Page 96 of Bound in Promise
Through the deep bay window of our kitchen, I catch a glimpse of my husband, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead as he hammers away at some mystery project in the backyard. I find myself mesmerized, unable to tear my eyes away as Dante remains focused on his task, oblivious to me gawking from the window. I know I’m eye-fucking him, but I’m not ashamed. The man stole my heart and threw away the key—and watching him work only underscores the ever-present allure of his body.
Deciding to take a break from fiddling with my recipes, I scrub the flour from my hands in the sink. I’m just patting my hands dry on a kitchen towel when Dante walks in. The back door shuts behind him with a soft creak as he plucks a water bottle from the fridge.
"What are you working on out there?" I ask, more than a little curious.
"Just a little surprise for the bakery's entrance," he replies.
“A man who kills and builds,” I muse. “My God, how did I get so lucky?” He shakes his head, smirking as he sips from his drink. “Are you coming inside soon?”
“Whenever you want, princess.”
I take a deep breath. Tonight’s the night. I have a secret to share, but I’m still not entirely sure how best to break the news. I can’t put it off any longer though.
I’d been feeling a little off, and not just because I’d been stressing about my exams and our upcoming transatlantic move. On a hunch I took a pregnancy test—actually, I took it right after Tafton’s stupidly long final—and the result was a revelation.
Positive.
I’ve kept it to myself, hiding the used test in the depths of my purse. The constant reminder of what will happen in just a few months has been pricking at my nerves. Not to mention wondering when and how to tell Dante.
The man is already concerned about my workload, nagging that I’m doing too much. What on Earth will he be like when he realizes I’m pregnant with our first child?
If he wants this child.
The whole kid talk was conspicuously brief. A conversation for someday. I think both of us were scared to speak that dream aloud, afraid we’d jinx it, but it’s too late now. This is very, very real.
I took the time I needed to process the news on my own and calm my personal anxieties before I began planning how to tell Dante our family is growing. After all, one of us needed to be calm for that discussion. But with each day that passes, I feel more and more guilty for keeping our baby to myself. I know I won’t be able to hide it forever.
My body will start changing soon, shifting to accommodate the life growing inside me, and my husband will definitely notice then.
I don't want to keep this from him any longer.
It's time to let him in on what the next chapter of our lives together will hold. Just thinking about telling him fills me with excitement and nervous energy.
If I thought he watched me like a hawk now… Well, I have a feeling I haven’t seen anything yet.
“Do you mind if we talk about something?” I blurt, resting my palm on the countertop. “It’s…Um, it’s important.”
Dante lowers his water bottle from his mouth, his lips twisting in a puzzled frown. “Okay…”
I blow out a heavy sigh. “I don’t want you to freak out, okay? Everything is going to be fine.”
My husband’s expression turns suspicious. “Right.” He draws out the word, and storm clouds gather in his eyes. Shit, I’m really doing a hell of a job telling this man he’s going to be a father.
“I, um…well, we…” This is so much harder than I thought it would be. I’m about to change this man’s whole life and I can’t think of way to do it with any semblance of grace or class.
“What did we do?” Dante presses, voice calm as he screws the cap back onto his water bottle.
“Well, it’s not like that. I mean, it is, but?—”
“As much as I love seeing you frazzled, princess, why don’t you just spell it out for me so we can figure this out together?”
Figure it out together, yes, that’s exactly what we need to do. I finally relax, and I feel my mouth curve in a true smile.
“I’m pregnant.”
The water bottle hits the floor with a wet slap and my husband is on the move, erasing the distance between us in a blink. Suddenly I’m floating through the air, his hands on my hips, until my ass is plopped right on the kitchen counter.
“You’re pregnant?” He wedges his body between my thighs, pinning me in place with his large hands spread just above my knees.
