Page 141 of Bastian

All wrapped in love.

Our eyes hold as he gives me a slow and gorgeous smile.

Everything else has stopped around us.

It was just us.

Smiling at each other as if we’re the only people in the room.

As if we’re all the other wants to ever see.

Yup, if it wasn’t obvious before. It is now.

I am terrifyingly in love with this man.

* * *

“Yummy, yummy.” Ella munches on a strawberry macaroon as we make our way back to the White House after spending half the afternoon sitting in a cozy, rustic, and very pink cafe that took Shaw almost half an hour to find. I should have known something was up when a secret service agent had no clue where the cafe was located.

Isn’t it his job to verify the address and the safety of the location beforehand? This time he did not do that.

“You want one, mommy?” I suppress the need to gag when Ella offers me a strawberry macaroon. My baby, like her father, has horrible taste in food. When I decline, she shrugs and then shoves the entire thing in her mouth, making me laugh at how adorable she looks acting as if she has no manners and dressed as if she were British royalty.

We are both wearing matching outfits per her request.

Leaning back, I keep my eyes trained on the driver’s side where Shaw is busy focusing on the busy street ahead of us, and then I whisper to Ella. “Spill it, kid.”

She side-eyes me with a suspicious look on her face. “Spill what?” She asks, with her mouth full and her sticky hands raised in the air.

She’s as cute as she is clever.

“I know this sudden craving for sweets of yours was an excuse to get me out of the house.” It has to be. The tyrant has not left my side in months, and now he was more than eager to let us out of his sight? I call bullshit. “So tell me… what is going on back home?” Ella side-eyes me, giving me attitude, and I would be proud as hell if it wasn’t aimed at me. “I don’t know what you mean…”

Sure you don’t… Ella can’t usually keep secrets, but this one she’s keeping to herself.

“Fine, be like that.” I sass her back but smile so she knows I am not mad at her. Not at all.

I just hate not knowing what’s going on and Sebastian loves to surprise me.

I’ve never been big on surprises but now that’s all there is with this family.

Surprises.

“Oh, mommy, don’t worry! You will love it!” There. She let it slip, but instead of giving her grief about it, I just throw my head back on the car’s headrest and smile all the way back home.

* * *

“Surprise!” White and gold confetti explodes all around us as we enter the main room.

“Yay!” Ella jumps up and down next to me holding my hand and pulling me further inside the room. “Surprise, mummy! We gots you!” Holding her hand, I stand there, taking in the room, which has been transformed into what seems like a baby shower.

White and gold balloons float on the ceiling, while in every corner of the room, there are brown balloons in all sizes in the shape of teddy bears.

The color theme is gender-neutral, with gold, white, and brown.

The phrase ‘Oh, baby’ is everywhere in the room.

On one of the walls, there is a beautiful photo backdrop that reads ‘We Can Bearly Wait’ in watercolors. On the other end of the room, where the window is situated, there is a beautiful set-up with cream, white and brown bouquets of balloons with a giant teddy bear and four pieces of baby shower blocks with letters that read ‘baby’.

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