Casanova: Marriage of convenience, or is it?
Giacomo entered the room. He was instantly drawn towards the small and soft pink buddle in his wife's arms. He heard the sound of the baby's coos. He slowly walked over to the bed and smiled nervously when Astra looked at him with a small and exhausted smile.
Giacomo carefully sat on his side of the bed and looked down at the little face of his daughter. He grinned ruefully when he spotted the small tuff of dark brown hair on the baby's head.
Giacomo looked at his wife then back at his daughter then his wife. Giacomo felt a new feeling towards Astra bubble up to the surface inside of him; he had no idea what it was. Only that It was powerful and overwhelming.
Astra spoke softly with an exhausted edge to her voice "Giacomo I would like you to meet your daughter. Would you like to hold her?" Giacomo was stunned. He had a daughter.
Giacomo nodded nervously as Astra carefully placed the baby in Giacomo's arms, showing him how to hold the little fragile girl. She winced slightly with each movement.
Giacomo noticed this and asked "are you ok?" Astra waved him off. "Yes I'm fine just a little sore from giving birth as was expected. I after all did squeeze something out of an opening far too small Giac, there was a lot of stretching."
Giacomo flushed with a grimace making Astra smirk. He finally looked closely at his daughter and melted when she gripped the finger he had been using to gently play with her ever so tiny fingers.
He smiled "ah, she has your features right down to your nose and your mouth Astra." Astra added "yes but she has your hair I'm hopping she'll have your eyes too. I'm just waiting for the time she will open her eyes and I'll find eyes the same colour as yours staring right back at me."
Giacomo nodded "so if you get your way it seems our daughters features are replica of yours only with my hair and eyes, instead of your blond locks and your lovely warm brown eyes."
Astra smiled. Giacomo returned her smile as he leaned forwards and placed a gentle but loving and lingering kiss on her lips. He did not realise exactly how much loving and lingering had been behind that kiss. But Astra had. She decided not to say anything.
Giacomo asked "so what are we going to name her. One so beautiful should have an equally beautiful name" he added "I like the name Jocelin." Astra nodded "yes, it is very pretty. I also like Felicite."
Giacomo nodded in approval and asked "how about Jocelin Felicite?" Astra thought for a moment before nodding and replying "yes I like it. It's prefect. She now has a name, Jocelin Felicite Casanova."
Giacomo had a look of awe and love on his face as he caressed the baby soft skin of Jocelin's little round cheek. Jocelin shifted slightly, unknowingly leaning into her father's gentle and delicate touch. Giacomo, he was terrified of breaking the little and fragile baby female Casanova.
Astra commented clearly in awe "I never knew something so tiny and precious could be so beautiful. She is less then half an hour old, and already I cannot help but love her."
Giacomo nodded "I know the feeling. It's so overwhelming how I can whole heartedly and unselfishly love something so fragile in such a very short time. It's a little terrifying."
Giacomo leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss on her tiny button nose. Giacomo melted when her little button nose twitched and she cooed, as the brush of his lips tickled her.
Astra fell in love with the sight the pair made, father and daughter. She watched as they bonded a bond that would become stronger and deeper as the years went by. Astra knew she would be a true daddy's girl.
Giacomo gently placed Jocelin back in her mother's arms and told his wife he would return in a moment. That he would allow her to nurse Jocelin before returning.
Giacomo left the room he was met by his father and brother in law along with Rocco and Henriette. Giacomo smiled "you can all come in a see how Astra and Jocelin are doing, but only for a few moments she is exhausted."
Grimani asked "Jocelin?" Giacomo replied "yes, mine and Astra's daughter, Jocelin Felicite Casanova. Astra is currently nursing Jocelin. She should be finished in a few moments then you can go in and see the baby."
Rocco stepped forward and clapped Giacomo on the back and commented "congratulations Giac. I can see it now; Jocelin will be the apple of her father's eye, a true and proper daddy's girl."
Giacomo added "thanks Rocco. God Rocco she's beautiful and ever so tiny. It's kind of terrifying knowing I helped create such a precious little person. But it's also the most wonderful feeling."
Grimani commented "I presume my niece looks like her mother, blond hair brown eyes." Giacomo commented with a raised eye brow. "Terribly sorry to disappoint you Grimani, but she only has her mothers facial features, where as she has my hair. And Astra is hopping for my eyes, whilst I'm hopping for hers instead."
Grimani looked like he had swallowed a lemon. The senior Grimani quickly added before his son put his foot in his mouth yet again. "Good, I'm glad. It is only right dear little Jocelin should be a combination of both of her parents."
He added "don't forget son, Bella looks like and has Henriette's hair. It's only your eyes she inherited. Nico on the other hand is a replica of you but with Henriette's eyes."
He nodded and concluded "change is good my son. Now the Grimani line will consist of not only blond but now also darker hair. Yes my son change and difference is good."
He turned to Giacomo "I'm relieved son, that my granddaughter has inherited her mother's looks, meaning she will continue on with Ara's, her grandmothers features. I couldn't be more thrilled."
Giacomo smiled sadly. He could just imagine Astra being dead like her mother. And to Giacomo's surprise he felt painfully ill at the thought of Astra not being alive.
He could not explain it. But when he thought of the same thing happening to Henriette, the same heart restricting dread never came. This worried Giacomo, he felt like he was somehow betraying Henriette he did not understand.
Rocco noticed the pained frown on Giacomo's face. He asked "are you alright Giac, you look ill, you've gone awfully pale?" Giacomo shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose and replied "it's nothing I just thought of something that didn't sit well with me in the least. In fact I find the mere notion of what I just thought of occurring, truly terrifying."
Rocco raised an eyebrow at this. Giacomo waved him off and said "I'll tell you later. But right now I think its time you all met the new addition to the family."
Rocco could tell Giacomo was deeply troubled, as he led him and the others inside of the bedchambers. They walked in to see Astra lying back with Jocelin resting on her chest, now having finished nursing her.
Astra looked as if she could nod off at a moments notice she looked completely shattered. Obviously giving birth for the first time had taken it out of her.
Giacomo noticed Jocelin was no longer just wrapped in a blanket. She was dressed in the tiniest white night gown Giacomo had ever seen. He thought she looked lovely.
Astra commented "after I'd finished nursing Jocelin, one of the maids returned and dressed her in this night gown. She was getting cold in just being wrapped in a blanket."
Giacomo slowly walked towards the bed and accepted his daughter from Astra. He gently cradled her in his arms. He gazed lovingly down at the tiny sleeping baby girl.
He slowly walked towards the senior Grimani and asked quietly so as not to wake the sleeping girl "would you like to hold your granddaughter?" Bryant nodded. He held out his arms as Giacomo carefully and gently settled the little girl in her grandfather's arms.
Everyone watched as the older man melted when the little girl yawned. Before shifting slightly then settling in her grandfathers arms, as if you could sense she was save and always would be.
Giacomo said "oh and by the way Astra was wondering, and I happen to agree with her on this. Would you Rocco like to be Jocelin's godfather?" Rocco was stunned and asked "are you serious?"
Astra smiled "of course. I couldn't think of anyone else better for the important role as her godfather. So what do you say? Would you like take on that role Rocco?"
Rocco was stunned beyond belief. He managed to reply, his amazement and disbelief evident "of course, I'd been honoured; it's just come as a shock that you would ask me to take on that role to Jocelin."
Giacomo said "I don't see why not. You'll make a great godfather. I and Astra couldn't think of a better person for the role as her godfather."
Henriette nodded in approval. She had always liked Rocco. He managed to keep Giacomo out of trouble these days, of course with the team work help of Astra. Rocco and Astra were practically the best of friends; they loved ganging up on Giacomo.