Darker The Forbidden Berry

Chapter 12

“Be careful with the dining room table! You’re going to hit the door frame!”

Aja was seated on the couch with her hands wrapped around a hot cup of tea as she watched a large man with an impressive beer belly instruct the other movers on how to get Aja and Finn’s massive dining room table through the door.

Finn and Aja had returned to the States after a few more days in Italy. They had not seen Richard or Linda after their little spat in the cafe, though they had been in touch with Richard. Linda was not taking the news well, but she was not doing anything to sabotage their plan either. At the end of the day, there was not really anything she could do. Richard and Finn had both assured Aja of that.

As soon as they got home, the house hunt began. It took them a few months, but eventually, they found the perfect home on the outskirts of the city. It was closer to Detroit than the mansion and it was considerably smaller. Finn had been concerned about only having four bedrooms at first, but the large backyard, hot tub and impressive loft sold him. The historic neighborhood sold Aja.

Sherwood Forest was an affluent neighborhood Aja had always dreamed of living in. It was a diverse neighborhood with a historic past tied to the revitalization of Detroit. Their home was a beautiful Tudor style home with landscaping that made it look like something out of a storybook. Finn and Aja could sit on the porch and watch happy families walk by. It was exactly the kind of place where you would want to raise a child.

“How’s it going?” Finn asked, leaning over the back of the couch and placing a tender kiss to the top of Aja’s head.

“Oh, it’s going well. They just got the dining room table in. Don’t you think it’s a little big?”

“Our table?”

“Yeah. There’s only going to be three of us.”

“Except for the holidays. Even if my parents don’t show up we still have plenty of friends.”

That was true. Jaleeyah and Killian had really hit it off and were only a few more dates from moving in, Aja suspected. Allison had become a good friend as well and there were a slew of other people Aja had only met a few times. Finn’s social circle was certainly impressive.

“Have you heard back about the gallery exhibit?” He asked, changing the subject completely.

Aja’s stomach did a flip at the question and she swallowed thickly, closing her eyes and shaking her head. She had submitted her final project about a month ago and she’d gotten news back that she was being considered for a spot in the end of the year gallery. This was amazing news because it would give her art career a jump start

Her school held a small art show at the end of the year to show off rising talent within the school. People came from all over to look at the exhibit and buy art. It was very possible that she could become a well-respected artist if the right person took an interest in her work.

“Not yet. They said I might not hear back for three months,” she sighed, rubbing her face.

“Don’t worry, okay? I’m sure you’re going to be accepted, he said, leaning over and kissing the top of her head.

Aja nodded, though she was not entirely sure she believed it. She was trying hard to not get her hopes up. She did not want to be too upset if it did not happen. Finn ran his hands over her shoulders and pecked her on the cheek.

“C’mon. I want to show you something.”

 “What did you do?” Aja asked with a cocked brow, hands on her hips as she stood.

Finn walked her down the long hallway of their new fairy tale home. They passed empty walls that Aja was desperate to fill with art and photos and eventually walked into the smaller room that they’d agreed to turn into a nursery. This ‘smaller’ room was still bigger than any room Aja had growing up. She smiled at the thought, excited that she and Finn were going to be able to give their child a better life than she’d had.

When they turned to stand in the doorway, Aja’s hands flew to her mouth and her eyes widened.

“Finn! Oh my god this is perfect!”

A few weeks ago Aja had been flipping through some pictures of nurseries for inspiration. She knew she wanted something gender-neutral, but she had not really been able to hammer out the details yet. While scrolling she found exactly what she wanted. A mostly yellow room with white furniture and accents of white and blue. Murals of baby animals made of clouds littered the walls and everything was designed to look incredibly dreamy.

That was the exact nursery that Finn had set up for her. The only thing missing was the cloud animals. He must have known that she would want to be the one to paint them. Her hands were still on her mouth, quivering as tears stung the corner of her eyes.

“Finn. This is perfect,” she whispered, walking over to the hand-carved crib and running her fingers along the smooth, pearly finish.

“I hoped I got all the important stuff. I left it a little bare because I wanted to add our own touches to it,” he said, looking around.

She turned and threw her arms around him, kissing him deeply.

“It’s perfect,” she said, stroking his hair back.

He smiled and looped his arms around her waist gently, smiling and kissing her forehead.

“I just want you to be happy. You and our baby,” he said, gently resting his hand on her belly.

She was 7 months along now and it was nearly impossible to hide the growing bump, though she did not really need to anymore. Linda hadn’t spoken to them since they’d gotten back from Italy, but Aja saw that as a blessing. They’d moved out of the mansion as quickly as possible and Finn had set out on the journey of being his own boss. He already had plans to open a new high-end restaurant. Aja could not help but wonder if Linda wanted Finn to fail. Did she want the satisfaction of being needed by her son? She was not sure, but she hoped Linda was not that vindictive.

“We are going to be happy. All of us.”

“I know this isn’t as nice as where we used to live.”

“Will you stop that?” She said firmly, turning and looking at him with her hands on her hips. “I don’t want it to be like that place! It was so big and lonely. I don’t want to live in a house where it’s possible to not see each other for days on end. Honestly, I think this house is too big.”