Chapter 237


    “When do we leave?” I roll onto my stomach to watch him. He yanks on sweatpants and throws a T-


    shirt over his head, covering up that gorgeous expanse of tattooed lusciousness. He’s obviously


    changed his mind about having the shower right now.


    “After you eat baby. I’ll have the housekeeper pack up food for the trip, still can’t have you flying so it’s


    a long drive back. Jefferson ising with the Lexus so I can sit with you in the back.” He picks up a


    gray bathrobe and throws it beside me with a raised and suggestive eyebrow.


    Hmmmm sexy back seat time. I like this idea.


    “You’re very bossy this morning Mr. Carrero. I like seeing some of the old you kicking in.” I giggle as he


    comes crawling quickly across the bed to haul me onto my back, kissing me passionately. Caging me


    in with those glorious muscles assaulting me with his very sexy essence, like a strong aftershave


    folding in around me.


    “Amazing what a lot of sex with the woman I’m crazy about can do.” He grins and takes a shot at


    devouring my neck yfully.


    Amazing what a lot of sex with Jake Carrero can do.


    “No more guilt and crazy thoughts about hurting the baby?” I push him up so I can see his face, smiling


    at how lust filled those eyes are again already.


    “Still lingering a little but no longer crippling me into celibacy. I needed yesterday more than you could


    ever know, Emma. I needed to get back to this, to us. I love you so much.” He runs a finger over my


    mouth before scooping to rece it with his lips. I moan at the contact, so ready for more and he sits


    back up looking at me adoringly.


    “I love you too, although yesterday I was contemting triggering your sleeping disorder if my n


    didn’t work. I even googled it.” Iugh as he shakes his head at me.


    “I would’ve probably liked it.” Heughs, biting my neck yfully again, sending me into squirming


    giggles. He slides up and flips me over to my front, smacking my butt a little hard, but I like it. I’ve


    missed all forms of Casanova Carrero. It’s like he’s reappeared from being away for a long time, our


    honeymoon period in full force once again.


    “Get up, we have shit to do today.” He jumps to his feet over my body on the bed, and bnces


    walking over me carefully then drops down to the floor before stalking to the bathroom. I sigh


    obediently and slide out of bed to retrieve the fluffy robe he’s left there and haul it on.


    I’ve got so used to living in this house that breakfast is normally eaten dressed this way, curled up in


    the cozy main room on the couch in a fluffy robe. Sylvanaes to breakfast dressed the same way


    and always with a huge grin on her happy morning face.


    I’ve seen Giovanni, briefly, he’s always impably dressed; never caught him wearing anything less


    than a shirt, waistcoat, pants, and shoes. The man must rise at dawn and always that same cool


    controlled demeanor, never a hint of rxed softness or harshness either; just being Giovanni.


    I can see why Jake and he collide. Giovanni is never demonstrative or outwardly emotional. He’s not


    touchy or affectionate. Arrick has more of Giovanni’s traits than Jake does, that same cool mature


    manner and even when girlfriends are here Arrick doesn’t overly pander to them. The odd hand


    holding, but no real public disys of affection that Jake is always happy to throw around, and no open


    flirting or cuddly feelings.


    Even with his mother, Arrick, is more reserved than


    Jake. Jake kisses her on the cheek, hugs her in passing


    or walks with her arm in arm. Arrick is like his father, hands in pockets as he stands in a domineering


    manner


    among people, those eyes never missing a beat. Arrick understands his father a lot more than Jake,


    that much is obvious, and I believe it’s because he’s far more like Giovanni than Jake is.


    Giovanni works in the city, so he flies back and forth a lot to be home every night just as he promised


    his wife, another disy of respect and love for Sylvana that Jake doesn’t notice either.


    Arrick’s still in education. I’m not sure if that means college or some high-priced university or business


    school but he seems toe home sporadically, always with a new girl in tow much like the Jake of


    old. Carrero blood has a lot to answer for and I’ll be damned if this little Carrero gets up to such things


    … if he’s a boy that is.


    Sylvana splits her days between here and her charity, so sometimes she’s home for days and


    sometimes gone for


    days depending on hermitments.


    She has gushed at me on asion at how much she’s looking forward to having little feet running


    around again and a little face to spoil with kisses. I can imagine her as a grandmother, giving so much


    love to a new generation of little Carreros. She’s a woman built to love and to keep on loving every


    child whoes her way and I know she’ll love both mine and Marissa’s child equally.


    I have tried to ignore the pain in that statement. Once again realizing that everyone will bond with


    Marissa’s baby months before minees. Ours won’t be the first tiny feet, the first grandchild or even


    Jake’s first child and that still hurts me to the core. My baby will be second in everything, second to


    arrive, second to be loved, second to be pampered, but in Jake’s eyes my baby will always be first. My


    baby will be first to him in every way and I should use that thought to be okay with this. That’s all that


    matters to me. He will love his other child, but I know his bond with me and living with this child will


    make a difference to the rtionship. Something Marissa hasn’t thought of.


    “Come on sexy.” Jake reappears from the bathroom and catches my hand in his, dragging me with him


    off the bed and through the door in that infuriating bossy manner of his.


    * * *


    For once we’re sitting at the table eating breakfast together. I’m on toast and fruit sd with fresh


    orange juice, Jake’s got a mountain of pancakes and bacon and Sylvana is on some healthy gran


    stuff, piled high in a bowl with yogurt and fruit. The two of them have been amusing to watch.


    They have the same mannerisms as they read the morning paper and then switch pages, both shifting


    in their chairs, rounding their shoulders, and tilting heads to one side. Both talking with full mouths


    when they point out something interesting in the paper. The same way they cradle their mugs, not


    using the handles, and the way they hold their cutlery when eating; propping a fork in the air when


    engrossed in reading a column or news story. It’s beyond adorable and they are like mirror images.


    The housekeeper wanders around picking up used dishes, replenishing the coffee mugs and I can’t


    help but feelpletely rxed sitting here this way. Smiling at the two bowed dark heads noticing


    from this angle they have the same exact nose profile and eyebrows and it makes me giggle


    impulsively.


    Jake looks up at me with a cute smiling frown.


    “Something funny?”


    “You two are like book ends … Just wondering if this one will have the same Carrero good looks and


    quirks as you two do.” I tip my head to one side and smile at him, his face breaking into a grin.


    “With my genes, bambino … more than likely.” He sits back in his chair and appreciatively looks me


    over.


    “Oh no. I hope this little one looks like Emma.” Sylvana chirps in with a dreamy expression. “Can you


    imagine a little curly blonde-haired cherub with soft blue eyes and little pouty lips just like his mother?


    Face of an angel but of course the little devil child that you were, Jacob.” Sylvana is beaming and Jake


    gazes at me intensely.


    “When you put it that way, I’d love nothing more than a mini Emma … Would be the most beautiful


    baby on the.” He sighs, and his look grows intense, eyes locking onto mine in a devastatingly


    gorgeous way.


    He knows exactly what to say. Gold star to you Carrero.


    “I want a mini Carrero.” I sigh, loving the way Jake is looking at me, a focused warm caress, because


    before today I haven’t really expressed much about our baby other than not being sure of how I felt. I


    guess part of me is starting to get used to what this is, what we haveing, and I can feel the joy


    radiating from him at this sudden change in me. I guess I should tell him more often that I’m not entirely


    unhappy about a little Jake growing inside of me. He looks like he needs the reassurance.


    “Either way it’ll be a mini Carrero, in looks or charm; there’s enough of my genes in there to make sure


    of it, not like we haven’t had enough attempts.” He winks naughtily, and I blush. Sylvana throws a piece


    of fruit at him and it bounces off his head.


    “Your mother is sitting right here, young man.” She lifts an eyebrow to him. “Don’t make me put you


    over my knee.” The warning tone is deathly but the insincere way she’s smirking ruins the whole effect.


    “Mamma …” He raises his hands at her in shrugging defense, but she only shakes her head.


    “I wish I could me that high sex drive and naughtiness on his father alone, sadly I think Italian blood


    is naturally rich with it, I’m just as bad.” Sylvana winks my way and its Jake’s turn to cringe at her.


    “Jesus, Mamma, what the hell? I swear I need to poke my ears out with something sharp now.” He


    res at her with an utter look of disgust on his face. I can’t help but giggle at them, Jake catches my


    hand and leans in to pull it up to his mouth and kisses my palm. He lets me go and continues with his


    coffee.


    “Well since we’re talking about libido, you should know, that kid has no chance of boyfriends if it’s a girl.


    I’m buying a shotgun and a really big dog for the dating age.” He frowns, and the hunch of his


    shoulders gives me the impression he’s not kidding.


    “You’re going to be a nightmare as a father. I can see it already.” I sigh and watch him studiously.


    “Yeah, well, guess you better just keep me in steady supply of kids, so I get lots of practice at getting


    better.” He winks at me andughs when my face drops to a stone cold nk dead pan. My heart doing


    a sudden drop of sheer panic.


    “Oh Emma.” Sylvana bursts outughing as she clocks my expression. “You’re marrying a Carrero


    honey, if Giovanni had his way, we would’ve had fifty kids, sadly my body wasn’t too happy about that.”


    She croons at me.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    “I’m not that bad, fifty is maybe a bit much … maybe five or six?” Jake winks at me with a mischievous


    smile and I scowl at him. I hope to God he’s kidding right now, for a reaction from me.


    “When you start popping them out you can have five or six, until then I’m not making any promises


    beyond this one.” I pout at him, huffily, only to be met with a look I know all too well. The one that says,


    ‘you know I’ll have it my way by any means.’ I stick my chin up and raise my eyebrows at him.


    “Baby, you wait until this little onees out and melts what’s left of PA Emma’s heart.” He grins at me


    with wickedness and the urge to throw my fork at him is not lost on me. “You’ll be begging me to keep


    you bare foot and pregnant.”


    “I think not.” I stare at him steadily. “I have decided that when this babyes, I want to study.” I divert


    down at the table suddenly losing courage. I’ve thought about this a lot, considered it when Jake’s been


    gone long hours, and even though I’m not sure how I’m going to form a future with what I have nned


    I know it’s what I want to do.