Page 50 of Down the Aisle
I couldn't imagine treating Asher any differently just because he wasn't biologically mine. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for other men, so I completely understood her reservations.
"The moment I accepted Asher into my life, accepted my responsibility to him, meant that I accepted my part to treat him right as I do you." Neither mother nor son deserved any less than perfect from me, and I would stop at nothing to give them the whole universe.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind when I thought about her question again. "Wait, you're not pregnant, are you?" Was that why she was worried about how I would treat Asher if or when we had more children? We hadn't exactly been careful in terms of using protection with our sexual activities, and by not being careful, I meant no measures were used.
Eliza wasn't on any birth control, though we did have a brief talk about it. Or rather, she made it known to me that she was getting on birth control because she wanted to have everything sorted out before opening the possibility of having children with me. All of which I had no qualms with. No matter how much I wanted to breed her sweet body, that wasn't my decision to make alone—not my body, not my choice.
Also, there was a lot to unpack with Eliza. Nearly a month into being official, and despite us laying down a rule of not keeping anything from each other, she dragged her feet a bit. Now, I've been more than understanding and given her the space and time she needed. She needed a firm hand with some things, but her past and personal secrets weren't it. No matter how irksome it was to have her keep me out, I'd rather her arrive at things at her own pace than force her hand only to have her shut me out completely.
Reeling back a little, Eliza quickly denied me with some vigorous shakes of her head. "Oh, God no, no," she replied with a forced chuckle. "I was just curious since we were somewhat on the subject, so I just wanted to know for future plans."
With a relieved sigh, I smiled softly at her. Yes, I wanted her pregnant with our child, but not right now. Our relationship was still trying to smooth itself out, so this would be the worst time to bring a child into the world.
Kissing her forehead with a smile, I stood up to grab Asher. "Did you see the doctor about birth control yet?" I asked after picking him up and bringing him to his highchair.
"Yeah, I got my patches already and started them basically the same day," she replied with a quick smile. Turning to Asher, she played with him while I busied myself in the kitchen for a bit.
Blissful chatter and laughter filled the dining and kitchen area for a long while as I made breakfast. Not much about our daily routine has changed besides the shift in scenery and such. I still made us our meals, her lunches if she had work, took care of Asher while she was out of the house, and when she'd get back then I'd handle my work for the day before spending time with them both before bed.
Honestly, life was fucking perfect. Okay, it was almost perfect, but the little details didn't dent the situation too much. Plus, it was only a matter of time before everything would be checked off the list.
With the plates of food in hand, I made my way back over to my lovely woman and child. "What does your schedule look like for today?" I asked, feigning some curiosity in my voice.
I kept my eyes set on her, letting her know I was listening even as I set the table. "I only have two houses today. My third one had to reschedule, so I should be back a few hours before dinner," she answered after a moment of thought.
Her pursed lips relaxed into an appreciative smile when I set the plate of crepes in front of her. "Oooh, are they the fruit-filled ones?" Her bright eyes trembled with excitement as she bounced a little in her seat.
The sheer energy from her pulled a chuckle from me as I sat on the other side of Asher with my own plate. "I know those are your favorite, so there's one with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, while the other is a mix of mango, kiwi, and peaches." At least she was more than good with eating her fruits; vegetables were a whole different story.
Giggling enthusiastically, she lightly clapped her hands before leaning over the table and kissing my cheek. "Thank you." And her genuineness would never grow old or tiring to me. "What are the plans for today, then?" Her face softened with curiosity as she settled back in her seat and started on her breakfast.
A coy little smile curled at my lips as I fed Asher a bite of his food. "Well, before you get home, text me. When you do get home, you're going to go take a nice bath that I'll have ready for you before putting on the outfit I set out and coming to my office." Seeing her smile widen unconsciously while her cheeks flushed up brightly made my desire for her grow until I had an aching tent in my sweatpants. " I'll give you more instructions when you come to the office."
I couldn't give them to her now because I still hadn't decided what I wanted to have her do. There were so many things, and eventually, we'd get to them. To pick one for now was hard, though. Also, I might decide later based on how tired she seemed and depending on how much sass she'd give me.
Our more intimate activities have been going rather well, more so than I'd expected. Things were slow and steady, but I didn't want to put too much on Eliza's plate or scare her off. So, I've been taking her training slowly and at her pace, as weagreed. I've also been keeping it simple and mild in nature, mostly having her wear outfits of my choosing, keeping to our set schedules, making her take time for herself, having her do more self-care, and having her do certain things around me.
"Alright, sir." Her breathy reply, paired with her eager smile, brought a sense of pride to my swelling chest.
"Brava ragazza."
Chapter 17
Eliza
Nearly a damn monthlater, and I still couldn't bring myself to tell him.
But how the hell do I even begin?
I needed to let him in, but how? How could I without unraveling everything? Anything and everything personal about me was tied to my old life, which shouldn't exist anymore. If I cracked that can of worms, I'd have to come clean to Adam about everything, which I didn't exactly want to do.
For once in my life, everything felt like it was finally fitting together. Adam was beyond amazing, and I didn't want anything to ruin our budding relationship. Yes, it was still young, and we were still working things out, but everything was sailingsmoothly. Of course, the fact we haven't exactly argued probably should be a red flag… But I was considering that it's only been what? Two and a half months, give or take? So, was it too soon in a relationship to really argue?
We've had some intense conversations—the one in the car about limits, another the day after I settled into his—our—new home, covering rules, schedules, splitting chores. Meager things, really. Granted, we didn't really have much or anything to argue about. Finances, he handled things, and I still had my job and own funds. If anything, I argued with him to let me help, but he always shot me down. Chores? He wasn't a slob or anything, cleaned up after himself, and given how he was home most of the time, he took care of a lot of it while I was away. So, I didn't even have a chance to do any of it, and when I asked him to leave some for me, he always played the 'well, I'm bored at home when Asher's asleep' card on me.
Actually, my job has been a bit of a tension point for us. Adam didn't want me working so much or at a job that was so physically demanding with less than average pay. Of course, that conversation usually led into the whole subject of my lack of college education, career aspirations, and why I should go back to do what I wanted. I wouldn't call the whole thing an argument per se, just a very irritating and emotional talk.
Adam hasn't brought it up in a while, or ever since I snapped at him to quit it the last time about a week or so ago.
