Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

“I’m undecided, but I’m leaning toward no.”
He laughed deep in his throat. “Maybe I can convince you.”
“Maybe. But you’ll have to be very convincing with your tongue before I’ll
give this another try.”
He stroked my hipbone and back, and I smiled to myself. I’d been worried
all day because of the conversation with Mansueto. Now I felt lighter. Nothing
had changed. I’d keep the truth from Cassio, for himself and for the kids.
“I think Simona is starting to speak.”
“What did she say?” Cassio sounded tired, his voice even lower than usual.
“Dada. It sounds a bit like Dad.”
Cassio squeezed my arm but didn’t say anything.
“I’ve been wondering what she’s supposed to call me. I know Daniele calls
me Giulia, but…” I swallowed, worried about voicing my idea “…but I thought
maybe Simona wants to call me mom. She doesn’t remember Gaia, and it would
be sad if she never had someone she could call Mom. She—”
Cassio finally interrupted my rambling by pulling back and kissing me.
“You’re right. You are her mom now, so that’s what she should call you. She’ll
probably get confused in the beginning because Daniele calls you Giulia.”
“Yeah, but that’s okay. I’ll move at their pace. I’m just happy they both
accept me.”
“It’s because you accepted them from the very first day. You never resented
them or me for the weight of your responsibilities.”
“In the beginning, it felt like a responsibility. Like something I needed to
master, but it isn’t like that anymore. This family is part of my life now.”