes. “I like the number four.”

“How many do you want?” Inessa asked me, nosy as always.

“Maybe four.”

“I thought a Trevisan trio was what we were going for?” Maximus exchanged an amused look with Dad, who shrugged.

“Cancio women get what they want.”

I smiled, content in the knowledge that Maximus wouldn’t mind four.

The next day, Isabella came over for a visit, which made me particularly happy since I worried that friendships would be harder to maintain now that I was a mom, especially since my friends didn’t have kids yet.

“And people call me dramatic,” Isa said with a smile as she entered our apartment. “But I would never give birth in a forest.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t plan for that to happen.”

“Well, it will be a story that’ll make the rounds.”

“Not the first time I get caught in the rumor mill,” I muttered. But I didn’t feel bitter anymore. Right at this moment, I saw things from a new perspective and my priorities had shifted.

Isa bent over Ambra and stroked her dark hair with a finger. “She’s really cute. Almost makes me want to have one of my own.” At my shocked expression, she added, “One day in the distant future.”

“Is there someone who might become the father?” I asked, not even trying not to be nosy. Maximus had gone into the kitchen to give Isa and me some time to talk. Her bodyguards waited in the hallway. There was nobody to overhear us, and Maximus wouldn’t care anyway.

Isa wasn’t promised, and she’d never shown any obvious interest in anyone. For a while, I’d been convinced that she was into girls, but she insisted that wasn’t the case. She was always very close-lipped when the topic came up.

Isa let out a sarcastic laugh. “Not even close. Maybe I’ll just rock the single mom gig. I’ll use a sperm donor, so Dad won’t have reason to kill anyone.”

“That would give you the prime spot in the rumor mill.”

“It’s what people expect from me, considering who’s my mom. So why should I disappoint them?”

“Do what makes you happy.”

She blew out a breath. “Happiness is overrated.”

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