Wretched Roses √

Chapter 78-Discussions

Later, long after Micaela had left, I was in bed trying to fall asleep. Penny was lying by my feet, sleeping soundlessly. I was almost jealous she could fall asleep so quickly. It was easier to sleep when Leona was next to me but without her I found myself having a much harder time drifting off than usual.

Sighing loudly in defeat, I seized my phone to check the time. I squinted at the bright light of my phone and saw that it was almost 2 am. Leona had texted me three hours ago saying she would likely come home somewhere in the middle of the night.

I decided to scroll on my phone, absentmindedly looking at social media. It quickly bored me so I put down my phone and sat up, turning on the bedside lamp. For a good minute or so, I just stared at a spot on the wall, zoning out. My eyes flickered shut and I rested my head on the wall behind me. I lied down again, hoping I would be able to fall asleep now.

After forty minutes of trying to sleep, I gave up, once again grabbing my phone and looking through social media until I noticed I had a message from Leona. I clicked on it and started reading. When I saw she would be coming home soon, I smiled and sent her a quick message back. It had been sent fifteen minutes ago so I assumed it wouldn't be too long until she would be back.

Sure enough, minutes later, I heard her unlock the door. The sound of a bag dropping on the floor could be heard and then some curses slipped out of her mouth. A relieved sigh escaped her, I chuckled silently, wondering what had her so worked up. The door creaked open, she closed it quietly and removed her clothes until she was only in her underwear then slipped into the bed, placing something on the nightstand. She snuggled closer to me, wrapping an arm around me so she was spooning me.

I turned around. "Hey."

"Hi, you're awake still?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

Leona nodded in understanding. "Since you're up, I have something for you."

She reached for something on the bedside table next to her, presumably the same thing she'd left there earlier. I switched on the lamp so we could see it properly. She held it in her hand and gestured for me to close my eyes. I obliged. She took one of my hands, cupping it with her own and then placing something on the palm of my hand. I was ordered to open my eyes. A huge smile broke out on my face at the sight of a braided bracelet with different shades of blue.

"Did you make it yourself?"

She grimaced. "Is it bad? I'm sorry if it's really cheesy, I made a matching one for myself too and the colors reminded me of your eyes so I-"

I shut her up with a kiss. "It's perfect. You're so thoughtful, I love you."

She visibly relaxed. "Okay, good."

It wasn't hard to miss that she wanted to say something more. I studied her face and noticed she was biting her lip, seemingly thinking about something. I pecked her on the forehead, playing with the bracelet on my wrist.

"What is it?"

"I was playing with Faye earlier."

She went quiet. "And?" I prompted her.

"I want kids," she confessed, avoiding my gaze. "I know we've brushed over the topic before but I want to talk about it. I guess Faye reminded me of that."

I hadn't been expecting to have that conversation at 3 am but I had been thinking about it too. Children were something I'd always been scared to have. Part of me felt like I wasn't fit to be a parent, though it wasn't logical, I blamed myself for the miscarriage I'd had years ago.

"Yeah, me too," I settled with saying. "Would you want to carry?"

She nodded. "If that's okay with you. Maybe we can switch it up if we end up having another one. What do you say?"