Page 117 of Mine to Worship

“Promise?”

“Yes, so please believe me.”

His eyes peruse every inch of my face before they set on mine.

“Don’t lie to me, please.”

The plea mixed with desperation in his voice undoes me. My heart expands and inflates with love for him every day.

I stand up, palm his face, and my lips graze his. I hope he feels my love pouring out of the deepest corners of my soul.

“We’re not the same people we were last year. I am confident in you, in us.”

“I love you so damn much,” he whispers and I feel his love rippling on my skin, flickering along with my heartbeats.

“It’s you and I, Kian. From now to endless tomorrows.”

“From now to endless tomorrows,” he says, this moment turning sacred with our vow. Happiness bounces in his eyes and he dips his head and kisses me.

I am filled with his love, ripe with his baby. Love is a praise on my lips wrapping around his name.

The next morning, I pull myself up against the headboard and enjoy my daily dose of Kian-porn.

He is buttoning up his shirt, his long fingers gliding down the fabric, as he comes out of the walk-in closet. His eyes find mine and I smile at him before waving him away with my hand.

“Go already,” I tell him.

“So eager to get rid of me?” He cocks his head, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, so you can get back to me soon.” Cheesy? Definitely, but it’s a direct result of this happiness bubbling up inside of me.

“That’s implied,” he says, voice resolute.

My lips arch into a smile and he steals another kiss from me before he’s out the door.

After I put on an airy dress, I leave the penthouse and make my way downstairs to Lorene to tell her which paintings to send to Paris.

The doors of the elevator glide open and I come face to face with Melanie on her way down.

“Ellia.” The usual animosity dripping from every syllable has disappeared. She steps to the right as I enter the elevator and there is a pleasant silence.

“If you have time and if you like, of course, would you mind if we talk?” she asks, her voice filled with an uncertainty I’ve never heard in it before.

Her fingers fidget on her purse and she chews her bottom lip. Noticing these small gestures of vulnerability, I nod and press the button for the Japanese garden. We exit on the fifteenth floor and open the doors to one of my favorite areas, the visual transporting me to a magical place far away. I plop down on the first bench.

“I have to sit, it’s…” I make a face, trying to convey how tired and uncomfortable I am feeling.

“Understandable.”

Is this who she is behind her mask of femme fatale? Because this woman is someone I would have loved to have known more about.

“Kian has talked nonstop about you and the baby. I can’t believe he’s having a girl.” A genuine, bright smile lifts in the corners of her mouth, and I recognize how beautiful she is. Blonde waves fall over her shoulders, her almond shaped brown eyes are framed by perfect shaped eyebrows and flawless skin. It’s hard not to notice.

“You look great,” she adds.

I seek her eyes, but they lack any trace of pretense.

“Thank you. You, too.”

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