Page 96 of Sin and Redemption

Ambra let out a little mewl and smacked her lips, a clear sign. I pulled down my shirt, and she latched on.

“I’d never thought I’d see your boob, so maybe I should be willing to expect the unexpected. You never know.”

I giggled. If that was true for anyone, it was true for Isa.

I was familiar with sleepless nights. In my life before Sara because of parties or work, in the beginning of my life with Sara because of nightmares, hers and mine, and now?

A tiny human who ruled over our life with a minuscule iron fist.

I rocked Ambra in my arms so Sara could catch a few hours of sleep after having breastfed Ambra. Our little girl didn’t take a pacifier or the bottle, so most of the work rested on Sara, but I tried to give her small moments of rest like this. I loved holding Ambra in my arms, even if her crying tore at me, but now she was asleep against my chest, making small smacking sounds.

Bacon gave me a reproachful look from his dog bed in the living room because I’d woken him at three a.m.

“Sorry, bud. I’d rather be sleeping too.” Bacon had lived with us since he’d saved Sara from the Russian attackers. They had formed a special bond, so even though he wasn’t a city dog, he spent most of the time with us.

I had started looking for houses to buy. I wanted Ambra to have a yard to play, but the options were limited in our neighborhood.

I hummed a tune my mother had often sung for Primo and me as kids. I didn’t even remember the lyrics, just the soothing melody.

I didn’t notice Sara in the doorway until she began to sing softly. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star…”

Now I remembered the lyrics, but I still didn’t sing along.

Sara came toward me slowly.

“You should sleep.”

She shrugged as she stopped beside me and gazed lovingly from Ambra to me. “I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. It’s time for her next meal. My body can feel it.”

Outside, the sound of sirens made Bacon perk up. There was always a siren somewhere, and it made him nervous.

“I have been thinking…why don’t we build a house somewhere on your parents’ land? There’s enough room.”

Surprise filled me. “But what about your family? You’ll be farther away from them.” I knew how important her family was to Sara, and since giving birth, Liliana had helped Sara on a daily basis.

“Only forty minutes tops. You and Ambra are now my main focus, and it’s best for us as a family to move out of the city. Bacon will be happier there too. I won’t need as much support once Ambra is a bit older.”

“But I want you to be happy, Sara.”

“I’m happy wherever you and Ambra are.”

My heart sped up. I pressed a kiss to Sara’s lips. Ambra opened her eyes and parted her lips as if she could smell milk. Sara laughed and took her from me. I followed them into the bedroom and watched Sara feed our daughter.

I decided these moments beat the sleepless nights from my single life by far.

I was in the gym of our apartment, doing crunches on a mat on the floor when Sara came in.

“She’s down for her nap,” Sara said with a victorious smile. Now that Ambra was two months old, she slept better. Still not well, but better.

“And now you want to do some pottery?” I asked. I knew Sara missed doing pottery. She missed doing many things, like taking a shower or going to the toilet without Ambra crying.

She bit her lip, her eyes moving from the pottery wheel back to me, and the look in her eyes immediately let blood flow into my cock.

“Oh,” I rumbled. “Here for something else?”

“It’s been a while,” she said with a sheepish smile. We hadn’t had sex since Sara had given birth. The last time had been right before her due date because it was supposed to induce labor.

“I’m all yours,” I said, spreading my arms. “But I’m sweaty. Do you want me to shower first?”

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