The CEO’s New Baby

Chapter 6

The house was even better than Kayla had ever imagined. She had spent years imagining how that house would look. She had imagined a beautiful classic design on the inside. Something not too classy but of good taste.

And she had been right about that. Kayla took her time to admire everything as she waited for Ryan to put Emily to sleep. She admired the beautiful paintings on the walls, paintings that captured every season in its ultimate beauty. Each one showed the same scenario, a beautiful lake encircled by trees. It reflected the imprint each season had on the water of the lake and on the branches of the guardians around it.

She loved the spring one most of all. The trees bared beautiful pink flowers glistering beneath the cascading light. You could still spot snow here and there, melting under the influence of the heat. The lake was no longer icy; the water was glistening, mirroring the clear sky above. She wondered if the scenario was real or if it simply was a fictional place in the mind of the artist.

The paintings were probably the most precious thing in the entire living room. The furniture seemed old and worn out, but it still held its beauty. There were two grey couches with red and blue pillows scattered around. There was also a blue fluffy blanket draping over the arm of one couch.

Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and sank into the silence around her. It was so nice to be away from the busy streets of the city. She adored when she was able to actually hear the white noises of the night. The crickets and the wind or when she was actually able to smell the scent of flowers and grass.

She was old fashioned like that.

“You like it?” Ryan’s voice caught her by surprise. She had been so deep in thought that she had failed to notice his presence.

He was already behind her, hugging her from the back, his head resting on her shoulder as they both continued to look at the pictures Kayla had been admiring. Kayla nodded and took his hand, guiding his fingers to her mouth, where she kissed his knuckles.

“Yes. I still can’t believe we get to spend the weekend here. This house is exactly what I have always imagined for myself.”

“This and every other weekend if you wish.”

It took Kayla a few seconds to process his words. With one swift move, she turned around and frowned, her head slightly leaning to the right as her eyes bore into his.

“What do you mean?” She already had a vague idea of what he was implying. She wasn’t stupid, and she had learned how to read in between her husband’s lines. But still, the idea seemed too absurd to her. She must have understood wrong.

His hand went to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her soft skin gently. He looked at her with such gentleness. It was as if he was afraid she would shatter if he looked at her too hard. He had never seen her as a fragile object. He always considered her to be the strongest human being he had ever met. Even stronger than himself. But now, knowing their time may be limited, made him afraid, it scared him.

“This place is now yours. I should have done this a long time ago.”

“But how? I mean-” There was so much she meant to ask him. Like why? He shouldn’t have. Or when did he have time to buy it?

“This morning, when I woke up, I kept thinking, and suddenly, I remembered how you mentioned this place before. I made a few phone calls, found out the people who lived here moved a while ago and offered to pay double the price if they signed the contract today.”

Kayla was speechless. There was no way she deserved all that.

“But-” Ryan shook his head, his finger moved to rest over her lips in an attempt to silence her.

“Not now. Come. Let me show you our room.” Our. It was real. They actually owned the house now. It was the first house they could call their own. Sure, they had the mansion, but that was a house for everyone. For them, their mothers. But that, the little cottage just outside the city, was all theirs.

They could call it home. They could do as they pleased there. The thought of it made Kayla squeal. She was so happy she felt she was going to burst.

Their cottage only had four rooms. A kitchen and a living room and the master bedroom was right across from Emily’s room. It wasn’t that huge. It was far smaller than their space back in the mansion. But it had another air to it. She could imagine how warm it would feel to spend the winter there, by the fire reading and talking all night long.

The bed was king size, with a mahogany board that matched the color of the closet in front of it. The décor wasn’t as broad as the one in the living room, but that wasn’t a problem. It left space for Kayla to play with it as she pleased.

“Ryan, this – all of this – it’s way too much. You shouldn’t have.”

“I should have. In fact, I should have done it a long time ago. I am sorry I had to wait for something like this to happen before I thought of it.”

She could sense the conversation was going in the direction of her disease. He wanted to talk about it, to make sure she was fine with it. And maybe they should have talked; in fact, they needed to. But not that night. Everything was way too beautiful to be ruined with something so gloomy.

Instead, she decided to take everything in a whole other direction. Before he could even process her actions, she pushed him against the wall and glued her mouth to his. Their lips immediately molded over one another, fitting like two pieces of a puzzle.

Kayla’s head was resting over Ryan’s, her ear pressing against her chest, allowing her to clearly hear his still chaotic heartbeat.

Kayla didn’t think she would be able to sleep. There were so many things going on in her mind. But just like every other time, Ryan had been her cure.