Nothing is more comforting than the feeling of my back pressed softly against my husband's chest with his arms wrapped around my waist. And since my stomach isn't the size of a watermelon anymore, he has room to spare.
"I kind of miss the baby bump," he whispers into my ear.
I nearly step forward, finding the romantic gesture to suddenly become vile. It took six months until Vylad decided that our crawling child needs a sibling, and this is how he tells me.
"I kind of miss when Paris couldn't crawl."
"She's too cute, though," he defends, looking over at our sleeping baby. "And now she's almost standing on her own by herself."
I laugh, shaking my head. There's a curling wand sitting on my vanity, but I couldn't care less to heat it up. My mascara is left unopened near it, but my beauty blender at least has some evidence that I haven't been stalling for the past hour getting ready.
Vylad seems scatterbrained. He looks at Paris for one minute and then at one of my shoes the next. Zianna brought to our attention how there's a family dinner tonight, but Vylad and I both feel as though there's more behind her words than what she's leading off.
When I went to find a babysitter, she objected to the idea and insisted I bring Paris along. I normally wouldn't disagree, but I don't favor trying to calm her down in a busy restaurant. Despite seeing her a week ago, Zianna claims she just wants more reasons to see her grandchild.
"I feel like my mother is up to something," Vylad admits, sitting on the edge of our bed. He's dressing Paris, but he's beginning to see how hard it can be with a moving baby. He's fully dressed himself, but I'm finishing getting ready by placing some golden earrings onto my ears. "Who places a dress code on dinner?"
"The same woman who tried to set me up with you immediately after I broke up with your brother in high school."
Vylad glances over at me, a sly grin on his lips. Paris is lifted into the air, and she lets out an excited squeal before he sets her back down to place her shoes on her feet. "She was always secretly team us. I don't think she was very upset when Garroth came home with the news of being newly single."
In truth, I don't think Laurance was either. He didn't care as much with the idea that I was going to be home more often. He liked the idea that Garroth had a much more open schedule that he could slide into more. Any date that had "Alex" on it could easily be replaced with "Laurance" without another thought.
I'd go over to the Ro'meave's and Zianna would ask how I'm feeling. The breakup was mutual, so it didn't hurt as much as I feared it would. There were obvious adjustments that took place post-relationship that Garroth and I went through, but Zianna overlooked those. Anything Garroth would do, like give me a jacket when I was cold, she ushered Vylad to do it instead.
I stand from my spot, flattening my dress out. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the heck your mother is planning."
°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°
"And this is my youngest son's daughter, Paris."
There's a moment when Jeffory and I lock eyes after I've come to the conclusion that this dinner was most definitely a set-up by Zianna. My daughter's name is quickly scratched down on a piece of paper, and my eyebrow raises.
I love Zianna, but I don't love this.
His eyes are knowing as our gaze lingers. Kandi has told him the horror stories of Garte trying to figure out which child, preferably a son, would take over the family business. Before Vylad and I successfully were able to conceive Paris, there was an entire blow over with Garte and Garroth regarding Garroth being heir. This led to Garte having to open up his choices and Zianna stepping into the light. The idea of stepping down and giving the company to someone outside the Ro'meave name boils Garte's buttons far more than I think it would giving it to Vylad and Kandi.
This caused a bit of a bump in the news of the company. Rumor had it Garte was thinking of retiring. But without a designated heir, retirement was put on a standstill. For over a year now, it's been like this.
My fingers fiddle with the cloth napkin on my lap. Vylad reaches over and places his hand on top of mine, but I deny his advances by placing my napkin on the table. "I'm going to use the restroom," I whisper to him, standing from my place. He goes to push his chair backwards, but I shake my head. "Please watch over our child."
The sound of heels click against the bathroom tile shortly after I stop to look in a mirror. Kandi's short figure makes herself present with a timid smile. She comments that dinner came and distracted Zianna, but that hasn't stopped her chatty nature.
"Sometimes I really hate the name I married into," I comment. "Should've taken mine."
Her gaze drops to her feet. The click-clacking starts again when she begins to get closer to me. Kandi's clutch hangs loosely on her wrist, and she begins to dig through it for the lipstick she applied earlier that evening. "You married into a name that allows your child to be fed with a golden spoon. . . We wish it was different, too."
"I don't know why I didn't see this happening when I first got with Garroth in junior year," I admit. "And sometimes I don't know why I continued when I realized it in college with Vylad."
"Because you love him enough to work through it together."
