Unravelling the Middle

Chapter 12

I instinctively know I'm alone in bed as soon as my consciousness flutters to the forefront of my mind. I take a deep breath and try to cuddle closer to my wife, needing some warmth, but only getting an armful of pillow instead. "Maya?" My eyes open on their own accord, fighting against the pure exhaustion behind my lids for a few seconds. My gorgeous wife is standing on the balcony with her forearms gently resting on the railing while she admires the view outside.

She's caressing a cup of coffee with such delicate touches that my insides tie together in a knot of desire for those fingers. What I wouldn't give to be that mug right about now. The wind rustles the leaves on the plant next to her a moment before the breeze grazes her face. Dio, she is breathtaking. The warm glow of the sun hits her at just the right angle to make her blonde hair appear golden as it blows wild in the wind.

Her every curve, every line, every freckle, is absolute perfection. The paleness of her skin, the color of her hair, the blue of her eyes. There is nothing about my wife that doesn't have the ability to make my knees go weak at the mere sight of her. She is magnificent in every way. I watch her take a sip of her coffee, and watching her throat move as she swallows the liquid, has me wet in seconds. How the hell does she even make drinking coffee look that sexy?

Why isn't she still in bed with me so I can have my way with her? Why does she have to be all the way over there when I so desperately need her by my side this very instant? Can someone please tell me why I fell in love with a woman whose worst quality is her attempt at taking a break? My irrational annoyance over every little thing still seems to control my hormones, and with the snap of my fingers, I'm suddenly furious that she's not in bed with me.

"You are really bad at resting, bella..." I hug her pillow closer to my chest, inhaling her lingering scent like it's the only way I'll be able to catch my breath long enough to see her turn around in all her heavenly glory. She doesn't let the note of irritability in my voice bother her at all. It's nothing new, I suppose, and she has always had the magic touch to perk me up. Her smile could light up the entire city as she takes a step into our room, lovingly gazing at me.

I can see the playfulness in the twitch of her lips and the twinkle in her eyes, and that immediately brings me back down to earth. "Shhh, don't tell my wife. She'd prefer for me to stay in bed with her all day if she had her way." I smile adoringly at her impromptu tease, rolling my eyes at her goofiness when she quickly closes the curtains like she's hiding our secret affair from the outside world, while placing a finger over her lips to let me know that I'm not allowed to tell.

I want to play along, and I have the perfect response on the tip of my tongue, but a sharp pain in lower back renders me speechless. Dio, the specialist was right – this is the worst period cramps I've ever experienced. There should be a bigger warning label on the forms they give a person before a procedure like this. I'm uncomfortable in bed—bloated, with my uterus and lower back in spasm, and somehow even breathing hurts.

Although, thinking about the possible life we're in the process of creating, makes everything worth it. I somehow breathe through the pain and focus on my wife's perfect features. "How long have you been up, bella?" I can see she wants to keep teasing me, not quite understanding why I'm not playing along, but more than willing to appease me however I want. "Not long at all actually. I only stepped out to enjoy the view. Or views I suppose. You were are vision curled up in bed like that."

She has a light shade of red tinting her cheeks and I don't know if it's because of the coffee or from a slight blush at confessing that she was watching me sleep. "How are you feeling, my love?" I unhook my leg from her pillow and wince when the cramp slides down my hip to the top of my pubic bone. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Do you need a heating pad?" The worry on Maya's face eases the pain a little, but not by a lot. "Sì, per favor."