Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46

VALENTINA

Adrian kept his promise. The next day he came home at dinnertime.

To be honest, I was surprised. I hadn’t thought he’d keep a promise that he’d given with my naked body on top of him. Maybe I had my own trust issues to work through too.

He looked surprised when he walked into the kitchen where we had dinner the last few days. Sybil stood from where she was seated, obviously unsure how to act. Elia stood as well and inclined his head before he grabbed his plate and headed through the backdoor, probably toward the guard house. He and I had cleared things up in the morning after Adrian informed him that I knew what was going on. Elia had been awkward after that, obviously embarrassed, but I’d told him that he’d done his job and that I wasn’t angry. It wasn’t like he could’ve said ‘no‘ to Adrian after all.

“Why don’t you eat in the dining room?” he asked.

Sofia grinned when she spotted her dad. Her fingers and cheeks were smeared with smashed peas, but Adrian didn’t seem to mind. He walked up to her, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and barely escaped her dirty grabby hands before she could ruin his suit.

Stefan didn’t react in any way. He only clutched the fork with the speared carrot slice in his little fist. For a moment, I caught the longing in his eyes, though. He wanted to be close to his dad, but something was stopping him. Adrian turned to him and kissed the top of his head before he walked up to me.

Stefan watched us closely. Adrian touched my shoulder and squeezed lightly before he took a seat across from me. I couldn’t deny it. I was disappointed. I wished he’d have kissed me. Maybe he was worried how Stefan would react. After all, his mom had been dead for only six months.

“I prefer to have dinner in the dining room,” he said simply.

I hated that there was a distance between us when we weren’t alone. “I didn’t think you’d be home for dinner.”

“I told you I’d be, and it’ll remain that way. If I can’t make it home for dinner, I’ll give you a call.”

Sybil put a plate with roasted pork, mashed potatoes, and maple balsamic Brussels sprouts that were to die for down in front of him. He gave her a curt nod.

“I’ll check on the laundry,” she said and slipped out, leaving her half–eaten plate.

“We can have dinner in the dining room from now on,” I said.

Stefan grabbed a piece of his pork and tossed it under the table.

Adrian’s expression immediately switched to anger, but I quickly shook my head then said to Stefan, “Now it’s your turn to eat a bite.”

The little boy speared a piece of pork and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing dutifully.

Adrian’s brows furrowed. “What’s going on?” His voice was moderately calm, but I could tell that he didn’t

approve of the situation.

“Stefan and I have a deal. He can feed Milo some scraps if he eats a bite in turn.”

Adrian released a breath. Sofia began to whine, stretching out her arms toward him. He got up, wiped her face and hands with a wet dishtowel, and put her on his lap before he continued with dinner. I stifled a smile. It was an adorable sight: Adrian dressed in his three–piece suit, looking impressive and powerful, with tiny Sofia on his lap in her sunflower dress. He hadn’t even complained about the flowers.

Again, Stefan’s eyes slanted to Adrian, who was staring down at Sofia and didn’t notice.

I stroked his head gently. He peered up at me. His small face was so sad and helpless, it turned my stomach over. If only he’d speak to me.

Feeling Adrian’s eyes on me, I picked up my fork and ate a bite of my pork. “How was your day?” He hadn’t told me anything about what he did during the day so far, but he hadn’t exactly been home early enough to talk.

“The usual.”

I didn’t know what ‘the usual‘ was, but maybe I should have expected an evasive answer like that. After all, Sofia and Stefan were in the room. Talking about his type of business around them might scar them even more than their mother’s death.

“What did you do?” Adrian asked.

“We went to the dog park again, right?” I said to Stefan, who gave a small nod before dropping a piece of pork on the floor. “And Elia helped me set up my painting room.” I couldn’t wait to paint again, to lose myself in my art.

Adrian’s gaze traced my face in a way that made me feel self–conscious. I straightened my bangs, wondering if he still hated them. They were part of me, had always been.

“I was thinking we could spend the weekend down at my beach house.”

My eyes widened. It had been a while since I was at a beach.

Adrian tried to catch Stefan’s eyes. The boy had definitely perked up hearing about the beach. “What do you think, Stefan? We can build sandcastles like last time.”

Stefan gave a small shrug, which was something.

Adrian and I took the children to bed after dinner. Adrian put Sofia down in her crib while I helped Stefan change. It was easier that way. Stefan didn’t get as upset, and so shortly before he was supposed to sleep that was for the best.

I covered him with his blanket when he lay in bed and tousled his hair. “Milo will love the beach.”

Stefan’s mouth tugged into a small smile. Then his gaze darted to something behind me. He bit his lower lip. A shadow fell over us and a moment later, his father bent down and kissed his forehead. “Sleep tight buddy.”

I stood and with a last wave at Stefan, I extinguished the lights and closed the door. I followed Adrian down the hallway, but before we could reach the staircase, he turned to me, grabbed my neck, and kissed me deeply, stealing my breath. My body sprang to life immediately as he pressed me into the wall, with his big palm on my breast, kneading, and his hips grinding against me. He was hard, digging into my belly insistently.

“Bed,” I whispered.

“Fuck no.”

I blinked but Adrian didn’t allow me to get my bearings. With his mouth on mine, he grasped my upper thighs and hoisted me up. “Right here. Against this wall.”