I grin down at him. His skin is flushed from exertion, his eyes so like his mother’s, his skin the colour of mine. My chest swells ever more with pride. ‘You got it?’
He nods his head rapidly, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. ‘Si.’
‘Rafael?’ Faye drawls. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Well, since Eduardo has the all-important task of being ring-bearer for Nonna today, I thought he could have a practice run with us first.’
Her frown wavers as she looks from me to our boy, her eyes starting to well.
‘That’s your cue, Eduardo...’ I whisper, placing my hand on his shoulder.
‘But we need to kneel, Papà,’ he says to me. ‘I read about it on the internet.’
I chuckle and Faye laughs shakily.
‘I think you’re right.’ I ruche up my right trouser leg and lower my left to the ground as our boy mimics me, taking the ring box from behind his back and opening it up.
‘Mamma, will you make Papà and me very happy and...?’ He looks at me, his frown scrunching up his entire face.
I mouth agree and he nods quickly, his grin as big as his face as he offers the box.
‘Agree! To getting married?’
We both stare up at her imploringly and she is shaking with joy, with laughter. ‘How can I say no to a proposal as romantic as that?’
‘Eww, I’m not romantic!’ our boy pipes up.
She ruffles his hair. ‘You will be one day!’
‘And your answer?’ I say.
We’ve talked about it many, many times, but there was no rush and, having been married before, it wasn’t top of her priorities. But with a wedding in the air and the wish to share the same name as our son, our unborn child too...
‘I say you no longer need lessons in how to be romantic, Rafael.’
‘No?’
‘No. I think you’ve graduated with honours.’
‘And?’
‘And, yes! Si...yes.’ She cups my face and lowers her lips to mine for a chaste kiss. ‘It would make me the happiest woman and...’ she turns her attention to our son and kisses him too ‘...the happiest mother alive.’
Which is lucky, since Eduardo is already trying to shove the ring on her pinkie.
‘Wrong finger, Papàtino,’ I say. ‘Maybe I should do this bit.’
‘Si, Papà.’ He shoves the ring and the box into my hands and runs from the room.
‘Hey! Where are you going?’
‘I’m going before there’s any more kissy-wissy stuff.’
We both laugh and as I slip the ring on Faye’s finger I look down into her eyes and the words flow from me. ‘Tu mi completi.’
‘And you complete me, Rafael.’
* * *