Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 37

ADRIAN

I lay awake long after Valentina had fallen asleep, curled up on her side, facing me. This time she’d accepted it quietly when I’d pulled back after sex to sleep. I could still feel her warmth, smell her sweet scent, sense her closeness, and briefly, I considered pulling her toward me. Instead I stared up into the dark.

She had surprised me again today, in more regards than one. She was stubborn and kind. She stood up for herself without being bitchy.

And the sex… that had caught me completely off guard. I’d expected her to avoid the physical aspect of our marriage as long as possible until I eventually approached her because my desire couldn’t be suppressed anymore. I didn’t want to cheat, and I wouldn’t. The clusterfuck with Serena… it had ruined everything. I didn’t want something like that to happen again and it wouldn’t.

I would not allow it.

I didn’t know Valentina, and she didn’t know me, but in bed, we worked well together. When she’d finally come for the first time, it was the sweetest triumph I could imagine.

Eating her up was wonderful and rewarding in its own way. Serena hadn’t wanted me to do it to her, so I hadn’t. Valentina was the first woman I’d gone down on in almost ten years, and I promised myself to eat her every goddamn night if she let me. In the short time of our marriage, I already felt younger. These last few months I’d felt old beyond my age, exhausted and wary. This exhilaration of the beginning would fade though. It was an illusion I couldn’t entertain.

As if to remind me of that irrefutable fact, Sofia’s cry blared through the baby monitor, destroying any hope of falling asleep soon.

Valentina stirred beside me, a soft groan slipping out of those sweet lips. I turned the lights on and sat up. Another sleepless night.

Valentina blinked against the brightness, obviously disoriented. “What’s going on?”

“Sofia wants the bottle.”

She nodded slowly and slipped out of bed. I stood as well.

“You can sleep. I can handle it. I know you have to work tomorrow.”

I paused, watching as she slipped out of our bedroom. After a moment, I followed. Valentina didn’t have experience with children as had become apparent last night. I wasn’t sure she could handle Sofia. Especially at night, my daughter was demanding and her cries were absolutely nerve–racking. Did Valentina have the necessary calm to handle her?

I didn’t think she’d ever hurt my children, she didn’t seem the type, but she was young. Feeling overwhelmed could be dangerous.

Sofia’s cries didn’t stop, but they lessened in intensity. I hovered in the doorway to her room, stunned by what I saw. Valentina had bought a sort of baby sling that allowed her to carry Sofia against her chest and was

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Chapter 37

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currently trying to close it in her back. It was obviously the first time she tried to do it. I walked toward her and helped her. I’d never seen such a thing, so it took us a couple of tries to close it.

“Thank you,” she said. “I bought this today. The saleslady told me that it helps calm babies, so I thought I’d give it a try. It allows the child to feel connected to their mother…” She trailed off.

Sofia peered up at me, her head resting against Valentina’s chest.

“Let’s get you something to eat, all right?” Valentina said softly and stroked my baby’s head. Then she smiled at me. “You can go back to sleep. My hands are free to prepare the bottle. See?” She raised her hands.

I nodded slowly,

Valentina pressed her palm against Sofia’s butt and headed into the corridor, all the while talking quietly to my daughter whose cries became less frequent. I kept following them downstairs. The dog trotted after us into the kitchen and sat down beside Valentina when she began preparing the bottle. She swayed gently from side to side, humming, which seemed to have a calming effect on Sofia, even if she still whined occasionally.

Valentina threw a glance over her shoulder at me. “You don’t trust me to handle it yet, right?” She didn’t sound angry, only resigned.

“It’s not a matter of trust.” But it was. I’d never been very trusting, and now my capacity for it was almost completely exploited.

Her smile was sad. “It’s okay. They are your whole world. You want to protect them.” She tested the temperature of the milk then opened one strap of the sling so she could give the bottle to Sofia who latched onto it at once. “I’m going to do my best to take care of them.”

I believed her.

Together, we walked back upstairs. I noticed the open door to Serena’s old bedroom. Valentina followed my gaze. “Sofia and I are fine, really.”

I headed to the bedroom. As expected, Stefan lay curled up on the covers of the bed in a new pajama set with Superman signs all over it. My heart felt heavy seeing his small form. Whenever I looked at this bed, all I saw was blood, but he was always seeking comfort here. I picked him up. He snuggled against my warmth, and I held him tighter. I wished he’d allow this closeness when he was awake too, like he used to do in the past. I took him to bed before I went to Sofia’s nursery once more. Valentina sat in the rocking chair and fed Sofia.

Her expression became stern when she spotted me in the doorway. “Go to bed, Adrian. I mean it. I can handle this.”

I retreated slowly and went to bed. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep. I only woke briefly when Valentina crept back into bed later, but I wasn’t sure what time it was. She lay down so close to me that I could feel her warmth, but I didn’t mind. I was already drifting off again when her fingertips lightly brushed my hand.