laughs at me. “You won’t be fat and you
could never be ugly. You will be with child, our child. You will be perfect.
More than perfect.”
“Say more things like that,” I tell him as he stops.
“You will be the most beautiful creature in all the Realms.
And the sexiest. I will worship you and adore you. I will tell you every day
how much I love you and how much I desire you.”
“I will hold you to that. In my dreams I feel slow and fat
and very unsexy.”
“Your dreams are lies,” he says, sitting up suddenly.
“Everything about them is a lie. Pay them no mind.”
I can see he is upset about my dreams. Can’t say that I
blame him, I am dreading going back to sleep in case there is another one. But
we can’t ignore them. Not anymore.
“Come. You are soaking, let’s get you inside and dry.” He
stands and pulls me up.
“So are you,” I point out. “And you have no clothes.”
He looks at the pile of shredded clothes several feet from
where we are standing and chuckles, “Well it’s a good thing that I can do
this…” he wraps his arms around me and Teleports us back into his bedroom. “So
that we don’t run the risk of bumping into anyone on the way back.”
“Isn’t it just? I want a bath. Will you run me one?”
“Anything for you,” he says but then hesitates.
“Don’t worry, I am not about to go all murderous on you
again. You were right and thank you for saying no.”
He nods and disappears into the bathroom. I check my phone,
which I left on the bedside cabinet hours ago. A dozen missed calls and about
as many messages. I check the messages, a couple from each of my boys but
nothing that can’t wait so I ignore them and turn to the bathroom.
“They just can’t live without you, can they?” he says from
the doorway.
“Can you?” I ask vainly.
“Think quite highly of yourself, don’t you? But no, I
cannot.”
“I trust that today has appeased your need to erase our time
together in the elevator?”
“Oh most definitely,” he says as he helps me into the huge
bathtub before he climbs in himself. “I have been thinking about something
quite a bit this last day or so,” he says conversationally.
“Oh, what is that then?” I ask as I lean back against him
comfortably.
“When we get married, what will our surname be?”
I turn to face him, “You have thought about that?”
“Of course. It won’t be D’Arcangelo, so what will it be?”
“Aquila,” I say straight away.
He starts, “What?”
“It seems obvious to me. That is your name. That is what I
want my name to be.”
“You want my name? My original name?”
“Yes.”
He blinks at me. “Oh fuck, Aefre. I honestly don’t think I
could love you any more right now if I tried.”
I am touched by his sincerity. He clearly loves the idea of
us taking his first name, as do I. I snuggle into his chest suddenly very, very
tired.
“Don’t go to sleep,” I hear him say before I doze off.
“Aefre! Aefre!” I hear my name being shouted but it is
the Old English version, not the Latin version that Constantine uses. “Wake
up!”
I blink and I am staring straight into the cold black
eyes of Lance. “There, that’s better,” he says as he strokes my face. “I was
too ambitious to start you off with something so different. You are too strong
and too clever. How about we try this instead…”
“Emily! Emily!” I hear my name being shouted and I wake
up. “Sweetheart, the baby is crying,” Fraser says and bursts into the room as I
sit up in shock.
“Baby? Fraser?” I say at a loss.
“Yes, my love. Are you still tired? I should try to do
more to help you, but I am a bit useless.” He leans over the crib and plucks up
a tiny squirming bundle draped in a white blanket. “There, there,” he croons
and comes closer. “She’s hungry.”
“What?” I say as he hands me the tiny child. “What am I
supposed to do?”
Fraser chuckles at me, “You really are tired, aren’t you,
my
could never be ugly. You will be with child, our child. You will be perfect.
More than perfect.”
“Say more things like that,” I tell him as he stops.
“You will be the most beautiful creature in all the Realms.
And the sexiest. I will worship you and adore you. I will tell you every day
how much I love you and how much I desire you.”
“I will hold you to that. In my dreams I feel slow and fat
and very unsexy.”
“Your dreams are lies,” he says, sitting up suddenly.
“Everything about them is a lie. Pay them no mind.”
I can see he is upset about my dreams. Can’t say that I
blame him, I am dreading going back to sleep in case there is another one. But
we can’t ignore them. Not anymore.
“Come. You are soaking, let’s get you inside and dry.” He
stands and pulls me up.
“So are you,” I point out. “And you have no clothes.”
He looks at the pile of shredded clothes several feet from
where we are standing and chuckles, “Well it’s a good thing that I can do
this…” he wraps his arms around me and Teleports us back into his bedroom. “So
that we don’t run the risk of bumping into anyone on the way back.”
“Isn’t it just? I want a bath. Will you run me one?”
“Anything for you,” he says but then hesitates.
“Don’t worry, I am not about to go all murderous on you
again. You were right and thank you for saying no.”
He nods and disappears into the bathroom. I check my phone,
which I left on the bedside cabinet hours ago. A dozen missed calls and about
as many messages. I check the messages, a couple from each of my boys but
nothing that can’t wait so I ignore them and turn to the bathroom.
“They just can’t live without you, can they?” he says from
the doorway.
“Can you?” I ask vainly.
“Think quite highly of yourself, don’t you? But no, I
cannot.”
“I trust that today has appeased your need to erase our time
together in the elevator?”
“Oh most definitely,” he says as he helps me into the huge
bathtub before he climbs in himself. “I have been thinking about something
quite a bit this last day or so,” he says conversationally.
“Oh, what is that then?” I ask as I lean back against him
comfortably.
“When we get married, what will our surname be?”
I turn to face him, “You have thought about that?”
“Of course. It won’t be D’Arcangelo, so what will it be?”
“Aquila,” I say straight away.
He starts, “What?”
“It seems obvious to me. That is your name. That is what I
want my name to be.”
“You want my name? My original name?”
“Yes.”
He blinks at me. “Oh fuck, Aefre. I honestly don’t think I
could love you any more right now if I tried.”
I am touched by his sincerity. He clearly loves the idea of
us taking his first name, as do I. I snuggle into his chest suddenly very, very
tired.
“Don’t go to sleep,” I hear him say before I doze off.
“Aefre! Aefre!” I hear my name being shouted but it is
the Old English version, not the Latin version that Constantine uses. “Wake
up!”
I blink and I am staring straight into the cold black
eyes of Lance. “There, that’s better,” he says as he strokes my face. “I was
too ambitious to start you off with something so different. You are too strong
and too clever. How about we try this instead…”
“Emily! Emily!” I hear my name being shouted and I wake
up. “Sweetheart, the baby is crying,” Fraser says and bursts into the room as I
sit up in shock.
“Baby? Fraser?” I say at a loss.
“Yes, my love. Are you still tired? I should try to do
more to help you, but I am a bit useless.” He leans over the crib and plucks up
a tiny squirming bundle draped in a white blanket. “There, there,” he croons
and comes closer. “She’s hungry.”
“What?” I say as he hands me the tiny child. “What am I
supposed to do?”
Fraser chuckles at me, “You really are tired, aren’t you,
my
Similar Books
