Chapter 479

Olivia

I awoke to the sound of birds singing outside and the feeling of the warm sun spreading across the room. With a yawn and a stretch, I slowly rolled over, a soft smile playing on my lips when I saw my sleeping husband laying beside me.

With the twins still quiet and peaceful on the baby monitor, I allowed myself a few moments to gaze at Nathan. I took in the sight of his strong chest rising and falling, the way his hair almost seemed to shine in the golden light of the morning sun.

I was so glad he was home. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be any more business trips for a while.

As I laid there, memories of last night slowly began to flood back into my mind. I blushed a bit as I remembered everything…

The feeling of Nathan’s lips on mine in the shower, our fingers leaving streaks on the glass shower door beneath the water and the steam. The way that Nathan carried me to bed with so much ease, the feeling of the warm sheets on my damp skin, our wet hair getting tangled on the pillows.

Nathan must have noticed my staring even in his sleep, because his eyes slowly blinked open. Their blue-green depths, looking like pools of water in the early morning sunlight, focused on me. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Morning, beautiful.”

“Morning, handsome.” I smirked and draped myself over him. Our skin, still completely bare, brushed against each other beneath the warm blankets.

Nathan let out a soft growl under his breath as I peppered kisses along his sinewy shoulder. A slight shiver ran up my spine when he began tracing lazy shapes up and down my back with the very tips of his fingers.

“So, what do you want to do on your first day home?” I murmured. “I’m not letting you work today. I was thinking we could take the twins, get breakfast at the diner, maybe even go to the mall… if you’re not too tired, of course.”

He grinned. “I’ll gladly do all that with you and more,” he said softly. “So long as we’re back in time.”

I furrowed my brow. “In time for what?”

“Have you forgotten?” Nathan smirked and propped himself up on his elbow. “Today’s Valentine’s Day. I promised you a fancy dinner.”

At the mention of Valentine’s Day, my eyes widened slightly. “I-I guess I forgot,” I laughed, running a hand through my tangled hair. “I got so caught up in everything else, I thought it was next weekend.”

“I mean, if you don’t want to go…” He feigned indifference as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“No!” I shot up and threw my arms around his neck from behind, leaning over his shoulder and planting warm kisses on his earlobe. “No, please, I wanna go.”

Nathan chuckled and took my hand. I felt another shiver as he kissed my fingers one by one.

“That’s what I thought,” he teased. “But first… breakfast.”

…

I twirled in front of the mirror, admiring the way my dress hugged my curves. “Of course I have to spoil my girl on Valentine’s Day,” Nathan had said at the shop earlier that day. “I know you just bought something new for yourself, but we can’t have you wearing the same outfit two days in a row, can we?”

It was a beautiful vintage piece, with a fitted bodice, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and a circle skirt. The color was a soft baby pink, made out of a luxurious satin fabric. It was just stretchy enough to fit over my growing baby bump, which was feeling more pronounced by the day lately.

I paused for a moment to run my hand over my belly. It really did look perfect in this dress; a perfect little life. Another perfect addition to our patchworked family.

My heels clicked on the floor as I made my way down the steps, where Nathan was waiting for me in the foyer. He looked up from the mirror as I slowly descended, his eyes widening when he saw me.

“There’s my beautiful wife.”

“You like it?” I asked, twirling to let the puffy skirt billow around me.

Nathan laughed. “I told you it would be perfect. I mean, when I saw you gazing at it in the shop window earlier, how could I say no?”

I couldn’t help but smile as I clicked my way over to him. His arm outstretched and circled around me, pulling me close. I blushed as he dotted a few kisses across my nose and cheeks.

“There,” he said when he was finished, leaning back to admire his handiwork. “Hopefully those will turn into freckles in the summertime.”

Suddenly, he then dipped me low. I lost my breath, my fingers digging into his chest as he swept me so close to the floor I thought he might drop me.

“Nathan—”

“Tonight is going to be perfect, my love,” he whispered. “Just you, me, and a candlelit dinner.”

With that, he pressed his lips against mine. Warm and sweet. When we pulled apart, he lifted me back up and set me upright. My cheeks were a deep shade of red, and my chest heaved with the breathlessness of it all. I felt his pinky finger trail along the sweetheart neckline of the dress, where my growing breasts spilled out over the bodice.

“Maybe this dress was a little gift for me, too,” he whispered, his voice low and husky.

I gasped and swatted at his chest, but there was no real heat in the gesture. “Nathan Ford!” I chided. “Don’t be rude.”

“What?” He laughed and took my hand. “I like seeing my beautiful wife in dresses that accentuate her hot figure. Sue me.”

With a roll of my eyes, I grabbed my jacket and my purse off of the hook and followed Nathan out to the car, which was already running. He guided me over to the passenger side door and opened it for me. Once I was settled inside, he carefully closed it and climbed in on the other side.

“So,” I said, turning to face him. “Where exactly are we—”

Suddenly, before I could finish, the sound of Nathan’s phone buzzing erupted through the quiet car. “Hang on,” he muttered. He sighed and slipped it out of his pocket to see who it was.

Instantly, I felt my heart sink down into my stomach when I saw the familiar name on the screen.

Dan.

“Shit,” Nathan muttered. “I, uh…”

I swallowed. “Seriously?” I choked out. “On Valentine’s Day?”

“I really should—”

“Nathan, don’t you dare.” I folded my arms across my chest and pouted at him. “You promised that there would be no work today.”

“I know, but…” He sighed as Dan’s name kept flashing relentlessly on the screen. “I’m… I’m sorry, Liv.” He was already opening the car door and stepping out. “But I really should take this. I promise, I’ll only be a minute.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but it was too late. Nathan was already out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. I watched, my mouth agape, as he jogged up the driveway to the house.

What could possibly be so important that Dan would need to call him on Valentine’s Day? And why did Nathan have to answer?

He had promised that today was just for us!