The Secret Between Us
Chapter 26

(Two days later)

Walking the streets alone without someone calling me to ask me where I am, or demanding that I go and fulfil some of my obligations feels completely amazing. I look in shop windows in search of a wedding dress for my wedding to Izan, and just imagining the scene of us standing at the altar saying an “I do” that unites us under God’s law, I die of emotion. Izan is exactly everything that is right in my life. He may look like the bad boy in the eyes of the world, or the youngest son of a mobster, but to me he is the perfect man. I never imagined that anyone would love me the way he does, let alone that I would ever love the way he does.

In front of my eyes appears the sign of a shop that sells wedding dresses and I immediately walk there to quickly enter and observe everything around me. The dresses on the mannequins are incredibly beautiful, they seem to be made for a princess, and while at some point in my life I dreamt of a wedding with 500 guests, princess dresses and an all night party, today I only dream of an “I do” in front of a picturesque altar and Izan de Luca by my side.

-Can I help you with anything? – one of the salesgirls asks me and I look at her with a huge smile tattooed on my face.

-I’m getting married on Saturday to the man of my life and I need a dress,” I answer her bluntly and her face is now worthy of a photograph.

-Next Saturday? -she asks nervously.

-Yes, but don’t worry, I’m not looking for something too pretentious, just a simple dress that makes me look like a bride,” I clarify and apparently this has calmed her down a bit because she smiles and makes a gesture as if telling me “I can help you with that”.

-Come with me, let’s look for that dress then,” she asks me kindly and without hesitation, I follow her.

It’s been several hours since she’s gone in search of her dress and while I don’t want to be the typical fiancé who calls his girl when she’s late shopping, I can’t help being worried about her either, after all she’s pregnant and anything could happen to her…

I take the meat out of the oven so it doesn’t burn, I leave it on the cooker and take off my heat resistant glove and leave it on the counter. Holding back my urge to call her and ask her if everything is all right, I go into the living room and sit down on the comfortable sofa we have there. I lean my head back against the backrest, throw it back, and as I look up at the ceiling I smile like a fool “I’m going to be a dad…” I think and while the idea makes me incredibly happy, I am also aware that I must protect my son or daughter from whoever. I can’t allow my family to ever get close to him… I don’t want them to transform him into what they are, just thinking that he can live or see something of everything I lived and saw in my life, I tremble. I want his life to be normal, I don’t want the De Luca name to haunt him like it has haunted me, I want him to be able to follow his dreams and really be who he wants to be.

-My love, I’m home! – I hear her say as the sound of the door closing makes me settle on the couch and seeing her smile as she does now, makes all the bad things that were going through my mind go away.

-How have you been? – I ask, but suddenly she appears in front of me with a short flowery dress and a white hat that matches perfectly with her sandals – wow… and that style? – I ask with the intention of getting up from the sofa, but she puts the bag she was carrying aside and quickly approaches me to sit on my legs.

-I felt like trying something new, do you like it? – she asks, throwing her arms around my shoulders and I nod.

-I love it, you look divine,” I answer smiling and walk my gaze over her body, “I really like the cleavage,” I joke.

-I can’t imagine… don’t you think I’ve grown a little? – she asks, making me laugh.

-You’re really asking me that? – I ask amused and he nods.

-You know my body by heart, so who better than you to figure it out? – he replies sensually.

-They say it’s normal for pregnant women, don’t they? – I reply, making her smile.

-That’s what they say…” she comments and k****s me lightly, “I’m hungry, shopping makes me hungry,” she complains between nervous giggles.

-Dinner is ready, my wife…” I murmur and k**s her again.

-Let’s eat then, later I’ll show you what I bought… except for the wedding dress obviously,” she says and seeing her so cheerful makes me happy.

-Okay, let’s have dinner first…” I agree and taking her in my arms, I get up with her from the sofa making her laugh.

-Hey, you don’t have to carry me! – she complains with laughter.

-I know, but I want to do it….

-Showing off your muscles? – she questions as a challenge and I deny.

-Enjoying the view,” I reply, looking at her legs that are barely covered by the way her dress moves and she smiles.

-Silly…” she jokes and holds my face to k**s me while we laugh at our little scene of silly lovers that we are forming and maybe these were the moments that we had missed because we had to live a love in secret, maybe now freedom makes us do and say things that until this moment we had not said or done. We are definitely living our relationship in a different way and that is exactly what I am enjoying most about the world we have invented for ourselves.