Chapter 45
CASSANDRA
Once they’re home, Emilio heads to his study while Cassandra checks on Alex. Their little boy is sound asleep.
Emilio hasn’t said much to her since they left Luis and Beth’s place, but Cassandra is fine with that for now. She takes a quick shower and slips into bed.
A bit later, Emilio comes in and starts unbuttoning his shirt. Cassandra sits up to face him, and seeing her expression, he asks, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I was just waiting for you.”
He flashes her that sexy grin. “You want me?”
“I want my husband to come to bed. I’m tired and I want to fall asleep in his arms.”
“You do realize it’s impossible for me to hold you in my arms and not make love to you?” Emilio sits down next to her and strokes her cheek. “And you’re not making it any easier by responding to my touch.”
“I can’t help it,” Cassandra confesses. “When it comes to you, my body has a mind of its own.”
He moves closer and brushes his lips against hers. “I’ve never met a woman who so openly expresses her feelings. You have no idea what that does to me.”
“I’m only telling the truth, Emilio. I’ve tried so hard to keep my emotions under control when we’re together, but you break down all my barriers. I’m completely vulnerable when it comes to you, and that scares me…to death.”
How can she admit the hold he has over her without telling him that she loves him unconditionally? She looks away, tired of hiding it.
“If I didn’t know better, I would say you love me.”
EMILIANO
Emiliano turns Cassie’s face, and when their eyes meet, what he sees shocks him. Her feelings are genuine. She loves him! She actually loves him.
His heart starts to race, and all the air in his lungs disappears. He’s speechless. He loves her, but he never thought she would love him back. Joy floods his entire body. He doesn’t know if he should hug her, kiss her, or make love to her, so he just pulls her into his arms and lays down with her.
“Do you think you’ll ever fall in love?” Cassie asks.
I already have—with you, Emiliano silently tells her. But all he says is, “Sleep, mi amor.”
It isn’t long before he hears her steady breathing and feels her calm heartbeat.
Cassie loves him! How could he be so blind that he didn’t see it? Now that he thinks about it, not once has she hidden her feelings when they made love. It was evident in the glances she throws his way whenever he rocks their son to sleep, whenever they cuddle, whenever she thinks he isn’t watching. The signs were always there.
Emiliano holds her tightly, unable to believe the truth. He knows Cassie won’t admit her true feelings because of their agreement, so it’s up to him to make the first move if he wants to hear her say those magical three words.
He sleeps peacefully that night and the nights that follow.
***
On Friday afternoon, while lying in each other’s arms after making love, Cassie asks, “What time are we leaving?”
“Whenever you’re ready,” Emiliano says, nuzzling her hair.
She sighs softly.
“What?” he prompts.
“I love it when you do that,” Cassie smiles. “In fact, I love everything you do to my body and more.”
“Thank you,” Emiliano says, rolling her over. “Shall I show you what else I can do to your body?”
“Yes, please.”
His head slowly descends toward hers, and their lips are only inches apart when Alex’s cries sound through the monitor.
Emiliano groans. “Your son has impeccable timing.”
Cassie laughs. “Where does he get that from?”
“I wonder myself,” he says, getting up and slipping on his pants. “I’ll take care of him. Get ready in the meantime.”
Emiliano kisses her long and hard before leaving. When he returns with Alex, he sees her hunched over the toilet. What is wrong with her? He should ask why she’s sick, but knowing his stubborn wife, she wouldn’t answer anyway.
Emiliano goes downstairs to prepare Alex’s bottle. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve said Cassie is pregnant, but that isn’t possible. She’s still on the pill.
Is she? A small voice asks.
His steps falter as his mind reviews the past few weeks. They’ve been making love every day, and not once has she mentioned her period. Could it be true? Is she pregnant? If she is, then why is she hiding it from him?
Asking her won’t help. If he wants the truth, he’ll have to find out on his own.
Emiliano is feeding Alex when Cassie makes her appearance, wearing a floor-length summer dress with spaghetti straps and her hair tied on top of her head. His eyes fall to her breasts. From far away, one would say she is wearing a bra, but as she gets closer, he can tell she isn’t. The dress lovingly hugs those round, firm breasts, and he notices that they are bigger than before—how could he have missed that?
Cassie smiles broadly and gives Alex a kiss.
Time for his first test.
“Are you hungry? I’ve ordered lunch; you must be starving after that workout.”
“No,” she says. “I’m not hungry.”
“When are you getting your period?”
Cassie averts her gaze and goes to the kitchen. “In a few days.” He can hear her voice wavering.
“Are you late?”
“Huh?” She asked confused.
“I was just remembering that it’s been a while since your last period. That’s why I’m asking if you’re late.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cassie responds. “I don’t exactly have a regular cycle like most women.”
She’s not the best at lying; her stunning green eyes give away every emotion she’s feeling.
“I’ve been thinking,” Emiliano starts.
“About what?”
“Come here,” he instructs, and she complies. He has her sit down next to him. “Something Beth mentioned the other night has been nagging at me.”
Cassie shifts in her seat. “I’m all ears.”
“I realized I never asked if you wanted to have kids in the future or anytime soon; I only shared my thoughts.” His hand wraps around her neck. “Do you want to have more kids?”
“Someday, yes, I do. But if Alex is my only child, I won’t be upset… I haven’t forgotten the agreement we made before we got married: no attachments, promises, or expectations. Even if I do want children in the future, you don’t, so where does that leave us?”
“Let’s consider a scenario. Say you accidentally get pregnant now—would you terminate it without telling me just because I said I don’t want any kids?”
“No!” Cassie exclaims vehemently, causing Alex to jump.
Bingo, Emiliano thinks. Her passionate response says it all.
“No, I’d never do that. I would tell you the truth, it wouldn’t be intentional; like you said, it would be a mistake. The real question here is, what would you say if it happened?”
“Nothing. If you were pregnant, there’s nothing I could do except love and accept that baby like I did with Alex. I wouldn’t treat them any differently; after all, babies are blessings, and they bring love, joy, and happiness into a home.”
This is her opportunity to tell the truth.
Just then, his cell rings. Emiliano sighs. “I have to take this,” he says, passing Alex over to her.
