Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
She stepped back and looked at me again. “It’s okay to be scared. Your life has completely changed, even though nothing has actually changed yet. It’s normal.”
“He doesn’t know.”
She gave a nod in understanding. “I assumed.”
“I’m so scared to tell him.”
Her hands left my arms. “Why?”
Now I felt like I was speaking to my own mother instead of his. “I’m afraid he’ll think I did it on purpose. Like I did it to trap him or something. We’ve only been together for three months. It’s so soon, and he just went through so much in Rome . . .”
“It’ll be okay, Aurelia.”
“I don’t know what happened. I’ve never missed a pill. I’ve been on this stuff forever.”
“It happened because it was meant to happen.” When she smiled at me, her eyes watered. “It happened because you’re meant for each other. You’re meant to grow your love into a son or daughter. I know it’s scary right now, but trust me when I tell you this is the greatest blessing of your life.”
I nodded even though I didn’t fully agree. Wouldn’t be able to agree until Constantine knew the truth. Until we got through this.
“Don’t be afraid to tell him, Aurelia. I know my son, and I promise you he’ll be nothing but happy. He thinks the world of you, and he would never think the horrible things you’re afraid he will.”
I nodded, clinging to her words. “Please don’t tell him. I’m just not ready yet.”
“Your secret is safe with me, honey. The moment you tell him, he’ll feel the greatest joy he’s ever known. And I would never take that away from my son.”
When I got home, Constantine wasn’t there.
Which was a relief because I needed some time to take everything in. I’d had a beautiful moment with his mother and I would treasure that forever, but it was hard to appreciate it with all the stress.
I needed to tell him.
It was better for him to hear it from me than to figure it out another way, like when he noticed my stomach was more swollen than usual or when I didn’t have another period. “Fuck, I gotta do it.”
When I came inside, I greeted Medusa with a good rubdown. She still used her walker, but she was so much better. She didn’t need pain meds anymore, and when we’d had her checkup with the vet, he said her leg was healing nicely. She could put some weight on her leg, but to make sure she didn’t halt her progress, we made her continue to use the walker.
I showered upstairs and reapplied my makeup before I returned to the main sitting room.
My heart was in shambles, the adrenaline making me so tense that all my joints ached. I wasn’t sure where he was, so I pulled up his location, which was something I hardly ever did. Felt like I was spying on him or invading his privacy.
He was at Daiquiri, the vibrant cocktail lounge he’d taken me to before. He was probably there with some of his friends, catching up after work. It was nice to be in a relationship where I didn’t have to wonder what he was doing or who he was with. I could call or text him at any time, and he’d answer right away. Wouldn’t leave me on read . . . like Enzo used to do.
I helped Medusa out of her walker, and she walked up the ramp Constantine had made for her so she could get on the couch easily. She curled up beside me and placed her chin on my thigh.
I petted her gently as I looked down at her. “You’re going to be the best big sister, Medusa.”
Constantine came home before dinnertime. Dressed in dark jeans and a gray T-shirt, he filled out his clothes with all that muscle. With the dark ink all over his skin, he looked even stronger. Any woman who looked at him fell under his spell, and any guy who looked at him was fucking terrified.
I watched him through the glass from the patio as he walked through the house. With a straight spine and an aura of confidence, he pulled out his phone and fired off a text before he moved to the bottom of the stairs and called up, like he was looking for me.
I raised my hand and waved at him to catch his attention.
He caught the movement in his peripheral and looked at me. Instantly, there was a smile, a man happy to come home to his family, his joy breaking through the glass and hitting my skin.
He opened the back door and walked across the terrace toward me.
Medusa got to him first, moving up to him in her walker, her tail wagging harder than it wagged for anyone.
Of course he stopped and kneeled down to give Medusa his attention, petting her cheeks and giving her a kiss on the head. “Hey, baby girl.” He rose to his full height, then finished the walk toward where I sat at the table.