Page 123 of Beautiful Desire

Turning my head, I look back at him and nod. “She’s perfect.”

He nods his head as a gleeful smile stretches across his face. Turning to walk out of the room, I cradle Lily close to my chest, never wanting to let her go. How can my heart swell so much for someone I just met? Fabi is hot on my heels as we make our way back to the front door.

As we walk out of the house and back to the car, I say, “Let’s go. I need to reunite my girls.”

“Shit, there’s no car seat,” Fabi says as we slip into the backseat.

Pinning him with a deadpan look, I tell him, “If you think I’m letting her out of my arms until she’s back with Elle, you’ve got another think coming.” Flicking my attention back up to Marco, I say, “Precious cargo on board now. Take it easy.”

I manage to buckle myself in one-handed while holding Lily close to my chest, inhaling her sweet baby scent. As we drive away from the house, I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell. When I unlock it, the screen lights up. I scroll through my contacts until I find Elle’s name and press dial. The call barely gets through the first ring.

“Dom?” I hear her frantic voice come through the phone, waiting for me to tell her everything’s okay.

The idea that this somehow may have ended up going differently causes a large lump to form in my throat, preventing me from speaking.

“Dom, are you there?” she asks again, her voice raw with emotion.

Clearing my throat, I reply, “I’ve got her. We’re coming home.”

No sooner are the words out of my mouth, I hear the heartbreaking sobs of relief come through.

“Really? She’s okay?” she asks.

Looking down at Lily, I reply, “She’s perfect, fiore. We’ll be there soon, and you’ll see for yourself.”

“Okay,” I hear her whisper through tears of joy. “See you soon.”

And with that, the call ends. I slip it back into my pocket, and my focus automatically returns to Lily. She’s still wide awake; her eyes move as they track over my face.

When she starts cooing, I smile down at her, and a small laughing sound comes from her, causing my heart to swell ever more than before.

“Now there’s a sight I never thought I’d see,” Fabi says as I feel his eyes watching us.

“Thanks for everything, Fabi. I owe you my life.” My voice is thick with emotion as I try to hold it in.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to truly explain how much he’s helped me from the first time we met.

“You don’t owe me anything, brother. Just promise me this time you won’t let either of them go,” he says as his eyes flick down to Lily and then back to mine and he raises a brow.

“They aren’t going anywhere,” I reply in a firm, determined tone.

The remainder of the car journey back to Fabi’s house is made in complete silence. I can’t pull my eyes away from Lily. I sit watching her intently, taking in every hair on her head and every flex of her tiny body in my arms.

I almost forget Fabi and Marco are here until we drive through the gates of his compound.

“You’d better hold on tight. You’re going to have to catch Elle too once we stop,” Fabi tells me.

When I look up at him, he inches his head toward the front of the car, where I see Elle running down the front steps before taking off in a sprint toward us.

The closer we get, the clearer she becomes, and I can see just how red her eyes are from crying. Using my free hand, I unbuckle my seatbelt as Marco stops the car. Within seconds, Elle starts pulling at the back door, tearing it wide open.

Her hands fly up, covering her mouth as her cries become louder. She starts falling to the ground, but I move quickly, sliding out of the car and catching her with my free hand. Feeling my hand on her arm, Elle reaches out and takes Lily, holding her close to her chest. A warmth I’ve never felt before spreads through me as I pull them both into my arms and drop my cheek to rest on top of Elle’s head.

I’m not sure how long we stand here for, but this moment is too big to disturb, so I soak in every minute of having them together in my arms for the first time.

After a few minutes, Elle pulls away, looking up at me with a relieved smile. Her voice cracks from the raw emotion running through her when she speaks.

“Thank you for bringing our baby back to me.”

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