December

I was looking through my phone when Rose came back from the restroom. Our flight had been delayed another hour for the third time and I was beginning to wonder if we would ever make it to Rome today. We were both exhausted, up since four o'clock this morning. I knew the plane wouldn't be the best place to sleep but at this point, I did not mind.

"Everything good?" I asked Rose.

"Yeah, although I might have to go again in fifteen minutes," she chuckled. "Do you think Ginger misses us?" she asked, earning a small laugh from me.

We left Ginger with Lauren for the two weeks we would be gone and Rose kept asking me that question since we left her there last night. If Ginger didn't miss us, Rose surely missed her. I was fairly certain that Ginger was too busy playing with the kids and being spoiled rotten that she did not have time to miss us. Like clockwork, Lauren texted me a picture of our dog. She was in the backyard with Riley, playing in the fresh snow. I showed Rose and she smiled.

"Oh, my baby," she said. "I miss her already."

"Lauren says she's eating good and that she's been sleeping in Riley's room all night."

With the anxiety Ginger had developed, Rose was worried that she wouldn't eat in her absence and that maybe she would be whining and barking, looking for her. So far, so good. I thanked Lauren for the update and told her we were still in Dulles International, waiting for our flight. She sympathized and asked me to inform her once we were in Italy.

Once we were in the plane, four hours later than we were supposed to, Rose fell asleep against my shoulder ten minutes after takeoff. I tried doing the same but couldn't find a comfortable position. I browsed the movie list and picked one randomly. Staring at the small screen did its trick and I fell asleep too. I woke up two hours later. Rose was reading next to me. I put my hand on her thigh to let her know I was awake and she looked up at me. I smiled sleepily.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I woke up 30 minutes ago and you were sleeping deeply so I guess maybe an hour or two."

"How do you feel?"

"We're fine," she said with a smile. "I just need to pee again. Ridiculous," she mentioned as I got up to let her go to the restroom.

We landed in Rome in the middle of the night, local time. We went straight to the hotel room, took a quick shower to wash the long day of travel off and crashed into bed. I slept deeply but around 7 o'clock, even with the curtains shut, I only rolled around, unable to go back to sleep. Rose was snoring softly next to me and I decided to get up so I wouldn't wake her. With the baby, she needed her rest. Especially if we were to visit the city all day.

An hour later, we went out for breakfast at a restaurant near the hotel. It was delicious and the coffee was out of this world. Rose was disappointed she couldn't have a cup. We spent the rest of the day walking around Rome, enjoying the breathtaking surroundings. We visited Vatican City before having dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant. After dinner, I could see Rose was exhausted and I was beginning to feel the jet lag as well so we took a taxi to the hotel. While Rose was in the shower, I scrolled down the photos on my phone. The amount of pictures we took in a single day was outrageous but the only thing I could see was the honesty of our smiles. I changed my lock screen to the picture we took in front of St-Peter's Basilica. I stared at it for at least a minute and heard Rose coming out of the bathroom, her hair in a bun. She collapsed on the bed and closed her eyes with a sigh.

"I'll take a shower and rub your legs. How does that sound?" I suggested.

"Divine," she replied. "I might be asleep by then, though."

"I'll be quick," I said, pecking her lips.

She was indeed asleep when I got out so I would do my deed in the morning.

We spent four days in Rome before taking the train to Florence on Christmas Eve. Florence was magnificent. Its Renaissance history won our hearts the minute we set foot out of the train station.

We visited numerous churches, cathedrals and art museums, nourishing our love for the past civilizations. Even if our passage into Florence was supposed to last but five days, we decided to stay two more days. It was simply too beautiful to leave behind without seeing everything.

Which left us with only two days in Milan before our return to the States. The first morning, Rose woke up with terrible nausea. I told her to stay in bed a bit longer while I was getting ready but I saw her running to the toilet as I was taking my shower. I opened the glass door in a hurry, wrapped a towel around my hips and went to her side. I sat behind her and stroked her back, hearing her retching again and again. She spat the acid taste out of her mouth but stayed over the toilet.

"Feeling better?" I asked softly, my hand going to her stomach.

She shook her head and was throwing up again a few seconds later. I got up to get some water and she stopped vomiting. I could see she felt miserable. She sat there for a while, to make sure it was all over, and finally drank a bit of water. She looked at me and I knew we wouldn't go anywhere today. I helped her up and brought her back to bed.

"You don't have to stay here," she told me.

"I'm not going to leave you here alone," I said.

"Why not?" she asked. "Nothing's gonna happen to me, baby. And I know how much you wanted to see the Duomo."

"I want to see it with you," I admitted, kneeling next to the bed and pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "We can go tomorrow."

"We already have the day completely booked and we're leaving early the next day. Go because I'll feel bad if you don't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. And if I feel better, maybe I can meet you somewhere for dinner."

"Okay," I whispered. "Do you need anything before I go?" I asked.

She shook her head and I kissed her forehead, my hand stroking her stomach. She closed her eyes and I got dressed before taking everything I needed for the day and leaving the room.

She met me for dinner, feeling much better than this morning. I showed her the pictures I've taken during my solo adventure and she listened intently to everything I had to say, looking at me with admiration.

"What is it?" I finally asked her, chuckling.

"What?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're handsome, and I love you."

"Well thank you, you're quite beautiful yourself," I told her and she blushed. "I love you, too."

"I think our baby will be gorgeous," she said, and I took her hand in mine.

"I'm sure she will be," I replied and she smiled.

"She?"

"Just a feeling," I said with a shrug.

She smiled again and we ate, extending our meal for as long as we could. After the restaurant, we took a walk by the Naviglio Grande, holding hands. Festivities were all over the city. It must have been the change of scenery because I didn't realize it was New Year's Eve. Rose looked up at the fireworks over the canal and I stared at her. I wrapped my arms around her and put my chin on her shoulder. I kissed her neck and she leaned into me. I could feel my heart beating fast, just like the first time I saw her in that restaurant. Like the first time she told me she loved me. Like the moment I saw her walk down the aisle.

And now, we were having a baby. Our first baby. I never thought this level of happiness could be legal. It was so intense and perfect, it was almost surreal. The past two weeks spent with her in another country had been magical.

She turned around and looked up at me lovingly. I could've melted on the spot. She got on her tiptoes to kiss me, my arms still wrapped around her. This way, pressed against me, I could feel the small bump that was on her stomach. Almost three months and I still had a hard time believing it. My son or daughter was growing in there. Rose and I made that.

We walked back to the hotel, drank apple juice in wine glasses, and cuddled in bed for a long time. We talked about nothing and everything, enjoying each other's company. We laughed until our stomach hurt, making me realize that my wife was also my best friend. And that I loved her more than anything.

People asked for a sequel and I'm thinking of writing it. Let me know what you would like to read if I do write it. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it! N. xo