Chapter Text
Meanwhile in Milan
“You’re hiding something.”
“And so are you.”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Fine. I won’t tell you mine then. Too bad, I think you’d like this one.”
Alessandro huffed. “First you went away for the entire weekend and now you’re keeping secrets. If that’s how you want to do it, it’s fine with me. You can wait until Vincenzo tells Cha Young. I’m sure she will divulge it all when you have another spa day.”
“Are you seriously jealous of our daughter because I spent a weekend with her?”
He huffed.
“I wasn’t complaining when you and Vincenzo took work trips!”
“That’s different. It’s for work.”
It was her turn to huff. “We don’t have any business in Basel, and I’ve been married to you for more than 30 years, I know that guilty look.”
“Fine fine, I didn’t send ‘Cenzo there for pharmaceuticals. He was there for something more personal. That trip was to close the deal on their new home. The location is perfect, and it has all the features he and Cha Young are looking for.”
After a brief pause, Alessandro continued, “now that you know what I asked our son to do, care to tell me what you and our daughter are doing at the spa? Because spas are not your thing.”
Gianna sighed. “Cha Young is pregnant, there was some bleeding and spotting so she needed some time to relax.”
“Oh…”
Pagliuzza, Malta
2022
Cha Young laughed as Vincenzo carried her to their room.
“‘Cenzo, you should stop this before we both get used to it.”
“If that means I get to spoil my pregnant wife rotten, I’m all for it. I didn’t get to spoil you as much when you were pregnant with the twins.” He pouted.
It was Cha Young’s turn to give her husband a peck. When Vincenzo tried to return the kiss, she covered her lips.
“No! I know where this is going, Jagiya. And believe me, I want to make love to you too, but I don’t think we should be doing that. Maybe not until I stop spotting.”
“No, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Still in baby making mode I see.”
Vincenzo gave his wife a sheepish smile.
It must have been his hectic schedule at work that caused the nightmare. He dreamed he was back in 2011, lonely, without his family. He tried to calm his racing heart by taking deep breaths, all the while careful not to stir too much and accidentally wake up his wife. His pregnant wife who needs all the rest she can get.
He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep after that dream, so he allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. He thought about losing Jae and Cha Young, meeting Cha Young at the cemetery, and the birth of the twins. His life is a lot happier now thanks to her. He hugged her tighter and considered the idea of going back to sleep now that he had significantly calmed down from the nightmare. He was about to snuggle to her when he felt her stir. He looked down and his eyes were met with hers. She blinked a couple of times and he immediately realized that he woke her up. He berated himself internally for waking her and he apologized for doing so.
Her, on the other hand, responded with “I am hungry,” instead of accepting or even acknowledging his apology.
He smiled. It’s time to perform his daddy to be duties. With a smug look on his face, he asked her what she wanted. To his delight, she responded that she wanted bolognese.
Easy, he thought! He will impress her with his nonna’s recipe. A couple hours later and the food was ready. She immediately dug in.
He chuckled at how cute she was and also how proud he is that he is able to do this for her. He was still wearing the smug look on his face, his male ego doing a victory lap, when she looked up at him, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she declared she wanted his mama’s recipe but she should eat it because he made it. He immediately enveloped her into a hug to comfort her as he promised to ask his mama for the recipe first thing tomorrow.
And so it started, he thought. He wondered if she’s also experiencing morning sickness. It was hard on her when she was pregnant with the twins.
The following day, Vincenzo woke up alone in bed. He immediately thought it was a dream, but he realized he was still in Pagliuzza so everything that happened the night before must be real. He wondered where his wife was and immediately checked the bathroom. When he didn’t find her there, he calmed down. At least she’s not having morning sickness, he thought.
With a grin on his face and the thought of his pregnant wife, he started his day. A few minutes later, a freshly showered Vincenzo walked into the kitchen. He was going to hug his wife from behind, but she turned off the stove and started walking away from him.
She went to the washroom, and closed the door. He was momentarily confused, but after he heard her vomiting and sniffling, he figured it’s morning sickness. Wanting to help, he opened the door and let himself in. He found her hunched on the sink. When he tried to get close to her, she used her left hand to push him away as she used her right to hold her hair as she threw up a bit more.
“Get away from me! Damn it ‘Cenzo! I hate you right now,” she said in between retching. “You shower now.”
“I just did.”
“Again!”
“What?!? Why?”
“Shower…” she said as she handed him a bar of soap sitting on near the sink.
“What…you want me to use this?” He sounded frustrated.
“Oh…,” she tried to respond as she threw up.
He walked away. But still confused, he called someone who he thought who could help him.
“Good Morning!” A male voice answered. “You better have a good reason for calling your mama this early.”
“Papa! It’s Cha Young and the baby…”
“Say no more! I’ll come get your mama right away. Our poor daughter. What did you do?
“I don’t know. I showered and now she’s throwing up and doesn’t want to be near me.”
When Vincenzo was finally able to speak to his mother, he understood what he needed to do. He showered in a spare bathroom, lathering and rinsing three times using the soap that Cha Young handed to him.
He found her in the living room. He slowly approached her.
“Cara.”
She stood up from the sofa, took two steps back, and to Vincenzo’s amazement, she craned her neck towards him and sniffed. She took a few steps closer to him, sniffed again and when she didn’t feel nauseous, or the need to vomit, she approached him and gave him a hug.
He chuckled. “Did I pass the sniff test?”
She smiled and nodded. “I’m sorry you had to shower again.”
“It’s alright. Wanna tell me what happened? Mama told me something about a scent that makes you sick, so I figured I just needed to shower.”
A few days earlier…
After the appointment where she heard the baby's heartbeat, Cha Young was excited to tell her husband about the baby. As she was waiting for the twins to arrive from school, she was researching ideas on how to break the news to her husband. That’s when she got a text from Vincenzo asking her to pack for the weekend.
She decided to pack right away so she can focus on the more exciting task of surprising Vincenzo later.
She was packing her toiletries when she accidentally knocked over a bottle of perfume. Thankfully, the glass didn’t shatter, but the top part fell first and accidentally sprayed perfume in the bathroom. It’s all she could smell and it makes her so sick she immediately ran to the twin’s bathroom next door to throw up. She tried going back to the bathroom, but the perfume was all she could smell as soon as she walked in. It didn't take long for her to give up on packing. Sick to her stomach, she stayed in the spare bedroom and called Gianna. The older woman sent a team of cleaners to the penthouse. Once they were done, Cha Young instructed them to throw away the perfume.
Back to present time
“So you threw it away?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to get so sick again.”
“I looked for it for a good half hour. You love that perfume, and I can get my way with you whenever I wear it.”
Cha Young smiled and blushed a little.
“I’m going to stop teasing you. That’s just a little payback for throwing away my love potion.”
And with a snap of a finger, Cha Young’s mood changed. “Love potion…I would hardly call it that. More like poison. Seriously ‘Cenzo, how did you even get your hands on it? I thought it was thrown away.”
“I was going to wear that shirt and I had it on already, but I changed my mind. So it had some lingering smell from a few days ago. I’ll get mama’s cleaners to come.”
“No need! We can just stay in one of the other rooms. I just want you for myself for now.”
Dio Mio! She will be the death of me, he thought. Her hormones are making her sweet and clingy and then feisty and angry the next. He agrees with her though. He wants to have her for himself as well.
After a quick brunch, they walked along the coast of the nearby beach. They held hands, and from time to time, he would kiss their intertwined hands and look at her lovingly. He was unaware that he’s asking him questions and that’s when he saw how he looked at her. Her heart melted. She smiled at him, pulled him towards her and gave him an embrace.
“I love you ‘Cenzo.”
He kissed her passionately in response.
They broke their kiss as it was starting to drizzle.
When they were back in the villa, he made tea for her and an espresso for him. He tucked both of them in a blanket as they enjoyed their warm drinks, cuddling. She eventually fell asleep and he stared at her, as he promised he would make sure that she will have the healthiest and stress free pregnancy.
She woke up a few hours later and got up to go to the washroom. This woke up Vincenzo who tightened his hold on her.
“Where are you going, Cara? Stay here with me for a bit,” he whined.
“I’m going to the washroom. Your baby is making me pee a lot.”
“Ohh,” he said as he loosened his grip.
When Cha Young came back, she looked upset. She went to her husband and snuggled to him and he tightened his hold on her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m spotting again.”
“Would you like me to call Dr. Rossi?”
She shook her head. “She already told me this might happen and that there is nothing to worry about as long as I’m not in pain.”
Seeing her so upset, he devised a plan to take her mind off things. He sent a message to his mama to ask the twins to call their mother.
With Cha Young preoccupied, he prepared a bath for her. She asked him to join her and he did. Her wish is his command anyway.
So he sat behind her and embraced her from
behind. She in turn, leaned against him. And closed her eyes. He couldn’t help but intertwine their hands and give it a kiss.
“Somehow I feel a sense of Deja vu.”
“We did something similar the last time we were here.”
“That was…wait…the last time we stayed here was after we got married.”
Eloped is what he would call it but…he wouldn’t correct her. Especially now that she’s pregnant. She might cry because of that, ending their romantic moment in the tub. He responded with a hum instead.
“I’m so relaxed right now ‘Cenzo my brain doesn’t even work.”
“It’s okay, Cara. You’re meant to relax.”
It was her turn to respond with a hum as she snuggled more to him.
With his wife fully relaxed, he couldn’t help but think about what she said…the last time they were at the island…newly married and utterly in love.
Years later, he is still deeply in love with her. She was still the same Cha Young he married then, but there were sides of her that he was still discovering and falling in love with. Like how she got along so well with his mama that she was comfortable enough to lean onto her when she needed someone. Or how she protects him from heartbreak, which he told her not to do again. And that made her more precious in his eyes.
He was deep in his thoughts when his phone vibrated. He saw his papa’s name and he couldn’t help but be annoyed. It better not be work, he thought. The message though made him happy but a little annoyed.
“We’re flying over tomorrow. My granddaughters miss their mother.”
He tried not to stir too much to disturb her rest but he was bummed that he now had to share her and their news. Their nice, calm bubble is about to burst with his parents and his daughters coming.
Just like years ago.
After blissfully spending a week with each other at the island, Vincenzo came back to Milan with his wife. They hadn't even unpacked when Luca showed up with the documents to legalize their marriage, which Luca filed immediately.
It didn’t take a day for Alessandro to find out about it. Vincenzo received a message from his papa. He wanted him to come to the villa. He kept it a secret from his wife. He didn’t want her to worry about his father. One terrible in-law already did enough damage. He wouldn’t let her experience the same hardship again.
After greeting his mother, he went into the family room where his father was enjoying his coffee.
Gianna followed her son. She knew she might need to play referee in the event that their discussion gets a little heated.
“I heard that you got married,” was what he heard as soon as he entered the room.
“Yes. We registered our marriage two days ago.”
“No ceremony?”
“Father Fabio officiated the wedding at the chapel.”
Alessandro’s eyebrows shot up.
“You mean the chapel atop the hill at the island.”
He nodded.
“And you didn’t think to invite me or your mama.”
“I just want to marry my wife…it is about time like you mentioned.”
“I still think you could have invited us.”
Gianna glared at her husband.
“Fine, have it your way. You’re not one for tradition anyway. But ironically, marrying in that church officially makes you a Cassano.”
Vincenzo looked up.
“You are the third generation to marry in that chapel. The first to elope mind you…but that is another thing.”
“But you married at nonna’s villa.”
“That was our first wedding. I asked your mama to marry me again right before we adopted you.”
“And Nonna?”
“You already know that your nonno bought the island as a gift to your nonna. They married at that chapel, and lived there until your nonno passed. I just can’t believe you have the audacity to elope.”
“Enough of that. The children are now married like you wanted. Leave them be.”
Alessandro sighed.
“We can have another one later for show. For the business and all of Italy.”
——-
Pagliuzza, Malta
Spring of 2022 (Present)
Cha Young stirred and he checked to see if he disturbed her. Thankfully she was still very relaxed. They’ve been in the tub for a good while. Maybe a few more minutes, he told himself.
So he went back to his thoughts. His relationship with his father had come a long way since then. And who would have thought that the daughter in law that his father didn’t want would end up mending his relationship with his only son.
Cha Young, who had always been a daddy’s girl, saw her father in Alessandro and would often remind ‘Cenzo to visit his parents, to bring bolognese to his father…I’m sure he misses your nonna’s dishes too, she would say. And these small gestures made Alessandro a little less wary of his wife. That and the prenuptial agreement that Cha Young insisted she sign. He did not agree at first, but when she broke down and told him how her former mother in law looked down on her. How she always told her that she knew the reason she married her son was for their money. That she is guilty of it because she needed their money for her father’s medical expenses. But this time around, she is getting married because she loves him and she doesn’t want anyone to think otherwise because him and Jae are the only ones she has in her life. His heart broke with what she said and promised himself that he will protect her at all cost whether it is from his father or the other members of their social class.
But something magical happened when they had the girls. He doesn’t know if she stopped thinking about what other people would say or if she was preoccupied with other things. Regardless, her focus became the children - Vic eating enough? How come Charlie’s speech is not as advanced as her sister’s? How should they celebrate their birthdays?
It was not just her that changed after the arrival of the twins. His father did as well. His father’s frozen heart, as he would call it, fully melted into a puddle when his father found out that he will be the grandfather to a little girl. His father didn’t interact much with Cha Young even after their wedding. But when they found out she was pregnant, he would ask about her whenever he and his father caught up about work. He would ask him if he is taking good care of her and the baby. It was his father’s idea to take his mama to shop for their granddaughter. One child. Because the news that Cha Young was carrying twins was meant to be a surprise, something he wanted to reveal during the birth. But life had other plans. After his mama and papa’s shopping spree, he brought home the clothes and told Cha Young to excuse his parents as they got a little excited and that she shouldn’t feel pressured to have their babies wear the clothes.
Cha Young unpacked some of the clothes. Some were onesies, others were dresses, which their babies will not be able to wear anytime soon. Vincenzo chuckled at how silly his parents were. But his laughter soon died down. He immediately started taking out all the clothes, as if looking for something.
“What’s wrong? Are you missing something?”
He sighed. “Cara, you know how we’re keeping the news that we’re having twins from my parents?”
Cha young nodded.
“They only brought clothes for one of the girls.”
“What do you mean? There’s so many clothes.”
“But I was hoping to dress them similarly. Aren’t those popular among parents? Wouldn’t one of our babies feel left out and unloved because I was keeping her a secret? And now look, only her sister received presents and not her.”
She nodded and started to tear up.
“I’m sorry ‘Cara. It was my idea to keep the news to ourselves.
He then caressed her belly and said. “I’m sorry princess. Papa didn’t mean to make you feel left out. We’ll fix this okay. Papa will get you clothes the same as your sister’s.”
Cha Young sniffled and said, “they’re not born yet, and yet you already love them so so much. They’re so lucky to have you as their papa.”
His thoughts switched to calming her and no longer in the clothes.
Back to the present…
He smiled as he remembered that moment. Cha Young was right. He loved them so much before they were born. But after they were born, he fell in love with them even more, which he didn’t think was possible. And now, it’s about to happen again. He placed his hand on her abdomen as he thought of the new baby. One that they’ve waited for for a few months.
“You're really spoiling us jagiya.”
He tucked her hair on her ear and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She tightened her hold on their intertwined hands in response.
“We should probably rinse and sleep hhhmm? Or do you want to cuddle on the balcony first with a cup of tea? The girls and our parents are coming tomorrow.”
She immediately understood what he meant. The arrival of their family meant less time with each other.
“Mian…it was my fault. The girls were telling me how much they missed us and I invited them over. And I really want mama’s bolognese.”
He chuckled.
“It’s alright. Our little one has to be fed.”
After a quick rinse. They sat on the couch in the balcony. Vincenzo made their drinks and she grabbed the throw blanket in their room. They cuddled until she was sleepy. He could tell that she was fighting sleep.
“Sleep, amore mio.”
“But I want more of this.”
“You and our baby need to rest. I promise we’ll have more of this before the little one comes.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”