“WHERE IS MY NETA?”
Anna watched Nico greet his mother through the crowd of passengers at the airport. She smiled as she heard his annoyed, “What, you don’t give your own son a hug anymore?”
Nana shook her head and put one hand on her hip. “Don’t you know, my granddaughter trumps you!” Then she spotted Anna and raced toward her, stopping a few inches short, as if she were afraid to come any closer. She put her hands on her cheeks, her eyes shining.
“Oh, my precious little baby.”
Anna held out her arms and transferred the wriggly infant to her grandmother’s arms. “Here you go, Teresa, meet your namesake.”
Nana kissed the baby on her head. “May you have every happiness in the world.” Nico put his arm around his mother. “We’re so glad you came.”
Anna nodded in agreement. Seeing the tears in Nana’s eyes and the grin on Nico’s face made her heart swell.
“Well, it’s not like you left me any choice. Were you in on this plan, Anna? To torture a poor old woman by sending her pictures of her granddaughter and saying I could only see her if I traveled halfway around the world?”
Anna smiled, wisely staying out of the argument that was about to ensue between mother and son. Their initial plan had been to take the healthy baby girl to Guam to meet Nana, but Nico realized that holding the baby out as a carrot would be the only way to get his mother to the mainland. The oncologist Nico had been working with said that Nana could easily live another ten to fifteen years if she got surgery. Her cancer hadn’t metastasized and she was generally in good health. But Nana was the most stubborn woman on the planet and still refused. Until she saw pictures of Baby Teresa and realized there was something for her off the island.
“Come on, Nana, it’s time to take you home,” Nico said.
* * *
A MONTH LATER, they were all at Senator Roberts’s house. Kat’s mother had insisted on having a dinner for all of them. Kat and Alex had been living in Virginia but had recently bought a town house in DC so Kat could come home between meetings to check on her five-month-old boy, who was only four months older than little Teresa. Kat’s mother-in-law looked after Baby Kyle during the day. That arrangement was what had given Anna the idea to entice Nana to the mainland.
Nana had been horrified when Anna told her that she’d soon have to leave little Teresa in day care so she could go back to work. That had been the final straw that compelled Nana to get on the plane. Since she arrived, Nana had been taking care of both Teresa and Ethan. Caro had stopped using her after-school babysitter once she saw how well Ethan reacted to Nana’s cooking. Both Anna and Caro finally had the mother they never had. Nana spoiled everyone, and Anna enjoyed every minute of it.
“Welcome!” the senator boomed as he opened the door. Introductions were made and the senator called Emilia over to keep Nana and Baby Teresa company.
“You two, I need with me,” Roberts said mysteriously. Anna looked at Nico, her pulse kicking up a notch. They’d been in talks with the senator for months. He was helping them broker a deal with the medical robotics company.
Ushering them into his study, the senator grinned widely. “We have a deal!” Anna clapped her hands and Nico shook the senator’s hand vigorously. “Thank you, sir, you have no idea what this means to us.”
The robotics company had FDA approval for a remote surgical robot and had a cadre of trained surgeons. As Anna and Nico had suspected, the technology cost way more money than the hospital, or even the government of Guam could afford. The former senator had been working on a deal where Kat would promote the technology using her media contacts and the hospital would allow televised surgeries that the company could use to sell it to other places around the world. The company had made some concessions, but the price was still too high. Tom had tried to work with the legislature, but with the infrastructure repairs needed after the tsunami and hurricane, even his hands were tied when it came to getting more money from the Guam Treasury.
For the past few weeks, Roberts had been trying to sweeten the deal by working his contacts in the military to secure a lucrative contract in exchange for the company giving the surgical robot to Lucas Memorial Hospital for next to nothing. The deal would enable the hospital to do many routine surgeries.
Anna knew that no matter how well Maria was running the hospital, Nico could never be satisfied unless he did what he’d set out to do: bring first class care to the island. Now it was finally happening.
Nico had been working hand in hand with the former senator, using his contacts to makes sure the OR suites were equipped to accommodate the robotic surgeon.
“You want to call your partner and tell her?” the senator asked.
Nico nodded and Roberts pushed a phone toward him. Before he’d left Guam, he’d made Maria a full partner in the hospital rather than just an employee. That way she was able to make some of the major decisions without him. He hadn’t made any promises to return. They were taking it a day at a time. Nana’s surgery and the birth of Baby Teresa had kept them too busy to really think about how they were going to work things out long-term.
Maria answered on the second ring. Before Nico could get a word out, Anna heard the other woman’s excited voice on the line. Anna pressed the speaker button so she could hear what Maria was saying.
“I can’t believe how fast news travels around here. He only proposed like five minutes ago. How did you find out so soon?”
“Maria, this is Anna, what’re you talking about?”
There was a pause and then they heard laughter and a slight crackle as Maria put them on Speaker, as well.
“Hi, Nico and Anna. This is Tom. Maria and I are getting married.”
Now it was Anna’s turn to squeal. The only fly in Nico and Anna’s happiness had been whether Maria would be okay. She’d been suspiciously quiet about how her relationship with the governor was going. Even Nana didn’t have much gossip. Anna had wondered whether they were just being discreet because he was a public figure or whether things hadn’t worked out and Maria was too embarrassed to say anything.
Anna had worried about Maria, and she knew Nico had, too, so the news filled her with joy. She was about to congratulate Maria when the other woman’s gleeful voice burst through.
“Okay, so I know Baby Teresa’s little but I want you to be at my wedding. I want Nico to be my man of honor.”
“Your what now?”
Anna suppressed a grin as Nico made a face at her.
“Man of honor. It’s like a maid of honor, only for guys.”
Before Nico could say anything he’d regret, Anna jumped in. “He’ll be there, don’t worry. He’ll even wear a pink tux.”
Nico made a face. Anna mouthed, “You owe her,” and he wisely kept quiet.
“I want all of you here. You two, Nana, and I want to meet Baby Teresa. Promise me, Anna.”
She closed her eyes. Teresa was only seven weeks old. Anna had gotten her tested for everything under the sun—so far the little girl was totally healthy—but she wasn’t prepared to make a trip to Guam so soon.
Nico saved her from making any promises by giving Maria the news about the deal. Anna stood back as they all discussed the details, including the timing and transfer of funds. Since Tom was in the room, the senator used the opportunity to hash out some of the details he needed to get the contract drawn up.
Anna returned to the kitchen and took Teresa from Nana, using the excuse of having to nurse the baby to get a private moment with her little girl. Looking down at her pink face, feeling her wriggling body, Anna knew she had everything she ever wanted. She kissed her baby on the head. Teresa smelled a little like sour milk, just as Lucas had.
“I’ll do whatever I need to protect you, baby girl. I’m not going to make the same mistakes over again.”
Nico joined her. “You know, it doesn’t matter where we live, as long as we’re together. The only thing that matters to me is my family—you, me, Teresa, Nana, Caro and Ethan.”
Anna lifted her face so Nico could kiss her. In the twenty-four weeks they’d been together, Anna hadn’t had any nightmares. And that was the way it was going to be for the rest of their lives. She was never letting go of her family.