Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
I blinked back unshed tears. My nose was prickling, and my eyes were burning. Happy tears. I remembered Alessio promising me only happy tears. He kept his vow.
Lena handed me Princess, and I placed a kiss on her tiny forehead. Alessio did the same. A sweet soft kiss.
Her lips pursed in a cute pout, and I smiled. Completely and utterly happy. I was finally whole.
I gently placed her in the bassinet. Alessio wrapped his arm around my hips, his head buried in my neck.
This was what I needed. What I had dreamed of since I was a child.
While every day I was living a nightmare, I had dreamed of this. Hoped for this.
And now it was my reality.
Love, happiness, and peace.
I had all of it.
And my daughter had all of it too.
Thank God Alessio parked his car there on that fateful day.
It was meant to be from the very beginning.
We were meant to be.
Chapter 36
Alessio
5 weeks later
A quiet but sudden cry woke me up. I groaned sleepily and pulled Ayla closer into my body. My face was buried in her neck, my arm wrapped tightly around her waist. I heard her moan, and she shifted around.
The cries continued.
Opening my eyes, darkness welcomed me. Except for the tiny lamp shining behind my back.
Princess continued to cry softly. She seemed annoyed and agitated. Definitely not hungry. Ayla just fed her a few hours ago.
Ayla sighed, her naked body moving against mine. “It’s my turn. I’ll get her,” she whispered sleepily.
She started to sit up, but I pushed her back on the bed. “Go back to sleep. I got her.”
Ayla stared at me sleepily, a small smile curving her lips. So fucking beautiful.
She mumbled a quick thank you as I got up. She curled around my pillow, her eyes closing with a sigh. I knew she was asleep within seconds.
Giving her a final glance, I walked over to the crib. Ayla and I decided to keep Maila with us until she was a few months old. We weren’t ready for Princess to sleep on her own.
Though with her sleeping in the same room, it was harder for us to make out. But we found our ways. Creativity at its best.
Stopping next to the crib, I saw Maila moving around agitatedly, her legs kicking out in anger, her tiny fists moving in frustration. It appeared I took too long to get to her. Demanding little Princess.
I smiled at the thought. Maila might love the attention, but she was good baby. Barely cried and slept most of the nights. Ayla and I were both thankful for that.
Princess noticed me standing there, and her movements stopped. She lay there, making small mewling sounds. She was the cutest little thing ever.
I bent at the waist and picked up the Princess. My arms went around her safely, and I brought her closer to my chest. She instantly stopped crying.
Her tiny fist rested against my chest as she blinked up at me. Her blue eyes were blurry with tears, making my heart ache a little.
I hated the tears in her eyes. It did things to my heart, watching my baby cry.
My daughter would never experience pain. Not like her mother has. Not like I had. She would be loved and fiercely protected.
The thought of someone hurting my princess made me want to rage. I would kill anyone who would hurt a single hair on her. Anyone who made her cry a single painful tear. They would die. Plain and simple.
I swiped her tears away and let my thumb linger over her soft cheeks. “Settle down now, little one,” I crooned next to her ear.
She hiccupped back a small cry, and her lips pursed in a pout. A dry chuckle was heard from me. Maila had us all wrapped around her finger.
Turning my head to the side, I looked at Ayla. She was sleeping soundly. With a smile, I gave her a final glance before walking out of the room.
The door to Maila’s nursery was partially open, so I pushed my way inside. Princess continued to stare at me, blinking sleepily. I knew she would be asleep in no time too.
Her legs kicked out, and she made another hiccup sound. “Yeah. Yeah. I know. You need a diaper change.”
I could feel how full her diaper was. Most probably, that was why she woke up. Shaking my head, I placed her on changing table. She cooed, and her lips twitched in the smallest smile.
Damn it, she was the cutest.
And she had fucked with my mind too. Just like her mother had done so many months ago.
If a year ago you had asked me if I would be cooing and changing the diapers of a baby, I would have laughed and kicked you in the guts for asking the stupidest question.
But now, I couldn’t imagine my world without Maila.