She used to be so confident, but now she was timid with self-doubt. She dropped her gaze for an instant because she didn’t have the fire to hold my look. “I have stretch marks now. I’ll probably always have them.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“My skin isn’t perfect anymore.”
“I think it is perfect. Now you have scars, and scars are sexy. Men go to war, and they’re proud of the permanent changes to their bodies. Women like men who’ve seen challenges, who’ve survived scary things.” My fingers gently rubbed her stomach. “You’re going to do the most difficult thing a human can do…give life. Of course, your body won’t be the same, but it’ll be better. You’ll have battle scars…and that’s so sexy.” No guy would ever lose his arousal at the sight of her, at least, a real man wouldn’t. Maybe I felt differently because she was giving birth to my son—and that was the sexiest thing she could do.
She lifted her gaze to meet mine again, this time less afraid. “You always know what to say…”
“I’m not saying anything. I’m telling you the truth. You are…” My words left my mouth and my brain when I felt a distinct movement under my palm. There was a definite vibration under the skin, a jolt of activity that was coming from inside her. My eyes returned to her belly and I became very still because I wasn’t sure what I’d felt, but I was prepared to feel it again.
She placed her hand on top of mine and guided me to the exact location where Andrew was moving. She was used to the way he moved, the way he lived inside of her. “Hades, meet your son.”
Sofia had an extra room across the hall, so I used it as an office during the day. I sat there with my laptop open so I could manage projects at the bank while I was away. Damien was in town, so he could handle things in my stead. I didn’t have to ask permission to leave…like I did with Maddox.
I spoke to Damien on the phone about a couple things. I hadn’t figured out what to do about our jointly owned business. We both had too much at stake, and neither one of us wanted to be bought out. At the end of the day, we both liked our jobs. That forced us to work together and play nice.
“How long are you going to be gone?” Damien asked.
“Probably two weeks.”
“Well, alright. I’ll handle all the meetings. How’s Sofia?”
“Uncomfortable. She’s pretty big.”
“Well, tell her I said hi and congratulations.”
“I will.” I hung up.
A few minutes later, Sofia walked inside. She wore a short floral dress with her hair styled prettily. She waddled into the room and came to my side. “You’ve been working all day.”
My eyes started at her ankles and drifted up her legs until I stared at her stomach for a couple seconds. I’d been sleeping beside her for a few nights, my hand on her stomach as I drifted off to sleep. It was the most comfortable I’d been in months, just feeling my son inside her. Sometimes, he woke me up when he kicked, but I didn’t mind the interruption at all. I’d assumed we would be sleeping together, but that was all we did…sleep. It was what I preferred, but I was disappointed by it.
Maybe Sofia knew sex was a bad idea. Maybe it was too emotional for her last time, made her miss me so much it was painful. She’d whispered how much she loved me and wouldn’t let me go until the next morning. Maybe she didn’t want to put herself through that either.
I closed my laptop. “Taking care of stuff at the bank.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just bureaucratic stuff.”
“If you’re free, would you want to see Andrew’s room?”
The room where he would grow, cry, and sleep? The room I would never get to see again? I wouldn’t be there for the diaper changes and the nighttime feedings. I would never get to keep my son for a couple weeks in Florence. My relationship would always take place from a distance. “Yes.”
She took me down the hall, and we stepped into the baby’s room. It was painted blue like the sky, and there was a gray crib against the wall. There were already diapers piled on the dresser and so many toys he wouldn’t know what to play with first. I stepped into the center of the room and looked around, feeling a million emotions at once.
Then I noticed a picture frame on the dresser.
It was a picture of me.
I stood in a suit and leaned against a balcony. It was a candid shot, and I must’ve been talking to somebody because I was smiling. It was clearly taken on our wedding day, but my bride was nowhere visible. I stared for a long time, feeling touched and scarred at the same time.