Page 132 of The Proposal

I’ll handle whatever business remains over the phone. My wife will always be my first priority.

Chapter 31

Arabella

There’s not much my husband and I don’t agree on, well, apart from what he does for a living, but in some ways, I’ve even come to terms with that.

If someone asked me to describe my marriage in a few words, I’d say loving and harmonious without hesitation. Right now, though, I could seriously strangle him. We’ve been shopping for baby furniture all morning, and to say it’s been stressful would be an understatement.

His back-and-forth, flippant attitude is making my head spin. Just when I think we’ve finally come to an agreement, he suggests something completely opposite, and we’re back to square one. I’m trying so hard to remain calm, but I’m tired and cranky, and my feet are killing me.

Dante Mancini is beginning to grate on my last nerve.

I swear if he makes one more unnecessary assessment, I’m going to junk-punch him. Even the poor sales assistant looks like she’s about to cry, and I swear if she bursts into tears, I might join her.

Dante’s never been so indecisive. He’s a man who knows what he wants and is not afraid to go out and get it, but obviously, that doesn’t apply to baby furnishings.

Yesterday, I hit the twenty-eight-week mark, and our foetus is currently the size of a large eggplant. I rub my hand over my protruding stomach and can only pray the spike in my blood pressure isn’t affecting our baby in any way.

“I love this one,” I say as I run my hand over the smooth, white wooden crib. The turned spindles that line the sides add an elegant charm. The ensemble includes a matching change table with three drawers underneath for storage, and the rocking chair completes the set. It’s designed with comfort in mind, with soft-to-the-touch padded cushions.

My eyes move to my husband, hoping that this is the one so we can go home, but when he screws up his face, my cheeks puff out like balloons as I blow out a frustrated breath.

The way this is going, our child will have to sleep on a mattress on the floor. Actually, my husband will be the one on the floor because the baby will be in bed beside me.

“Umm,” the sales assistant says as she frantically looks around the store for something else to suggest, but we are running out of options. When she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and bites down to hide the quiver, I finally reach my tolerance level.

I hold out my hand, palm facing up. “Give me the car keys,” I snap.

“Why?” Dante asks as his eyebrows pinch together.

“We have been here for hours, and it’s obvious we aren’t going to come to an agreement. When did you become such a snob?”

He rears back like he’s been slapped. “A snob?”

“Yes. This poor girl has wasted her entire morning showing us so many beautiful items, and those stupid faces you keep pulling are not only rude, they are frustrating me beyond belief.”

When my outburst has him smirking, I add in a growl for good measure. This man obviously hasn’t learned a damn thing about how pregnancy hormones work. One minute, I’mfine, calm and collected. The next, I’m on the verge of a breakdown, ready to sob over the tiniest thing, or worse, stab someone. It’s like a switch flips, and everything feels like too much.

I turn my attention to the sales assistant. “I apologise for wasting your time; you’ve been so tolerant and gracious.” My gaze flickers to Dante, and my eyes narrow because I cannot say the same for him.

To my utter frustration, his grin grows.I can’t even with this man right now.He is walking a very fine line.

I straighten my spine, raise my chin, spin on my heel, and begin storming towards the exit. I don’t even wait for him or the keys to the car. The way I’m feeling right now, a long walk home may do me the world of good.

Thankfully, I have three more months to prepare. We only decided to get organised after Chloe and Alexander’s son was born three weeks early.

Lucia and I had flown down to Sydney to help Lina organise a baby shower for her, but the night before the celebrations were to begin, she went into premature labour. It was a scary time for us all, but thankfully, after spending his first week of life in an incubator, little Luca is doing great.

I was so looking forward to the baby shower. I’ve never attended one before, but that was the least of my worries when Chloe’s water broke during dinner. It sent Alexander into a full-blown panic. I thought the poor guy was going to keel over and drop dead; he was so stressed.

“Arabella, wait up,” Dante says, breaking into a slow jog to catch up to me.

When he reaches out to grab my hand, I shake it out of his hold. “If you know what is good for you, you won’t touch me.”

“Jesus,Bellezza. Fuck. Don’t go all boss woman on me now. You know that turns me on. We are in the middle of the store. How’s it going to look if a tent starts to form in my trousers?”

I abruptly stop and turn the top half of my body in hisdirection. My eyes briefly dart down to his crotch area, and when I notice a slight swell forming in the front of his pants, confirming his prediction, my gaze snaps back to his face. “If you dare bring thatthingnear me right now, I’m liable to snap it straight off.”

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