Finding Prince Charming

“It is,” she tells me in her soothing mom voice, “but it will be okay.” She crouches in front of me and takes my hands in hers. “Is the father around?” she asks, her voice free of judgement.

“No. It was a fling,” I admit. “I wouldn’t even know how to get ahold of him.” I’ve thought about Liam a lot the last two months. He mentioned he’s from a small country in Central Europe, and I have to admit, after the airline agent handed me a ticket to Greece, I pulled up a map to see how close it was. Not that I would ever have a chance of finding him, or that our paths would somehow cross, but I liked the idea of knowing I was maybe close to him.

“You’re not alone,” she tells me. “You can stay here for however long you want…”

“No.” I’m already shaking my head. “I appreciate that. I really do. But I can’t stay here.” I swallow down the lump of emotion in my throat. “But maybe I could get a place nearby…”

Aria squeals. “Yes! You totally can. And Gio and I will be here for you every step of the way. And since you’re not that far behind me, we’ll have our babies close in age.” She clasps her hands together and stands, and my nerves instantly calm.

“Let’s go look for a place nearby.” She grabs my hand and guides me out of the bathroom and into the living room where her husband and three-year-old daughter, Bea, are sitting on the floor playing with Barbie Legos.

“Momma,” Bea says, “Look at my Barbie house!” She lifts the Lego house and toddles over to her mom.

“Wow!” Aria gushes, carefully taking it from her and setting it on the table. “It’s so pretty.”

“I want my house like this. All pink,” Bea tells her, making Giovanni laugh.

He jumps to his feet and walks over to me. “Congratulations,” he says, kissing my cheek, obviously having overheard Aria and me talking. “If you need anything…”

“Thank you.”

“I need to go to the restaurant,” he says. “I’ll only be gone a little while. Want me to bring home dinner?” He owns his own restaurant downtown and from what Aria’s told me, it’s become a popular place and was even featured in several different foodie magazines. I’m proud of him… of them. The odds were against them, and life pulled them in opposite directions, but they still found their way back to each other. Giovanni was born and raised in the mob, but he got out and started a new life here with Aria, and from what I’ve seen since I arrived, they’re happy. Really happy.

“Yes, please,” she tells him.

“Yes, please,” Bea mimics her mom, only her please comes out sounding like peez. My heartstrings tug in my chest. In less than seven months I’ll have my own little one… and Liam won’t be here to see him or her grow up.

After Giovanni’s kissed them both goodbye, Aria brings up the father of my baby. When I tell her he was kind of a client, she insists we call Nico. Of course, because it was a favor from his father, and it was only a one-time thing, they weren’t required to complete the proper paperwork—only show proof they were clean—so he has no contact information.

We hang up and Aria wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, Natalie. I’m here for you and so is Gio, but I know it’s not the same thing.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her, wiping the tears from my eyes. “It sucks, but maybe it’s for the best. He chose to leave early and without saying goodbye. I’ll always remember the time we spent together and maybe this is how it was supposed to work out. I learned a lot about myself that weekend. That I’m worthy of love and deserve to live my best life. I learned how sweet and caring men can be. If I hadn’t met him, I would still be working at La Stella’s instead of traveling, doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”

I drop my hands to my belly. It’s still flat, but I know what’s in there. A baby. A tiny, innocent baby who will one day call me Mom. It will be my job to love and protect him, encourage him and cheer him on. My mom wasn’t the best mom, but she taught me one thing. I don’t need a Prince Charming. I’m strong and capable of getting through those magical, evil woods on my own, and that’s exactly what I did. I came out on the other side, and the only difference is, instead of my Prince Charming waiting for me, my son or daughter is there. I might not have Liam by my side, but he gave me this little miracle and I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving this baby enough for the both of us.