Chapter 158
Dominic
The second trimester has brought much relief to Vanessa as her morning sickness has faded away and whatever comes our way, I’m ready for it with all the advice given to me by my parents.
Even with the bodyguards never leaving her side, I chose to personally accompany her to the ladies’ room. It’s not the first time she’s had to go, but it doesn’t matter to me as I’ve learned to adapt even more after being by her side for the past few months. Some women pass me by while going in and out of the ladies’ room and mostly recognize who I am, but I just politely smile back and keep my eyes on the door.
As soon as Vanessa finally emerges, I swiftly approach her and shake my head at how she struggles to walk in her heels.
“I told you this would happen,” I say with concern, wrapping my arm around her waist.
“How many times will you remind me?” She playfully rolls her eyes, her hand resting on her baby bump that has begun to show.
Shaking my head in disapproval, I say, “It’s time you stopped wearing high heels and switched to something else. You’ve done this on all our dates. Imagine what’ll happen when I’m not around.”
“Are you saying you’ll let me go out in heels while you’re not there?”
He scoffs. “You know what I meant. You’re in luck because as usual, I carried a pair of slippers for you.”
“I knew you would.” She brags, placing her hand on my chest with a smile.
“Let’s just go back to our table before our food gets cold.”
“I still can’t believe you wanted to have lunch with me here when you spent the morning at the orphanage and played soccer with the children. I’m glad Jimmy’s back on his feet now.”
My lips curve into a smile but it fades a little as I once again remember that it was because of Jimmy’s accident that I first came to know about Carmella’s lack of compassion.
Grabbing my attention again, she says, “You must be so exhausted after all that but you still chose to do this for me. Thank you.”
Though she expects my response to be in the form of words, I kiss her on the lips instead and she blushes as soon as I pull away, making me proud that I’ve once again managed to keep her mind occupied as she worries a lot at times.
My father-in-law’s treatment has been harsh but he still keeps going with it. He’s been a fighter and is determined to be around much longer.
It’s now close to three months since the last time any of us heard from Patrick, the last day being when Vanessa came with me to speak to him.
Shane doesn’t even bother us anymore and I still owe it all to Patrick despite what his condition was back then.
After getting back to our table, Vanessa immediately resumes eating from her plate but halfway through, her lips curve into a smile.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask.
“I still can’t believe that my hair care line is being launched tomorrow. Everything has happened so quickly.”
“Yes and I’ve been watching you. I’ve come to realize that it’s a bit overwhelming. That’s why tomorrow, you don’t have to stand behind that table and personally give out the first packages that were sold out online.”
“I’ll be okay,” she assures me.
“Hey, when you get up on that stage, you better give me credit for everything I’ve done.”
She playfully rolls her eyes at me. “Seriously? You’re reminding me of that again? How could I forget to mention you?”
“Well, I’m just making sure.” I playfully clear my throat.
Letting her enjoy her meal, I lean back in my seat, pretending to focus on mine but the truth is I’m stealing glances at her. Ever since I told Patrick how I felt about Vanessa, my feelings have only gotten stronger. I would’ve thought that I was wrong about my feelings after giving it some time but it’s not the case.
Even though I’m certain of how I feel, I still don’t know how she feels as her response to Patrick about being in love with me only left me with more questions.
Straight from the restaurant, we head over to see my father-in-law, who seems more pale every day and it’s all just because of the treatment. Seeing how much this worries everyone, especially Vanessa, I stay by her side for as long as she’s with him.
We only get home in the evening and I watch her get undressed while standing in front of the mirror. Unable to help it, I stand right behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and gently rubbing her baby bump.
“I still say it’s going to be a girl,” I say confidently.
“You’re wrong.” She mocks me as we lock eyes in the mirror. “It’s going to be a boy.”
“Imagine the day that our child is born and I say it to your face that it’s a girl, you’re going to wish you were never so confident.”
She scoffs. “We’ll see about that.”
Both of us decided not to find out the sex of our baby just so we can experience the anticipation and surprise.
Even though Vanessa continues to smile as I kiss the side of her neck, she doesn’t seem too into it and it makes me stop.
“Hey, I know what’s on your mind,” I say to her.
“I just wish my dad could be there tomorrow.”
“Me too. He wanted to be there more than anything but in his current state, it’s not possible. I still wish there was a way.”
“I’m just glad to see him fighting so hard.” She chuckles and it brings me some relief.
Suddenly, she gasps and pulls away from me.
“I just remembered that I’m supposed to help Mia decide what she’s wearing tomorrow.”
“It’s obviously red since she wants to match with Frank.”
“Yeah, but she has so many options to choose from. To be honest, I can’t believe those two are still growing strong.” “Same here. Frank doesn’t even party with random girls anymore.”
“He fell for my best friend.” She brags.
“No. She’s the one who fell for him.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
She reaches for her phone from her purse, scrolling with a heavy sigh that grabs my attention.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, placing my hands on her shoulders.
“Everything is going too well.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just think about it. Isn’t everything too perfect?”
“You don’t want it to be perfect?” I raise my eyebrows.
“You know what I mean. I know you don’t want me to be paranoid, but I can’t help it.”
Thinking about how neither of us have heard from Carmella in the past few months, I nod in understanding.
“Hey,” I say to her, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her forehead. “Try not to think about it because I’m not. Let’s focus on what’s important right now.” “You’re right.” She rests her head on my shoulder.
Only because I don’t want to worry her, I never speak about Carmella, but where is she? What has she been up to?