Her CEO - Flora Ferrari Page 0,28
has a draft, ancient walls and uneven wooden floors and poor plumbing, but Alyson loves the place.
“It has charm, darling.”
“It has mice,” I remember telling her.
The memory makes me smile but I suddenly sit up, cocking my ear, then bolting out of bed when I hear Alyson crying, her soft sobs reaching me from the other end of the room.
From the bathroom.
My feet slide across the floor as I use my arms to grip the doorway, stopping myself.
My heart in my throat, until I see the blue pregnancy test in her hands, and realize her tears are tears of joy.
“Baby? What is it! Tell me you’re alright.”
“We’re gonna have a baby,” she cries, and I feel the first real tear I’ve cried since I was a boy trickle down my own cheek as I rush over to hold her.
Vowing to protect her even more from this moment on.
“Our precious cargo,” I whisper, putting my hand over hers as she rubs her belly and I kiss her forehead.
“I love you, Alyson Chambers,” I tell her, both of us weeping for joy now.
“And I love you, Eric Chambers,”
“Do we have any baby names yet?” I ask, making her frown.
“It’s been less than a minute, Eric.”
I open my mouth, she’s right. “But as long as it’s not Cynthia,” I offer, making her smile, then we both laugh.
“Or Timothy… Ew!” she calls out loud and I hug her close again, tight as I dare, whispering the one thing I can never tell her enough, the one thing I want etched in the hearts and mind of her and our children, forever.
I love you.
Extended Epilogue
THREE YEARS LATER – Valencia, Italy
Alyson
“Mommy! Daddy!”
“It’s your turn,” I remind Eric, who looks up from between my legs, blowing out a short breath.
“I’ll keep it warm,” I promise him.
He kisses my mound softly, and I shiver, watching him get out of bed, making himself decent with his robe before he stretches and yawns, his bare feet sliding on the wooden floor as he makes his way down to the kids room.
“Momm-”
“Alright!” he calls out, and the twins go quiet once they realize they’ve summoned their father.
I hear his low, thundering voice echo through the hall, then some thumping, followed by the high pitched squeals of children giggling and laughing out of control.
“It’s late. You’re supposed to be sick,” I call out, trying to block out the sound with my pillow, kidding myself that I don’t want to go down and see what he’s up to with them this time.
But I do.
I want my babies, and I want my man.
Sighing with resignation, deciding we might all be sleeping in the same bed again, making that what? Two nights in a row I’ve missed out?
It’s alright. I know Eric will more than make it up to me, and for now, it’s important to keep the kids as happy and comfy as they can be.
Having a cold is no fun at all.
I sneeze half way down the hall, then feel my head pound. I sniff and then groan, the reality of it hitting me at the same moment I hear Eric sneezing too.
The kid’s laughter only getting louder, making my head ache just that little bit harder.
Getting to the door of the kid’s room, I can see Eric has already turned their beds into a fort, with all their bedding as the cover.
He’s underneath, with both of them sitting on his huge chest, Joseph holding a little flashlight and Megan holding one of their storybooks.
“Daddy’s reading story,” they both chime in unison, looking like two perfect little angels.
Looking anything but sick and worse than that, looking wide awake.
“Oooh. You look like crap, honey,” Eric says out loud, smiling before Megan covers his mouth.
“No say bad words, daddy,” she tells him firmly.
I catch a glimpse of myself in their mirror. My eyes are redder than they should be this time of night, and so is my nose. My whole body aches and my head.
“I think I have what they had, have… whatever,” I suggest, and Eric covers his mouth as he sneezes again.
“I think we all do,” he observes and nods wearily as I start to list my own symptoms.
“Alright, sweetheart, you’re making my head hurt,” Eric tells me, looking as bad as I feel by the second.
It’s about how quickly we noticed it in the little one’s but the doctor assured us it’s just a common cold and will pass in a few days, recommending we just stay put and keep our fluids