"Grandpa! Grandpa, come!" Julian shouts, grabbing my index with his small finger, being the only thing he can fit into his tiny palm, and pulling me outside on the patio where I've promised him we will play.

He's five, and he's the one keeping us on our toes from sunrise to sunset and when I tell us, trust me, "us" is super extended, from Marciano and Genny to Mike and Tea, and the rest of us, his slaves. I swear this kid is our beginning and our end.

My cute grandson grabs the ball in his tiny hands, running back at me and stumbling along the way, his ball rolling away while he cushions his fall with his hands pinned to the ground.

"Nothing happened, boy! Stand up, Julian. Grab that ball," I tell him in a rush, attempting to take his mind away from the fright of falling.

Which worked. I'm proud of my boy, he's brave, and I'll always support him to grow that courage in him.

"Grandpa," I hear Emillia calling me and I turn around towards her while Julian's ball is rolling at my feet.

"Hey, sweetie pie," I say with a beaming smile, stretching my arms towards her while she gracefully walks to me.

Emillia is another revelation of our extended family. We're more unrelated blood members in this family and the best of them is this little girl, who completely has my heart wrapped in the sweetest love possible.

I don't know how, but she's the best copy of my Eve when she has been her age. The same warm heart, the same maturity, and hell, the same stubbornness packed in this little brat. What is different? This little Emillia has no fear, I swear. She's always calm and daring, always teaching us a lesson about how life should be loved and not feared.

"How are you, sweetheart?" I ask, lifting her in my arms as she plants a kiss on my cheek, circling her arms around my neck, being careful that she doesn't drop the lollipop.

"Grandpa, I need you to be calm so we can act with a clear mind, alright?" she speaks, nodding her head and looking deeply into my eyes.

"Okay," I say.

"The baby is coming," she replies to my complete oblivion of what she's trying to say.

I raise my eyebrows at her in expectation, hoping she'll come up with more details for that.

And then the wheels in my head get in motion, growing dreadful anxiety in my chest, realizing what she means.

"Oh, my God! Oh, My God! The baby!" I shout, dropping Emillia from my arms while she rolls her eyes as if she has been sure all along about my reaction.

I turn around and fetch Julian, lifting him with one arm and grabbing Emillia's hand with the other.

My hands are shaking and sweating, running inside the house and pulling the poor kid after me who doesn't look thrilled at all, busing herself with her lollipop.

"Emilia, I need you to be brave and listen. Call your father and tell him to meet us at the hospital. Julian, don't panic," I rattle while I drop Emillia's hand and jump up the stairs, running towards Eve's room.

"Eve! Pumpkin!" I yell before even getting close to the door.

Pushing it open I see my sweetheart baby girl pinned with her hands on the bed's frame, leaning in front and exhaling loudly, a pool of broken water laying on the floor between her legs while she turns tearful eyes to me. A tense frown between her eyebrows is shadowing her beautiful smile.

"Daddy..." she whispers to me and my heart breaks into millions of pieces at the pain she must go through and my inability of taking it away from her.

"I'm here, pumpkin. Dad is here, sweetheart," I reply with hiking confidence, doing my best to look in control.

While I rush to wrap an arm around her back and help her to stand up, my beautiful wife comes in, looking glorious and royal-like always, a bright smile gracefully laying on her face and love beaming from her eyes while shifting her look on Eve.

"Alright, you two. Calm down. Mamma is here. It's not like this is the first time and we have had plenty of drills, haven't we? Lucas, help Eve downstairs. Emillia, did you call everybody?" she immediately takes control over the things while grabbing the bag that has been previously prepared for this event and checking that all necessities are there.

"Come on, sweetheart. We'll be at the hospital in no time," I say, lifting Eve in my arms to carry her to the car while Becca follows me, holding the hand of a very absent Emillia, licking the fucking lollipop. Or at least this is what I've thought.

"Mia, did you make the calls?" Becca asks again.

"Yup. Papa, grandma Genny, grandpa Marce, aunt Tea, and uncle Mike. Exactly in this order," the kid replies as we're already out of the house walking to the car parked at the front door.

"Well done, principessa. Now help Julian and get both of you in the car on the back seat," Becca orders, opening the passenger's door where I gently put my daughter. Before I walk away, she clenches her fists in the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer and yelling from the bottom of her lungs while another contraction is piercing her womb. (Princess).

"Oh, God!" she yells, and tension clenches my temples.

"Come on, Lucas. Drive. Contractions are already stronger," Becca says while taking Eve's hands in hers to release me from her grip.

I run around the car, Emillia already sitting in the back, impassive, like she's in another world than us.

With everybody in the car, I turn on the engine, not before leaning the passenger's seat on the back and helping Eve sit more comfortably.

"Breathe, baby. Breathe, sweetheart," Becca keeps saying at a slow and even pace of her voice, encouraging all of us to keep fuck calm!

Calm down, Lucas! I keep telling myself and while I know it's nothing different my baby girl hasn't gone through before, my heart is shattered every time the space is pierced with her shouts.

I'm insanely driving, squeezing between the other cars, changing the lanes with every possible space I can find, abandoning my right hand to the deadly clenches of Eve and the left one controlling the steering wheel.

"Dad, slow down. This baby won't come before we reach the hospital," Eve says.

"Well, I fucking hope not!" I reply with clenched jaws.

"Dad!" my daughter scolds me.

"Lucas!" Becca shouts at me at the same time with her daughter, both scolding me for the curses I'm spitting with each fucking word I speak.

A few minutes later, I'm finally pulling the car in front of the hospital's main entrance, jumping out while Enzo is already there.

He opens Eve's door, lifting graciously his wife in his arms.

"Hey, amore," he says once he has her to his chest, planting a kiss on her forehead, keeping an insanely controlled mood which rewards Eve with a completely different spirit, her eyebrows relaxing and a beaming smile spreading on her face while eyes are completely glued to his face. (Love).

"Hey, handsome," she replies while Enzo walks with her inside the hospital, nurses and doctors showing in as we, the rest of us, follow them.

The medical staff takes Eve in a wheelchair through some doors to a room and I walk confidently towards it.

"Lucas, let's wait here for a moment," Becca says, grabbing my hand and stopping me. "Give them a moment," she begs, looking at me with soft eyes.

"He did this!" I shout at her, anger building up, eyebrows frowning, and jaws clenched. "He did it again!"

"Of course, he did, love. They are married. This is what you do when you are married, Lucas," she replies and glues herself to me, curling her arms around my neck while mine automatically wraps around her waist.

I look over Becca's should to the two kids sitting quietly on the plastic chairs in the waiting room, Emillia sucking on her lollipop and Julian playing with his car toy.

Mike and Tea walk in, rushing to us while I pull Becca stronger into my hold as if someone wants to take her.

She untangles herself from my arms and turns towards Tea.

"How is Eve?" Tea asks, hugging Becca while Mike pulls me into a strong one.

"She's okay. At least that's how she looks. Enzo is inside with her," Becca replies now looking overwhelmed by the event.

I've always been amazed by her strength to keep calm and clear-minded when needed, letting her emotions free only when she's alone or out of sight of the people involved.

"She'll be okay, Lucas," Mike says reassuring me, patting strongly my shoulder while I nod, completely phased off, my mind traveling only behind those doors where my daughter is.

"Where's my granddaughter?" I hear Marce yelling from the door, showing up in his wheelchair, pushed by Genny.

Yeah, Marce had the bad luck of a stroke a few years back and unfortunately nailed him in a wheelchair, having to avoid even a minimal effort.

Genevieve has stood by him and I'm pretty sure she would die by his side, being the nicest wife one can find. She stoically handles everything and makes sure Marciano is missing nothing, especially love and care.

He sounds angry when asking for his granddaughter. My kind of man! While everybody is playing happy-happy-joy-joy, Marce and I are the only ones understanding what my daughter is going through.

Or at least that's what I think. I mean, we... neither of us... I mean, no... I have never been pregnant, but the pain of my daughter is our pain. It's that or Marce and I are two stubborn crazy bulls, feeling possessive with whatever belongs to us. Like belonging only to us.

"Marce, stop shouting," Genny scolds the angry old man while he waves one hand in the air.

Becca walks to them, giving Marciano one hug and then to her mother.

"She's in the delivery room. Enzo is with her," my wife says.

"Well, he better be, motherfucker," Marciano growls.

Fuck, the man is a pack of nerves. Sometimes I'm wondering if Eve is my daughter or his because I know better than anyone the hard times Enzo has had with his father since he's Eve's husband.

We're all waiting for more than two hours when Enzo comes out of the delivery room, shoulders bent in front, face white and tired.

From time to time, Eve's shouts are piercing the silence of the waiting room, making us either jerk, sigh deeply, or squeeze our eyes. The waiting becomes unbearable.

Without gracing us with a look, Enzo leans against the wall next to the door, rubbing his hands on his face and running his fingers through his soft hair.

Six pairs of eyes lock with his in question.

"Still little. The doctor says she still has a little more," he whispers in defeat.

Genny takes one cup of coffee she has brought earlier and walks to him, handing him the magic liquor as an injection of strength.

"Hang in there, sweetheart. She'll be fine," she tells him, cupping his cheek with one hand.

"I swear this is the last one even if I have to cut it off," Enzo replies.

"Yeah... yeah..." Genny replies, laughing in disbelief and mocking the weakness Enzo has for his wife, walking away to take her seat back to Marciano's side.

Enzo gulps the coffee in one move and returns to the room, leaving us again in expectation.

Another hour passes by before we hear the last roar Eve releases from the bottom of her lungs, making my hair stand up for the millionth time today.

And after a moment of silence, we can hear the cries of a new baby born coming from inside. It's the second we all jump from our spots, some bursting into tears others cheering with joy and relief.

It's done. It's over. It's yet another moment when our extended family grows bigger with another soul.

My eyes sting with tears, Becca is glued to my chest, wrapped around my neck while I bury my face at the base of her neck, hiding my shattered eyes and tears.

A few minutes later Enzo shows up again, his face shining, and a stupid goofy smile is spread on his lips.

"It's a girl!" he shouts at us, and we all cheer one more time.

Yeah, I forgot to tell you they refused the idea of knowing what was the gender of their baby before it was born. The old-style thing.

Eve is soon taken to a private room where Enzo helps her to clean after she takes a few hours of sleep, while the baby is taken for the usual checkups.

Enzo has never left her side, he's the one that helps her clean up, dress up, stand up or lay down back on the bed.

Finally, in the evening, we may all see her.

I let Becca walk in first, then Genny follows, pushing Marciano's wheelchair, and then we are next. Or last.

She's my daughter, for fuck's sake! And this Enzo... this...

"Lucas, calm down, love," I hear Becca whispering to me while we get in, I, walking proudly and stiffen, missing to hold my pumpkin and Becca with her arms wrapped around my own, squeezing lightly each time she feels me stressed.

Mike and Tea said they would wait till some of us got out.

I see my daughter sitting on the bed, leaning against the pile of pillows on her back, her newborn baby girl in her arms while she's flanked left and right by Emillia and Julian.

Enzo sits on the edge of the bed with one arm wrapped around her back, holding Julian with the other, looking like an all mighty god protecting his most important treasure between his arms.

"Dad," Eve calls me and I smile, walking towards her and once I'm near, I plant a kiss on her forehead and then on the cheek of my new baby granddaughter.

"Meet Carol, Dad. Carol, this is grandpa," my daughter whispers and I can't hold my tears anymore.

Fuck, I feel them forming just fine and I must have grown fucking old because I'm doing nothing to stop them.

I shift my eyes from my granddaughter to her mother, meeting her soft, smiling eyes piercing into mine, resembling so much of my beautiful wife, and I'm thinking that this is exactly how Becca must have looked when she has given birth to Eve, that one moment in my life that I'll always regret having missed it.

I brush some strands of hair away from her forehead.

"How do you feel, pumpkin?" I ask her in a whisper.

"I'm feeling fine, Dad," she confirms.

I can't get enough of watching my beautiful daughter, surrounded by her three children, radiating joy and happiness, constantly losing herself in the love that Enzo always showers over her, and yes, I can say my daughter has done great.

Actually, she did amazing. She's the perfect copy of her mother... upgraded.

I can never ask for more in my life. I have Becca, my forever beautiful woman that has never deceived me. I have Eve, my perfect, strong little daughter who is now bringing more joy into our lives.

And I have these three little devils, squeezing the life out of me while I'm melting like butter every time I have them around.

I feel Becca wrapping her arms around my torso, sitting next to me on the two-seat sofa while we both watch Eve enjoying the perfect world of her family.

With one hand I press Becca's head on my chest and plant a kiss on her forehead while we both admire our daughter.

"She did good, didn't she?" I ask Becca in a whisper.

"Yeah... She did. Actually, she has done much better than we have... three times better," Becca says with gratitude while we both can't take our eyes away from our daughter, sitting surrounded by her three kids.

The end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, this was it! The love story of Enzo and Eve, one love story to shatter even the coldest hearts.
Thank you for reading.
Hugs and kisses ❤️❤️❤️