“Would you like to name the baby?” she asked, trying to draw him out.
“Hmm?” Rome almost sounded bored.
“Name her. Give her a middle name. I already gave her the name Maya so it would be nice if you chose her middle name.”
He shrugged. “Okay.”
Arie looked at him askance. “Okay? Is that all you have to say?”
He glanced at her. “What? You want the middle name right now?”
“Well, no, but you could at least sound interested. It’s like I’m nagging you or something.”
“Your words, not mine.”
“So I’m nagging you? Talking about little Maya is nagging?” She gave him the full focus of her glare. “Come, be honest with me. Are you sure you’re up to this adoption? Because, if not, nobody’s holding a gun to your head. You can always back out.”
He threw her a frosty glance. “Don’t even go there.”
“But I have to. You’ve been acting so weird, I don’t know what to think. I…” She lifted her hand, almost in a pleading gesture, then she dropped it back onto her lap. “I’m sorry, Rome. I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just that you’ve been so cool lately, I don’t know what to think.”
She glanced over at him, expecting him to defend himself, but he said nothing. She saw when he drew in a breath then let it out. She saw his brows knit as if in deep concentration but still, he said nothing.
Finally, despite the fear that gripped her heart, she decided to ask the questions that would determine the course of the rest of her life. She swallowed. “Rome,” she said, her voice low and tight, “do you want out? Are you having second thoughts? Do you want to call off the wedding?”
It was that question that finally got a rise out of him.
She saw when he gripped the armrest between them and his jaw clenched. “Arie,” he said, his voice hard as flint, “don’t ever ask me a question like that again. That’s bull and you know it.”
“But I have to know,” she threw back at him. “I need to know how you feel. You’re not talking. And in the last couple of days you’ve been so weird.”
Rome glanced at Arie then away again but in that quick second she could see the depth of emotion in his eyes. When he spoke his voice was low and firm. “No matter what, Arie, always know this. I love you and there is nothing that will make me walk away from you.”
And those words were so simply spoken, but with such conviction, that she could no longer doubt that they were true. Her lips softened in a tremulous smile and she reached out to lay a hand on Rome’s shoulder. “And I love you,” she said softly. “I love you so much.”
He looked at her again and this time, to her relief, he was smiling. “I have the perfect name for our little girl.”
Arie’s eyes widened. “You do? But I just asked you about it. You haven’t had much time to think.”
He shook his head. “I don’t need to. I want to name her after a very special lady in my life.”
“Oh? Who?”
“My grandmother, my nonna. Her name is Agnesia Ismirelda Belaflore Milano.
Arie looked at him askance. “And you want to name Maya…which one?”
Please, God, don’t let him say Agnesia. The fact was, Arie didn’t like any of the names, but how could she tell Rome that, after she’d jumped on him for not seeming enthusiastic about giving Maya a name?
“Agnesia,” he said and gave her a proud grin.
Arie almost fell back in her seat. Never gonna happen. There was no way she was going to name her daughter Agnesia. How could she break it to him? She sucked in her breath. She would just have to be brutal. It was the best way. “Rome,” she said with a shake of her head, “I’m sorry but I’m going to have to go back on my word. You are not naming our baby Agnesia.”
Instead of the protest she’d expected Rome burst out laughing. “Got you, didn’t I? Come on, Arie. Give me some credit. I wouldn’t be so sadistic as to saddle a twenty-first century kid with a name like Agnesia.”
That made Arie sink into her seat in relief. “Whew! Thank goodness you were only kidding.” Then she punched him on the leg. “And don’t do that again.”
He chuckled. “Oh, come on, honey. A guy can have some fun.” Then as he sobered he said, “But I do want to use one of those names.”
Arie’s grin disappeared. “You do?” It was going to be Ismirelda. She just knew it.
“I’d like to name her Bella. You know, from Belaflore.” He gave her a gentle smile. “I know she’s going to be bella, just like her mommy.”
That made Arie’s heart melt. “Aaw, that’s so sweet.” She leaned over to touch her lips to Rome’s cheek. “Thanks, honey.”
The mood lightened, for the rest of the journey Rome and Arie exchanged light banter, with Arie teasing him about diaper-changing duty and Rome throwing it right back at her. On the outside she was laughing and g*y but inside she was nervous as heck. Soon she would have Maya in her arms and she didn’t know what to expect.
What if the baby didn’t like her? What if she cried? What if she refused to even come to her? And, even worse, what if the baby sensed that she knew next to nothing about being a mother?
She glanced at the man sitting beside her. And what about Rome? What did he know about being a father? And then the thought made her smile. Rome would make a wonderful father. She just knew it. She could imagine him holding Maya to his chest, rocking her to sleep, humming soft lullabies as she drifted off into slumber.
Surprisingly, it was that thought that finally put her at ease and for the rest of the journey she was her normal self. With Rome by her side she was sure everything would work out just fine.
And it did. When they finally arrived and Arie walked into the reception lounge of the orphanage Rome was holding her hand, and when the associate escorted them down the hallway to the nursery he was with her every step of the way.
But when they walked in and she saw the nurse holding Maya all dressed in pink, Arie slipped her hand from his, her heart thumping, an involuntary smile on her lips. She was finally seeing her baby again.
And she was beautiful.
Little Maya Bella soon-to-be Milano, all pink-faced and chubby with black curls peeping out from under her bonnet, was smiling and bouncing in the nurse’s arms and when she saw Arie approaching she showed no fear, only curiosity. Instead of turning away or crying at the approach of her visitor she bounced even harder, almost jumping out of the nurse’s arms. She was like no other ten-month-old Arie had ever seen. By this age most babies had developed a healthy fear of new faces, but not this one. Maya Bella was all smiles.