Too Late for Regret (Annalise and Roger) novel Chapter 151

Analise’s POV

Two months later:

Tonight is the first night that I will be spending without Liam. It’s our anniversary, and I’m already teary as we drop him off at my parents‘ home. They will take the first day, and the Billingsleys will take the second. We will return home on the third day. We were using my father’s jet to go back to Italy for a short trip. I had expressed plenty of milk for Liam, and I knew he would be in great hands.

Both sets of grandparents were thrilled to have him overnight. I had hired a nanny, and Ginger would be going with him. I knew our families would take care of Liam, but Ginger would be there for the overnight feedings and care. Chuck had even taken off work to be there the entire time Liam was visiting. Liam has everyone wrapped around his finger, and he doesn’t even know it yet.

I grabbed sleep on the flight there. Despite the ache in my chest, missing my son, I’m so looking forward to this trip. Charlie had surprised me with it. He made all the plans, got our parents involved so they could watch over Liam. He even spoke to Gwen, so I had the time off. I was ready to soak up the sun and enjoy time with my husband. He picked a seaside location for this trip. I’m not sure we will be getting out much. I had plans for my husband that didn’t even include sightseeing.

Charlie had picked Portofino for this trip, and it was my first time here. I had heard that it was a romantic place to visit when I googled it. This is just a quick trip for us, as right now we’re both very busy. His security company is expanding to another location about two hours away. Initially, Mark was planning on taking over the second location. But he and Gwen are getting serious. She’s the CEO and needs to be here for work.

Drew was chosen to take over the new location. Emily had more flexibility than Gwen. She could fly in, or Drew could drive her here, for any photo shoots we needed to do. Drew was a valued and trusted member of the staff. Jon stayed here, as Rita was with me. But Drew was allowed to pick the rest of his team to go with him. They had hired ten new people, eight men, and two women. They were split up between the two locations, with teams set up together with a senior staff member and a new member. A new trainer will be sent to make sure they’re trained properly.

I had come up with a new line of clothing while I was on maternity leave. As I experienced new seasons in my life, I got new ideas. I had created a line of relaxed clothing. After giving birth, I just wanted soft, comfortable fabrics. I wanted to look good, even without dressing up. I didn’t really go out for the first month, but we had plenty of visitors. I had mentioned it to Gwen while she, Mark, Emily, and Drew had come over to visit.

“I think that is a great idea. No, just new moms, but we all want to be comfortable going out and running errands. Leggings sell really well. I think building in a control top would help them sell even better. I think we should have them in a lot of different colors. Like a spring/summer line and a fall/winter line. That way, they could use them year–round. Maybe a tank top, with a built–in sturdy sports bra, and a matching jacket,” Gwen suggested. She was throwing out ideas left and right, and I could see she understood where I was going.

“Yes, and t–shirts that hold their shape. We want to look nice when going out to run errands, even if the outfit feels comfortable. I worry about wearing anything that my scratch Liam when I’m holding him. I like the tank top idea, and I think that we can make tunics with cute cut–outs on the backs for them, like people wear to yoga. Maybe some halter tops. We can also do sports bras to match, and they can mix and match their favorite pieces,” I replied, picking up my tablet and starting to create right then.

So many ideas, and now that we’ve arrived here, I love seeing all the beautiful colors of the blooming flowers. I was snapping pictures not just for the beautiful landscape, but for color swatches to be made. I also loved the beautiful blues and stunning greens in the water outside our hotel. I sent several pictures to Gwen of the colors I wanted to start with first. We dropped our bags off in our room and headed out to explore. We had lunch under the awning of a lovely restaurant. I enjoyed the meal and the ambiance. We walked around and took a lot more pictures.

We found a stone stairwell and stopped to take some selfies with the marina as a backdrop behind us. I was getting so many ideas as we walked around. Taking this time was a wonderful idea. We walked for a few hours and came back to the same outdoor area, and grabbed some gelato. I felt happy and relaxed. I noticed Charlie watching me with hunger in his eyes, as I liked the gelato off my spoon. I already knew what he was thinking, and I was thinking it too.

We almost didn’t make it into our room. Charlie turned me around as soon as we entered. His other hand slammed the door shut and locked it behind us. He pressed me against the door, taking my breath away with his passionate kiss. I was already undoing his jeans, and was kneeling down before he realized what I was doing.

I had total control over this strong man. His groan as I took him into my mouth spoke to how much he loved for me to do this for him. I pulled his jeans down further as I licked up the underside of his c**k. I gently rubbed his balls with one hand as I swirled my tongue around the head of his c**k. He was like putty in my hands. I knew what he liked. I started rubbing his thighs when he grabbed my hair and started to push himself into my mouth. He was encouraging me to take all of him with each thrust he made.

I complied and opened my mouth further to take all of him. He thrusted a few more times before giving a small groan as he exploded down my throat. He stood there for a minute before kicking his jeans and boxers off and carrying me over to the bed. He tugged my leggings down my legs and started stroking my panty–covered s*x. I was already soaking wet for him. His hand pressed into me, making my already dripping s*x even wetter.

He gave a smirk and pulled his t–shirt over his head before lying between my legs. He didn’t shut our balcony doors, and before I could ask him to, he dove in. I moaned loudly as he went straight for my clit, and sucked on it hard. Everything else disappeared from my mind. I lay back and enjoyed as he used his tongue and fingers to work me into not one, but two orgasms. I was still coming down from the second one when he pulled my t–shirt off and unsnapped my bra.

He latched onto a n****e as his other hand teased and pinched my other n****e. I pulled his face to mine and kissed him. Our tongues were swirling and exploring each other as I felt his c**k pressing into me. I needed him inside me and moaned as I broke the kiss.

“Baby, please,” I breathlessly asked.

He teased me for a minute, stroking his c**k at my entrance. My sensitive clit was making me shudder as he rubbed against me. He slid in, and we both moaned as he filled me. He thrust into me, and it was almost too much to bear. He kept up the pace as if he couldn’t control himself. I wanted him to be driven mad with desire. I saw stars as I went over this time.

He cried out my name as he came inside me, filling me with his seed. In the back of my mind, I believe that we might have created Liam a sibling. In my mind, this was more than s*x; it was like our love was a physical, tangible thing. We had been using condoms to prevent pregnancy since we were allowed to start having s*x again six weeks ago. We didn’t think about grabbing a condom this time around. We had been too caught up in the moment to even think about it.

Charlie covered us up and wrapped me in his arms. The sound of the water hitting the shoreline quickly had us falling asleep. When I awoke, it was to Charlie closing the door after receiving room service. He was wearing one of the plush robes from the bathroom. It was dark outside now. I had no idea what time it was, but I felt rested. He pushed the room service cart to the small table and chairs in the corner, and went to grab me the other robe. I was walking over and tying the belt as he placed our food on the table.

It smelled wonderful, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal together. The balcony doors were open now, and the moon shining off the water was beautiful. The stars seemed to be closer here than they were at home. Charlie stood behind me with his arms wrapped tightly around me. I wanted to savor this moment. I wanted to remember this moment as another significant time in our lives. Just like our wedding, honeymoon, and when Liam was born. This moment was just as special to me, and those had been.

I filed it away as a core memory. A surprisingly touching moment, carrying an unexpected emotional weight. I didn’t know if I was missing Liam or what was going on, but it brought tears to my eyes. Charlie turned me around a moment later when he heard my low sob, looking down in surprise at my tearstained face.

“I wanted this to be a happy trip, Ana. I know I kind of sprung it on you, but it’s our anniversary weekend. I just wanted you to know I was thinking about doing something special, just for us. I thought it would be nice to take a quick trip, maybe I should have let us stay closer to home this year, and did this trip for our second anniversary,” he said as he wiped the tears from my face with his thumbs.

“No, this trip is perfect, Charlie. These are happy tears. I do miss Liam, but I love the fact that you made plans for us. I really enjoyed getting to spend all day with you. I’m not sad, I’m just overwhelmed and so thankful we met. The stars aligned when I met you. I know I wouldn’t be this happy without you in my life,” I replied.

“The night has just begun, love. I have some very definite plans for my wife in the shower, and then in bed again. Tomorrow we can get out, take some more pictures, and then come back to our room to do it all again. I think this quick trip was exactly what we needed. I’m looking forward to going back home, too. I miss Liam as well, but maybe we can make him a baby brother or sister on this trip,” Charlie said with a wink.