Chapter 529 A Request

Viola fell silent.

“Do you think I married you because of the size of your waist?” he continued, his voice dropping into that deep, intimate tone that always made her stomach flutter. “Do you think I chose you because you had a pretty face and a body that fit into certain dresses? Honey, I could have spent my entire life surrounded by beautiful women, and none of them would have been you.”

His fingers slid beneath her chin, tilting her face up.

“I want you. Not some version of you that existed before we had responsibilities, before we had children, before life decided to put us through hell. I want the woman sitting on my lap right now. The woman with the swollen belly, the soft cheeks, the stubborn mouth, and those beautiful eyes that keep making me forget what I was supposed to say to put her mind at ease.”

Viola let out a small, embarrassed laugh.

“My cheeks aren’t swollen.”

“Of course not. They’re just becoming more tempting.” He leaned over to nibble her cheeks, playfully biting at their softness and peppering them with kisses.

“Sebastian!” She giggled, pushing against his chest.

“And your belly?” He glanced down at it, then placed his palm over the curve of her stomach, which he hadn’t touched in two months and had only looked at whenever he returned by dawn to find her sleeping.

There had been one night when he’d caught sight of the baby kicking and immediately grown worried, prompting him to contact Gilbert, who reassured him that it was perfectly normal.

He gently caressed her stomach now, his palm resting over the curve. “That’s mine too, you know.”

She immediately narrowed her eyes.

“Excuse me? My belly belongs to me.”

He chuckled, the sound low and warm, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

“Your belly belongs to you. But the two little troublemakers growing inside it are mine, and I intend to spoil all three of you rotten.” He promised, being firm with himself to keep to his words.

Viola laughed again, this time with more warmth, and he smiled at the sound.

“There she is,” he murmured, brushing his nose against hers. “That’s the smile I’ve been missing.”

Her laughter faded into something more tender as she studied him. There was still sadness in his eyes, still a heaviness he couldn’t simply smile away that she felt, but for the first time in months, he was looking at her as though he had all the time in the world to be with her, and if talking about her insecurities brought a smile to his face and made him forget things, so be it.

“You’re really not bothered by it?” she asked, her voice smaller now. “By how much I’ve changed?”

Sebastian’s smile disappeared, replaced by an expression so serious that she instinctively stopped fidgeting with his shirt.

“Viola, if you ever stand in front of that mirror again and feel like you’re not beautiful enough for me, I want you to remember something.”

He leaned closer, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke, his warm breath tickling her.

“I have spent months working myself to bones because I couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone I loved. I’ve spent months shutting everyone out because I was terrified of feeling that pain again. And today, when you held me, I realized that the only person I wanted to come home to was you.”

His arms tightened around her.

“So don’t you dare think that a little weight, a growing belly, or a few changes to your body could ever make me want you any less. You are my wife. My mate. The mother of my children. And if the entire world suddenly went blind and stopped seeing your beauty, I’d spend every day reminding you that I still see it.”

Viola’s eyes filled completely, and she blinked quickly, trying to keep the tears from falling.

“You’re going to make me cry.”

“Then cry, sweetheart. I’ll kiss those tears away too.”

She gave a watery laugh and buried her face against his neck, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as her belly allowed.

Sebastian kissed her hair and held her close, one hand resting protectively over her stomach while the other rubbed her back gently, feeling at home in her arms and in her scent. Why hadn’t he come home to her every time he felt empty?

“And for the record,” he added after a moment, “I happen to like the fact that you’re getting rounder.”

Viola pulled back immediately.

“What?”

He grinned. “I said I like it.”

“Why?” She pursed her lips.

“Because I know exactly why it’s happening, and because every time I look at you, I’m reminded that we’re going to have two little versions of ourselves running around this house soon.”

“Two little versions of you? Goddess, help me, I can’t even handle one of you yet.” She said with a mock horror even when her stomach quivered with delight.

He laughed, genuinely laughed, and Viola stared at him, her heart swelling at the sound.

“Careful, wife. You’re carrying two of my children. You should be nicer to their father.”

“Then their father should stop being so ridiculous.”

“Impossible. Their father is madly in love with their mother, and apparently, that’s made him a little ridiculous.” He nuzzled her neck.

He drew her closer and kissed her, slowly and tenderly, letting the kiss linger until she forgot what she’d been worrying about for a moment or what she wanted to say.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers.

“And one more thing, amor.”

“Hmm?”

“Next time you feel unattractive, come and find me. Don’t sit alone with those thoughts and let them convince you that you aren’t wanted. I’ll remind you as many times as you need, even if I have to spend the entire day telling you how beautiful you are.”

Viola smiled, her fingers brushing his cheek.

“Even if I ask you a hundred times?”

“Especially if you ask me a hundred times.”

“And if I become as big as a house?”

“I’ll carry you around the house and remind you that you’re my favorite place to be.”

She giggled, hiding her face against his chest again, and Sebastian held her there, smiling into her hair.

For the first time in a long while, the heaviness in his heart hadn’t disappeared, but it no longer felt as though it was the only thing he had left. He still missed Zoe. He still had grief he didn’t know how to carry. But his wife was in his arms, their children were growing beneath her heart, and he was beginning to understand that allowing himself to love what remained didn’t mean he was abandoning the people he’d lost.

And as Viola snuggled closer, he pressed another kiss to her forehead and made himself a quiet promise to be there for his family, no matter what he was going through. But there was one thing he needed to do first.

“Mi amor, can I make a request?” Sebastian asked after a few moments.