Nicholas (Members From Money Book 10)

by Katie Dowe

  “Isn’t it a little too big?” she asked. Landscaping had started and there was going to be a garden at the front and one at the back. The swimming pool was already installed and there was even a porch swing and a tennis court and also a gazebo some distance away from the main building.

  “You think six bedrooms, six bath, two living rooms, a dining room and two kitchens is too big?” he teased her.

  “Peter,” she protested.

  “Okay, baby, but we are going to fill those bedrooms with kids aren’t we?” he asked her huskily, turning her around to face him. She was wearing one of those very cute maternity dresses and a white cashmere jacket. Pregnancy had blossomed her and she looked more beautiful than ever.

  “Is that so?” She arched her well-shaped brows at him.

  “Maybe two more?’ he asked her huskily, wrapping his arms around her.

  “We will see.” She stood on tip toe and kissed his lips softly. “Can you allow me to have our son first before thinking about other kids?”

  “Absolutely.” He kissed her back deeply and had her shivering more from desire than from the cold air around them.

  *****

  “You look so happy,” Kimberly exclaimed hugging her mother-in-law. They had met for lunch in a café downtown. Charles had gone to get supplies for his piano classes he was having. He had extended the business at Mitsui’s insistence, and they now offered adult and children lessons.

  “So do you.” She patted the girl’s belly. “I am surprised your husband lets you out of his sight.”

  “He is at the office and told me he is coming home early,” she said with a sigh, smiling her thanks as the waiter brought her a bowl of soup. It was the end of January and the cold was still lingering with snow coming down every other day. “We are having the house warming on Saturday and I want you to help me with the catering. Peter said I should just have family and friends over but I would also like to invite some of his employees and the board members. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a good idea. I will make a list. How do you like the place so far?”

  “It’s lovely,” Kimberly said with a sigh. “Huge but absolutely lovely and I also need help with decorating the nursery.”

  “Absolutely,” the woman said beaming.

  *****

  “Brian, how about giving Mrs. Walters’ kitten a little rub down to calm her somewhat?” Kimberly suggested. She had cut down on her hours at work, deciding to take her husband’s advice to take it easy but she still came in for part of the day.

  “Done, boss,” he said with a salute and a smile.

  She had argued with Peter because he wanted her to give up the store and stay at home. “It’s not like you need the money, baby.” His look had been pleading.

  “I am not sitting home and twiddling my thumbs just because I am married to a billionaire,” she had told him firmly.

  “You don’t have to twiddle your thumbs, you can finish decorating our home,” he had said with a winning smile.

  “I am going to leave that to the professional, thank you very much.”

  So they had arrived at a stalemate. She would come in for part of the day and leave early and get her rest.

  Her phone rang just then and to her delight she saw that it was Simone! The week they had spent there had been so wonderful that they were planning to go back soon after she had the baby. Leonardo had treated them as if he had known them for a long time and had taken them on tours all over the place.

  “How is my very pregnant friend?” she teased.

  “Very uncomfortable and feel as if I am carrying around a bowling ball.” Kimberly told her.

  “Well I have news,” she paused dramatically. “I am pregnant.”

  “Simone!” she exclaimed. “Oh girl, when did that happen?”

  “Well let’s see, the doctor said I am two months pregnant so I guess around the time you guys were here,” she said with a smile in her voice.

  “How does Leonardo feel?”

  “He is on top of the world and annoying me with his constant hovering,” she said indulgently. “I am so happy, Kim, that I keep pinching myself. We have found two very good ones.”

  “We have,” she agreed softly. “Did Deidre tell you that she met someone?”

  “She did and she is being very cautious but I think he is really into her and the best part about it is he has a job.” They both laughed at that.

  “I miss you, girl,” Kimberly said with a sigh. She told her about the housewarming for Saturday and how she was going to be decorating the nursery.

  “I really wish I was there.” Simone sighed.

  “Me too.”

  They chatted a few more minutes and then they hung up.

  *****

  She told Peter the news about Simone later when they were in bed. The large bedroom was mostly glass and stone and had a towering ceiling and a huge fireplace that had a roaring blaze going on. He had sold all the furniture and bought new ones that they had picked out themselves. The bed was on a raised dais and there was a delicate scroll work above the bed. The closet was huge and had two sections: one for her clothes and the other for his, She had teased him that his clothes were far more than hers.

  “I am happy for them. Leonardo seems to be a decent hardworking guy.” He was rubbing her belly with the cream she had bought to try and avoid stretch marks. He did it every night but was interrupted all the time because he would spread the lips of her vagina and take a taste which would lead to other things. He was fascinated with the bulge of her belly and was happy that she was not sick anymore but was eating everything in sight.

  “I miss her so much, Peter, I wish she was here for the housewarming.” She shivered as he opened her legs and dipped his fingers inside her.

  “Can she travel?” he asked her huskily, watching as her lips parted and a moan escaped her as he rotated his fingers inside her.

  “I think so.” She was trembling. “Peter.”

  “Hmm.” He bent his head and touched his tongue to her and she knew she was lost.

  *****

  The day of the house warming dawned bright and bitterly cold with snow falling rapidly, covering everything in sight.

  All the staff had come over to work with them even though Kimberly had said that they did not need four household staff. “They have been with the family for years, baby, I can’t just get rid of them.” So they had stayed.

  Her mother had come over and Deidre and Michael, her new guy, who was an accountant as well. Mitsui and Charles were in one of the bedrooms putting away their things because they were spending the night to help set up the nursery.

  They were just about to sit down to dinner when the bell went. “I will get it,” Peter told her before she could get up.

  The house was filled with people from his office and there was also Brian who had brought his date with him, a buxom blonde that he said was the one.

  “Where is the baby mama?” A familiar voice asked in the doorway. She could not believe her eyes. It was Simone and a smiling and darkly handsome Leandro behind her. She pushed back her chair and both girls met across the room, hugging each other tightly with Deidre joining them.

  “Oh my gosh! How did you get here?” Kimberly asked holding her at arm’s length. The girl was glowing. Her red hair piled on top of her head and the green winter coat lovely against her white skin.

  “Thank your husband for that.” She nodded in his direction. “He flew both of us here for the occasion.”

  Kimberly turned to look at her husband who was chatting with Leonardo and several of his employees. It was as if he felt her gaze on him because he looked up and caught her gaze. He smiled at her and nodded and she felt the love for him bursting inside her breasts.

  They had fun and she broke away from the rest and took her best friends on a tour of the house. “How long are you staying?” she asked Simone.

  “A week,” she said linking her arms with her two best friends. “We are g
oing to have so much fun!”

  Chapter 14

  The week flew by swiftly! Peter left them to their own devices only taking them out to dinner in some exotic and expensive restaurants along with Michael and Deidre.

  Then the three girls went to lunch together. Leonardo was at the house by himself assuring them he was going to be watching television and cooking with Gerard as long as he did not mind him in the kitchen.

  They went to their favorite café near the store. “I can’t believe both of you are pregnant, I am starting to feel left out of this circle,” Deidre complained sipping her hot chocolate. January was ending but the cold had intensified.

  “You can always join us,” Kimberly said teasingly.

  “No thank you. Not until Michael puts a ring on this finger.” She held out her left hand. “So tell us about Tuscany and living with Leonardo.” She turned to Simone. Pregnancy made her white skin rosy, and even though she was not showing yet, she had a glow about her that was apparent.

  “He is the kindest, most loving man I have ever known. Not that he compares to Peter,” she said turning to Kimberly. “That man practically eats you up with his eyes and finds it hard to look at anyone but you, no matter who is in the room. But Leo is a gentle soul and he loves working with his hands. There are of course a lot of benefits with a man who loves to work with his hands,” she said with a wink causing the other girls to laugh. “I do not miss home because where he is that’s home and aside from missing you guys then that’s it. We complete each other.”

  “That’s so romantic,” Deidre said with a sigh, resting her chin on her hands.

  “What about you and Michael?” Kimberly asked her, automatically rubbing her belly.

  “I am being cautious, you guys know my history when it comes to picking guys,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “This time I am taking it slow, even though I think I am in love with him, I am prepared to wait.”

  “That sounds reasonable,” Simone agreed. “Don’t wait too long; you are not getting any younger.” Deidre threw a piece of fry in her direction and Kimberly watched as Simone fielded it. She had missed this, the three of them having lunch together and being together like this and she could not help but realize how much their lives were changing.

  “Let’s make a promise to each other,” she said suddenly. “Even one time for the year we are going to meet up for a week to maintain our friendship. Either Simone, come back here or we go to her.”

  “Deal,” the other two girls said in agreement, clinking their cups together.

  *****

  “How was lunch?” Peter asked her later that night. They had taken a shower together as soon as they had left Simone and Leonardo and gone up to their suite.

  “It was very good.” She told him about the agreement they had made to see one another each year.

  “Sounds like a plan.” He was toweling her off and paying special attention to her belly.

  “How was work?” she asked him as he rubbed the soft towel on her belly.

  “It was okay. Construction is under way for the new supermarket.” He had stopped rubbing her down and bent down before her.

  “Peter what are you doing?” she asked him faintly.

  “Talking to my son,” he murmured, tracing her belly. “PJ, this is your dad. I am so happy that you are going to be joining us soon to complete our family and I am going to be the best father you can ever hope for.”

  “You are calling our son PJ?” Kimberly’s voice was tremulous. She combed her fingers through his thick dark hair.

  “I am the only one allowed to call him that.” He looked up her teasingly.

  “I should hope so,” she moaned. He had bent his head and had started licking her protruding mound. “Oh lord Peter.” Her body felt weak.

  “I need to pay attention to his mother as well.” He dipped his tongue inside her and her legs buckled. He held onto her and his tongue thrust inside her over and over again until she was mindless with desire. He stopped long enough to get off his knees and lifted her into his arms, taking her into the bedroom to finish the task he had started.

  *****

  Teal blue was the color chosen for the nursery. Peter had had the wallpaper and furniture delivered and had asked her if she wanted a professional to do the job. “I have professionals,” she had reminded him with a straight face. “There are Deidre and Simone and your mother as well as mine. We are planning a decorating party so don’t come home too early.”

  “I am being banned from my own home?” he asked in mock distress.

  “Just for a short time,” she reassured him, kissing him lingeringly on the mouth. He had pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss. They had ended up being late to get out of the house.

  Karen switched on the button of the mobile and allowed the soothing music to fill the nursery. All the furniture had been put in place and the wall paper depicting monkeys and bears frolicking in a meadow had been hung. They had chosen the room not far from their own bedroom for the nursery and it was a large enough room with large windows all around to give the place light.

  Both Leonardo and Gerard had prepared some delectable finger foods for them to enjoy while they decorated.

  “It’s such a peaceful room,” Mitsui said with a sigh as she settled back against the cushions in one of the lounge chairs in the room. She looked happy and content and had started to put on some flesh on her petite frame. Kimberly could not believe that this was the same woman who had some months ago looked as if she was afraid of her shadow. Her cheeks had filled out and she looked serene and beautiful.

  “How do you feel now, honey?” her mother asked her. She had brought over a large white stuffed bear she had found in one of the baby stores and it was perched along with the dozens of stuff toys on shelves in the room.

  “Big and bloated and tired almost every day,” Kimberly told her with a smile. “Peter says he wants more children and I want to tell him that when he grows a vagina and a uterus then he can dictate how many.”

  The others laughed. “Men!” Simone said with a shake of her head, her flaming red hair coming loose from the top knot she had secured. “Leonardo keeps telling me to let us go for another one as soon as I have this one so they could be company for each other. I look at him as if he has lost his mind.”

  “When I start having children, I want at least three,” Deidre spoke up.

  “Well, I suggest you start now, honey, because you are certainly not getting any younger,” Simone told her dryly. She ducked as her friend threw a cushion in her direction.

  The rest of the afternoon went by pleasantly and before they knew it, they were finished and it was time for those leaving to go. Deidre was spending the night because Simone was leaving the next day.

  That night they sprawled in the large living room with a fire blazing in the hearth, eating chocolates and drinking nonalcoholic beverages and chatting until it was almost midnight. Both Leonardo and Peter had already gone off to bed.

  *****

  The goodbyes were tearful the next morning and the men stayed to one side as the friends made their tearful goodbyes. Peter had arranged a driver to take them to the airport where they would be travelling first class back to Tuscany.

  “Thank you for a lovely time,” Leonardo kissed both her cheeks softly. “We will look forward to see you when you both come by.” He looked at Peter with a smile. “Thanks my friend.” He clasped Peter’s hand warmly.

  “Take care of my girl,” Simone told Peter, hugging him tightly before stepping back.

  “Always,” he murmured, pulling his wife into his arms. “Be safe.”

  *****

  She felt such a feeling of melancholy hit her after they left that she had to go into the nursery to sit and look at all they had done. That was where Peter found her some minutes later. He had gone downstairs to check the alarm. It was a Saturday and he had stopped going into the office on Saturdays, spending the weekend with her. “Hey.” He sat beside her a
nd pulled her back against him. “I am here.”

  “I know.” She burrowed into his strong embrace and inhaled his cologne and special scent. “I just miss her.”

  “And you can see her whenever you have a need. The company jet is at your disposal,” he told her gently.

  She lifted her head and looked at him. “You have changed everything in your life for me and sometimes I ask myself what have I done for this absolutely wonderful man I have? Whatever I have done is not enough.”

  “You have saved me from a loveless union and showed me that marrying for love was the only way a person can be happy.” He framed her face. “I met you and my life changed for the better baby, so don’t ever let me hear you say you have not done anything. You have done everything.” His look was passionately tender.

  “I love you Peter, my husband,” she whispered.

  “And I love you beyond anything I have ever experienced, Kimberly, my wife,” he said huskily. That night he made sweet passionate love to her in their son’s nursery, celebrating their love for each other.

  *****

  She was due on the third of April and as soon as the time drew near she started getting irritable and moody. She could not sleep well at nights because she was very uncomfortable and Peter would rub her belly and make sure she had enough pillows behind her head. She had stopped going into the store but made sure she kept on track with what was happening. She had hired a girl to help Brian and it was working out great. She had lunch with her mother-in-law and Charles at their house once a week and was taking piano lessons as well. It was a delight to see how happy they were together. Her mother stopped by two times during the week and was planning to come and spend some nights with them when she had the baby.

  Her contractions started at two a.m. on the third of April. It had rained the night before and she had picked at her food at dinner and Peter had gotten concerned. He had held her in his arms for the night and rubbed her belly. He felt rather than heard her restless movements against him in the early hours of the morning. When a moan escaped her lips he was up like a shot. “Baby?” He switched on the bedside lamp and saw her biting her lip.