by Sandi Lynn
Cassandra and I had become extremely close. We were like sisters and now, she was my mother-in-law, and I was her daughter-in-law. We had planned the entire wedding together and made sure every detail was perfect. Our reception took place on the ocean front lawn of the resort with the magical mountains cascading in the background. It was truly a fairytale wedding and one every little girl dreamt of.
We spent a couple days after our wedding in Hawaii with Ami & Lamar before we took off to spend a week alone in St. Lucia. Myles whisked Cassandra off the day after the wedding for a week-long stay in Bora Bora.
Grant and I were sitting on the beach, under a large umbrella sipping on mojitos, when he said something out of the clear blue that caught me off guard.
“I want to have a baby.”
“What?” I looked over at him.
“I want to have a baby. I want us to have a baby.”
“We’ve only been married a few days.” I laughed.
“So. I never wanted kids, Bella. The thought of having them terrified me. But when I’m with you, it’s all I can think about. I picture us with kids. Maybe two or three. I want to raise future real estate moguls.” He grinned.
“We can talk about this later, okay.”
“Listen, babe. I know you’re scared, and I don’t blame you. Especially what happened last time. But the doctor said you look perfect on the inside and there was no need to worry about getting pregnant again. I know you said you have an appointment to get your shot when we get back. I’m asking you to cancel that appointment.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready, Grant.”
“Is anyone ever really ready, Bella? You love kids. You always have and you told me when we were sixteen you wanted a house full of them.”
“If something happens, I don’t think I could go through that again. You know sometimes I still have a hard time.”
“I know, babe.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “But nothing is going to happen because we’ll be making a Roman child, and we Romans are strong and resilient.”
“Well, since you put it that way.” I laughed.
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes, Grant. I’ll cancel my shot appointment and we can start making a baby.”
“Yes!” He got up from his chair, took my hand, helped me up and swung me around. “I love you so much, Bella Roman.”
“I love you too, Grant.”
Myles
Once again, I was a married man, and I couldn’t have been happier. My life was completed in a way I never thought possible. My business was still number one and growing every day, I married a woman I was deeply in love with, and I had a beautiful daughter-in-law.
“What are you thinking about?” Cassandra asked as she brought us each a glass of wine out on the terrace.
“Just how lucky I am to have found you.”
“You are the sweetest man, Myles Roman.” She smiled as she sat down on my lap.
“I have you to thank for that. I wasn’t always this sweet.”
“I don’t believe that. You just kept the real you locked away, and I stole the key and let you out.” The corners of her mouth curved upward.
Bringing my hand up to her, I brushed away a strand of her hair.
“You certainly did, and I love you more every day for it,” I said as I heard the dinging of the elevator.
“Grant and Bella are here.” She kissed my lips and climbed off my lap.
I got up from my seat and walked inside to greet my son and daughter-in-law.
“Hello, darling.” I kissed Bella’s cheek.
“Hi, Dad.” She smiled.
“Son.” I hooked my arm around him.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Go grab a drink and we’ll go sit on the terrace while the girls talk in the kitchen.”
Grant poured himself a scotch and met me outside.
“The deal went through today for the Altman Hotel. The building is officially ours.”
“Excellent news, Dad. When are you meeting with the architect?”
“Tomorrow morning, and I’d like you to be in the meeting with me.”
“What time?”
“Ten o’clock.”
“I have an appointment, but I can move things around.”
“Okay. I really want you there and your input.”
“Bella and I are going to start trying for a baby,” he said.
“Really? Already?”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I want to start a family with her.”
“Is she ready?”
“She is. I know she’s scared that she’s going to have another miscarriage, but I told her we can’t live life in fear that something may or may not happen. You and I both know that.” He smirked.
“You’re right. I think you’ll make an amazing father, son.”
“Only because I learned from the best.” He raised his glass, and I gave him a smile.
“It’ll be nice to have a grandchild running around. The future heir to the Roman Empire.” I tapped my glass against his.
Four Months Later
Bella
“I’m late,” I said as I walked into the kitchen and Grant was pouring a cup of coffee.
“Late for what? Where are you going at this time of the morning?” He handed me a cup of coffee.
“My period, Grant. My period is late.”
“Oh.” His eyes lit up. “How late are you?”
“Almost two weeks. I’ve been so busy I didn’t realize it until I just checked my period app.”
He grabbed the coffee cup from my hand and poured the coffee down the drain.
“Hey.” My brows furrowed.
“No caffeine for you until we find out for sure. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I sighed and pulled the orange juice from the refrigerator. A few moments later, Grant walked back in and handed me a pregnancy test kit.
“Here you go.” He smiled.
“When did you buy this?” I laughed.
“Last month. I was at the store, and I figured I’d keep one here for when we needed it.”
“And you didn’t tell me, why?” Her brow raised.
“I figured you’d think it was bad luck. So, come on. Time to pee.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom.
“I don’t have to go, Grant. I just went before I came downstairs.”
“Can’t you at least try, babe?”
“No.” I kissed his sweet lips. “Let me drink a glass of orange juice first and when I have to go, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Okay,” he spoke with a disappointed tone. “But what if you don’t have to go before we leave for work?”
“I will. Don’t worry.” I smiled at him, grabbed my orange juice and went upstairs.
“Anything yet?” he asked as I was applying my makeup.
“Not yet.” I glanced over at him.
“Okay. Just checking.”
As I was brushing out my hair, Grant walked into the bathroom.
“Well?”
“Not yet. Put the test in my purse. I’ll do it at the office if I have to.”
“You really want to do that? Maybe we should just wait until we get home tonight.”
“Okay. We can do that.”
He stood there and narrowed his eyes at me.
“What is that look for?”
“The suspense isn’t going to kill you all day? Because it will kill me.”
“Then I’ll do it at the office, Grant.”
“Fine, Bella.”
After I grabbed my purse, Grant and I stepped into the elevator, and the urge hit me, and I stopped the doors from closing.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I have to pee!”
He grabbed my hand and led me to the bathroom. Setting my purse on the counter, I took out the box and handed it to Grant. He opened it and handed me the stick while I sat down on the toilet. When I
was finished, I set the stick on the counter and washed my hands.
“How long do we wait?” Grant asked as he stared at the test.
“Three minutes. Come on. We can’t sit here and watch it.”
I took his hand and led him out of the bathroom as he set the timer on his phone.
“Are you scared?” he asked as he grabbed my hands and held them tight.
“A little. You?”
“Not at all.”
The timer finally went off and we both looked at each other.
“Let’s go see what it says.” He smiled.
We walked into the bathroom and picked up the stick from the counter so we both could look at it together.
“We’re having a baby, Grant.” My eyes filled with tears.
He pulled me into him and hugged me tight.
“We’re having a baby,” he whispered in my ear.
Epilogue
Five Years Later
Grant
“What is going on down here? Luca, stop chasing your sister and sit down and eat your breakfast. Where is your mom?”
“She’s trying to close a deal, Daddy. She said the buyers are being assholes.”
“We don’t say words like that, Luca.”
“Mommy does.”
“Come here, princess.” I picked up Chloe and set her in her seat. “Eat your breakfast for Daddy.” I kissed the top of her head.
I walked over to the coffee pot and was pouring myself a cup of coffee when Bella walked in.
“I thought there was a war going on down here,” I said.
“Sorry. I had to take that call.” She kissed my lips.
“Did you close the deal, Mommy?”
“Not yet, baby. The buyers are being” she paused — “super picky.”
I placed my hands on her hips and pressed my lips against her forehead.
“You’ll close the deal, babe. And stop saying ‘asshole’ in front of the kids,” I whispered in her ear.
“I know, but sometimes it just flies out of my mouth,” she whined, and I pulled her into me.
We packed up the kids and headed to our house in the Hamptons for the next two weeks. My dad and Cassandra ended up buying the house next to us and they had already been there for a week. Bella had shown the house to a client of hers, but when she stepped inside the seven thousand square foot, six bedroom and eight bath home with the ocean view, she called me immediately and told me we were buying it. She ended up getting us a great deal and when the house next door went up, she immediately called my dad. That was three years ago when she was pregnant with our daughter, Chloe.
“Is everyone ready for a road trip?” I asked and watched the excitement on my children’s faces.
They loved going to the Hampton house because there was so much for them to do there. Plus, it was good for everyone to get out of the city for a while.
“Daddy, are we going to see Grandma and Grandpa?” Luca asked.
“We sure are, son. They’re already waiting for us.”
The moment we stepped through the door, my dad and Cassandra were there waiting for us.
“Grandpa!” Luca screamed as he ran into his arms.
“Hello there, Luca.” He hugged him tight.
Luca was obsessed with my dad, and I couldn’t blame him. Every time he was around, Luca was his shadow.
Later that day, we had a barbeque. While Bella and Cassandra were in the kitchen, my dad and I stayed outside with the kids and grilled the steaks.
“Cassandra and I want to keep the kids tonight at our place.”
“Why?”
“Because we love them, and it would give you and Bella a night to yourselves.”
“Have I told you that you’re the best dad ever?” I grinned.
He patted my shoulder and smiled.
“A few times.”
After we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, my dad and Cassandra took the kids home with them. Walking over to Bella, I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight.
“Do you hear that?” I asked.
“Hear what?”
“The blissful sound of silence.”
She broke our embrace and brushed her lips against mine.
“I think we’d enjoy the silence much better upstairs.” The corners of her mouth curved upward.
“You just read my mind, babe.” I swooped her up in my arms and carried her upstairs. “We have all night to make our own noise, and I’m definitely going to take advantage of that.”
“Do you promise?” She grinned as her arms were wrapped securely around my neck.
“I will always promise you the world. You know that. I have never been more in love with you as I am right now.” I laid her on the bed and hovered over her.
“I love you so much, Grant. So, so much. I’ve never loved anyone so much in my life.”
Usually when she told me like that, she had something to tell me. As I hovered over her, I stared into her beautiful eyes.
“You’re pregnant again, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Are you happy? Because I know we agreed two was enough.”
“Of course, I’m happy.” I smiled. “What’s one more kid running around, right?”
“Right.” She grinned. “I’ve made an appointment for you to go get a vasectomy when we get back to the city. Just remember how much I love you.”
I could feel the color drain from my face.
I let out a sigh. “Anything for you, my darling wife. Anything for you.” I brushed my lips against hers.
Eleven Years Later
Myles
I stood in the yard and smiled while I watched my grandson Luca, sixteen, and my granddaughter Chloe, fourteen, play tennis on the tennis court of their Hampton home. And while my other granddaughter, Isabelle, eleven, was swimming in the pool with her father. Turning around, I could see Bella and Cassandra in the living room going over some fabric samples for the new furniture Bella wanted to buy. Seeing my family together was more than surreal. For twenty years it had only been just me and my son. I firmly believed that was how it would always be. Then two beautiful women walked into our lives and fixed the pieces of us that were broken.
I was now retired and enjoying life to the fullest with my beautiful wife. I’d built my empire for my son, and now it was his turn to keep growing it for his children and keep the Roman family legacy going.
I took a walk down by the beach as the sun was about to set and stood on the shoreline as the water swept over my feet.
“Hey, Grandpa. What are you doing?”
“Hi, Luca. I’m just thinking about life.”
“What about it?”
“About how fast you kids are growing up and how precious time is.”
“That’s cool. I met a girl, grandpa.”
“You did?” I raised my brow as I glanced over at him.
“Yeah. She’s super cool and really pretty. Her name is Laurel and she’s from the city too. She lives in Soho. She’s here with her family for the summer. I’m bringing her by later to meet Mom and Dad. I really would like you to meet her too.”
“I’d love to meet her, son.”
Luca hooked his arm around me and gave me a squeeze.
“I’m going to get in the shower and get ready for my date with Laurel. I’ll see you later, Grandpa.”
“Have fun, Luca.”
When he walked away, Grant walked up.
“What was that all about?”
“Luca was telling me about this girl he met.”
“Yeah. We’re meeting her tonight. I don’t know if he should be dating yet.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“If I recall, you met the love of your life at his age.”
“True. But it took us fourteen years to get together.”
“Doesn’t matter. If they’re meant to be nothing will keep them apart. Not even a significant number of years.” I smiled at him. “I hope you had the talk with him.”
“He did, and I think he’ll be very good at it. He has great artistic talent. Brining him on as an architect at the company will be a great asset.”
“That’s how I feel.”
“Dad,” Chloe came running up. “Mom wants you.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there, sweetheart. I better go see what she needs.” He patted my back and walked away.
“Are you okay, Grandpa?” Chloe asked as she stood next to me and held my hand.
“I’m fine, darling. I’m just enjoying the view.”
“It is beautiful,” she spoke.
“Hi, Grandpa,” Isabelle said as she walked up and grabbed hold of my other hand.
“Hi, sweetheart.”
“What’s going on over here and why wasn’t I invited to the party?” Cassandra smiled.
“We’re just watching the ocean with Grandpa,” Chloe said.
“Sounds nice. Can I join you?”
“Of course, Grandma.” Chloe smiled as she held out her hand.
Grant and Bella walked over and took Isabelle’s hand, and the six of us stood at the shoreline. This was my life. A life I never dreamt I would live. A life that fulfilled me in every possible way. We were the Roman family, and our legacy would live on forever.
Thank you for reading The Property Brokers! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.
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