Page 68 of Axel

Scooping her up, he strode towards the oversized bed with the pink, blue and green quilt spread over it that was a gift from his mother. Holding her close to him and rocking her as if she was the most precious person to him, he waited until her tears abated.

“Better?”

She nodded; her face buried against his chest. “Hormones.” She mumbled. She had been having these crying jags ever since her pregnancy. She would be laughing and then right after that, she would just burst into tears.

“Hmm.” Shifting slightly, he tilted her chin up and used the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears away. “I take it that you are in approval?” He nodded to encompass the room. Love seats, with comfortable padded cushions had been added. The closet which had been huge to begin with, had been extended with revolving racks and shelves.

She was a clothes horse, but her husband’s order from Romano’s had made her own closet at her former home seemed paltry. The man had provided for her so that she would never have need of anything.

He was attentive to every aspect of her life and insisted that she talk about her day at the end of it. The lovemaking was fiery and fierce and at times so overwhelming, it took minutes for them to recover.

“I love it. Everything. “She relaxed in his arms. Sometimes it was hard to believe he was her husband.

Tilting her head, she stared at him. “I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

“Your corporate office is several hundred miles away from here.”

“That’s not a question.” He teased.

“Are you planning on commuting?”

His brows lifted. “Ever heard of working remotely? I have a full-fledged office set up two doors from here and my assistant is more than capable of working from here. I also have an excellent managerial staff.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Here is where I want to be darling.” He told her soberly. “This is home, and I was waiting for you to call it yours as well.” He peered at her. “I want complete honesty.”

“Always.” She said earnestly.

“Are you happy living here? Is there some small part of you that is dissatisfied?”

Instead of taking umbrage, she took her time answering. He had confided in her what had transpired between him and Serena. “She pretended that she would be contented living here. She had me fooled and from that time, I have been second guessing myself and my ability to read people. In the past that had never been an issue.”

Cupping his face between her hands, she traced the outline of his stubborn chin with gentle fingers. “I have lived in the city all my life. I thrived there, I love the theater and the bright lights.” Her lips trembled slightly.

“But then I met this utterly irascible and difficult man and fell headlong in love with him and even if we had to live in a shack in a deep rural area, that’s where I would be. Ask me why?”

He had to swallow the golf ball size lump in his throat. “Why?” He whispered hoarsely.

“Because home is not a place.” Her eyes brightened with tears. “Home is wherever you are. The four walls do not matter. It’s not due to geography. It is you, Axel Lakeside. You are my home and that’s the reason why I will always be happy wherever we are.”

He stared at her in silent for a moment, before crushing her lips with his. For a very long time, neither of them was able to think.

*****

“He is perfect.” Caitlin could barely contain herself as she stared down at her grandson. He had come into the world three days ago on a blisteringly hot day in the middle of June, making hispresence heard by his loud and angry cry as soon as he was delivered.

His anxious papa had wanted to fly her to Chicago or New York where there were hospitals with better equipment, more experienced and longer practicing doctors with long string of the alphabet behind their names, but his wife had put her feet down.

“The hospital here is small and more intimate. The doctors might not be famous, but they care. I am staying right here.” He had reluctantly agreed and anxiously monitored her every movement. He accompanied her to every doctor’s visit, had employed a full-time housekeeper and if he had to take trips, he would have her traveling with him.

When she reached her third trimester, the travel had to be curtailed on advice by the doctor because her blood pressure was cause for worry and her ankles were swollen. Partly because she refused to cut down on her walks, especially when the weather turned warm.

They had their first big fight right after she told him that she was taking her walk and there was nothing wrong with communing with nature.

“It’s good for the baby.” She had argued.

“Not going five miles while you are so heavily pregnant.” He had thundered. “What the hell are you trying to prove?”