Page 221 of Falling for the Wife

Kimberly threw me a thoughtful gaze, considering me a moment before immediately dashing towards me and hugging the living life out of me. “I love you, Luca. Thank you for giving me that. I can’t let my guilt eat away at me. I did the right thing. It was the right thing.” Her eyes sought mine, as if for understanding, for approval.

“You did the right thing, amore,” I rasped out before giving her a reassuring kiss on the forehead.

Her love brightly reflected in her eyes as she probed into my heart. “Bear with me please. I know I haven’t been the same. After the talk you had with the doctor, I realized that maybe some positivity would do us both the world. We can’t keep living in the past, or we won’t be able to move forward.”

She had given words of wisdom. I could learn a thing or two from her.

The seas had treacherous waters, but with her guiding us, we would eventually get to where we needed to be.

Otto

“Dad! You’re here! Are you joining us for dinner?” Kimberly asked with an astonished expression on her face as her father entered the foyer just as we reached the bottom of the stairs.

“And every night from here on,” I immediately butted in, evoking a curious look from her.

Her eyes flickered to the luggage her father had before glancing back at me. “What’s going on? Am I missing something here?”

Gripping her shoulders from behind, I dipped my head low to whisper into her ear, “I invited him to live with us, and he accepted.”

“No way!” she rushed out. “Dad, is that true? Are you going to live here with us?”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said before reaching out to hold her hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. “I think we both need it, and I also want to be around the baby.”

It was apparent how they were both still greatly affected by everything, and rightfully so. Seeing how they had interacted just now, I believed I had made the right decision by inviting John to live with us.

After asking one of the servants to take his luggage to his room, Kimberly led the way to the kitchen where we normally ate when it was just the two of us. It had become such a habit that the thought of dining in the formal area didn’t appeal anymore. Her father didn’t mind the kitchen, either.

At first, it took quite some getting used to since the kitchen staff was always cooking or baking something, and the noise while scarfing down a meal was quite unusual for me. As time went on, however, I realized it felt more real to me. Not only did I interact more with the household staff this way, but they found a new respect for me. They credited Kimberly for that. It was obvious how they took her in as one of their own, as bizarre as that sounded.

Although I was thankful Kimberly had begun looking forward to nightly dinners with me and her father, she still hadn’t made any effort to engage with Gian Luca yet.

Several times now, I had caught her peeking through the door, stealing a glimpse of him from a distance, but she never had the courage to step into the room and play with him. It was heartbreaking to watch the emotions play on her face, yet I knew this was a process she had to do by herself. I was optimistic because there was an evident change in her demeanor ever since her father had moved in with us.

I was in her bedroom, bidding her good night, when something came to mind.

“Have you thought of resuming school?”

The question threw her off.

“No, I decided to become a full-time mother the second I decided to keep Gian Luca. There was no use for school from then on.”

That was before I had stepped into her life. Things had vastly changed since then.

“Well, if you’re still interested in pursuing your degree, you should definitely do it. I can handle the baby and the household. And if you don’t fancy taking the same degree, why don’t you explore different fields? Anything that might pique your interest, if you will.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Luca,” she replied.

“Well, while you’re at it, would it be too much to ask if you start sleeping in my bed? Or I can sleep here, whatever you wish, cara, but I can’t stand sleeping on my own, knowing I miss having you next to me.”

Sex was the last thing I thought of. I simply wanted her close. I wanted to drown in her scent, her warmth while I fell asleep. I missed those moments greatly.

“All right, Luca. Tomorrow night, I shall sleep in your bed, but I still get to keep this room. One step at a time.”

It was the best news I had heard all day.

“Perfetto! I look forward to tomorrow night, mi amore. Dream of me.” I could barely contain the bubbling excitement I had after hearing her grant my wish.

As embarrassing as it was to admit to myself, I resembled a man who hadn’t been with a woman and was about to experience that promised sensation. I simply wanted to hold her, kiss her whenever I wanted to.