ALESSIA
“I used to find it annoying how strict you were, even when you didn’t say anything and kept silent. Now I realize you were doing that because you cared about me. You’ve loved me from the beginning.” He added.
I raised my eyebrows at Claude’s last statement. “I didn’t love you right away. It took weeks before I fell for you. Maybe I just had a crush on you at first since you are good looking. You are just grumpy and arrogant.”
Claude chuckled lightly. “Really? You had a crush on me back then? I also had a crush on you the first time we met.”
I glared at Claude.
“You’re kidding, right? You were furious at me when we first met, and now you’re saying you had a crush on me. That’s nonsense!”
Claude smiled and squeezed my cheek. “That’s the problem, Sweetpea. I was attracted to you from the beginning, but I just didn’t want to go along with what my parents wanted. They knew I had no intention of getting married, but they still insisted on it. I would have been angry even if you were as beautiful as a mannequin. I thought my parents paid you to marry me.”
“Huh? Mannequin?” I couldn’t believe that was what stuck in my mind despite all that Claude said.
“Yeah. Don’t you look in the mirror? Actually, you’re even more beautiful than the mannequins I see in department stores. And I had a crush on the lead actress in Mannequin 2, Kristy Swanson. If we had met in person, I might have hit on her,” Claude said with a grin.
I felt a pang in my heart at what I heard. I thought Claude wasn’t serious about his feelings for the actress. What if they met now?
Claude held my chin and gently kissed my forehead. “Don’t be jealous, Sweetpea. In my eyes, you’re the most beautiful woman, whether real or a mannequin. And you’re the only one in my heart. So you have nothing to worry about because even though we’ve been apart for five years, you have no replacement in my heart. I didn’t look for anyone else. Even if I met Kristy Swanson, I didn’t pursue her because you’re the one I love.”
“Is that true?” I asked skeptically. I was unsure if Claude is just sweet-talking me again to prevent me from getting angry or jealous.
“Of course! Everything I’m saying is true. I’ll prove it to you. Just give me a chance. I’ll show you and make you feel how much I love you.”
“I’ve already given you a chance, haven’t I? I’m agreeing to come back to you. Adrian and I will join you the next time you return here. You just need to find us a place to stay because I don’t want to go back to your mansion. Your parents might ignore me when they see Adrian. And then they’ll be the ones taking care of our son. Soon, he might even love your parents more than me. I don’t want that to happen.”
Claude smiled sweetly. “Alright. No problem with that. I’ll look for another house where the three of us can live. And our household staff will stay out so you won’t have any problems. Is that okay?”
“Really? You’ll do that?” I actually wanted that kind of setup.
“Sure, why not? Anything for my Sweetpea. That’s also an advantage for me. I’ll have you all to myself, especially at night. Adrian will be the only one who might disturb us. But I can figure something out,” Claude replied with a grin.
I almost choked at Claude’s words. Goodness! I was already having difficulty walking because of what we did earlier. We were like marathon runners in a sex session, having multiple rounds. And now Claude was planning something for when we would all be living together in one house. I might never be able to leave the house if that happened.
I wouldn’t be able to open my bookshop if we kept this up, but I could still write while at home. All I needed was my laptop and an internet connection.
“Your imagination is wild. Maybe you should slow down a bit. You haven’t even returned home yet, and you’re already thinking about the setup when we’re all living in one house.”
“My mind used to run wild. I’m actually kinder and more mature now than before. If you could talk to my friends, they’d tell you I was crazy before I got married. I did a lot of crazy things with them. Many of them got hurt because of my antics. They almost beat me to death out of anger. Luckily, we’re friends, so they understood me. But when you came into my life, everything changed,” Claude explained.
“Are you saying you changed just because of me?”
Claude smiled sweetly. “Yes, that’s true, Sweetpea. You’re the only woman who has changed my entire being. Even my own parents couldn’t change my behavior. But when it comes to you, my actions and attitude change as if you can control the old me. I don’t know how you did it. Maybe because I love you and I’m willing to follow you. I didn’t realize that was happening to me when we were still together. I only thought about it when we were apart.”
My heart leaped at Claude’s words. I couldn’t believe that a man could change because I loved him. Was that really what happens when you find the right person? Could your soulmate change your life? It seemed possible. I thought it only happened in the stories I wrote, but it turns out it can happen in real life too.
“I almost want to believe what you’re saying,” I joked, though I was actually serious. I just didn’t want to show it to Claude. It might get to his head. He might become even more arrogant.
“It’s okay if you don’t believe me yet. I have a lifetime to prove to you how much I love you,” Claude said happily, making my heart beat faster.