The Legacy (23 page)

Adagio parts his lips from mine and I press my face in the
hollow of his neck. Sighing contentedly, he holds me close, and
I lose myself in his warmth. For a while now, we have denied
ourselves emotions that can’t be helped by either of us. We've
spent so much time together during the past three and a half
months,
the
feelings
that
have
grown
between
us
were
inevitable. Now there is no more denial, only acceptance.

Adagio draws back slightly, lifting my chin with his finger.
“Do you really love me?”
“I really do.”
“You do?”
Smiling, I nudge him playfully. “I do.”
“Slow down, we haven't even gotten to that part yet.”
“Adagio!”
Laughing, he touches his lip to mine whispering, “I have
something to ask you,
amore
.”
“Okay.”
“Would you mind if we sat out on the porch swing?”
“Not at all.”
There is a mild breeze as we step outside. It tousles his
already tousled hair, making it look wildly perfect. Taking my
hand, he rocks the swing gently. “I don't want to be alone
anymore, Cisely.”
“Neither do I.”
“I need you in my life, more than I have ever needed
anything. I want you by my side always.” Taking a small, black
velvet box from his pocket, he places it in my hand.
“We will have a good life together,” he says, opening it.
“Will you have me, Mrs. Kelly? Will you take my name and
share my life?”
I nod. “Yes.”
With a teary smile, he takes the oval solitaire from the
box. The stone is surrounded by tiny emeralds. “This was my
mother's ring. My father gave it to her and before she died, she
gave it to me, probably hoping I would give it to my future
wife. I've never had a desire to give it to anyone until now.
Don't ask me why I have it with me because there really is no
answer. I have always taken it with me wherever I've gone. I
suppose for luck. Call me crazy.”
“I would call it fate,” I whisper.
“So would I,” he says, touching my face.
“It's very beautiful.”
“I stopped on the way here to get it cleaned and polished
a bit. If it doesn't fit, we can have it sized.”
I gaze momentarily at the ring with its glittering platinum
setting. Removing my wedding rings, I put them in the box,
staring at them another moment before closing it. I am trading
one ring for another–trading the symbol of one man's love for
the other. It's odd that it should feel so right.
Adagio places the ring on my finger. It's a perfect fit. He
brings my hand to his lips, and then gently draws me against
him, wrapping his arms around me.
“I love you, Cisely.”
“And I love you.”
As he presses his mouth to mine again, I literally feel his
love through his kiss. A familiar warmth flows through me and
I draw back a little. Looking into his eyes, I see that he feels it
too.
“This is right, isn't it?” I ask in awe.
“It is,
amore.
”
“Would it be terrible of me to say I'm a little afraid.”
“No, because I am, too.” Pressing a kiss to my forehead,
he whispers, “We are very blessed to have each other.”
“We are,” I agree.
“Everything will be different now,” he breathes. “Think
we are ready for the change?”
“I'm definitely ready.”
“So am I.” He brushes a lock of hair back from my face.
“I have needed you in my life longer than I wanted to admit. It
has been hard being so close to you every day, unable to share
my true feelings. Some moments have been agony because of
wanting to tell you so badly, but I was afraid of scaring you
away. And I worried about betraying Ingo. No matter how I
tried, the longing was always there.”
“I have needed you too, though I didn’t want to admit it
either. It frightened me to need you so much.”
“There is no need to be afraid anymore.”
“No,” I agree. “There isn't.”
“So, what should we do now?”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as we’re together, anything is
fine.”
He
smiles,
softly
touching
his
lips
to
mine.
“Well,
whatever we decide, I think we should at least share our news
with Jessica. Where is she, anyway?”
“She
went
down
to
the
boutique.
She
wasn’t
really
scheduled to go in. I think she just wanted to give us some time
alone. She talked to me this morning about not fighting my
feelings anymore.”
“She did, huh? Well, remind me to thank her when we
see her.”
“I already did, but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind hearing it
from you.” Reaching up, I bury my fingers in his hair the way
I've wanted to for a long time. “It was the best advice she could
have given me.”
“I agree,” he says closing his eyes, leaning into my touch.
We keep our arms twined around each other, my head
resting against his shoulder, and silently revel in our closeness.
Now that I am wearing his ring, I never want to let him go.
“Cisely?”
‘Mmmm?”
“Ingo told me about Jessica leaving you the house in her
will, and I know how much you love it here. That being the
case, once we are married, if you want us to stay here it will be
all right.”
Warmed by his concern for my feelings, I say, “I do love
it here and I always will, but Italy is your home, so it will be my
home, too. I'll admit it makes me a little nervous to think about
moving away, but I will follow you anywhere, Adagio, and
wherever we are will be home.”
He
rests
his
forehead
against
mine.
“You
mean
everything to me, Cisely,” he whispers. “Everything.”
“And you mean everything to me.”
His hand slides down to my stomach, pressing gently.
“And I promise to love this little one like he is my own.”
Covering his hand with mine, I lightly trace the masculine
veins beneath his skin. “I know you will. You will be a great
dad.”
“Thank you,” he says humbly. “I will do my best. I owe it
to Ingo.”
A melancholic sadness briefly touches me. “Ingo would
have been a great dad. He was a great man.” Gazing into
Adagio’s eyes, I touch his face. “Now you can do what he
can’t.”
“It will be a privilege.”
Falling into a comfortable silence, he continues to caress
my stomach, causing the baby to move. “Wow!” he says,
feeling a firm kick. “He is a strong one. Maybe he will be a
soccer player.”
“He's really active and gives me some pretty hard ones.
Maybe he will be. Will you teach him?”
“It will be one of the first things on my list to do with
him when he is old enough.” He lets his hand follow the baby’s
strong movements for a while longer before finally lacing his
fingers between mine.
“When do you think you would like to be married?” he
asks.
Longing to start a life with him, I would marry him
today
if I could and it still wouldn't be soon enough, but I have to be
reasonable and plan. “How about a month after the baby is
born? It will give us time to prepare and get mine and the
baby’s things sent ahead of time. And maybe my figure will be
half way back to normal by then.”
He gives me a warm smile. “It will be difficult, but I guess
I can hold out that long.” His thoughts are transparent, his gaze
causing warmth to spread through me because my thoughts are
the same.
“Besides,” he adds, “it will be enough just to be with you
and know you will be completely mine soon.”
“I feel the same.” I caress his face, not able to resist
touching him. I love touching him, and having him touch me.
Looking at me intently, he opens his mouth to stay something,
then stops.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Well . . . I don't how to say this except to just say it.” He
twists a lock of my hair around his finger. “Cisely, I have never
. . . you will be the first for me . . . the first and only.”
I am touched by his need to share this with me. Of
course that fact would have eventually been known, but I am
still amazed and grateful for his moral principles–principles that
I once lacked. “And you will be my last.” I silently study his
handsome face for a moment. “You know, my minds keeps
bringing up the same questions. Why am I so lucky? What have
I done to deserve this? To deserve you?”
He pulls me against him, tightening his embrace, pressing
his lips against my brow. “I ask myself those same things.
“What have I done to deserve
you
? I have no answer. But I
know we are meant to be together now.”
“I feel the same.”
Adagio says nothing more. He doesn't need to because I
know his heart and he knows mine. We are beginning a new
chapter in our lives. I can't believe how much everything has
changed in a matter of months. The changes have been painful,
but the tender mercies have been wondrous.
“Well,” Adagio says, “shall we go and share our news
with Jessica?”
“Sure. I’m ready whenever you are.”
He helps me up, immediately pulling me into his arms.
Holding his face between my hands, I am freshly amazed at the
love I see in his eyes. I am tempted to feel guilty for loving him,
but a deeper part of me knows Ingo wouldn't begrudge us the
happiness we've found in each other.
Adagio
presses
his
mouth
to
mine,
kissing
me
passionately. And as the passion of our kiss grows, so does my
longing for him.
He draws back slowly. “I promise to never hurt you,
Cisely. I will try to be a good husband. I know I can never take
Ingo’s place in your heart, nor would I even try, but I do
promise to love and cherish you always.”
“And I promise you the same.” My thoughts drift as I
contemplate the fact that I am not alone anymore. I will be
sharing my life and raising my child with the last person I ever
expected to be with this way. And he is perfect for me in every
way.
When I am quiet a little too long, Adagio asks,“Are you
really all right with this, Cisely? Do you think we are moving
too fast?”
I smile, shaking my head. “No, I don't. I want to be your
wife. I was just thinking about how much you have filled the
space in my heart . . . and I hope Ingo truly understands.”
“He does,
amore
,” he says, brushing a hand against my
cheek. “This is right. A week ago I was not sure about anything.
Today I am sure about
everything
.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kiss him again. A
sudden kick from the baby interrupts the moment.
“Okay, little one,” he says, rubbing my stomach. “I will
stop for now, but we are going to pick this up later.” As if the
baby understands, he makes another small movement and I
chuckle, grimacing slightly.
“I think he got that.”
Entering the house to grab my purse, I stop for a
moment and rub the ache in my stomach. It soon fades and I
can't stop the grin spreading across my face. I am happy and in
love, and nothing will be the same again.

Adagio meets Cisely at the bottom of the stairs and takes
her hand. Walking out onto the porch, her step slows. Holding
her stomach with one hand, she grabs Adagio’s arm with the
other.

It
takes
her
a
few
seconds
to
answer.
“It
was
a
contraction. I've been having them on and off for a couple of
days now, but . . . not like this one.”

Adagio puts his arm around her and waits for the pain to
pass. “Come. Let’s go and sit.” He walks her into the living
room and eases her onto the couch. Sitting down next to her,
he lifts her legs, placing them across his lap.

Leaning back against the pillows, she releases a deep sigh.
“Thank you. I think if I sit here for a moment I’ll be . . .”
Before she can finish, another contraction hits and it's
much sharper than the first. Looking at his watch, Adagio starts
timing them, just in case it is real labor. When she has another
contraction a couple of minutes later, he says they should head
to the hospital.
“Where is your bag?”
“It’s in my bedroom closet on the floor.”
Locating the small suitcase she packed a couple of weeks
ago, he hurries down and sets it by the door, and then goes
back to Cisely.
“Can you walk?”
“I think so.” She tries to stand, but another contraction
hits and she moans, gripping his arm.
When the pain passes, he lifts her in his arms and carries
her out to the car. He leans the seat back, making her as
comfortable as possible. Putting the suitcase in the back seat,
he quickly gets in and heads to the hospital.

Adagio reaches for my hand and I squeeze as another
pain comes.
“It's going to be okay, baby.” His voice is soft.
Nodding, I concentrate on breathing deeply and it helps
to make the pain a little more bearable. Beads of perspiration
cover my forehead. At the squeeze of my hand, I open my eyes,
taking in the worried look on his face. “I’m okay, my love.”
He smiles a little, kissing my hand. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. And I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
Adagio's relief is audible as we approach the hospital. He
pulls up to the entrance of the Women's Center and parks the
car, then walks me into labor and delivery.
The pain is so intense, I can hardly think. My water
breaks and the nurse calls my doctor. When Dr. March arrives,
Adagio waits in the hall while she checks me. He comes back
and she tells us it won’t be long. She is also surprised at how
fast my labor is progressing with it being my first baby. Adagio
sits on the edge of the bed, holding my hand. With each
contraction, I grip his hand so hard, I am sure there will be
bruises. He kisses me, brushing the hair from my face. Another
contraction comes and I breathe through it, never taking my
eyes from his. His presence sustains me and his comforting
strength makes me love him even more.
When Judy tells us it is time, Adagio moves to leave and I
tighten my grip on his hand.
“Don't go. Stay with me . . . please.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod, breathing through another contraction. He stays at
the head of the bed with me, whispering words of comfort
against my ear as I begin the stage of pushing. I latch on to his
added strength with each breath I take and each contraction I
push through.
Then our son is born and neither of us can hold back the
tears.
Relaxing against the inclined bed with my face pressed
against Adagio's, my thoughts shift to Ingo and I try to imagine
his joy at the moment, wondering if it is anything close to mine.
I will forever be grateful for the part of himself he left behind.
“You did it, Cisely!” Judy says, squeezing my hand.
I smile, relief flowing through me. “Is he okay?”
“He’s absolutely beautiful and perfect.” The nurse cleans
the baby off, weighs him and places him in my arms. “He's
eight pounds, three ounces. Not bad for being a week early.”
“He’s so beautiful!” Adagio says, caressing his soft cheek.
“He is,” I tearfully agree.
“So, what’s the little guy’s name going to be?”
Meeting Adagio's loving gaze, I smile. “Ingo Kelly St.
John.” Adagio and I made the decision on the way to the
hospital. In our hearts we know there can be no other name.
“St. John?” Judy questions.
“Adagio and I are getting married. He will be Ingo’s
father.”
“Congratulations to you both!” There are tears in her
eyes.
“Thank you,” Adagio says, kissing my lips softly. “I am a
very blessed man.”
“Amen to that,” Judy says with a smile.