Ama smiled at him, tears in her eyes. “You make me so happy.”
And she pulled him into the deepest part of the pool.
Inca’s eyes widened when she saw Raff coming into the tea house in the middle of the day. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise …but what are you doing here?”
Raff kissed her hello. “No idea. Como called me and asked me to come here to meet him.”
Inca frowned. “Weird.” But when Como walked in five minutes later, accompanied by a very young, very pregnant young woman, Inca’s heart sank. She knew exactly what this was about.
Como saw her face and held up his hands. “Before you say anything, let me explain. Anitha is desperate. She wants to give her child to a good, kind couple. The baby’s father is
“Stop.” Raff looked astonished. “What’s this about?”
Inca sighed, rubbing her forehead. “It’s about us not being able to adopt a baby. Como, you are the sweetest man, but this is not the solution. Anitha, you look pale. Come sit down.”
She got the young woman to sit and brought her some tea, shaking her head at Como as she walked past. “What are you thinking?”
Como looked disappointed. “Look, Anitha’s mother is my friend. For months now, they have been trying to decide what to do. They’re illegal immigrants, so giving up the child to the authorities would raise questions. I thought …it would solve two people’s problems.”
Inca sat down next to Anitha. She was obviously of Indian descent, too, and smiled shyly at Inca. Inca patted her hand. “Anitha …do you really want to give up your baby?”
Anitha shot a worried glance at Como, but shook her head. “But we cannot afford to keep it,” she said in a heavily accented voice. “I cannot work and my boyfriend, he doesn’t earn enough for rent, let alone a baby too. We have to be practical.”
Inca’s heart broke for the girl. She glanced at Raff and an unspoken connection passed between them. Inca sighed. “Look, Anitha, Como …we can’t be party to an illegal adoption. That’s not something we would ever consider. But we need to talk, Raff and I. Como, can you bring Anitha back tomorrow and we’ll tell you what we’ve decided?”
At home, Raffaelo and Inca talked until the early hours, then fell asleep in each other’s arms, satisfied they were making the right decision for them.
“If I weren't so desperate to see Sera, I’d be loathed to get on this plane,” Ama said as they found their seats ready for the flight back to Italy. Enda laughed.
“I agree. But don’t forget …we’ll be back sooner than later.”
Ama wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively. “With new toys, maybe.”
“Dirty girl.”
Ama grinned and put her hand on his leg. “I am what you made me.”
Enda tried to argue, but instead leaned over and kissed her. “To next year, cara mia.”
Ama smiled back, her eyes soft with love. “To next year. Or sooner,” she added hopefully and then laughed as the plane took off and carried them home.
Inca took Anitha’s hands. “Sweetheart, we’re not going to take your baby. It wouldn’t be right for any of us. What we are going to do is help you and your boyfriend. Raff is going to hire your boyfriend to work in one of his hotels, and when you’re ready, there’s a job waiting for you too.” She looked at Raff, who nodded, smiling. “And when you want to go back to work, you can count on me helping out with caring for the baby. We’ll get you back on track, okay? This isn’t charity; we expect your boyfriend to work his ass off. But everyone needs a break sometimes, and we are in a position to be able to help with that.”
She took a deep breath in as Anitha stammered and thanked her. Inca met Raff’s gaze and nodded. They knew they had made the right decision. So, kids weren’t for them. But they would make sure Anitha’s child, even though she was a stranger to them, had a good start in life. A chance, Raff had said, and Inca had agreed.
Como was looking at Inca with respect in his eyes. She got up and hugged him. “I know you meant well, Como, and for that, I thank you.”
She let out a deep breath. “And now, I’m afraid, we have to deliver this little pest.” She mussed Sera’s hair fondly. “She goes back to her mom and dad. Ama and Enda should be home any minute.”
Ama flew out of the car and gathered her daughter up in her arms, swinging her around. “Oh, nugget, I missed you.”
“Not that much,” Enda joked in a stage-whisper. Sera stuck her tongue out at her dad, knowing he was teasing her. He took Sera from his wife’s arms and hugged her. Ama embraced Inca.
Inca smiled at them both. “Well, don’t you look …radiant.” She grinned, obviously guessing exactly what they had done on their vacation. Ama smiled and winked at her.
“You know it.”
Sera moaned to be held by her mother again, so Enda handed her over. “Have you been good for Auntie Inca?”
Sera nodded. “Auntie Inca was going to have a baby, then the lady said she wanted to keep it, so Auntie Inca said she would give the girl a job and her boyfriend needed to give his ass away, or it would fall off.”
Inca gaped at Sera as Enda and Raff burst into laughter. Ama looked both amused and confused. She grinned at Inca’s red face and nodded towards her daughter. “Ears on sticks, brains like sponges,” she told her friend and tucked her hand under Inca’s arm.
“How about we go inside and talk about it?”
And the two families—who were really one family—went inside to talk, and laugh, and love.
The End.
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©Copyright 2018 by Michelle Love - All rights Reserved
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About the author
Michelle Love writes about smart, sexy women and the hot alpha billionaires who love them. She has found her own happily ever after with her dream husband and adorable 2 year old.
Currently, Michelle is hard at work on the next book in the series, and trying to stay off the Internet.
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