Thirty Two

Damian – Two Weeks Later

I just got home after spending all morning in the basement at the office with one of our drug runners, who decided snorting the coke was better than selling it. He wasted over $100,000 on himself.

Mila is with my mother for the day, which Mama is delighted with. Sofia was a little apprehensive, but after my father and Stefano requested the same legal document I had to sign before I could meet Mila, she relaxed. Sergi and Alexandr, not so much; they even complained about why we let them meet so soon, causing my father to give them each a smack to the back of the head. I chuckle at the memory; they were pouting all day yesterday over it. Seriously, it's like working with children. God knows how Phoebe puts up with Al.

I look at my watch. Shit, I need to get a move on. We have a counseling session today, our last one. We've been doing what Marvin asked; going on dates, family dates, talking, getting to know each other again, speaking in more depth about our feelings, and learning forgiveness in between it all. If I'm honest, my wife is more amazing than she ever was. She's stronger, wittier, has curves to die for, and is an amazing mother to our daughter. I love her more than I ever did. We haven't even been intimate yet, so believe me, I've got the biggest case of blue balls going, and my right hand just doesn't do the job anymore. I haven't even looked at another woman, even though they have tried. Last week we went to the pizzeria for a family date, and a woman I’d unfortunately fucked walked up to me, placing her hand on my chest.

She tried to sound sexy when she stated, "Damian, baby, I missed you. Where have you been?" Her voice came out whiny. Just as I was about to shove her away, my wife came out of nowhere, and I just stood there in shock while my little, angelic wife grabbed the woman's arm, twisted it behind her back, and marched her out the door, all while my sweet, little daughter kicked at the woman’s legs. I have never been harder than when she walked back inside, glaring at me, then getting back in line like nothing happened. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her after that.

I shake out the memories with a smirk.

I cannot wait to fuck her hard and fast, then slow and romantic—if she lets me. But, for now, I'm happy. We are taking things nice and slow, so we can be stronger, even if my dick hurts 24/7.

I run up the stairs, searching for my wife.

"Sofia?" I shout. I go to Mila's room on the third floor because my wife still refuses to share a bed with me. I slip into Mila's room just as my hot as fuck wife comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. I stop moving altogether, my cock hardens instantly, and I swallow hard. Her hair is wrapped in a bun thing on her head. Fuck, I need her. She lifts her head when she hears me come in, and I groan out loud. I don't care! I miss her, okay!

I clear my throat. "We've got to leave in fifteen minutes to make our appointment on time." She nods, eyes still wide. I can see her pulse quicken in her neck. Fuck, I'm holding on by a thread, waiting for her to shout at me to get out, but she doesn't. Instead, she does the one thing that makes me lose my control: licks then bites her bottom lip.

I snap. I get to her in three strides, my arm folds around her waist, the other on the nape of her neck, and I lift her, causing her to wrap her legs around my hips as I slam her into the wall. My lips land on hers as I ravish her for the first time in three years, and fuck does she feel good.

She gasps while I groan and take advantage, shoving my tongue down her throat. She moans loudly, her hands threading through my hair, then wrapping around my neck, gripping the hair at the base.

"I need you, baby. Please let me have you," I beg. I don't care. I've fucking missed her.

She nods frantically.

I remove her towel and growl at how hot her body is. I move my hand down between us, and I feel my heaven. She's fucking soaked. I thrust two fingers inside her, causing her to jolt at the intrusion, then moan and whimper as I curl them and hit the magic spot, moving my fingers faster. My thumb goes to her clit, and I rub tight circles as I suck and nibble on her gorgeous tits.

Within minutes, she detonates around my fingers, screaming my name. I quickly unbuckle my jeans, pull my extremely and uncomfortably hard cock out, and place it at her entrance. I look gaze at her, waiting for the go-ahead. If she tells me to stop, I will—it'll fucking kill me, but I will. Instead, she nods again, then leans forward, kissing me as I slowly slide into her, groaning at how tight she is. No words are exchanged. We stare into each other's eyes as I make love to her up against the wall. I move my thumb back to her engorged clit, and rub tight circles again. My thrusts power into her, and she tightens around me, moaning my name as she comes a second time. I come right along with her, and drop every ounce of my seed into her womb, hoping and praying that I knock her up. Every little thing helps keep her with me. I lean forward and kiss her passionately, then gently pull out, putting her feet on the floor.

I pick up the towel and wipe her thighs, kiss her nose, and say, "Get dressed, baby, or we'll be late. I love you." I walk out to quickly change and to give her a minute to process what we just did. As much as I want to stay with her in my arms, I know she will freak out, and I know she'll need time in her head to work out her feelings.

We meet up by the car ten minutes later, and I open her door for her to help her in. I lean forward, pressing another kiss to her lips, and she kisses me back a little, which makes my heart pound in my chest with hope. She hasn't said anything about what happened upstairs, but I don't expect her to; she needs time to process, and I have to give it to her, or she'll pull back from me.

Forty minutes later, we were in the therapist's office, where thankfully, a male receptionist is waiting to send us through. However, this receptionist still eyes me up, which brings a smirk to my wife's face, making me narrow my eyes at her.

We go into Marvin's office and take a seat. I sit as close to my wife as possible, not giving her space. I need to feel her close, and as Marvin looks between us, he notices something different.

"You had sex!" he exclaims.

Sofia goes bright red, and I try not to smirk but fail when I notice the glare she sends my way. So I just shrug, causing Marvin to chuckle, earning a glare from her, too.

He continues, ignoring her look, "Sofia, how do you feel after being intimate with your husband, especially with everything that has happened?"

I tense. Fuck, really, doc? He couldn't let me live in a bubble for a little longer.

Sofia answers quietly, "At the time, it felt right…like I was home again. Like this is where I'm supposed to be." I look at her, and my heart melts. Fuck, she does still love me. She may not say it, but it's there.

Marvin gets my attention with one simple question. "But?"

I look back at my wife and hold my breath. She's not looking at me, she's looking at her lap.

"But…what if I've forgiven him too soon, and I start to doubt us in the future? What if I go crazy thinking he's cheating when really he's just at work?

“As soon as we'd finished, and all the passion, love, and loneliness from not having him near faded away, I asked myself, 'Am I a pushover to give in after only six weeks?'"

I hang my head.

"What if this happened because it's familiar to me? I don't want to hurt anyone, but I also don't want to make a mistake, spend more years married, only for everything to fall apart because of my trust issues. We've been out several times the past few weeks, as a family and as a couple, and half of those times, women he’s slept with have approached us, not caring that a two-year-old is in his arms. Can I really put up with that for the rest of my life? Can I put my daughter through that?"

I feel like I'm going to be sick. My heart thunders. We just had the most intense sex, but it sounds like she's giving up. I drop my head in my hands.

"Damian, how do you feel about what Sofia just said?" Marvin asks calmly, and I take a deep breath.

"Angry." Sofia tenses, but I continue. "Hurt, defeated, and scared. I'm so freaking scared because it feels like my wife is giving up without fighting first. I know I've fucked up; I know I phoned it in, giving the minimum amount, right up to the wedding. But haven't I been punished enough already? I lost three years with my wife, the woman I love with my entire body. I lost watching her grow our child in her belly. I lost watching her bring that child into the world." Sofia sobs. I grab her hand, squeezing it tightly, but continue as I look at Marvin, who looks as emotional as we are. "I didn't get to rub her bump and talk to our daughter. I didn't get to hold my wife's hand while she labored in the hospital. I didn't get to hold my daughter when she was born. I have missed three years of her life. Her first words, first steps, everything—I've missed it all.

“So, haven't I been punished enough?" Tears slide down my cheeks, and Marvin look away. I drop my head again, keeping a hold of my wife's hand, and she tries to calm her sobs.

Marvin clears his throat. "A lot of hurt has happened, a lot of guilt. You have both come a long way in these sessions. Sofia, you are confused, still hurt, scared, and worried. In your mind, you only remember your past experiences with Damian, full of hurt and lies. All the good you did together—the happiness you felt every day until two days before your wedding—is clouded by the truths that were revealed. You are scared he'll not only hurt you again but your daughter, too. You're worried he's going to revert to his old ways. It's normal and natural; it's your mind's way of protecting yourself and your child."

He looks back at me. "Damian, you want your wife back. You want a chance of being a family, and you don't want to miss any more time with them. You both have been doing your homework; it shows every session. You may not see it, but you are closer now than you were six weeks ago. Sofia willingly takes your hand now, and she leans closer to you. She has not given up on you or your marriage, but she's concerned about the state of your marriage in the future. But we can't control the future, we must live in the now and work hard to ensure the future we want. Sofia's still undecided about where she wants to stay. Does she stay with her husband and try to make things work, and be the family that she has always wanted, and risk her heart and her daughter’s? Or does she play it safe for her and her emotions, and return to Texas and her found family, who were there for her and who made her feel at home? It's not easy for either of you." He looks between us as I squeeze my wife's hand.

"Sleeping together has only confused her; it's a passion you have both missed since Sofia left. You gave in to your attraction to one another, and now you're both in limbo, which is why I have one last assignment for you both, something I guarantee will work out in the long run.

“I want you, Damian, to move in with your parents for one week."

I tense, ready to decline, then shoot him in the fucking head. I want to convince her to stay. How the fuck can I do that if I'm not at home?

He quickly continues. "I want Sofia to have a chance at missing you, Damian, to see if being alone is better or worse after having you back for six weeks. I want to give Sofia a chance to see that you mean what you say. You won't stray, and if you do, then she has her answers about whether she can trust you. It also gives Sofia a chance to breathe a little, and to be able to make her decision without any outside influences. And it also gives you a chance to breathe, to make sure this is the path you want. It doesn't matter that you have been searching for her for years; it didn't stop you from trying to move on. You need to ensure this is also what you want, and not your ego talking."

I scowl at him, and he gives me a sympathetic smile, then carries on like I am not killing him in my mind.

"You must let her breathe and take a breath yourself. If you both decide that you want to give your marriage a proper go, to start fresh together, meaning moving on from all the past hurt, lies, and infidelity, placing them in the past where they stay, and not bringing them back up again, then next Monday, at 8 PM, you meet up on the Hamptons house where Damian proposed. If one or neither shows up, you remain friends and co-parent Mila."

Sofia and I sit in silence for a couple of minutes. I'm scared to look at her; my breathing is heavy, and I don't want to do this. I see her checking her phone, probably checking on Mila, when Marvin fills the silence.

"We're out of time, and I am honored to have been a part of this journey with you. It's the family barbecue the week after, so I'll get to see your final decision then, and hopefully, it's what you both want."

He kisses Sofia on the cheek and shakes my hand as we leave, and thank him for everything. All while I try not to fucking kill him.

He just smirks at me. It's a good thing I see him as family.

Once outside, I stop and stare at my wife, who is looking at me. She gives me a small smile and places a kiss on my cheek as Alexandr pulls up. I furrow my brows. She called him? When?

Finally, she says, "We're doing this. Your brother will bring Mila to you every other day, and we will see what happens if we show up in one week. It's the only way, Damian. We have to try, for us and our daughter. We have a lot of feelings to unpack."

I sigh, nod, and say the only important thing, "I love you, baby."

She smiles, then gets in the car with my brother as I stand on the sidewalk, watching them leave with my heart in her palm.