Page 132 of The Stranger
Pushing thoughts of them from my mind because they are not worth my time, I focus my attention solely on the woman who is going to become my wife in a matter of minutes.
Her beaming smile matches mine as she takes the first step towards the rest of our lives.
I’m humbled knowing she had enough courage to take a leap of faith with me and give love another try. I won’t let her down like the last man did. I’ll cherish this woman, and all that she represents, with everything I have … in this life, and the next.
Chapter 38
Delilah
Istare down at the sweet face of our precious daughter as she suckles the last of her milk. The love I hold for this tiny human is indescribable. All my life I’ve dreamed of becoming a mother, and not only did I get my wish, I got to experience the glory of parenthood with the most amazing man.
Her big, chocolate-brown eyes—ones that are just like her father’s—are closed, and she’s on the verge of falling asleep. She needs to be burped, but I have to pee so badly I’m about to burst. Post-baby bladder is a thing.
I push my chair away from my desk and stand, securing my boob back into my maternity bra as I hastily cross the reception area and head for my husband’s office.
When I enter, Spencer places his finger over his lips and then juts his head towards the computer, letting me know he’s in the middle of a conference call.
“I have to pee,” I mouth. “She needs to be burped.” I do the motion with my hand and Spencer nods, extending his arms to take her from me.
I love how hands-on he is with her.
We will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary atthe end of this month. Although I was keen to have children, straight away, Spencer thought I was too young and wanted me to experience more things before motherhood burdened me down. He also admitted to being selfish and wanting to keep me all to himself for a while before having to share me with someone else.
We’ve spent the last few years travelling the world and experiencing all that life offers.
After our precious Mia was born—the apple of her parents’ and Grandmother Eloise’s eye—Spencer encouraged me to stay home after her birth, but I didn’t want that. I had the luxury of having the best of both worlds. I could continue working and bring my child along with me.
When you are a joint owner of a billion-dollar company, you have options. Prescott Enterprises has grown exponentially over the past few years since we have gone global, opening up offices in America, London, and Singapore.
For my twenty-fifth birthday, Spencer presented me with a partnership. It’s not something I wanted or asked for, but it was his way of telling me he was committed to us for life. For those reasons alone, I couldn’t have asked for a better gift. I was never interested in the money, or the company—all I’ll ever need is him. I know with all certainty he is one hundred percent devoted to both me and Mia.
Despite the impending bladder explosion, I take a moment to watch the interaction between father and daughter. The sheer amount of love I see shining in his eyes as he kisses both her chubby cheeks before gently laying her against his shoulder has my heart turning to mush.
“Is that a baby?” I hear the person on the other end of the video call, ask.
“Yes, this is my daughter, Mia.” Spencer turns her slightly towards the screen to show her off, which is something he does often. “Isn’t she the cutest?”
“Hmm,” he hums, completely uninterested in my husband’s pride and joy.
I quickly turn away to hide my smile when Spencer’s growly face makes an appearance.
I’ve met most of Spencer’s clients in the five years I’ve been working here, but the voice on the other end of that chat doesn’t sound familiar, so I don’t know who he’s talking to.
As I exit the bathroom, a few minutes later, I hear the guy say, “I think she just threw up on your shoulder.”
“Ah, shit,” Spencer groans, drawing Mia back to gaze down at the patch of white puke that is now soaking into his light-blue dress shirt.
I spin around and head back into the bathroom to dampen a cloth. This isn’t our first rodeo, so we have spare clothes at the office for just such an occasion.
Spencer moves Mia, cradling her in his arms as I wipe around her little mouth first, before moving to his shirt. I hear a throat clear and my attention snaps towards the computer screen. My eyes widen when the handsome and mysterious-looking man staring back at me winks.
“Who do we have here?” he asks, placing his forearms on the desk and leaning closer to the screen.
“My wife,” Spencer growls. “So you can put those eyes of yours back in your head.”
When he releases a deep, throaty chuckle, followed by a full smile, my mouth gapes open. He has nothing on my husband of course, butdamn.
With that mane of jet-black hair, eyes so dark they almostappear the same colour surrounded by thick inky lashes, a day’s worth of dark stubble covering his strong jawline, and the deep dimple that sits in the centre of his chin … wow. I stare at it briefly as I’m reminded of something Kayne’s mother used to say.“A dimple on the chin means the devil’s within”.
