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"You're right. Dammit. We're gonna need the cash out of my purse then."
"We can use the baby as payment," Jacob suggests playfully, making me laugh.
"I'm sure we can. I'm sure Nonna will give us whatever we want," I look down at my daughter, "for little Chiara."
Jacob smiles, smoothing my hair. "I couldn't have imagined a more perfect name for her."
"Me neither. But let's not tell Nonna until she's handed over the vodka. Deal?"
"Deal." Jacob agrees, pressing a kiss to my lips before we both turn our attention back to our sleeping baby.
Chapter 30
Jacob
Two weeks later
Nothing like a team dinner to get two spit-up-covered, sleep-deprived parents out of the house on a Friday night.
The Chicago June weather is surprisingly cool as I wait for Gabi to emerge from our apartment building's lobby. I lean against the brick exterior, gazing up at the sky filled with stars and feeling a sense of peace wash over me.
I never thought I would be a father so soon, but now that Chiara is here, I can't imagine my life without her. Not to mention the woman who made all of this possible.
Gabi.
She's been nothing short of amazing as a mother.
As expected, we've had our moments of wanting to cry as much as Little Chiara has. But seeing the mother of my child hold our daughter in her arms and watching their bond grow stronger every day fills me with joy.
It’s a joy I'd never known was possible. It’s a family I never imagined having.
I turn as I hear the click of heels on the pavement, my eyes automatically finding Gabi's familiar figure. In a black dress that fits her womanly and now-fuller frame, she looks like a goddamned dream.
Her dark hair hanging in loose waves around her shoulders, she smiles at me, her emerald eyes lighting up in the dim streetlight. I let my gaze linger on her, feeling my heart swell with love and my pants swell with something else. Something that's been happening a lot lately.
Especially when Gabi reaches for me, her manicured hand resting across my slightly open dinner jacket as her green eyes lift to meet mine.
"Hey there, daddy," she purrs, in that low, husky voice that always sets me on fire. "Chiara's asleep. The baby nurse said she'll be down for the night."
I nod, feeling a sense of relief knowing that we can actually have some time to ourselves. As much as I love our daughter, it's been a whirlwind adjusting to parenthood and I miss having alone time with Gabi.
In the two weeks since we've been parents and I've been on leave from work, we've barely had a moment to ourselves. But for now, it's just us.
I wrap my arms around her and pull her close, breathing in the familiar scent of jasmine and vanilla. I can feel her smile against my chest as we stand there for a moment, just holding each other.
"You look beautiful," I murmur into her hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Thank you," she says softly, pulling back to look up at me with those mesmerizing eyes. "I feel like a cow most days, so I appreciate that."
"Huh. I've never seen a cow that made me think the things I am right now."
"And what kind of things would those be?"
"Things our doctor wouldn't approve of before your six-week check-up."
Gabi rolls her eyes but laughs, a sound that's like music to my ears. "You say that to me right before our fancy dinner with the team?"
"Hey, I can't help it if you look too damn good. Plus," I squeeze her closer to me, "we can always celebrate with the team some other time."
