Look at our baby girl

Posted on Thu Jul 17th, 2025 @ 7:55pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami

874 words; about a 4 minute read

Tanina stood beneath the canopy of fairy lights strung between the old olive trees, her hand resting lightly on Dario’s arm. The warm breeze carried the laughter and music from the dance floor, blending with the scents of lavender and the faint tang of wine from the surrounding vineyards. Her eyes found Adrianna and Vance among the dancers, their movements fluid and effortless as if they had been made for each other.

“She’s beautiful,” Dario said softly, his voice low and filled with pride.

Tanina glanced at him, a tender smile curving her lips, “She is. More beautiful than I ever imagined she would be in this dress.”

The familiar sight of her own wedding gown, now worn by her daughter, stirred something deep within her. It fit Adrianna perfectly, as if it had been made for her, just as it once had been for Tanina.

“I still remember you in it,” Dario murmured, as though reading her thoughts, “Walking down the aisle, here, on this very spot.”

Tanina’s gaze lingered on Adrianna, radiant as she laughed at something Vance whispered in her ear. “I was so nervous that day,” she admitted quietly, “I thought my legs would give out before I reached you.”

Dario chuckled, his warm, gravelly laughter rumbling through the evening air, “and I thought my heart would stop before you got to me. You looked like a goddess. You still do– I don't know what you did, but you do not age.”

She turned to him, her dark eyes soft with affection, “oh, Dario. Always the charmer.”

He smirked, the faintest hint of mischief lighting his face, “only for you, Tanina. Always for you.”

They stood in silence for a moment, watching their youngest child bask in the glow of her new life. Adrianna and Vance were inseparable, their love as palpable as the gentle hum of the evening.

“It feels like yesterday, doesn’t it?” Tanina said, her voice tinged with nostalgia, “we were standing where they are now, promising forever to each other.”

“Almost fifty years to the day that we tattooed each other, and forty-four years since we actually married here,” Dario said with quiet wonder, “and it still feels like forever isn’t long enough.”

Tanina leaned into him, her fingers tightening on his arm, “she’s found her happiness, Dario. She’s found the love we always wanted for her. Two more children and we will have married everyone off.”

“She has,” he agreed, his tone thoughtful, “he’s a good man, our new son– Vance. Not perfect, but who is?” He glanced at her with a wry smile, “even you have your flaws, mia rosa.”

Tanina laughed softly, swatting his arm, “I’m perfect, and you know it.”

Dario grinned but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned his attention back to the dance floor, “Do you think she realises how much she looks like you tonight?”

“She doesn’t need to,” Tanina replied, “Adrianna is her own woman but I’m proud she chose to wear my dress. It feels like a part of me is with her, as she starts this new chapter.”

“She’s a reflection of you,” Dario said. “Strong, fierce, and full of love.”

Tanina’s throat tightened, but she nodded, her gaze never leaving her daughter, “and stubborn,” she added softly, “That’s all you, amore mio.”

Dario chuckled again, leaning closer to kiss her temple, “then she has the best of both of us.”

“How can we tell the family the news we have?” Tanina asked with a sigh, “everyone is so happy. We cannot tell them, surely?”

“Perhaps we don't,” he replied, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head, “seeing everyone so happy and caught up in their own lives– not just here at the wedding, but with other relationships, their own families and our grandchildren– we shouldn't ruin it. Not now. We let them live. We can keep this between us for a little while longer.”

Tanina looked up at Dario and nodded sadly, “you're right.”

Dario kissed the top of her head, and let his lips linger in her hair for a few moments, composing himself, almost as if memorising her scent and the feel of her presence. “I love you, and will love you in any lifetime, amore mia,” he murmured.

The music slowed, and the dancers shifted into pairs, swaying to the romantic melody. Adrianna rested her head on Vance’s shoulder, her eyes closed in contentment. Dario turned to Tanina, extending his hand with a flourish, “Signora Baciami, may I have this dance?”

Tanina laughed, her heart lighter than it had been in years, “You may, Signor Baciami, but try not to step on my toes this time.”

With a soft chuckle, Dario led her to the dance floor. As they moved together, their steps in perfect sync after decades of practice, Tanina glanced once more at Adrianna and Vance. Tanina closed her eyes, savouring the moment. Love, she thought, had always been the heart of this place. A legacy that began with the ancestors of Dario, passed down to her and Dario, now carried forward by their children.

And so, tradition and love would continue.

 

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