Tiptoe Kisses

Chapter 42

Chapter 42 

Taylor looks at herself in the mirror turning from side to side.  She smiles seeing the small baby bump forming.  She’s going into work today and looking for something comfortable to wear.  She’s going to have to buy some new clothes for work.  A lot of her dresses will now be too tight.  It’s going to be her first full day back in three weeks.   Santo was in the hospital for a week before they let him come home.  She’s staying at his place now, not because he asked her to.  It’s because she wants to be with him and take care of him. 

Things between them haven’t been the way she imagined they would be after he left the hospital.  They are staying in his apartment loft and the place still doesn’t have much furniture.   When he came home from the hospital he was sullen, he wants to be alone.  He doesn’t sleep at nights, he doesn’t eat much.  He’s lost weight and let his hair grow out.  She knows he’s worried and she can’t stop or control how he’s feeling. 

Nathan, Alina and Clayton all got away and it’s a frightening feeling that lays in the pit of all of their stomachs but Santo is especially bothered by it.   He doesn’t know where they are.  He worries they will come after his family.  He’s not concerned for himself, he worries about Taylor and the baby and that worry has caused friction between them. 

Taylor had her pregnancy confirmed while he was still in the hospital.  She’s now seven weeks pregnant and Santo hasn’t been with her yet to see the doctor.  She’s suffering through morning sickness.  Her body is changing and she’s an emotional rollercoaster. 

Alberto hired a chef to cook for them when Santo came home.  Santo fired the chef and asked Amelio to come and stay with them.  Taylor is happy to have him Secretly so are the Donati’s they just wanted Santo to be the one to get him here.  He’s staying with the Donati’s until they get more furniture in Santo’s place.  He agreed they could pick out some things online and go shopping for the bigger pieces this weekend. 

Taylor hears a phone ringing.  When she comes out of the closet to check to see if it’s hers, she sees Santo sitting up in the bed on his phone.  He just has the sheet laying over his lower half.  His torso is bare, Taylor has to stop herself from staring at his tanned smooth skin.  She only has on a blue bra and some matching panties as she walks in his line of vision to get her brush off the dresser. 

He doesn’t react to her being in the same room with him or even look at her body.  It bothers her.  She misses how he would watch her before.  His ardor for her would get the best of him, he would approach her to kiss her or just touch her in some intimate way.  Often times they would end up making love she wants that now.  She needs him to hold her, to kiss her and tell her he loves her. 

Sadly that’s another problem between them.  He’s polite.  He's still attentive if he thinks it’s anything to do with the baby.   He told her he loved her and the baby while he was still in the hospital.  He kissed her passionately and held her in his arms.  But since he’s been home.  Nothing, nada he shows no affection.  Not even a kiss good morning or goodnight.   They sleep in the same bed.  It’s the only one in the place.  At first he was always asleep before she went to bed.  It was expected he just came home from the hospital but as time has gone on if she goes to bed early he stays up in his home office until he is sure she is sleep.  He hasn’t gone back to work at La Croix’s but he has gone out to meet with his contacts at the FBI and CIA.  He came in late on Thursday and Friday night.  She had hoped they could have gone to a movie on Friday but by the time he came home it was too late and they just argued about it. 

He started working out again.  He gets up to run early in the mornings before she’s awake.  He and Kyle go to the gym a lot he’s told her.  She’s skeptical about that.  Looking at his muscular arms and chest while he’s sitting up in bed she can believe he is going but she wonders what else they are doing.  She knows he’s furious that Clayton burned down the La Croix warehouse in Jersey and almost killed him and Kyle.  He doesn’t see the good side of it, he, Kyle and Zoe survived the ordeal.