Chapter 10 Aurelia
Aurelia
I woke up to the obnoxious sound of my alarm the next morning.
I rolled over in bed and jabbed my finger down on the screen to make it stop.
It woke up Constantine too, and he turned over toward me, his chest against my back. “Don’t even think about it, sweetheart.” His dick was hard like every morning, and it was pressed hard against me, warm to the touch but solid like a steel pole.
We had been up late last night, making love and fucking and then making love again. I’d never been this sore in my life, but I didn’t dare complain. “I have to.”
“No, you don’t.” He tugged me into his body, his arm pulling me by the chest instead of my hips or stomach. “You aren’t working anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because your full-time job is growing my son or daughter.”
“You know I can do both—”
“But you don’t need to do both.”
“If you really want to open our own restaurant, I need the experience.”
“I’ll teach you.”
“Your mom was nice enough to give me this job, and I’m not going to let her down.”
“You’re giving her another grandchild. Trust me, she doesn’t give a damn about the restaurant.”
I released a quiet sigh. “Constantine.” I felt like a mother who admonished her son with just his name.
He dipped his head and pressed a kiss to my shoulder, seeming to understand he’d reached the limits of my patience. “All right, we’ll talk about it later.” He kissed my shoulder again.
I pulled the sheets back and got out of bed.
Of course, his palm gave my ass a playful smack before I walked away. Then his eyes followed me the whole way, watching me cross the room to the bathroom until I shut the door.
He drove me down the mountainside to the village, pulling aside when enormous tour buses needed to get by, understanding the narrow roads carved into the mountainside.
Driving on the streets of Rome was chaos, but this was a whole other level. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever feel comfortable driving around here.
“We should tell my mom before this weekend.”
“Why this weekend?” I asked, looking out the window at the sea in the morning light.
“We’re going to a wedding.”
“We are?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah, my third cousin Cassandra is getting married.”
“Well, this is news to me.”
He drove with one hand on the wheel, slowing down when he came around a sharp curve, and continued down the mountain.
“I declined her invitation because we were in Rome at the time, but when she realized I’d moved back to town, she extended the invitation again.
And everyone is going to notice you aren’t drinking, so we should tell my mom first.”
The guilt washed over me when I realized what I’d done. I’d taken this moment away from him, the moment when he’d get to tell his mother about his first child. When I’d confided in her, I didn’t really think about the big picture. “I’m so sorry, Constantine . . .”
He took his eyes off the road just for a second to look at me, eyebrows raised. Then his focus was back on the road as we came to the outskirts of the village.
“I kinda already told her.”
“You did?” The road leveled out, and he took a couple streets to get to the entrance of the village. “When?”
“The other day.”
He came to a stop on the side of the road. There weren’t many cars or pedestrians yet, not this early in the morning when most of the shops weren’t open yet.
“I was having a hard day. I was scared how you would react when I told you. The stress was getting to me, and she walked in and knew I was upset. It was one of those moments when I wanted to talk to my mom . . . but I talked to yours instead.” I looked down at my lap and felt his stare on the side of my face.
He leaned over the center console between us, and his big hand went to my thigh. “Sweetheart, I’m not mad.” The smile was in his voice.
“You aren’t?” I whispered, my hand moving to his on my thigh.
“Look at me,” he said gently.
I swallowed before I followed his command.
A slight smile was on his lips, and there was nothing but affection in his eyes. “I’m happy that my mom feels like your mom. I’m happy to share her with you. She’s the best.”
“Yeah. She’s pretty great.”
“I’m just sorry that you were that worried about my reaction.” His smile faltered, like that was the part that wounded him.
“When I found out, I was kinda a wreck. It was too soon, thought I’d have at least five more years before I had to think about this.
Thought we’d have more time together. I feel bad for saying it, but I wasn’t happy or excited at all.
Just terrified, honestly. So I expected you to react the same way. ”
He was quiet for a little bit. “Do you still feel that way?”
“No. After I told you, I was happy.”
“I think you’re misinterpreting your fear as unhappiness. I wish you had told me sooner so you wouldn’t have had to carry this stress around by yourself for so long.”
“I just remember you said you could or could not have kids . . . could go either way.”
“And then I found my soulmate, and all that changed.” His big hand enveloped mine the way his strength enveloped my fear.
My heart did a little dance when I heard his words. I felt joy that I couldn’t put into words. I’d lost my home when my mom died, but I’d found it again in Constantine.
“If someone else I’d been seeing told me she was pregnant .
. .” He released a quiet chuckle. “Yeah, I would have had a very different reaction, to say the least. But the moment I knew . . .” He gave a slight shake of his head.
“All I felt was joy. All the emotional baggage I’ve been carrying just disappeared.
I realized none of that matters anymore.
The two of you and Medusa are all that matters now—and I’ve never been more excited for anything in my life. ”
We pulled up to Sofia’s villa and parked outside.
I was nervous, even though I had no reason to be. Sofia already knew the truth, so there was no news to break. I’d already been accepted into their family. But my heart was in my throat anyway as we walked up to the front door.
Constantine knocked and stepped back.
Sofia opened the door a moment later, and as with any time she saw Constantine, she drowned him in maternal affection. A kiss on the cheek, a long embrace, calling him her boy rather than using his name.
I loved seeing them together.
Then she greeted me just as warmly, with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She didn’t give away that she knew something she shouldn’t. She might suspect we were there to tell her the news, but she didn’t show her hand.
“I hope you’re hungry,” she said. “Because—”
“You cooked for thirteen instead of three?” Constantine teased. “I didn’t eat anything all day because I knew we were coming here.”
We sat outside on the patio with the string of white lights hanging overhead. A couple of wine bottles were already sitting there along with some glasses. While Sofia went inside to retrieve the platters of food, Constantine opened a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass.
“I’m glad I don’t have to pretend anymore.”
He grinned before he took a drink.
His mother returned with a casserole dish that contained eggplant lasagna along with a bowl of salad and a basket of bread. The casserole could easily feed twenty people. “I know it’s a lot for the three of us, but I know Con loves leftovers.”
“You got me there, Ma.” He held up the bottle of wine and silently asked her if she wanted some.
She nodded.
He filled her glass before he corked the bottle again.
Sofia glanced at me, a smile on her lips when she noticed my empty glass, like she was still thrilled by the news days later.
Constantine broke the ice without preamble. “Aurelia told me she’s pregnant.”
Her eyes lit up instantly, and moisture coated the surface. Her hands came together and moved over her heart. “Oh thank god. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get through this dinner otherwise.” She got to her feet and came around the table to hug her son. “My boy, I’m so happy for you.”
He stood up to embrace her, a skyscraper compared to her small size. He held her against him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thank you, Ma. And thank you for always being there for her. I really appreciate it.”
“You know I love her like a daughter.”
They talked to each other like I wasn’t in the room. I watched them together, loving the fact that Constantine was always good to his mother. That he was a man in every way, but still a mama’s boy at heart.
Constantine pulled away and gently rubbed her back. “Congratulations.”
“Congratulations to you,” she said. “Now it’s time we celebrate.”
“Will you stay here in Taormina?” Sofia asked hopefully.
“Definitely,” Constantine said. “It’s a great place to grow up. A small village with a tight-knit community close to family. Can’t think of a better place.”
Sofia beamed, an internal light glowing from her skin. “I hope it’s a girl. Already have two grandsons.”
“Me too,” Constantine said. “Hard to imagine raising a son.”
“Yes, they’re a handful.” She sliced her fork through her lasagna. “The two of you almost gave me heart attacks on a daily basis. All the girls you would sneak into the house and late nights out on the boat, that Virgin Mary statue you two knocked over . . . I don’t miss those days.”
Constantine chuckled. “Sorry about that.”
“Beatrice was easy. Always a nice girl. Doesn’t make the best decisions, but still a breeze compared to you two.”
“If that’s the case, then why am I your favorite?” Constantine teased.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t have a favorite.”
“Right, right.” He grinned before he took a drink of his wine.
I noticed the way they talked about Edric indirectly. He was part of the conversation but never mentioned by name. It seemed like the loss was still devastating, even after all this time.
“If you have a daughter, she’ll be magnificent,” Sofia said. “Beautiful like Aurelia and tall like the two of you. She’ll be a model in Milan by the time she’s eighteen.”