Turn Towards the Sun Book Two: After the Rain (47 page)

“Yes, I would like to do it that way.”

He smiles. “That’s fine with me.”

“Is it really?” I ask, not wanting to disappoint him.

“It really is. I promise.”

“Alright, I’ll call my girls when we get home. We can have dinner wherever you want tomorrow night. Thank you, my prince.”

“Anything for you. You know that.”

Enzo pulls into the garage and we head into the house. Cassie is out at work and I know that Chris will be tucked away in their room, working quietly.

I decide to call the girls later. For now I just feel like chilling out on the couch. I’m not sure that I’m even capable of comprehending how much my life is about to change. I just need some more time to let it all sink in without any massive celebrations.

****

“Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you.”

Enzo stands behind me with a Cheshire cat grin across his lips.

“What are you up to?” I ask. “I told you I didn’t want a big deal over this stupid holiday.”

“Who said it was a big deal? Close your eyes.”

I sigh and close them. Enzo puts his hand over my eyes and leads me down the hall to our room. I hear the door open and immediately notice a pleasant floral scent, the kind of smell that comes from candles. Soft, seductive music is playing.

“Ready?” he asks.

“Yes.”

Enzo removes his hand and I open my eyes. The room is lit with candles and the table is set for two. A gorgeous bouquet of multicolored roses sits on the dresser.

“I know you think it’s a dumb holiday, but, for me, it’s another opportunity to sweep you off your feet.”

He leads me to the table, where our meal is waiting; a meal he prepared himself.

“I couldn’t be swept any higher off the ground,” I tell him.

My heart melts. Mr. Romantic is at it again. How could I possibly not like this?

“You are everything to me, friend, lover, confidante, wife, and soon-to-be mother of my baby,” Enzo states. “I couldn’t have imagined a more complete and magical life than the one we have together. It’s rather cliché, but I couldn’t let the day for lovers go by without showering you in my affection.”

“Oh, Enzo, it isn’t cliché. You are so amazing. I just adore you. Thank you for this.”

“My pleasure,” he replies. “Now sit. I’ve made dinner.”

I take my seat and watch him scoop some pasta in lemon sauce onto my plate.

“I usually make this with wine, so I altered the recipe for you.” He smiles.

“I’m sure it will be incredible.”

“How did Gabriella react to your news?” he asks me.

“She cried. She’s very happy, of course. Cassie wants to catch up with me, so we can be pregnant at the same time.” I laugh.

“She’s not even married yet.”

“I know and she doesn’t even have a date set. Cassie is a little crazy, you know that.”

“She’s hysterical,” he says, laughing.

“That she is. Checca was emotional. I’m sure you know that by now.”

“Oh, yes, she called me right after she spoke to you. She’s over the moon, as she put it.”

“That’s cute.”

“You’re cute.” He grins. “I told Alex, Grayson, and Calvin this morning.”

“So that’s it for now?” I ask.

“That’s it for now.”

“So, bath and lovemaking after dinner?”

Enzo shakes his head. “No bath and, I was thinking, a nice massage for you.”

“Why no bath?” I ask. “We always take baths.”

“I take it you haven’t read the papers the doctor gave us yet. No hot baths.”

I feel my cheeks blush. He’s got me there.

“But why no sex?” I ask.

“We don’t always have to have sex,” he says. “There are many ways I can show you my affection.”

That’s a weird response. I realize that he is probably nervous about it. For once, I decide to let it go. I’m actually pretty darn tired and I feel bloated anyway.

“I’ll take the massage,” I say.

“Good, and tomorrow you can read the paperwork.”

“I will.”

We finish eating and climb into bed. I lay on my stomach and Enzo straddles me, rubbing oil between his hands. I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his hands on my skin. Before I know it, I can no longer fight the urge to snooze. I drift off into a restful sleep, dreaming of joyful, happy babies.

17 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“Look at my belly, babe. I think it’s starting to pop a little.”

I stand sideways, rubbing my tiny baby bump as I gaze in the mirror.

“It’s beautiful,” Enzo replies. Bending down, he plants a kiss on it.

“I wish I would start showing more. The maybe-she’s-just-fat stage is no fun. You can’t even tell I’m pregnant yet.”

“You do not look fat,” he insists. “You’re glowing and more breathtaking than ever.”

I smile and slide into my black knit dress, excited to go to my ultrasound appointment.

“I can’t wait to hear the baby’s heartbeat,” I say.

“I just hope we’re having a healthy baby. That’s all I pray for.”

“Me, too. Still, I’m excited,” I add.

“It’s good to be excited.”

I wrap my hair in a bun and slide on some sandals. It’s warm outside and it’s only early March. I’ll be at my most pregnant during the hottest months. Guess I didn’t plan that well. At least we have the pool. I imagine I’ll be living in it all summer.

“After the appointment, we’ll go to La Bellissima,” Enzo says.

“Sounds good. I have plenty of work to do.”

“So do I,” he says. “I’m putting Alex and Calvin in charge of all hotels outside of Phoenix for the next year. We have some paperwork to do to accomplish that.”

“Why are you doing that?”

“So I can stay here and be with my wife. We have plenty to do between Phoenix and Italy. We need to ask the doctor how much longer you can travel. I’d like one more trip to Italy before the baby is born, and there is no way I’m going without you.”

“From what I read, travel isn’t a problem until the last trimester,” I inform him.

“Perfetto.”

He puts his watch on, the one I bought in Vegas. He wears it every day, which is nice since it costs the equivalent of a small car.

“Andiamo, amore?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Cassie is sitting on the couch watching television when we come out of the bedroom.

“Good luck with everything today,” she says.

“Thanks. What are you up to today?”

“I have to work at ten. Gabby is coming to the salon. I’m going to give her a cut and some highlights.”

“Cool. We’re going to the hotel after the appointment, so we should be back around dinner time,” I tell her.

“We’ll be here.”

I walk out to the garage where Enzo waits for me, holding my door open. As we drive to the doctor’s office it feels like a good time to bring up a certain topic.

“Babe, while we’re at the doctor, I think you should talk to her about sex.”

“What do you mean by that?” he asks.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed your avoidance of sex with me. It’s safe, you know.”

“I’m not avoiding sex.” Enzo’s lips fall into a flat line. He clearly doesn’t like that I’m calling him out on it.

“Yes, you are. I think you’re worried about hurting me or the baby, but you shouldn’t. Maybe the doctor can explain how it all works to us,” I say. “I can’t go nine months without my husband’s lovemaking skills.”

He reaches over and takes my hand in his. “We’ll ask the doctor.”

After the car pulls into the parking lot of the office, I wait patiently for my door to be opened for me. If I thought he treated me like a princess before, it’s actually intensified since I became pregnant. I’m preparing myself for even more of this treatment as my pregnancy progresses. I just hope the doctor can assure him that I’m not breakable.

“Dr. Warner will be right you,” the receptionist at the front desk tells us.

A few moments pass and another woman leads us into the ultrasound room, where I undress and put on a hospital gown. I climb onto the table, filled with nerves and excitement. I can’t wait to see the baby. It is one thing to know it’s there, but it’s another to actually see it.

“Hello, you two. How are we today?” Dr. Warner asks as she enters the room.

“Good and excited,” I reply.

“Great. Well, we’ll get started in just a moment. Do you have any questions for me so far?”

I’m just going to jump right in.

“Is it safe to have sex, doctor?” I ask bluntly.

“Of course,” she replies. “As your pregnancy progresses you may have to experiment with different positions for comfort, but it’s all just fine. You can’t hurt the baby.”

I glance at Enzo and smile. He returns my smile with a hint of shyness.

“What about traveling? Are there any restrictions on me?”

“As long as your pregnancy is normal, you can travel as much as you like. We don’t recommend airplane travel during the last weeks of pregnancy because it could induce labor. I’d ask that you check with me before you go on any trips.”

“Okay. We can do that,” I say.

“Alright, then, let’s get started.”

Dr. Warner squeezes some warm gel on my tummy and starts to move the machine over me. The image on the screen just looks like shades of gray until she gets to a little spot that appears to be moving. The doctor clicks something on the keyboard and moves the wand around. I cannot tell what I’m looking at, except movement.

“Well, here it is,” she announces. “There’s your baby.”

I squint at the screen. Enzo grips my hand so tightly that it almost hurts.

“That little movement is the heartbeat,” she explains.

“Is it a good heartbeat?” Enzo asks.

“Yes, it’s very strong,” Dr. Warner replies. “With your next ultrasound we should be able to see the baby’s gender. Until then, keep doing what you’re doing.”

Enzo kisses my forehead and shakes the doctor’s hand. Excited isn’t a sufficient word to explain his mood.

“You can get dressed, Ava. I’ll see you on the way out.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

I stand up to get dressed. Enzo is pacing around the room, brimming with joy.

“This is such a wonderful day. My life is full of them now because of you. If I was asked before I met you to talk about a momentous occasion, any story I told would have been about my work. Now I measure my life through moments with you,” he enthuses.

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” Enzo repeats. “I wouldn’t have any of this if you hadn’t sat next to me on the plane that day. That’s when I started living.”

I kiss his nose. “Can you believe that wasn’t even a year ago? So much has happened in our lives since. I can’t even remember my life before you.”

“I didn’t exist before you.” His hands run up my legs and settle between my thighs. “I would give anything to make love to you, right here, right now,” he says.

Hallelujah! His desire has returned.

“Not sure how the doctor would feel about that, but I’ll definitely take a rain check. You can bet I plan to cash in on it.”

He grins. “I do hope so.”

We see our way out, head to the car and start our drive to La Bellissima. I love seeing the hotel take shape. The rooms are nearing completion and the grounds are gorgeous. We’re getting to the finishing touches now and we should be on track for our August opening, much sooner than the original December deadline.

“What are you working on today?” Enzo asks.

“Well, we’re still not sure about the hardware for the doors and bathrooms. We had one picked out, but once we got it installed, Francesca decided she didn’t like it. The bathroom fixtures we ordered from Italy just arrived, so we’ll be looking at those today.”

“You’re still enjoying this, yes?”

“Very much,” I answer. “I love it, actually.”

“You’re very good at it. You were meant to do this type of work. I’m glad you’ve had this experience before the baby comes.”

“Me, too.”

“Because you know you won’t be working once it’s born.”

Whoa. What? Ah dang, here we go. I had a feeling Enzo would pull this card on me at some point.

“I am going to work,” I tell him. “Maybe not at first, but eventually I will.”

“It’s not negotiable, Ava. Your job will be to raise our family.”

“I’m sorry,” I continue, “I didn’t realize it was still 1955. Last time I checked it was 2013, and I live in America. I’ve already agreed to this live-in nanny nonsense, and now you think I’m just going to sit at home all day, baking brownies. No way, mister.”

“I’m not going to fight with you on this. A mother’s job is more important than any other, and I expect it.”

“Too bad, I expect to have a balanced life,” I snap.