Within seconds she was at his door, tapping on the glass, drawing him out of his reverie. “You’re home,” she said, beaming as she bent to peer at him. “You didn’t tell me you were coming.”
He gave her a careful smile. “I wanted to surprise you.” When he looked up at her as she bent to him, the setting sun forming a halo behind her golden hair, he was struck once again by her sheer beauty.
But it wasn’t just her physical beauty that had him entranced. It was her inner beauty as well. How many single women would have taken the huge leap of faith to take an orphan into their home and into their heart? She wasn’t the only one, he knew, but she was one of the few. It would not be easy, juggling work and a home and an infant all on her own. But still, that never swayed her determination to help.
More than that, she would have stood by her commitment to the child even at the risk of losing him. He should probably feel insulted but instead all he felt for her was admiration.
“You're coming or what?” Arie pulled his door open and stepped back as she gazed at him expectantly.
He grinned up at her. “I’m coming,” he said and got out of the car to draw her close and wrap his arms around her. She felt so good pressed against him, her body so warm and soft. He dipped his face to the fragrant cloud of her hair. “I missed you,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “Too much.”
She sighed and leaned into him, pressing her face against his chest. “I missed you, too,” she murmured, “more than you could imagine. I’m so glad you’re home.”
Home. He liked the sound of that. The emotions swelling inside him, he pressed his lips to the top of her head in a gentle kiss that was full of feeling. “I’m glad, too.”
But then, as if another thought crossed her mind, Arie pulled back and peered up into his face. “So why didn’t you call?” she asked and there was a slight pout to her lips that told him she was peeved. “You were gone more than a week and I only heard from you three times.”
Rome gave her a rueful smile. “I’m sorry, honey. There was a lot going on.” Then his arms tightened around her. “But you were on my mind the whole time. You know that, don’t you?”
Her brows fell and she gave him a look of suspicion. “Are you sure?”
He chuckled. “One hundred percent. You can ask my sisters.”
“Your sisters? How would they know?” Arie cocked her head in that cute way of hers and gave him a look that said he’d gone bonkers.
“They know,” he said, his smile deepening, “because I couldn’t keep your name off my lips. Do you know how many times I called them Arie?”
That made her laugh. “Are you serious?”
“As a judge,” he said as he watched her frown give way to mirth. “You know you’re in it deep when you can’t even remember your sisters’ names. It was you on my mind the whole time, Arie. Only you.” When a soft blush rose in her cheeks and she dropped her eyes he knew he was embarrassing her. And that was one of the other things he loved about her. As beautiful as she was, she had every reason to be confident in her hold on him. But no, she had a sweet modesty that always touched him.
Taking pity on her, he decided to change the subject. “Looks like you had a busy day at the office. You’re usually home earlier than this.”
That made her look up at him with eager eyes. “No way,” she said. “In fact, I knocked off early to go shopping. Come look.” She stepped back and grabbed his hand then proceeded to drag him toward her car.
And that was when he saw the piles of bags and boxes in the backseat, on the floor, in the passenger’s seat and when she opened the trunk, in there, too. He pulled up short. “What happened? Where’d you get all this stuff?” His jaw gone slack, he turned to look at her. “Did you buy all this in one day?”
She had the grace to give him a guilty look. “I got carried away.” And then she brightened. “But look, I got the cutest little dresses for Maya Bella. I’ll show you.” And before he could budge she’d flung open the back door and was pulling out bags stuffed with clothes in pink, white, yellow, and flowery patterns that had his eyes crossing.
She was pulling a polka dot dress from one of the bags when he stopped her. “Wait. Let’s take this inside. I have a feeling this is going to take a while.”
And, true to his word, it did. After Arie moved the car, pulling right up to the front door, Rome spent the next ten minutes going back and forth between the car and the living room, transporting bags, boxes and even a cardboard tube. “What’s in this?” He held it up as he dropped an overflowing Gap Kids bag onto the sofa.
Arie looked up from where she sat on the floor, legs splayed, as she carefully opened boxes and laid her ‘darling’ outfits on the coffee table, putting them all on display. “Oh, that’s a picture I’m going to frame. It’s a hummingbird drinking from a bottle. It will be so cute in the nursery. Open it.”
"In a sec,” he said, dropping it on top of the already overcrowded sofa. “There’s still a lot more to bring in, remember? Let me at least get the stuff in before nightfall.” He was shaking his head as he turned to go back outside but he was smiling, too. Arie had already turned her attention back to the baby clothes, not even sparing him another glance. Every time she opened a new package her eyes lit up and her lips spread in a smile. She was happy and that was the best home coming gift he could ever want.
After he'd emptied the car Arie took a break just long enough to whip him up a grilled cheese and tuna sandwich. “That’s it?” he asked, feigning disappointment. “Is this all I get from my gourmet caterer of a fiancée? What about the filet mignon? What happened to grilled salmon?”
She laughed. “You’ll get that tomorrow. Right now we have more important things to do, like sorting all of Maya’s things.”
He gave an exaggerated groan but then he flopped down on the one free chair in the room, sandwich in hand, and chomped down on the morsel that was so delicious he had to lick a finger when it was all gone. He’d been teasing Arie when he grumbled about the grilled cheese and tuna sandwich. She knew it was his favorite and she made sure the house was never out of the stuff.
His hunger pangs assuaged, he took his plate to the kitchen and when he got back he stuffed his hands in his pockets and surveyed the living room. There were baby girl clothes and knick-knacks spread out on every available surface. He shook his head. “One thing’s for sure,” he said with a crooked grin. “Maya Bella won’t ever have to worry about what to wear to baby daycare.”