‘You made me a baby brother with all your kissing!’ Cai shouted. ‘Just like Imran’s mummy and daddy.’
Belle
‘Yes, we did, Cai-baby, although we don’t know yet if it’s a brother or a sister,’ I said to our son, who looked ecstatic as I grinned at Alexi’s look of shock and awe.
I hadn’t intended to tell Cai or him today. I’d only taken the test this morning to confirm my suspicions, and I was still reeling from the news myself.
The wedding preparations had been insane in the last few months after Alexi had insisted in Milan we marry as soon as possible. It must have happened during one of the many stolen moments we’d shared—in the shower, on the balcony, by the pool at night, and even one memorable moment at the test track in Nice after the rest of the staff had left for the evening—while frantically juggling our careers, family commitments and the wedding preparations.
We must have jumped the gun before the contraception I had started taking had become fully safe. We hadn’t planned this, hadn’t spoken about having another child, yet. But we had spoken about having another child eventually. Alexi was such a brilliant father, and we had both agreed we didn’t want Cai to be an only child.
But hearing Alexi speak about Remy, standing over his grave, had just made it seem like the right moment to share the news. Why was I keeping it a secret? I’d married the man of my dreams today, and while I’d said my vows to my husband I’d felt Remy’s presence by my side and had heard his voice in my head, laughing and saying, It’s about damn time you finally kept your promise to me, bellisima.
‘If I have a sister, can she play racing cars with me?’ Cai asked, swivelling his head between the two of us.
‘Of course she can,’ Alexi said as he rose to his feet—still looking a little shell-shocked. But then he leaned close, gripping my cheeks with his usual confidence while sandwiching our son between us.
The broad smile that spread across Alexi’s impossibly handsome features made my chest feel tight as Cai wriggled furiously and started to giggle.
‘Galanti girls like racing cars too,’ Alexi said to our son as he wriggled free. ‘And I’ve got the bestest Galanti girl of all,’ Alexi whispered against my mouth, before wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off my feet.
He swung me around, to Cai’s delight—and a spontaneous laugh burst out of my mouth to match the joy I could no longer contain bursting in my heart.