Chapter Fifty-seven
Vida
Three Months Later
I lean back in the plush spa chair, letting out a long sigh as the warmth from the foot soaker melts away all the tension in my body. No one told me being pregnant was hard work, especially when you were now carrying a whole lot of extra weight. I can barely walk for a minute without taking a break to catch my breath. I was so happy the girls brought me out, considering I’ve been rotting in the house for a week since Ciro left for work.
Carmela and Izzy sit by my sides as their laughter fills the air with music in the background, and for the first time in two months, I don’t feel so pregnant.
Life is . . . perfect. Truly perfect.
“God, this feels amazing,” I say, closing my eyes as the spa attendant massages my shoulders.
“Tell me about it! I needed this time off work,” Izzy agrees.
“How have you not had time off from work? You must really like your boss,” Carmela laughs.
“You know I do. He has a way of making me stay,” she says, making us all laugh.
How my sister ended up having sex with her Henry Cavill boss, is still beyond me. And damn, she loves to spill every detail.
“You guys are lucky bitches. I’m here carrying this human and I think he’s already doubled in size,” I whine as I laugh with them.
“Exactly why Ciro thought this was what you needed,” Carmela says with a sly smile. “But look on the bright side, you’ve been glowing lately. And it’s not just the pregnancy.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but smile shyly.
“Now you’re over exaggerating,” I giggle. “But I guess it’s because life hasn’t been so bad.”
“Oh come on, your husband’s got a killer dick,” Izzy teases.
“That’s my brother, girl! I might puke,” Carmela shakes her head, making a laugh escape the attendants lips.
I can’t blame her, I would laugh too.
“I’m not talking about anyone’s dick, Izzy,” I laugh. “It’s just that, life is so peaceful now and it wasn’t like that for a long time. Since Adam really. Donato is gone too and he isn’t lingering over my shoulders anymore.”
“Yeah, that I can relate to.” Carmela stretches for my hand and gives it a little squeeze.
“You feel so different, yet not different at all,” Izzy says, getting my attention.
“How?” I arch my brows at her.
“I mean, you just feel different. Your aura and something.”
“She’s pregnant?” Carmela laughs, stating the obvious.
“There’s that too,” Izzy joins in, laughing with us. “I just can’t place what exactly it is, but you’re definitely different.”
“But still your baby sister?” I ask with a grin.
“Of course, Vee, that’s exactly why you feel the same either way.”
“I guess Adam was right, change is good and I’m happy about this type of change,” I tell her as I laugh and shake my head, glad I can finally think about him without hurting as much.
“It suits you, Vee.” She smiles softly.
I glance down at my belly bump, my hand resting over it as I feel my baby moving inside of me.
“You know, sometimes I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” I whisper, more to myself than to them.
“I think that’s the same thing my brother keeps wondering,” Carmela says, squeezing my hand.
We stay like this for a while, lost in comfortable conversation and laughter, until it is time to leave. The three of us pile into Carmela’s car, still buzzing with the high of our day.
The drive is peaceful at first, until I’m laughing at something Izzy says when I notice we aren’t heading in the direction of home.
“Uh, Carmela?” I ask, looking around. “This isn’t the way back.”
She turns to Izzy, and they both giggle at each other like two crazy people.
“Don’t worry about it,” she replies.
“You’re not going to kill me right?” I laugh. “‘Cause that’s something to worry about.”
“We’re just stopping by an event to say hi,” she says.
“Event? Cam? I’m not dressed for an event,” I whine.
“You look great, sis. Plus we’re only saying hi. We won’t be staying,” Carmela assures me.
“Oh! Okay,” I shake my head, realizing I’m panicking for nothing.
These darn hormones.
I lean back in my seat, letting out a sigh as the girls continue laughing and whispering about God knows what. My thoughts trail to my husband and I can’t help but miss him extra. Between being stuck in the house library and crying myself to sleep in bed, I needed this girl’s day out today. I can’t wait to tell Ciro all about it.
As she parks the car, I go speechless as I stare at the mansion in front of me. It looks like something out of a dream or maybe a movie. It’s massive, with tall windows and a fountain that spills over into streams, sparkling underneath the sun. The stairs on the two sides lead up to the house with old-fashioned lamps on each end that gives it a fairytale charm. It looks so perfect, so ridiculously grand, like it was made to impress, intimidate, and make you feel a little out of place all at the same time.
And that is exactly how I feel as I wonder why Carmela brought us here when we look like crap! The few people that litter around look so fancy and beautifully dressed, yet here we are with casual clothes. Whoever is putting on this event might kick us out.
“What’s happening here?” I ask.
“You’ll see,” Izzy replies in a teasing tone as she pulls me out of the car.
I follow them as we make our way around the side of the building. The voices from outside slowly begin to fade away as Carmela leads us through a hidden back entrance. The hallway we enter is lined with flickering candles, like there is a separate secret event happening.
“Okay, seriously,” I say, my voice rising slightly. “What is going on?”
I’m already exhausted with all of this walking and I need to catch my breath already. We haven’t even been walking for more than three minutes.
Neither of them answers, instead, they lead me to a door at the end of the hallway and push it open.
“We’ll definitely be listening in, don’t moan too loudly,” Izzy laughs and before I can ask what she means by that, she closes the door.
“Izzy! What . . .” I pause, the decorations in the room grabbing my attention.
As I turn to look around, I find the one person I’ve cried myself to sleep missing.
Ciro stands in the corner of the room, the sight of him literally stealing my breath away. His dark blue suit hugs his body perfectly, and the way he smirks at me makes me weak in the knees.
Or just maybe, I’m too pregnant to keep standing.
“Ciro? What’s . . . what’s happening?” I ask in a whisper, stepping into the room as he walks towards me too.
“Chaos,” he says softly.
“What are you doing here? What happened to work?” I ask in awe, my mouth still hanging open as tears streaming down my cheeks.
I missed him so much, so much that I can’t wait to pull him into a hug and let him kiss me.
“You come first, baby,” he says, wrapping his arms around me in a gentle squeeze as he sniffs my neck, letting my scent fill his nose.
“Ciro,” I sob shamelessly.
This man makes it impossible to be tough or pretend to be strong. He breaks down walls and makes sure they stay down.
“I missed you too, mama,” he says into my neck.
The new nickname he started calling me since he found out about our baby melts something inside me. And God, I absolutely love it.
Without saying another word, or letting me speak, he lets go of me and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a red box.
“Baby,” he calls as he drops to one knee and opens it.
The ring inside is breathtaking, a black diamond on a silver butterfly design that seems to sparkle with its own light. It’s so beautiful.
“Marry me, chaos,” he says, smiling up at me, his blue eyes holding mine in a firm gaze.
Tears blur my vision as his words sink in. My mind races and my heart threatens to beat out of my chest. We’re already married, but this is my first official proposal. It’s not everyday you have your husband propose to you.
He takes my hand in his, his thumb moving over the rings that already sit on my ring finger. These are ones I’ve worn daily to show that I’m married, but the one in the box in his hand, the one that he designed just for me, one that represents us to a T, calls to me. I want to put it on and wear it proudly, cherishing it the same way I cherish our love and this beautiful man in front of me, every day for the rest of my life.
“Marry me, baby,” he chuckles, making me giggle in response.
“Ciro, we’re already married.” I shake my head, trying to keep the tears from gushing out.
“Then marry me again. Let me give my wife the wedding she deserves,” he murmurs. “And a life filled with everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”
I can’t stop the sob that escapes my mouth as I nod, my words tumbling out between tears.
“I’ll marry you,” I laugh, squeezing his hand. “I’ll marry you over and over again, Ciro.”
His eyes sparkle as they look up at me, his smile mirroring mine as he takes the ring out of the box and pushes it onto my finger, adding it to the ones I have there already.
“Fuck, I love you, chaos,” he says, standing and hugging me as he plants kisses all over my face in excitement, making me giggle.
“I will give you the world, chaos, even without you asking. I’ll burn everything down to keep you warm, and fuck . . . I will use my body to make you feel every inch of my love for you.”
His words only make me cry and giggle even more.
“I will love you till my dying days, Ciro, and I’ll watch you burn everything if that’s the path we’re on,” I tell him, watching his smile turn into a devilish smirk.
“What?” I laugh at him.
“Is there room inside you for one more?” He licks my neck, making my insides warm up.
“Ciro, stop,” I moan in a plea.
“You smell so good, I can’t stop wanting to fill you up with my cock,” he groans, his hands grabbing my ass.
“There’s an event here, Ciro,” I try to protest, knowing my body is already melting in his touch.
“Even better, I’ll make sure you let the whole world know just how needy you get when I fuck you.”
Oh fuck! This man! Not here, not now!
Before I can say another word or finally give in to him, the door bursts open, and Carmela and Izzy walk in on us.
“I said no moaning,” Izzy laughs as I push Ciro away.
“I wasn’t! Jesus, woman. We were just talking,” I lie, trying not to squeeze my thighs together.
“You’ve made my sister a sex maniac,” she says, pulling me away from him.
“I think she did that to me too, I mean look at her,” Ciro replies, his eyes on my ass as I look at him.
“You’re pathetic, brother,” Carmela says, rolling her eyes as she follows us, leaving Ciro in the room alone.
“Go get ready, we’ll take care of her,” she adds.
“You need to get ready!” Izzy squeals, grabbing my arm and pulling me faster.
“Wait, ready for what?” I ask, laughing through my tears.
“Your wedding, Vee,” Izzy blurts out excitedly.
“Wait . . . what?” I shoot her a look, already feeling my heart burst.
“The people? The guests? The event? It’s your wedding,” she says, practically dragging me down the hallway.
I stumble after her as my mind spins. A wedding? Tonight? How’d he pull this off without me knowing? This man will be the death of me.