The CEO’s New Baby

Chapter 11

Inside the blankets, it was warm, but she still felt cold. She snuggled into Ryan, her cold nose pressing against his side trying to get warmth. She wished she could keep the wig on at night too, it kept her head far warmer than the scarf she wore to bed, but unfortunately, she couldn’t. She could feel Ryan’s hand brushing patterns against her palm, tracing unknown symbols that crossed his mind. Kayla could not remember the last time they had been able to spend a morning together. They had been so busy these past few months with the therapy, the bakery, and his work. They had been trying their best to balance things and had been succeeding to a certain degree. Thankfully, Christmas Eve meant they got to have a free day.

“Good morning!” she muttered, as she snuggled closer to him. She allowed his scent to engulf her.

“Well, someone woke up oddly early.” Truth be told, she was surprised too. She was the kind of person who could sleep until noon if given the opportunity. In fact, Ryan never failed to lose a chance to tease her about it.

“I had to. I promised Emily I’ll take her down to the park today.”

“When did that happen?” Ryan had been with them the entire day, but he couldn’t remember it happening. He was more than sure he would have volunteered to take them had he been witness to such a promise.

“Well…“ she began, as she lifted her head to look at him. “It was yesterday while I was reading her a story. I swear, I will never understand where she gets her energy from.” She groaned and sank into the pillows once again.

Ryan chuckled but moved to hover over her, his body trapping hers between the mattress and himself. There wasn’t much space between them, they were so close, he could feel her heartbeat through the thin material of her shirt. Slowly, he leaned in to kiss her. Their lip touch was gentle, soft and delicate like that of a rose. But it had the strength to make her shudder with lust.

“I’ll come along then. Make sure she doesn’t kill you with energy,” he muttered against her lips. She could feel his mouth curve against her as he smirked, her hands moving to grab him by the shoulder and pull him closer once again.

God knows where that kiss would have led had she not ruined it. Suddenly, she felt weak and nauseous, her stomach churned as bile rose to her mouth. With one swift move, she pushed him off of her and ran to the bathroom.

She hovered over the toilet, the foul smell of her vomit making her dizzy. She had been experiencing this for over five months now, but she still couldn’t get used to it. She could sense Ryan at the door, waiting for her to finish. When she did, she collapsed to the floor, her back resting against the bathtub.

“I’m sorry.” She hated what was happening to her. She hated how her disease had turned her into this person she hated so much. She no longer felt like Kayla. The energetic African-American woman who loved life. She was always weak and dizzy, vomiting in the most unexpected of times. Nor did she look like herself anymore. Her hair was gone, her nails were chipped, and her skin was dry. She looked like the wreck of a woman she once knew.

“For what?” Ryan was by her side now, his arms getting hold of her, but she pushed him away. She didn’t want him so close, not when she was in such a state.

“You did not sign up for this when you married me. Look what I’ve become. I am not beautiful anymore. How could I be when the treatment has turned me into this?” They had never had this conversation before, she never had the courage to confess to anyone how she felt about the entire thing.

“What? Hell no, Kayla! You are my wife! Remember our vows? In sickness and in health. I did not say that just because I had to, I meant them. I love you the way you are. You are beautiful the way you are. It’s not the hair that makes you beautiful or anything else. It is your eyes, your soul, your heart, and every other inch of you. The treatment is going to make you better, and that’s what’s important, nothing else.”

It was wonderful how that morning turned from a sweet cuddle into an emotional one. But truthfully, she needed that. She needed to get that out of her heart and mind. She had been silently thinking about that ever since she lost her hair. She had tried to get used to it, to face the fact that hair wasn’t what made her who she was. And it hadn’t been the loss of hair that broke her, that had just been the starter point.

“Come on, go wash your face. We have to go get breakfast for our little nugget over there.” He motioned for her baby bump. Kayla brushed her tears with the back of her hand and nodded. She had to admit, she was hungry. Her baby boy seemed to have quite an appetite. She had gained over twenty pounds with the baby, but she was fine with it. All that mattered was that he came out of all of this healthy and happy.

“Can we have eggs and cheese for breakfast? I swear I’ve been craving that in my sleep.”

Ryan chuckled and shook his head. Food would always cheer his wife up.

“Sure, I’ll prepare them myself. I’ll wait downstairs for you.”

“Well, little baby, I guess it’s just you and me again.” She sighed as she stood up, her hands already reaching for the tap of the shower.

Kayla did not take too long to shower, she was not in the mood to stand under boiling hot water too much. She was also too scared that the hot water vapor would make her dizzier than she was. So, after showering, she threw on a pair of jeans and a large yellow sweater and descended downstairs.

She could smell the scrambled eggs from the top of the stairs. The smell of eggs mixing with the coffee was absolutely breathtaking to her.