Dario looks as though he’s entertaining himself by playing with his cars in the corner. He notices me first and runs up to me with a big smile on his face.
“Hey, baby.” I pick him up and kiss the top of his head. He’s very quiet most of the time and seems to prefer independent play. But he’s affectionate and cuddly in his own way.
“Mommy!” Valeria screams. “We’re having tea time with the ghost and the bitch. We’re having cookies and glitter tea and…” the little chatterbox babbles on as Alessandro refuses to make eye-contact so he doesn’t laugh at what she said. We’ve been trying to speak more English over the past few weeks. It’s important that they grow up bilingual so they can talk to my family, so it’s refreshing to hear her babble in my native tongue.
But what did she just say?
“Who are you having tea with, Val?” I sit next to them and politely cut her off because I know she’s only going to keep going.
“Daddy, the ghost, and the bitch.”
“Ah.” I lift the witch decoration as Alessandro covers his mouth, Dario still nestled at my side. “Is this the bitch?”
“Yep!”
“She’s called a witch, not a bitch.” I don’t even bother telling her that’s a bad word, knowing Valeria that would only make her say it more.
“Witch.” She repeats what I said. “But Daddy didn’t tell me it was wrong.”
“My English isn’t as good as Mommy’s.” He gives me a sarcastic smile. “She’s right, I’m wrong.”
“Okay.”
Dario wiggles out of my arms and goes back to his corner to play.
I spend time with all of them for a while before heading to our room to finally take a shower, leaving Alessandro to handle bedtime—he takes over that task when I have a training session that runs late into the evening. And besides, things are running smoothly with our business. Quiet but just as profitable as when Marco was in charge. That has given Alessandro some much-needed rest and time to spend with our kids.
When I open up the closet in our bedroom, my jaw drops to the floor when I see how many presents Alessandro bought for Valeria’s birthday. There are even some little boys’ toys, so I don’t know if he’s stockpiling for Dario’s next birthday or if he’s turning into the type of person to buy little gifts so that the other siblings don’t feel left out.
It’s obvious why he’s doing this. But I worry that it’ll backfire and we’ll end up spoiling them. I jump over a pile of toys to get to the dresser and take out something I can sleep in, then head to the bathroom, thinking about how I should approach this.
The warm water is so relaxing when I step into the shower that I nearly stop caring and let Alessandro do whatever the heck he wants with her party. But our children are being raised in an unimaginably rich and powerful family—we need to make sure they don’t end up spoiled rotten.
And Valeria has already inherited my stubbornness.
I’m surprised when Alessandro walks into the bathroom.
“That was quick.” I raise my eyebrows as I lather conditioner into my hair.
“Dario was tired, and I told Valeria that I’d read a book with her soon.”
He sheds his clothes and joins me. I feel like we never get a moment to ourselves anymore, so he doesn’t hesitate, gripping my backside and pulling me flush against him—or as flush as possible with my swollen belly. His lips press against mine.
I moan. “I needed this.”
He pulls my head back, his fist gripped in my hair, and kisses me down my neck, reaching his thumb down to my clit, stimulating it until he turns me around and slips inside of me.
My hands brace against the shower wall as he thrusts. Though we haven’t retired entirely from our kinkier ways, we’ve been making love more like this recently. Slow. Sensual. Relishing the alone time that we have together.
He hits that magic spot deep inside of me, thrusting harder until I come undone, then he quickly does the same.
My legs feel wobbly as he helps me stand upright. I grip his arms, feeling a head-rush suddenly.
“You okay?”
“Yeah…” The feeling of faintness passes. “Just pregnant.”
He turns the water colder and feels my swollen stomach, a gentle smile on his face. “Did you see the presents?”
