“Of course.” Moreno nods. There’s no smile. No kind words. Not even a polite chitchat about the photographer and the pictures we were required to take. “I’ll be waiting by the foyer in ten.”
He doesn’t give me much time.
“I’ll watch Zeke while you get changed.” Luca continues to cuddle Zeke, but the minute I start to exit into the hallway for the stairs, Zeke starts fussing.
There are no tears yet, but they’re inevitable.
“Mama!” Zeke squeals and shrieks.
It breaks my heart. On some mornings when I drop him off at daycare, I experience the same sounds, and it rips me apart inside.
Mondays are always the worst, after Zeke and I spend all weekend together. “It’s okay. I can take him.” I hold out my arms, and Zeke climbs onto me like a monkey but refuses to let go. “Can you show me which room it is again?”
Zeke’s cheeks are red, his eyes glassy, and he exhales a heavy sigh once he’s in my embrace. He rests his head on my shoulder, and his eyes close. He could use a nap. Makes two of us.
“Of course.” Luca walks alongside me until we reach the stairwell. “Let me take Zeke.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Managing heels and the train of the wedding gown is difficult enough, but doing it up two flights of stairs carrying Zeke is not wise.
Luca must realize the dilemma too. “I don’t want anything to happen to Zeke or to you. We’ll be fine,” he assures me. “You, in those fancy heels and dress, need to be careful.”
“Okay.” I hand off Zeke again, and this time he’s not fussing since the little one has his sights on me the entire time.
Luca leads me to the third floor and to the suite where I had gotten dressed in the wedding gown earlier in the morning.
He opens the suite door, and I step inside. “Can you come in and help me with the zipper?”
Wordlessly, Luca steps into the room behind me with Zeke and secures the door. “Turn around.” He gestures with his finger.
I hear the soft plop of little feet as he puts Zeke down onto the floor.
Luca’s hands caress my hair, pushing it to one side over my shoulder before he gradually lowers the zipper on my wedding dress.
I let the gown fall to the ground and step out of it, breathing a sigh of relief. I lift the material and place it back onto the hanger.
“Mama!” Zeke squeals and comes running at me, tackling my legs.
Luca covers Zeke’s eyes. “Don’t look, buddy.”
I laugh, shaking my head while I grab my clothes from earlier in the morning. “Why not?”
“He shouldn’t see his mother naked.”
I glance down at my undergarments. “This is naked?” I tilt my head to the side. “You and I have a different definition.”
I pull my sweater on over my head and reach for my jeans. “And you don’t see me covering your eyes.”
Luca grins. “Oh, come on, we’re past all that.”
My gaze tightens. “Are we?” I ask, stepping closer, into his personal space. “Last I checked, we weren’t sleeping together. Which means you have no business seeing me naked.”
His smile fades, but he doesn’t flinch or even glance away. He’s staring right through me, and it sends a shiver down my spine. “We’re married.”
“By contract only.” It’s the reason I was standing in my wedding gown just minutes earlier, we’re both abiding by a legally binding agreement.
Luca leans in, his breath teasing me, making me want to kiss him. His gaze moves to my lips, but he doesn’t close the distance. He just hovers and waits, dragging the unbearable tension out, tormenting me. “It’s still a very real marriage.”
I snort. “You’re right, it is. Married and not having sex. Sleeping in separate rooms. Sounds just like a typical marriage.” I take a step back, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest.
