“Ready for lunch?” Giovanni asks as he comes out of the waters just off the coast of Sardinia, where we now call home. The man is hunk to the extreme, looking like Daniel Craig’s famous beach scene in Casino Royale.
“I’m ready,” I say, my pulse quickening up as I’m beyond nervous.
Gio towels off as I put out the plates and silverware for our lunch here at the beach.
My eyes lock on Gio as he casually sits down on our beach blanket and reaches for his silverware. “I need a spoon to eat my pasta. What’s this kazoo?”
I almost spit up my wine, laughing when I was just so tense I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath.
“It’s not a kazoo, goofy.”
“What is it then?” He pauses. “Wait a minute here,” he says, turning it over and I watch the gears in his mind spin in real-time as he realizes just exactly what it is. “It has a plus.”
I nod, a smile overtaking my face.
“You mean?”
I nod again.
Giovanni practically tackles me as he covers my face in kisses. “Sorry, sorry, sorry. I have to be more careful now that…” he rubs his hand over my belly. “I knew it. I just knew we made a baby that first time.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“I do, because I know we’re perfect for each other, and that’s how it works.”
I shoot him a questioning eyebrow.
“You trust Daddy, right?”
“Never doubt Daddy,” I say, repeating his mantra.
He gives me a big hug and just holds me. “Timing really is everything, and like I said our timing is perfect.”
“It sure is.”
“One second.” He eases off of me, pulling his phone from the picnic basket and hitting one button. “È tempo,” he says.
“Time for what?” I ask, having picked up more and more Italian words thanks to living with him.
Not a minute later a cigarette boat comes speeding down the coast before turning toward us. I see two people waving their arms at us like they know us, but we don’t really know anyone here other than the cashiers at the grocery store and some waiters and waitresses. We’ve spent our entire first month here just enjoying each other and only each other.
As the boat gets closer I make out a face that I know can’t be who I think it is. “Either the wine or the sun is catching up with me,” I say, shaking my head.
“No, she caught up with you.”
I stand, Giovanni taking my hand as I practically feel dizzy all of a sudden. “Is this really happening? I mean, what the…”
“Gaby!” my mom yells, jumping off the boat and running through the shallow water to me.
“Hey, Gio,” dad says, as Giovanni helps him with the anchor.
“But mom, you…” I say, not returning her huge hug.
“Honey, are you kidding me? I’d never leave you and your father. It was all a ruse.”
“A ruse?”
Gio shakes hands with my dad and puts his hand on his back as they walk toward me.