Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26: Natalie woke up with a smile on her face. Her head was still foggy from sleep, but even then she felt a large curl of happiness unfurl in her chest as she rolled from her stomach onto her back. Looking over at the clock, she was surprised to find that it was already noon. She bit back a smile with realizing why she must've been so worn out. She was still naked, the white silk bed sheets the only thing covering her, and she was alone in the bed. Giovanni had gone to work early in the morning and Natalie blushed with the memory of how he woke her up to let her know he was leaving. She did have to admit she had never been that happy to wake up and she couldn't help but wonder if she would be so lucky as to have him wake her up every morning like that.

Don't jinx yourself, she admonished internally with a giggle.

Her mind slowly wandered from their love-making and back to what Giovanni had revealed to her.

Emotions grew and pooled until she wasn't sure of all that she was feeling.

Sure, she could pick out a few.

Anger that he had been treated that way as a child, sadness for what he had missed out on, admiration and respect for his strength. She was sure there were many others, but they were all so befuddled that she couldn't just pick and sort them out.

She wished that she could have helped him. Her heart clenched at the image that her mind had provided for her not for the first time of a little boy with the dark black hair and wide and fearful blue eyes.

She wished that she could've been there to protect him, to love him and to show him he was not alone.

She wished that they could have just been together, because they had both been through so much in their childhoods and maybe if they had met then they would have turned out differently.

The both of them could have been each other's light in the dark cruelty that had been their lives.

Happiness and peace finally settled on her heart when she realized that she was here now, he was here now, and they were here now-together.

Where they couldn't be the light in each other's lives then, they could now.

With that thought swirling joyfully in Natalie's mind her stomach growled and she realized that she should probably get out of bed. She did not want to get up, she wanted to stay on those silk sheets that held the memory of her and Giovanni's passion all day and revel in the bliss that she was feeling, but she couldn't with her stomach making the sound of a whales mating call.

Sighing, Natalie rolled out of bed and headed for the shower, her skin pimpled with goosebumps at the morning chill on her naked skin as she made her way into the bathroom and to the shower.

Steam slowly filled the room in big billowing folds and she stepped in the shower-under the stream of water.

Her muscles were languid with delight from their passion-filled nights and there was a delicious soreness as well as she began to wash her body with her yummy smelling body wash. She lathered her hair and rinsed, shaved and then turned off the water and dried herself off with a towel and pulled on a blush pink silk robe that fell above mid-thigh.

She applied a little bit of makeup and then began to dry and curl the ends of her hair. She couldn't help but notice the glow her skin had and the sparkle and happy gleam in her emerald eyes.

It was nice seeing it there again after not seeing it in so long. Natalie shook off the thought and got dressed. She was a little chilly for some reason today so she decided on a maroon V-Neck sweater and white shorts.

Her stomach growled again and she hurried to make her way out of the room and to the kitchen. She had been contemplating on what she would make herself to eat when the doorbell rang.

She froze and for a moment pure fear and horror had filled her as she thought that maybe it was her insane so-called father coming to 'finish what he had started' but then she shook her head at her silliness.

Giovanni had security at an all-time high due to what was going on with her father. Natalie bet a million bucks that he was having every piece of paper that came through the mail analyzed by the bomb squad.

After a moment of wondering who it could be she shook herself and walked over to the big front door and swung it open with some effort. She was met with Ana-Marie and another woman talking. Natalie stared for a minute and looked at Ana-Marie.

She wore a white blouse and a flowy cobalt blue skirt with her hair braided intricately in a bun.

The woman who stood next to her had light olive skin, rich mahogany hair that was pulled into a tight bun Natalie was sure constricted blood flow to her brain and she wore a pink crisp suit that fit her slender body to a T.

They both turned when they heard the door open and for a moment just stared at each other. Natalie felt the other woman's eyes on her-assessing her and she tried not to shift her weight awkwardly.

"Are you going to let us in?" Ana-Marie asked with a chuckle.

Natalie blinked and then nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course. Come in." she said and turned, her brows furrowing as she shook her head in confusion.

"Um, follow me." Natalie said.

She was really starting to get hungry and was sure that if she didn't eat something soon she was going to start seeing people as food. They followed her dutifully as Natalie made her way into the kitchen and to the fridge.

She pulled out some mayo, roast beef, onions, mustard, and lettuce.

Once she was done setting down everything on the counter she leaned across to kiss Ana-Marie's cheek.

"I see that you and Giovanni are doing well." Ana-Marie murmured thoughtfully with a happy and knowing smile.

Natalie blushed and began making her sandwich.

"Natalie, this is Camilla Accardi." Natalie wiped her fingers on the napkin and reached forward to shake the woman's hand. Camilla eyed it for a moment before slipping a dainty hand into Natalie's. "It is nice to meet you." Natalie mumbled around a mouthful of roast beef.

Camilla's lips pinched together and she looked like she had just eaten a sour lemon and Natalie pushed down her rising chuckle.

"She is your new wedding planner." Ana-Marie said suddenly and Natalie began to choke on the sandwich.

Camilla's eyes went wide and Ana-Marie sighed, rolled her eyes and stood to walk over and clap Natalie's back.

Natalie finally managed to get her coughing fit under control and she turned watery eyes on Ana-Marie. "What? A wedding planner? Why? We have been planning it by ourselves until now and we have been doing just fine." Natalie said.

"Yes, but that was just getting things..." She searched for a word for a moment. "Laid out. Planned. Camilla is going to set everything in motion." She explained and Natalie thought about that for a moment.

"Camilla is also the best wedding planner in Italy." Ana-Marie said and Natalie slowly turned weary eyes on the woman wedding planner.

The woman beamed brightly and smiled displaying a perfect set of white teeth.

"It is true!" Camilla said and had a very strong Italian accent.

"I will be able to get everything ready and make everything um... better." She said, trying to find words.

Natalie nodded and watched her for a moment.

Camilla stood and the click of her heels followed her until she reached where Natalie was following. Before Natalie could blink Camilla had grabbed the sandwich and eyed it with distaste before she walked over to the trash bin.

"Hey! I was eating that!" She growled.

Nobody messed with her food and she was a hungry woman. Camilla sighed as if she did this multiple times.

"You need to be on a strict diet. We want you to be able to fit in the wedding dress without looking like a..." she searched for a word.

"As you say, blimp."

Natalie glared.

"Well what if I don't want a wedding planner?" Natalie countered and both Ana-Marie and Camilla stood still, disbelieving, before they slowly turned towards her.

"What woman would not want a famous wedding planner?" Camilla asked, seeming truly dumbfounded.

"Well you are getting one. This is going to be the best wedding in a very long time. Do not worry. You will get stress wrinkles." Camilla said and to emphasize her point reached out a manicured finger to touch between Natalie's furrowed brows.

Natalie immediately unwrinkled her frown and then sighed.

A wedding planner.

She had never expected a wedding planner and to be honest she wasn't sure if she wanted one. She had seen all these movies before where the wedding planner falls in love with the groom to-be.

She assured herself she was being silly, but she had a feeling that Camilla wasn't going to be fun to be around when she was in business mode.

The woman looked like if things weren't going right at a wedding that she had planned she would attack like a little Chihuahua.

Plus with the way things had been going since they arrived Natalie already didn't find Camilla 'fun'.

She watched Camilla wondering if she was maybe-possibly-the antichrist in bubblegum pink.

Finally Natalie raised her gaze to Ana-Marie and Camilla.

"Fine. But we do it on my terms." She said and both women immediately nodded.

"Now since you threw away my sandwich and would probably punch me if I got another because I am 'On a diet'-" she used quotation marks with her fingers.

"Then you can find me something else to eat and make it healthy." Natalie said with a satisfied smile as Camilla balked.

Natalie raised a challenging eyebrow and Camilla scowled before she finally gave in and spun around to rummage around in the refrigerator.

Natalie sat down on one of the barstools next to Ana-Marie as they watched Camilla attempt to make a salad.

"I hate you." Natalie said without any heat.

Ana-Marie's cherry red stained lips curled. "I love you too." She said before they both turned back to a very frustrated Camilla.

Maybe...just maybe this would be a fun day after all. ..

***********

Giovanni closed the door quietly behind him, his body tired and his stomach hungry as he set down his things and made his way through the house and to the kitchen. There were some wonderful smells coming from there and his stomach growled.

He had also missed Natalie terribly today, his mind playing images of their love-making all night. He felt lust shoot through him at the memory.

It had never been that way with the countless other women he had been with. Natalie was the best he had ever had and it wasn't because she was specifically skilled-not that she wasn't skilled either, but it was because of their feelings towards each other.

It made everything magnified and all day he had missed her.

The smell of her, the taste of her, the feel of her.

He finally got to the kitchen and found Natalie slaving away over the stove. Music was playing softly from the IHome and his eyes immediately latched onto the delicious way her hips swayed to the music.

She hummed softly and he felt his chest warm, the ice that had been there all day thawing immediately-just with the sight of her.

Natalie looked over her shoulder.

"Hey!" she greeted happily.

Giovanni looked amazing as usual, but he looked tired too. He began to pull off his suit coat and his muscles bunched wonderfully underneath the crisp white dress shirt that tightened over his shoulders and chest with the movement as he removed it and draped it over the chair.

Natalie swallowed down her lust and turned back to the stove, resuming her humming.

She felt arms come around her waist, smelt Giovanni's cologne and the awakening of warmth that bloomed in her belly with him as close as he was, his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck, sighed out a growl of pleasure.

She smiled with delight as she relaxed against him, still stirring the spaghetti sauce as he peppered small butterfly kisses along her shoulder and up her neck to nibble on her ear.

"I missed you." She murmured breathlessly.

Giovanni merely grunted in agreement as he continued his relentless assault on the skin of her neck and shoulder.

She giggled. "Stop that!" She couldn't think with him doing that.

He groaned, but she felt him smile against her skin as he pressed one more soft warm kiss and moved away as she moved to the sink with the spaghetti noodles and began to strain the water out.

"How was your day?" He asked as he began to get utensils and two plates out.

Natalie sighed.

Once Camilla had finished making her the worst salad Natalie had ever eaten, they had spent the rest of the day planning the wedding and finishing up the last details. Natalie was all wedding planned out.

"It was good. Ana-Marie hired a wedding planner." She said and Giovanni chuckled as he set the plates down on the large dining room table.

"Sounds like her." He mumbled with another laugh.

Natalie smiled, agreeing with him completely as she began to dish up their dinner.

"How about you?" She asked and his lips tightened.

"I hate it, you know that. I have to do it, though." He said and Natalie turned to him after pulled the garlic bread out of the oven.

"Yes you have to run this organization, but that doesn't mean you have to kill and torture." She said and he sighed.

She pulled off the oven mitts and walked over to cup his face in her hands.

"Please. No killing and no torturing. I know I don't have much say with the other things you do, but please just not that." She whispered and after a moment he nodded and captured her wrists in his hand and pressed a small kiss to her palm before pulling away.

Natalie exhaled with relief and dished up the plates smiling as Giovanni worked with her, teasing her with soft and small kisses that had desire a raging storm inside of her.

Giovanni sat down and she grabbed his plate and set hers down next to him.

She turned to go and sit at the seat next to him, but Giovanni's arms shot out and wrapped around her waist as he pulled her down onto his lap.

She let out a squeak of surprise and was going to admonish him that they were eating dinner when he nuzzled her neck.

"Please. I missed you, mi amour. I just need to feel you." He whispered against her neck and her heart warmed as she slowly nodded.

They began to eat dinner in comfortable silence and Natalie almost found herself to the point of sleep with a full stomach and curled close to Giovanni when he spoke. She finished swallowing the last bite of food and turned to him.

"What is it?" she asked and Giovanni reached up a hand to run the pad of this thumb along her high slender cheekbones.

"I think you should go see and make amends with your mother." He said.

Natalie stiffened.

Her jaw clenched.

How could he ask her to do that? He knew what happened and yet he was still asking her to do that.

Her heart hurt whenever she thought of what her mom had done and how she had just given her away.

Natalie tried to get out of his lap, but his grip was to strong and he held her in place.

"Listen." He said in a harsh whisper as he easily turned her so she was facing him, straddling his lap.

Her eyes sparked with green flames and he bit back a smile. His mi amour was feisty. He liked it, but then became serious.

"I know what you are thinking-" she scoffed but he ignored her and continued.

"But let me explain. I know what your mother did was wrong and I knew that it hurt you, but I also know you, mi amour. I know that you don't want to spend the rest of your days with this hanging over you. She is your mother and I know that I would give even one last chance to have any interaction with my mother. I know that it would eventually tear you up inside if you never made amends with her." He said and Natalie's eyes filled with tears.

He was right.

Again.

She bit her lip, relaxed against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

His arms, big and strong, came around her instantly and she took in a deep breath of Giovanni's scent and let it calm her nerves.

"Okay." She whispered and Giovanni pulled her back just so he could lay a fierce kiss on her lips.

She melted against him, every part of her going languid with delight at the movements of his tongue and his lips against hers. He pulled back and they rested their brows together.

"I'm proud of you, mi amour." He said.

She smiled and laid her head back down thinking about what she would say to her mother once she saw her again...

************

Alright! Chapter done. I hope you enjoyed it..! I always enjoy writing it. I have decided I am going to try and put up a new chapter every 3-4 days! Anyways, keep tuned! Natalie is going to go and see her mom! See you guys soon... *wink wink* XX, Love, Hannah <3