Sierra's POV
I was laying in bed on my side. I've been awake for quite some time. Nico was still asleep and throughout the night he landed up with his back towards me, slightly touching my enlarged belly.
For some reason, it still all feels like a dream. We've been married for 2 months now and I'm entering into my 25th week of the pregnancy. It has been absolute bliss.
I began running my fingers along his arm then caressing the side of his neck which was causing him to stir slightly. As I did this, I could feel that familiar butterfly fluttering effect happening inside of me. She's moving around.
Nico shifted a bit, preparing himself to turn over to face me when a very distinctive movement escaped my belly and impacted against his back. He froze for a bit before rolling his body halfway to look at me.
"What was that?" I could see the excitement in his eyes. He suspected but he needed my confirmation. I smiled affectionately at him before replying.
"Your daughter saying good morning."
He rolled over the rest of the way, propping himself up on his forearm while I shifted onto my back. He pulled down the covers then lifted my tank top. I watched as he placed his hand flat on my belly and remained as still as he could. Not long after, there was another notable kick against his palm and the reaction on his face was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
It was more than just a surprising excitement. It was as if feeling her reacting to him, made it all sink in deeper. Like, it all hit him harder that this was happening and it wasn't going to be taken away from him.
The movements inside my belly were becoming more and more as she heard Nico's voice. He chuckled while caressing my stomach.
"I'm starting to think you're going to be just as feisty as your mother. You are going to give a man a hard time one day and I wouldn't have it any other way." He spoke to her as he lay his head just below my chest.
Major was asleep with Angel in their plush bed on the ground but the second he heard Nico's voice he was on top of ours. He came to kiss my hand before settling with his head on my leg. He watched Nico interacting with our child and when he got a glimpse of her movements, his head would shoot up. After some time, he began playfully barking at my belly. He would spin then bark and the whole time the movements picked up, giving me a heavy sensation on my bladder.
"Oh, you are definitely your mother's child." Nico chuckled before lifting himself to hover over me.
"And you are going to be just as beautiful as her too." He spoke while looking into my eyes.
He dipped his head down and connected our lips, gifting me with a breathtaking kiss. I felt him lower himself over me as he moved from my lips to my jaw, followed by open-mouthed kisses down my neck.
"I love you so fucking much. What did I ever do right to have you and our little girl?" He spoke before planting a few more kisses underneath my earlobe.
I turned my head slightly to unite our lips again, my hands cupping his face this time. He pulled back before kissing me on each cheek, my nose and then my forehead as I giggled away.
I sat on the couch with a blanket over my legs as I tickled Major's tummy. Niccolo went to the warehouse this morning as he needed to organize some shipments for his father. I've noticed Dominic giving him more responsibilities over time and it has been amazing to watch Nico take it all in stride and fall right into his place.
It took some convincing to have Nico go in today. He has been trying to work as much as he can from home, especially now that I've reached my 38th week. I was pretty much immobile. He wouldn't do anything being here except watch me vegetate.
I looked at the time on my phone. It was reaching four in the afternoon. Nico called an hour ago informing me he needed to head to the pub to sort out a few staff issues. Elena has been doing a splendid job watching over the pub alongside Cami who looks after the club. Tino changes between the two when he has time to check on things.
I lay my head down on the pillow and pulled the blanket further up, sinking deep into a peaceful slumber.
"Baby?" I could hear his faint voice before feeling a light tickle on my arm, running up to my neck.
My eyes fluttered open and I saw his gorgeous face.
"Hey," I mumbled.
I sat up, allowing him the space to sit down next to me. He immediately grabbed my shirt by the arm and pulled me closer to him.
"Where do you think you're going? I missed you today." He wrapped his one arm around my waist while the other placed itself over my neck and cheek, pulling me into him.
His lips attached to mine with a desperate force, his tongue flicking against my bottom lip almost instantly. I shifted myself closer to him, granting him the access he requested. He pulled my legs over him, seating me sideways on his lap. He departed from my lips, planting feverish kisses along my jaw and down my neck where he nibbled on gently, a moan passionately escaping me.
His hand moved up my bare leg, reaching closer to my core which was calling out for him. Just then we felt a few kicks, hitting his stomach, causing him to halt. His hand retracted itself as he quirked a brow at me before glancing down to my enlarged belly.
"Please, for the love of God, Princess, do not be like your Aunt and cockblock me on a regular. I'll give you this one, but no more." He huffed as he spoke.
I burst out into a bout of laughter as I cupped his face and kissed him hard.
"I fucking love you!" I muttered into his lips.
"I love you more." He kissed me back a few more times before pulling back.
"You know what we do need to do? Choose a name for her." Nico mentioned as he placed his hand flat on my tummy.
"Mmmm, you're right. We should do that." I placed my hand over his.
"Have you thought about it at all?" His free hand drew circles on my arm as he spoke.
"A little. Nothing definite though." I shrugged my shoulders in thought.
"I've got a suggestion."
"Well then, speak, babe."
"I'm always telling you that you lit up my darkness. You helped me see when I was blinded from finding my way back. Now, I do believe this gorgeous little girl lit the path for us to come back to each other. So, I began looking at the names meaning 'light'. How does Luciana sound?" He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
I could feel the tears in my eyes stinging my corners.
"Niccolo, that is beautiful. I love that so much. And yes, she definitely was our light. She's mine every single day." I looked down at my belly with my hand still on top of Nico's.
"Luciana Rose De Luca." He whispered into my ear.
I pulled back slightly as I narrowed my eyes on him.
"Rose?" I muttered. He nodded with an extended smile.
"Your mother's second name was Rosa, meaning rose, not so?"
"How did you..." I trailed off, the tears now falling down my cheeks.
"I spoke with Rafael at the warehouse this morning. I was curious." He shrugged his shoulders trying to blow it off. But there is no way he could blow this off. His gesture, his constant determination to be a part of my past life while we build our future one, no matter what it holds... It all meant the world to me. He always manages to surprise me with his beautiful ways.
I couldn't speak and I simply grabbed his face with both my hands and kissed him lovingly. I then pulled back and brought him into a tight hug as my arms wrapped around his neck.
"Thank you." I managed.
"For what?"
"You always think of me in everything that you do. In everything that we do. It's always for me and, as I've said before, I've never had someone do that." I muttered in between my light sobs.
"Well, get used to it, baby. It's going to be that way for the rest of our lives together because that's what you do when you love someone." He wiped my tears away before kissing my forehead.
"I'm hungry," I uttered into his chest after some time.
"Well, let's get you something to eat then." He got off the couch, holding me in his arms in a bridal style. He carried me into the kitchen then gently set me down on the ground.
"What do you feel like?" He asked me as he opened the fridge to look at the contents within.
"Anything, babe. What is-" I was cut off when a sharp and strong pain shot through me, traveling from my lower back around my abdomen where it intensified.
I let out a short, hissed scream. Nico immediately turned around to see me crunched over with my hand on the counter, barely able to stand.
"Sierra, what's going on?" He rushed around the counter to me where he wrapped his arm around my waist in an attempt to assist me.
"I think she wants out," I said with a heavy and breathy voice.
"Really? Isn't it too early?" I could see his eyes widening as his mind began to race.
"Many are born-" another stab of pain penetrates through me.
"Fuck!" I yelled out. "Nico, car. Now!" I instructed him, using as little words as possible.
"Ok, baby, just relax. The Dr told us we need to remain calm when this happens." He tried, his hands in the air as he tried approaching me. It looked like time was standing still and he was in the slowest of motions.
"Niccolo, I'll show you calm when I fucking stab you if you do not get the damn car! I don't give a fuck what the Dr said! He can come here and feel these pains then I want to tell him to calm-"
"Holy shit!" I screamed again as another contraction came through. Niccolo's eyes were bulging, clearly, my dialogue was affecting him, yet he stood frozen in place.
"Niccolo, have you ever delivered a baby?" I spoke through gritted teeth.
"What? No. No!" He began stuttering slightly.
"Oh, ok. Do you want to learn quickly?" My voice was a low rumble now.
His eyes furrowed together as he eyed me out.
"Because if you do not get your fucking calming ass in gear, this baby is coming right here, right now!" I growled at him.
"Ve a buscar el puto auto (Go get the fucking car)!" My growl was turning into a full-blown roar at this point as I started feeling the other contraction hitting.
"Whoa!" Nico remarked as he finally began moving.
"Ok, I guess we're not doing calm then." He spoke as he promptly walked past me.
He didn't take long before he had the car out front with the packed hospital bag in the boot. He returned to the kitchen, assisting me as best as he could, stopping once while another pain hit.
Nico had his hazards on as he swerved through the traffic, arriving at the hospital in record time.
He ran inside with me in his arms and soon after a nurse appeared with a wheelchair. Everyone worked efficiently to get me prepared for the delivery. Nico sat beside the bed, holding my hand.
"Let's try the breathing exercises. Calm-" He attempted again.
"For fuck's sake!" I groaned as another contraction began rippling through me. I squeezed his hand tightly while the other held the beds railing.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Nico stood from his chair as he attempted to free his hand from my grip.
I fell back onto the bed when the contraction subsided. Just in time, when Aria and Dominic walked into the room.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Aria asked me with a soothing voice.
"I'm fine, I think." I breathed out before turning to her.
"However, the same cannot be said for him." I tilted my head in Nico's direction. I noticed his head pop up in shock at my comment.
"Whether your son makes it out alive or not when I murder him, I cannot guarantee." I huffed, my breathing becoming completely irregular.
Aria giggled, a clear understanding of my mood swing. She looked up at Nico, quirking a brow at him.
"What did you do?" She asked him.
"What did I do!?" He repeated exasperated.
"I just tried telling her to keep calm." He looked at his mother, confused by his words.
Dominic whistled mockingly behind Aria before chuckling.
"Oh, boy. Son, come take a walk with me. Let's have a chat." Dominic encouraged him, edging him to get away for a breather and allow both of us the time to settle.
I could hear Dominic as he walked out of the room with his arm around Nico's shoulders.
"Rule number one. Never ever use the word calm around a woman. Especially when they are devilishly incoherent."
Nurses kept coming back and forth to check how far along I was, each contraction getting worse. My throat was sore from the yelling and crying I had done up until now. Aria sat beside me on the bed, pampering a cold-pressed cloth on my forehead and trying to keep my mind off of the pain by conversing with stories of my mother as an intern.
"I think it's time." The one nurse popped her head with a massive grin.
"What? No, no, no. I can't do this. He isn't here. I need him here."
I could feel myself panicking, not sure if I was emotionally strong to do this alone. I've been alone all my life and for once I didn't want to go through a life-changing moment by myself. But one of the main reasons I was losing grip was due to the fact that I didn't want to take this away from him. I refuse to be anything like that stupid ex of his. I refuse to allow him to miss anything else that he deserves to witness. I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks as I shook my head at Aria.
"Sweetheart, you need to push. I will go find him and I promise you he will be here before she is born. But you cannot stop the motion of things, you will only harm yourself and definitely the baby." Her voice was so soothing, so celestial.
I began nodding quickly as she proceeded to leave. I followed the nurse's instructions and tried my best not to think of the fact that Nico wasn't here. I pushed a few times before the door swung open and Nico rushed to my side.
"Nico, I am so sorry for the way I acted. I didn't want to chase you away. I am so -"
I was cut off as I felt the need to push again as the pain erupted inside of me. I lay my head back against the pillow.
"I can't do this. It hurts. It hurts so much. And I'm scared. What if I'm not cut out for this? I mean, half of my DNA is that horrid man's. Oh, God, I can't do this." I felt the air hitching in my throat every time I tried taking a breath.
"Hey! Look at me!" Nico's voice was different. It was more authoritative, more determined and stern.
"You are nothing like that monster. I don't give a fuck what DNA he provided you with. You are the spitting image of your mother, in every way! You are going to make a remarkable one and I've seen it every time you have been with Alessia." He was caressing my cheek as he spoke.
"And you don't need to apologize for anything, baby." He brought my hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it.
"Now, bring our little girl into this world. She wants to meet her beautiful mother." He leaned over and kissed my head as I closed my eyes and pep talked myself, repeating his words to myself.
"This will probably be the last push, darling, but I need you to do it now." The Dr ordered.
I nodded and gathered myself to deliver one final push, all my remaining strength uniting to deliver our baby. It wasn't long before her distinguishing cry sounded out around the room. I fell back as Nico tried catching a glimpse of her, his face a portrait of happiness.
I let go of his hand, an indication for him to go and be with our daughter. He gave me a loving smile before rushing to her. Soon after, he returned with a bundle in his arms. He leaned over and placed her on my chest. She was fidgeting, her tiny arms and legs jerking about.
"She's beautiful," I whispered, admiring her every feature.
"Of course she is. Have you seen her mother?" Nico's playful voice caused a smile to form upon my lips.
"You did good, baby." He whispered as he tickled Luciana's tiny hand, the point of his finger fitting her whole palm.
"We did good." I watched him, tears falling down freely from my eyes. He looked up and immediately connected our lips.
"I love you, Sierra." He whispered into my ear before kissing my temple.
"Knock, knock." A voice came from the door before it opened slowly, revealing Aria and Dominic.
"Come in, Mamma. Come meet your granddaughter." Nico spoke softly as he picked her up from my chest and carried her over to Aria.
Aria quickly squirted some hand sanitizer, rubbing it into her hands, before lifting Luciana from Nico's arms. Her face softened and her eyes glassed over as she admired her. Dominic stood behind her, his hand resting on her hip. He looked over her shoulder, his eyes beaming with all the love I've seen him display to date.
"She's gorgeous." He cooed over her.
"She is. Well done, sweetheart." Aria looked over to me as I lay still and watched them.
"You got your shotgun ready, son?" Dominic looked at Nico, a smirk pulling on his mouth.
"Shotgun? Ha! Now that I understand it all, I'm following Easton's game plan. I'm placing a hitman on our payroll." He countered back with a serious tone and expression causing me to giggle.
I sat back and appreciated the beautiful family before me. Nico walked over to me, tilting my head to the side with his finger, allowing himself with better access to kiss me lovingly. He then shot me a quick wink before laying himself on the bed beside me, pulling me into his embrace. We watched as Aria rocked with Luciana on the couch, Dominic sitting on the couches arm, as they both relished in their granddaughter's presence.
Finally, I had a moment where I could say I belonged somewhere. I had a purpose and I deserved this. I deserved to have a family. It shouldn't have been taken away from me., but now I have a family. My beautiful family.