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When he gives me another smile, he turns to head out the door, but I walk over and stop him.
Things with us have been more like friends. He doesn't push his luck, and he waits for me to make the first move, then he follows my lead.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I stand on my tiptoes and pull him in for a kiss. Without any hesitation, he holds me close, taking control of the kiss. Though it's way too short. Then he backs off sooner than I'd like, but I understand we have an audience.
"Thank you for this. You have no idea what this means to me." I tell him for just us to hear.
"You'll soon learn that I will do anything for you, baby girl. Take your time and make sure that it's exactly what you want. Like I said, it doesn't need to make money. It just needs to make you happy."
Chapter 9
Matteo
Aria ends up spending most of the rest of the afternoon at the shop with Holly making plans. My team had to practically pull her away for her to be home in time for dinner. Even though I want her to be happy, I have to watch her health too, especially since she's eating for two.
When she walks in the door, she's all smiles. Lit up and glowing in a way that I haven't seen her before. Knowing that I put that smile on her face is just one of the highlights of my life. It’s my goal to always keep her happy and smiling like this.
I knew the moment she had arrived on the estates. So when she finds me, I'm sitting in the dining room waiting for her. Instead of taking her seat beside me, she sits down in my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. Holding her close, I place my hand on her belly. While I know it's much too soon to feel our little one kick, I don't want to miss it when it happens.
"Thank you for today. Holly is absolutely wonderful, and she has some great ideas. It was kind of like planning with a friend. Since I don't have many of those, it was an extra treat. I really had fun. I can't wait to see some of the ideas she’ll present to me."
"I'm glad you're enjoying it. Just remember when you're making your plans that you are going to need maternity leave after you have the baby. So whether you open before or after, you will want to make sure that you have someone there to run it in your place while you're recovering." As I talk, I rub her belly, making her smiles even brighter.
"I don't know when the opening will be. My guess is probably after the baby is born. Though I will need some help to oversee what's being done while I'm away. So I was wondering if I can bring my cousin Bella in. She's always been my best friend and has had my back."
I've heard her mention her cousin before and I tried to put a face to the name, but it’s impossible. I was introduced to so many people at our wedding.
"Bella was my maid of honor," she says like she knows what I was doing. I'm not the only one learning to read her. Knowing that she's paying enough attention to read me as well, is all I need to know that we're moving in the right direction.
"That’s fine. I will talk with your dad and make it happen. Now that we've been married for a month, when are we going to announce your pregnancy? Well, at least within the families."
"Is it bad that I want to see how long we can go with my parents without them realizing that you're the baby's father? Also, to see how long they are willing to hold the secret that I was pregnant at my wedding," she says with a mischievous glint in her eye.
"I would totally do it and would ride it out for as long as I could,” Ruby says, walking in with her husband right beside her. “Years if possible and see how long the guilt eats away at them before they breakdown and say something. But then again, I have a lot of rage towards my parents for locking me away for all those years," Ruby adds.
They went back to Charleston while we were on our honeymoon, but came back when we got home.
Before Ruby can take her seat at the table, Orlando who obviously doesn’t want to be too far from his wife, pulls her into his lap, as dinner is served.
Having Orlando here feels so right. His loyalty, which has meant so much to as a kid, is even stronger now. I was taught and preached that all the connections you make may not necessarily benefit you at the moment. But in the long run, you might need them. This is one of those lectures I get to experience first-hand as I never would have thought that the friendship I made with Orlando as a boy would be one of the relationships that I need so much right now.
Over dinner, Ruby and Aria talk mostly about the bookshop and ideas. But both of them stay in our laps for the entire meal. Holding her and feeding her gives me a sense of pride in taking care of her that I've never felt before. At one point, there's a lull in a conversation and she leans over and whispers in my ear.
"Will you take me upstairs?" is all she says, and I'm not surprised after such a long day that she's tired and probably ready to sleep. She can sit at home and watch TV and be tired by dinner with how much energy the baby takes.
After excusing us, I take her upstairs. But the moment we're in our room, she locks the door behind us and the mood shifts.
"What are you up to?" I smile, watching her make her way over to me.
"I figure I should properly thank you for the bookstore." She has a shy smile on her face. But the way she's looking at me is like how she looked at me that first night, like she's undressing me with just her gaze. My cock remembers that look and I'm instantly hard and wanting her.
Actually, I've been wanting her ever since that first night and even more since our wedding night. By allowing her to set the pace has meant for me a lot of freezing cold showers, multiple times a day.
"Just seeing you happy is thanks enough," I tell her, hoping she'll understand that I mean it. I don't ever want her to feel like she owes me anything.
"I know you do and that's part of the whole reason I want to thank you properly." This time, she reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer.
Her lips touch mine and I give in for a moment. Then, wrapping my arms around her waist, I hold her tight, enjoying her lips on mine and her hands in my hair. There's no way to hide how hard I am from her because my rigid cock is pressing right into her belly. But that doesn't seem to stop her.
