“You forget—I’m a farm girl,” she’d said with a smug grin, pleased to surprise him for a change.
Nine months before, when she’d conceived this baby via surrogacy in San Francisco, she could never, ever have imagined a life this wonderful was in her future. She’d thought then that she’d be lonely and grief stricken forever. She’d never dreamed she could be this happy.
Now as the three-wheeled Ape truck took them out to the edges of the estate, she put her hand over her forehead, blocking the sun from her eyes, and felt her whole body relax beneath the warm hazy light.
She’d forgotten how much she missed this, being out on the land. For two years, she’d been cooped up in an office in the big city. She was comfortable here as she hadn’t been in San Francisco, or even in glamorous Venice. She liked wearing farm overalls. This was so much like her childhood. So much like home. So much like before—
Rosalie caught the thought in its tracks, shoving it away before it could clutch at her heart.
No. She wasn’t going to think of the past anymore, only the future. She looked at her husband, driving the two-seater pickup truck beside her. Everything had changed. Their baby was due any day now.
In the last few weeks, she’d learned so much, living in a new country, meeting new friends. But farm life had felt somewhat familiar, at least, and she’d started to learn Italian, thanks to daily lessons arranged by the villa’s housekeeper.
“You feel this land,” Alex said, watching her as she walked through the even lines of growing vines. Stopping, she looked at him.
“I love this place,” she said honestly. “It’s almost like home.”
Almost. Her family had raised crops like alfalfa and melons. She still didn’t know much about viticulture or vendemmia, the autumn wine harvest. But she could only go forward, not back. She’d try to accept this new country as her own.
She’d never think of what she’d left behind. Never.
With a sudden frown, Alex tilted his head. “Should you be walking so much?”
“Waddling, more like,” she sighed.
Coming closer, her husband pulled her into his arms. “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”
Rosalie let him hold her, accepting his comfort and warmth. She was already three days past her due date. Her Venice doctor had been temporarily lured to a small private hospital nearby, at an exorbitant rate. The doctor was checking on her daily now. If Rosalie didn’t go into labor soon, she’d been warned she might need to be induced, which sounded like no fun at all. To be honest, nothing about labor sounded terribly fun. Except the end, when she’d finally hold their baby in her arms.
Pulling away, she gave her husband a rueful grin. “Walking is good for me. Dr. Rossi said exercise might help me go into labor.”
Lifting a dark eyebrow, Alex looked down at her wickedly. “She suggested other things that might help too.”
She snorted a laugh. “You can’t mean—”
Cupping her face with his hands, he lowered his lips passionately to hers. His embrace was fierce as his strong arms wrapped around her tenderly. When she finally pulled away, she looked up at his handsome face in wonder.
Warm golden sunlight was bathing the countryside, making it glow. And it gilded Alex most of all. He looked so handsome, gazing down at her, almost as if he—
As if he—
No. Rosalie couldn’t let herself believe it. Just the thought caused a twinge deep inside her.
“Let’s go back to the villa,” he whispered, running his hand suggestively down her back.
“In the middle of the day?”
“Why not?”
“Gabriele and the rest would be shocked if—”
But as she turned to walk away through the vines, she felt the hard twinge again, and a moment later, she sensed it a third time. There was an ache in her lower back that she’d been ignoring all day. She suddenly realized what it was. She stopped in the middle of the row. She turned back to him with an intake of breath, her eyes wide, holding her belly.
Alex looked at her face. She didn’t have to say a word. He rushed to her, scooping her up in his arms.
“I can walk,” she tried to tell him, but he was implacable.
“No, cara,” he said gently. “Let me help where I can.”