His flowers

Chapter 10

Alessandro

I look at a sleeping Violet who lays on the passenger seat.

My body goes rigid when I remember her sister's words. I don't want to look as bloated she had said. My knuckles turn white as I grip the steering wheel. Pregnant or not, she doesn't need to feel shitty about her growing body.

Those words affected her. Her lips had quirked down. No matter how happy Violet is with her pregnancy, her sister succeeded in making her feel uncomfortable with her body.

I watch as her stomach slowly raises and comes back down with her slow steady breaths. I copy them, calming myself down.

I exit the car, welcoming the cool night air. Rounding the car, I gently open her door making sure she isn't leaning on it.

Violet stirs as the air sweeps over her body, goosebumps forming on her arms. "No, stop." She grumbles, a frown on her face.

"Let's get you inside, amore. It's cold out here." I gently pick her up, her head falls to my chest as she sighs.

"Alessandro?" She whispers, her voice cracking. I immediately pull away, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She shakes her head. "Just tired." I lay her head back to my chest, flattening down her hair. Her erratic heart beat, beasts against my chest making me worried. "You sure you ok?" She sleepily nods her head in response.

I rush into the house, trying to minimize her time in the cold. After carefully jogging up the stairs, I place her on my bed watching a little smile come to her face. Her eyes slowly flutter open, roaming the room,  stopping on me. "Can I have your shirt?"

Her soft, sleepy voice pulls at my heart strings. I grab the white shirt I had worn this morning from my dresser. She prefers it when they smell like me and I'm not wearing the most comfortable sleeping shirt at the moment.

She slips out of her baby blue dress slipping on the shirt and slithering back under the blankets. I unbutton my shirt, and replace my slacks with some sweats. She slightly lifts her head up when I go to slip into bed next to her.

Her eyes roam my chest in awe, "you have beautiful tattoos." She murmurs, tracing her finger over the barbwire tattoo. It was my third tattoo. I got it after I had dropped out. The barbwire dances along my shoulder, and runs down my arm stopping at my fingers. Light purple violet flowers embedded in the wire. It's the only color ink on my body.

"But this one's my favorite." She whispers, planting a kiss to the tattoo of a Violet flower that lays above my heart.

"That one's yours." I whisper back, kissing her forehead. "All yours."

•••

Over the past three weeks I've woken next to Violet twice. They're my favorite mornings.

The sun spills into the room from the slightly opened curtain. The streak of light glides over Violets face, just under her eyes not disturbing her sleep.

I lean down, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek. Her beautiful pink lips lift into the smallest smile. I slip out of bed, making sure her entire body is covered with blankets before leaving to make her some breakfast.

She always preferred waffles to pancakes. Not sure why, I think they're the same.

I make the batter, the same recipe my mom uses. I add two extra ingredients, to make them perfect; vanilla essence and chopped up strawberries.

Vanilla and strawberry are her two favorite flavors in everything. Her shampoo is vanilla scented and her lotion is strawberry scented. The smell of vanilla and strawberries lingers on all my bed sheets and all my shirts she's worn.

I hover my hand over the waffle maker feeling the heat radiating off of it. I drop half a scoop of butter into the machine, hearing the sizzle. I tip the bowl above the heat watching the off white color batter fill the waffle design. I bring the lid down, waiting a few minutes before taking out the waffle.

I repeat the process all of ten times, piling the waffles onto a large flat plate. I move over to the stove, making a batch of scrambled eggs and a side of bacon.

I chop up a few more strawberries, filling the last side of our plates with some other fruit as well. And lastly, I make her a caffeine free vanilla iced coffee. I added some heart shaped ice, made by the ice maker mamma had bought when she lived here.

I place both of our plates on a tray, balancing both drink in my other hand as I go up the stairs making it back to my amore.

I stand at the doorway, admiring her. Her light brown hair lays messily around her, some sticking to her face. Her pink plump lips, slightly parted letting out little puffs of air.

She starts to stir, a frown settled on her face as she reaches for me. "Aless?" She mumbles, her eyes fluttering open. Her lips quirk down.

"Over here, amore." Her frown flips upside down as her gaze snaps to me. They flicker down to the tray in my arms, her smile turns to a grin.

"You made me breakfast?" She bites on her lip, unable to contain her happy smile. I walk over to her setting the tray on the bed. She licks her lips and her pupils dilate. "Waffles?"

"Strawberry-vanilla waffles." I grin. She looks up, her lips pouting, "I really-," she places a hand to her stomach smiling. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me." My hand lifts to her face, caressing her cheek. Her cheeks tint pink, the slightest bit making her turn away. "Don't look away." I demand. She slowly looks back up, holding eyes contact.

She sighs melting into my palm. "Alessandro I-," her breathing staggers, and her eyes glaze over. "Do you think things between us will ever go back to the way they were?"

I analyze her hesitant features before taking a seat next to her. "Of course they can. If that's what we both want then we can make it possible."

"But I-," her lips trembles, as her voice gets caught up. "I'm pregnant with another man's babies." She sobs. "How can it ever be the same?"

It breaks my heart to see my Violet so sad, so heartbroken. "Amore, these babies are yours." I let my hands drift to her stomach. Anytime any subject surrounding the babies biological father comes up, her eyes dim, her smile dies down. "They're all of you. Just you. He has nothing to do with it."

"It won't bother you?" She looks up, her eyes full with tears.

"It can't bother me. These babies come from you, I love them already." She lets the tears from her eyes drop as her face crashes with my chest. "Can we make it work?" She sniffles. "You and me." She clarifies.

I grab her face between my hands, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this." My thumbs wipe away her tears.

"You'll be my boyfriend?" She whispers, her eyes pleading with me.

A full smile takes over my face. "Gladly." A smile of her own forms showing me her precious dimples. Her hands come up to cup my cheeks. She pulls me down pressing her lips onto mine.

I press my finger to her lips shushing her before thank you leaves those lips. "Eat your food."