Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27696 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 111(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“What is it, sweetheart? Is everything okay?”
She blinks, and shoots me a tremulous smile. “Yes, and better than okay, actually. You know I’ve been feeling a little queasy in the mornings, right? Well, this morning, I took a pregnancy test and …. I’m pregnant! You’re going to be a daddy again, Roman.”
Joy bursts in my chest, and I’m stock still for a moment.
“Are you serious, baby? You’re pregnant?” I rasp.
She nods. “Yes, definitely. Congratulations, Roman.”
With that, I let out a loud whoop, startling my woman, before leaning in and seizing her mouth in a passionate kiss.
“This is the best news ever, Taylor,” I growl with emotion. “We’re going to have a beautiful family in a beautiful country, and I promise, you’ll fall in love with Moldova. We’ll make it work, baby. I swear I’ll do everything to keep you and the child happy.”
My woman merely kisses me again gently, with tears in her eyes.
“I know you will, Roman. I love you, and my life was always meant to be spent at your side. I know you’ll do everything in your power to take care of us, and living in Europe is the right choice.”
With that, our lips meet again as my heart sings with joy because rarely do men of my age get to completely re-set their lives and start again. Yet through an improbable series of events, it’s happened, and I can’t wait to make the most of the opportunity with this beautiful woman at my side. Yes, she’s young. Yes, Taylor came to me when she was trying to hide out from her old employers. Even crazier, I bought her from my own son. But none of that matters anymore because we fell deeply in love despite the circumstances, and with a baby on the way, I know that the future will be blessed with happiness and love.
EPILOGUE
Taylor
Six months later.
I kneel on a cushy gardening pad and dig out a few weeds from beneath my new plot of soon-to-be pumpkins. The budding fruit is only beginning to show but I can’t wait until we have huge, full-grown orange orbs to use in pies, stews, and even to eat straight off the vine.
With a happy sigh, I lean back because Moldova is incredibly fertile. It was hard to get anything to grow in New York, but this country isn’t like that. The weather is more temperate, and it seems we can even feel a breeze from the Black Sea. Of course, that’s my imagination, but everything seems cleaner, fresher, and more authentic in Europe.
“Do you like pumpkin?” I ask my baby while putting a hand on my burgeoning belly. “I promise, these will be sweet.” My child inside kicks as if it hears, and I laugh. “You’re a rambunctious little one,” I murmur. “We’re going to have our hands full with you.”
In response, the baby dances again and I sit back on my knees, lightly caressing my bulging belly. The pregnancy has been easy so far, but that’s not so surprising because my new life is relatively stress-free. We have a staff to run the villa, and I don’t have to worry about any housework, much less customers, clients, or paying the rent. Instead, I leave that to Roman, and am focused on gestating a human, which is a huge job in and of itself.
At that moment, a large shadow appears and I look up, shading my eyes from the sun.
“I brought you some lemonade,” Roman growls, backlit so that he appears as enormous as a mountain with those broad shoulders and massive chest. “I don’t want the baby to get thirsty.”
I giggle and then tilt my head up as he leans down to kiss me. “I was just thinking about you! Did you read my mind?”
“No, but you’ve been out in the hot sun for a while now, sweetheart. I don’t want you to be dehydrated.”
I smile. “I’m not. Don’t worry, you overprotective oaf.” But then, I guzzle down the lemonade thirstily as the baby kicks some more.
“Everything okay?” my man asks.
My smile is beatific.
“Yes, of course. Your child just likes to kick a lot, and I know everyone says this, but I really think he’s going to be a star soccer player.”
With that, Roman chuckles and lowers his big frame to sit next to me in the pumpkin patch. “That’s good because soccer is huge in Europe. In the United States, it’s nothing, but here, football is a continent-wide obsession.”
I giggle.
“Oh goody. We better get him a pair of infant cleats then!”
Roman throws his head back with laughter, and I’m struck again by how handsome my lover is. After all, he wears his years well, and while there are a few lines around his mouth and eyes, they serve to give him an air of authority. Plus, my man works out like a fiend. Now that he doesn’t have to tend to a network of bars and clubs, he’s able to fit in two, or even three, workouts in per day, and I love it. This silver fox is vigorous and virile, and I’m the lucky lady who benefits.