Chapter Fifty Five

Chapter Fifty-Five

The first week of bed rest was a disaster.

An absolute disaster.

Not medically.

Emotionally.

For Daisy.

"I can get that."

"No."

"It's literally three feet away."

"No."

"Roman."

"No."

Daisy stared at the glass of water sitting on the dresser.

Roman stared back.

Neither moved.

Eventually he stood up.

Walked three feet.

Picked up the glass.

And handed it to her.

Like she'd asked him to retrieve it from another continent.

"This is ridiculous."

Roman sat back down beside her.

"You nearly ended up admitted."

"I wasn't admitted."

"Close enough."

Daisy groaned.

This was going to be a long few months.

The entire family had reacted exactly as expected.

Which was badly.

Harper arrived every day.

Despite being pregnant with twins.

And supposedly taking things easy herself.

Noah kept driving her over.

Then pretending he wasn't worried.

Failing miserably.

The nanny had basically become a superhero.

Managing Lillie.

Managing routines.

Managing Daisy.

Managing Roman.

Which honestly deserved a raise.

Because Roman was unraveling.

Quietly.

But definitely unraveling.

Daisy noticed it three days after the hospital visit.

He wasn't sleeping properly.

He checked on her constantly.

He checked on the baby monitor constantly.

And every time she looked up—

he was watching her.

"You need to stop."

Roman looked up from the chair beside the bed.

"Stop what?"

"Worrying."

"I'm not worrying."

Daisy simply stared.

Roman lasted approximately four seconds.

Then sighed.

"I can't help it."

The honesty surprised both of them.

Daisy softened immediately.

Because underneath all the overprotectiveness...

Roman was terrified.

Not of another baby.

Not of parenthood.

Not of responsibility.

Of losing them.

The realization broke her heart.

One afternoon the nanny brought Lillie upstairs after her nap.

The little girl immediately climbed onto the bed beside Daisy.

Happy.

Chatty.

Wobbling around on unsteady little legs.

"Mama."

Daisy smiled.

"Hi baby."

Lillie immediately lay across Daisy's lap.

As though she'd decided that was where she belonged.

The nanny smiled.

"She's missed her afternoon cuddles."

Daisy's chest tightened.

Because that was the hardest part.

Not work.

Not being stuck in bed.

Not the boredom.

Missing things.

The walks.

The park.

Chasing Lillie around the garden.

Bath time.

The little everyday moments.

That evening Daisy cried for the first time.

Really cried.

Roman found her sitting in the nursery.

Looking at the rocking chair.

Tears running silently down her face.

Immediately his heart dropped.

"Daisy?"

She shook her head.

Trying to stop.

Failing.

"I'm missing everything."

The words came out broken.

Roman crossed the room instantly.

Wrapping his arms around her.

"No you're not."

"I am."

"You're not."

"I can't even take my daughter to the park."

Roman closed his eyes.

Because that one hurt.

Not because she was wrong.

Because she felt like she was.

Carefully he sat beside her.

Pulling her close.

"Daisy."

She looked up.

"Do you know what Lillie did today?"

A small shake of her head.

"She walked into the pantry."

Daisy blinked.

"What?"

Roman nodded seriously.

"Opened a cupboard."

"What?"

"Took out a packet of pasta."

"No."

"Then tried feeding it to the dog next door."

Daisy laughed through tears.

Roman smiled.

"You didn't miss that."

The tears kept falling.

But softer now.

"You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because the nanny video called you."

Daisy laughed again.

Roman brushed away a tear.

"You're still her mum."

His voice softened.

"You're still here."

Another tear slipped down her cheek.

"You're protecting our daughter."

His hand rested gently against her stomach.

"And our baby."

The room fell quiet.

Because suddenly the sacrifice felt different.

Not something being taken away.

Something she was choosing.

For her little girl.

For the baby growing safely inside her.

For her family.

Later that night, after Lillie was asleep and the house was quiet, Roman stood in the nursery doorway watching both girls.

One sleeping upstairs.

One still months away from being born.

The fear hadn't gone away.

Not entirely.

But the specialist's words echoed in his head.

The baby looked good.

They'd caught it early.

They had a plan.

Now all they had to do was get through the next few months.

And Roman Moretti had already decided something.

If bed rest was what Daisy needed—

then the entire world could wait.

Because nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Was more important than getting both of his girls safely home.

❤️📖💕