Page 130 of Beauty and the Daddy
Because Luca's already in there.
Luca stands beside the crib he assembled with his own hands—after a two-hour battle with Swedish instructions that nearly ended in homicide.
His palm smooths over the rail like he's blessing it, or maybe checking for the thousandth time that it's sturdy enough to protect what's most precious.
The sight of him—this dangerous man preparing a safe space for our child—does something to my chest.
Makes it tight and warm and impossibly full.
I lean against the doorframe. "Admiring your handiwork, Papa?"
He turns, and his face softens in that way it only ever does when it's just us. "Checking it's sturdy."
"Sturdy," I echo, walking in and brushing my hand over the sage-green sheets. "Baby's going to be ten pounds at most, Luca, not a battering ram."
"You'd be surprised," he says, but there's a smile tugging at his mouth.
The peace settles in my chest, warm and dizzying. At last, I let myself believe this is real.
"You've made it safe," I say, softer than I mean to. "You've made it ours."
His arm slides around my waist, pulling me against him. "It was always yours."
Before I can answer, little feet slap against the hardwood and Sofia bursts into the room like a confetti cannon.
She makes a beeline for the crib, peeking over the rail even though it's empty.
"I'm so excited the baby isn't a secret anymore!" she blurts, spinning to face us, eyes sparkling.
I choke on a laugh. "Sofia?—"
Luca blinks. "Wait. What do you mean, 'isn't a secret anymore'?"
She gives him the most incredulous look, like he's just asked why the sky is blue. "Why, Daddy, Mama and I had a secret."
My jaw drops. "You little traitor!"
"Daddy knows now, so it's not a secret anymore," she insists, smug as can be.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Luca looks like we've kicked him out of some club.
"She told me not to tell anybody when she was throwing up all the time. So I didn't. Girls only club." Sofia throws him a knowing look.
Luca's brows shoot up, and then—God help me—he starts laughing.
The kind of laugh that shakes his shoulders, and makes his eyes crinkle.
"You mean to tell me," he says, scooping her up and giving me a look of mock horror, "you and Mama kept my baby a secret from me?"
"Yup." She pops the "p," grinning like she just got promoted. "I'm very good at secrets. You should hire me."
Luca runs a hand down his face like he's questioning all his life choices as he kisses Sofia's cheeks silly. "Unbelievable. My captains can't keep their mouths shut for twenty-four hours, and you held on for months."
She beams, kicks her heels in the air, completely unfazed.
He shakes his head, muttering as he stares at me, "Jesus Christ. Outplayed by a six-year-old and my wife."
I grin. "Don't take it personally. She figured it out herself."
