3 MONTHS LATER

          It was like only yesterday Leo stood at my doorstep and danced with me under the chandelier in the foyer of my house. These past three months passed by in a blink of an eye. Maybe it was because I wanted time to slow down when Leo came around. He didn't disappear this time. He made an appearance every week or two for Lucian. We all hung out as a family, eating dinner and enjoying little barbecue parties in the backyard with his siblings and parents at times. He and I always found time to just talk to each other and lend an ear as a friend. The conversations we had were the highlight of my day.

Due to the extreme California heat and Ashton's desires, he was throwing a pool party in the backyard for his teammates. Since it had been a month since Harry's big wedding, there was another reason to celebrate. Many were invited which included the Bonferroni family, some colleagues of mine, Lucian's friends and their parents, the teammates, of course, Harry and her husband, Simi Aunty, and some more.

I had worn a dull orange colored two-piece bikini and a black cover-up over it which hid the scars on my body. I didn't have the time or the excuses to explain the stab and grazing gunshot wounds to people who were not a part of the world I was in.

The party was booming with people dancing to the music poolside and some playing in the water. Even a few members of the Drago family showed up. Mostly the males. Everyone was letting loose and just enjoying the day, eating and drinking.

Heat and I didn't get along very well, nor was I interested in getting into the pool with a bunch of people I wasn't comfortable with, so I sat inside and watched everyone with Soph. Renna was sleeping in her swing, wearing the cutest little swimsuit when all of a sudden Ana stumbled inside, rubbing her belly.

"I got a baby too!" she declared which made Soph laugh who almost woke Renna up.

"That's not a baby. That's food," I said, sticking my own stomach out. "Mom got a food belly too."

"That's a big food belly I must say."

My head whipped in the direction of the deep, masculine voice to see Leo standing there with a smirk. He had cut his hair short once again, his beard nicely trimmed.

"And here I thought you were in Malaysia."

I sat up a little and watched him head toward Renna. He picked up the baby carefully and pecked her forehead before looking at Sophie. "How are you?"

"Good," Soph replied, sitting up a little. "She fell asleep a few minutes ago after crying for an hour. Other than that, I'm great."

Leo hummed, smiling at the child in his arms before he placed her back in the swing she was sleeping in. "I got done early with Malaysia and heard there was a party I wasn't invited to."

"Oh, I think the invitation got lost in the mail. What was your address again? Thirty-two All-Over-The-Place, United States?"

"No, it's You-Have-A-Phone, Earth. And the zip code is my number."

"Ha-ha." I rolled my eyes. "You always know what's going on. Wearing a suit to a pool party though?"

"Allow me to change."

          After he ruffled Ana's hair and infuriated the girl, I watched him stride away with a couple of men behind him, head held high and strength exuding in his mere walk. Ana wasn't a fan of Leo's since he always insisted on messing with her every chance he got. It was always a treat to see the two argue, Ana with her gibberish and attitude and Leo with his big words.

          "How long are you gonna be like this?" Sophie's sudden question pulled me back to her as Ana wobbled away to show her daddy that she had a supposed baby in her. Mike was going to have a mild heart attack.

          "Like what?"

          Soph groaned whilst rolling her eyes. "I'm not the only one who sees this. You're still in love with him. Same goes for him."

          My eyes suddenly found the floor unbelievably amusing in order to avoid this conversation with her. I didn't know what I must look like to them around Leo, but I was guessing it was nothing more than stupid.

          Whatever Leo and I had, the passionate love and connection we shared, it was in the past now. We only remained good friends these past few months. Although, sometimes, I could feel the tension rising whenever we fell silent with nothing to say with our mouths but with only our eyes, or when he touched me. Like a tiny spark in my body here and there. Sometimes, the proximity between us was overwhelming because of the flashes I'd have before my eyes of the amorous and tender moments we shared all those years ago. It only left me in despair and ached my soul. Hell, we hadn't even talked about this. We assumed our roles as the mother and father of Lucian, but the relationship between us... There was nothing more than that. We never spoke about us together, or any possibility of it.

          "Arie?" Soph called out my name for the third time before I finally met her eyes.

          I sighed, slouching back. "There's nothing there anymore. It is what it is."

          "Bitch, stop lying to yourself," Soph quipped frustratedly. "I can literally feel the connection between you two. We all can, and I don't like it." She shivered a little. "We have all placed bets on when you're gonna jump his bones."

          "What?" I questioned incredulously.

          "Federigo says that you two will fuck by the end of the month."

          I facepalmed, not sure if I should be laughing or be utterly mortified. "You need to drop it."

          "The fuck you mean? You better tell me when you're gonna do it so I can win that million."

          "A million?"

          "What? It ain't enough?" She laughed, seeing me sink further into the sofa of the living room. "But seriously though. Are you going to pursue another man?"

          Hugging my legs to my chest, I propped my chin on my knees and looked at her lazily. "After a very long time, I had finally given myself some freedom with Freddie, but even then, I was holding back. You and I both know how brutally that ended. I don't have the energy to be with another man again when my heart says the opposite."

          Soph sucked in a long breath and leaned forward, putting her weight on her knees. "What happened with Freddie was awful, but do you think he'd like to see you like this? You're the one who told me he was ready to let you go for Leo because he believed you were still in love with him, and he was right." Walking around the glass table, she sat beside me and rubbed my leg. "You can't put your love on hold if you're feeling guilty due to the ones that passed. Freddie will be missed and so will Verona. Very much. It's been over nine months now. You and Leo need to put that behind you and pursue your love 'cause not everyone is as lucky as you two. If it was me and Wren, we'd be inseparable right now."

          She gave me a not-so-subtle pout with fluttering eyes.

          "Stop trying to emotionally persuade me." I elbowed her arm then laid my head on her shoulder. "Even if I did listen to you, Leo wouldn't. I was the one who broke his heart."

          "Don't worry. I'll ask Gus to talk to him once he's done sucking on Zaya's face. Fucking leech."

***

          Sitting on the poolside lounge chair, I relaxed as the sun began to set and hide behind the hill, reducing the heatwave a little. Many had already left and some were slowly trickling away.

          "I'm taking mom home. She feels sick. The music and heat drained her." Harry forced me to my feet to give her a warm hug. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks when Wasim and I get back from the trip."

(Şükrü Özyıldız as Wasim Rizvi)

"Bye, Arie." Wasim embraced me after his wife did and walked away with her. He was another doctor at my hospital. It was where the two met and fell in love. Now, they were happily married, but Vince was bitter since he didn't get a chance to sleep with the exotic doctor as he wanted.

I resumed chilling on the chair and watched Leo carry Lucian around on his shoulders in the pool. He had changed into a pair of black swim shorts earlier. His toned body was on display for everyone to see, even the mothers of Lucian's friends who feasted their eyes on the man. His muscles flexed with every move he made. The angry, roaring lion tattooed on his pec appealed to every woman present. The way his chiseled abs tightened when he laughed made them swoon. I was no exception no matter how hard I tried to ignore his presence or look away and dance with other men of the team who were exceptionally nice and respectful to me.

          No one believed that Leo was Lucian's father. Well, they noticed the resemblance. They just couldn't believe I came into contact with the father of my adopted son. Many asked me about Leo, Mike, and the other men of the royal family. Once I revealed that Mike was married to the supermodel Valentina whom he was sitting next to, they backed off immediately and tried their luck with the others. Some lucky women were going home with one of the royals on their arms and others with Leo's handsome guards.

          Alexa, the single mother of one of Lucian's friend ogled Leo and asked me about him. I presented vague answers to her questions about him, but she still approached him. I wished I had her balls. I didn't think Leo would pay her any mind, but to my surprise, they were going on a date one of these days. I guessed he was moving on from everything which was good, I suppose.

          I saw everyone out and waved goodbye, leaving only the closest friends of the family in my home which were the Bonferronis. I began cleaning everything up outside as everyone sat in the living room when Leo suddenly came up behind me.

          "I couldn't help but notice that you didn't get in the pool."

          Hiding my eyes from his, I continued picking up the trash one by one. "Well, it was full and I wasn't in the mood for it."

          "Why not?"

          "Just 'cause..."

          "'Cause what?"

          Turning away, I picked up another solo cup that was rolling away due to the faint breeze. "I wasn't in the mood."

"Please, don't tell me you're allergic to chlorine too."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from blatantly laughing out as I looked at him. He was trying to suppress laughter himself, thinking of the time when he made that nuts comment at Athena's birthday party all those years ago.

"You're not funny."

"Then why are you smiling?"

We both burst out into laughter as I shook my head. "You're immature." I bent over to dust off the crumbs of food from the lounge chairs. "I just didn't feel like it."

          "Would you enjoy a beach more?" he asked, plopping down on the chair I was trying to clean.

          "Why?" I straightened myself, looking down at him. "Are you going to take me there?"

          "Glad you said it. Let's go!" He shot up from his seat to take the garbage bag from my hold before I held it behind my back and away from him.

          "Whoa! What are you doing?"

          "Arie, listen to me very carefully." He took a step closer to me, gazing into my eyes. "You need to enjoy every day you possibly can because time can change drastically in a matter of seconds. You're not only a mother to two, but you're also a twenty-six year old." My body was slowly pressed against his as his arm reached around my back and held my hand that also had the garbage bag in its clutches. "You won't get your twenties back, so come with me to the beach. It'll only be you and me, no one else."

          "I can't just leave Lucian and Ana here."

          Leo let out a gruff sound from the back of his throat, un-clawing my fingers from the garbage bag at a leisure pace. "They're well taken care of here. I have guards all around the property. Mike and Valentina are here with the rest of my family too. You have nothing to fear when you're with me. Just let loose, love."

           Every time he said love, he knew he had me. He wouldn't let anything happen to me, but I was still hesitant to go with him alone. With the kids and others around, the unspoken tension between us was low, but being completely alone with him... It was going to be the death of me.

          Another minute of a back and forth yes-no battle, I finally agreed and was pulled into the house by my hand. "We'll be back," Leo declared and swept me right past the others in the living room.

          I suddenly heard Ana scream. "Where you taking my mom, puta (bitch)?"

          I gasped and yelled out over my shoulder, "Ana!"

          "She has a dirty mouth like you," Leo remarked, opening the front door for me.

          "Pay up that million, bitches! Mama won," Sophie's voice boomed through the entire house. Oh, how disappointed and embarrassed she would be when none of that happened tonight.

          Leo escorted me toward his car and asked, "What million is she talking about?"

          "I don't know," I shrugged innocently and seated myself in the passenger seat of the corvette.

           Soon, Leo zipped the car through the busy streets and made a quick call. "Have her ready."

           I wasn't concerned with what he said and whom he said it to. I was too busy enjoying the wind kissing me through the rolled down windows, the only action I could get. It had been forever since I did such an ordinary thing as swimming my hand out the window and through the rippling air that tingled my skin. It felt exhilarating. I forgot all the bad in the world at that moment just as easily. Every second with his man felt like a blanket of safety in which I could roll around and taste freedom without the constant fear of the enemies.

          Just as the night crept in, Leo veered the car onto a private property through guarded iron gates. Before us, the magnificent beach stretched out throughout the vast land with a breathtaking beach house mansion sitting on it. The entire setting reminded me of when we both abandoned Sophie's first wedding reception and surrendered our bodies to each other for the very first time. That night was so vivid in my head that I had to clench my legs and release a deep breath to avoid thinking about it.

          The car halted where the driveway ended, allowing us to step out onto the warm sand that was cooling down with the cold, salty breeze flying in from the ocean. Leo came toward me, interlacing his fingers with mine. "Run."

          With all the strength in me, I stood my ground and pulled him back. "Are you trying to freeze me to death?" I sounded like an old woman in my head, and I was afraid I'd become one soon if I remained too uptight.

          "Arie, stop being a wuss. We're getting onto that yacht, not into the water."

          I saw the lights of the yacht sparkling in the distance and allowed him to pull me toward the water. We got onto a jet ski that a man had readied for us. I snaked my arms around Leo's bare, hard torso and held on for dear life as he revved the thing through the ocean and raced it toward the fancy vessel. The salty air filled my nostrils completely, some of the freezing water splattering on my legs, making me almost sink my nails into his flesh.

          Once Leo helped me onto the big, elaborate yacht, the end of which opened right onto the ocean, my breath was taken away by the beauty of what laid before me. White candles were set and illuminated the area to life. Two glasses and a bottle of champagne rested on a low table surrounded by white cushions to sit and lay on.

          "What is this?" I asked, walking further in as my chest filled with something unknown. Exciting yet timid.

          "Well, you're the mother of my kid now, and I gotta spoil you sometimes too for loving him unconditionally and giving him every happiness in the world for which I can't thank you enough." The cheeky grin on his face melted me inside before he took my hand and seated me down on the comfortable cushions.

          We fell into a trance with the soft music and enjoyed each other's company. I hadn't touched alcohol ever since the letter. It served as a wake-up call because the drunk Arie wasn't me, but a small glass of champagne couldn't hurt, so I took a drink with him. Waiters on the yacht served us food that we would only receive in high-end restaurants. Other than that, they all gave us privacy. I devoured every bite with pleasure, as did he. Laughs and warmth surrounded us with a purpose to heal and bring us together. It felt too good. A bit of that underlying tension snuck around, but I was surviving.

          Once we were done eating, we relaxed on our backs for a bit before Leo stood and helped me up with him.

          "What now?"

          "Well, we are surrounded by water and it'd be a shame if we don't take a dip."

          "Leo, don't you dare!" I warned, trying to step away from him, but he suddenly flung me over his shoulder with my ass in the air and headed toward the end. "I swear I will fucking kill you."

          "I'm counting on it."

          To prepare for what was coming, I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched my nostrils as we fell into the icy water that almost forced the life out of my lungs. Leo released my body, pulling me to the surface to breathe.

          "You f-fucker!" I could barely talk with my teeth clattering due to the frosty temperature of the water that my body slowly began to get used to.

          He let out a chuckle, swimming closer toward me. "Enjoy this with me for a bit." His arm wrapped around my waist, sweeping me closer to the edge of the yacht so he could hold onto it with his other arm. With his body against mine, warmth was quick to run through me. We watched the moon in each other's embrace, speaking softly to not disturb the serenity of the moment. Something deep within me stirred with emotions and I could tell it was the same for him. I couldn't be the only one feeling all this.

A second later, fireworks burst in the air and took my breath away. Each blast was big, bright, and colorful. Under the full moon and over the ocean, it was even better. The water reflected the bursts and gave the appearance of the land and sky becoming one in the moment only for us to enjoy its sheer beauty. Nothing else mattered. It was as though only we existed on this planet with the marvelous light show that also lit up my insides.

"You like it?" he whispered in my ear tenderly, squeezing me further against his bare chest.

After releasing a deep sigh of satisfaction and relishing the moment, I turned my head to gaze into his eyes that contained the ocean itself. His orbs sparkled and seemed to reflect the entire universe that was blowing up in different colors. The never-ending smile on my face couldn't begin to describe the feelings inside me. I was rendered speechless.

As I pinned my body further to his, laying my soul bare to him, I opened my mouth and uttered, "I love it."

The corners of his mouth stretched into a soft smile as he looked into my eyes with the same intensity. The heat between us built as his eyes flickered away from mine and glanced at my shivering lips for a quick second. His hand on my waist kneaded my flesh lightly which sent a jolt of flames throughout my body yet forced the hair on my skin to stand upright. His breaths mingled with mine as we both unconsciously neared each other's lips like moths to the first sign of light which forced my heart into overdrive. The few inches between us were reduced to a couple of centimeters. A raise of my head and our lips would collide.

          But...

          "Sir." The sudden voice made me jump and create distance between Leo and myself. "I apologize for the interference, but you have a call from Mr. Arellano. He says it's urgent."

          "Cazzo (Fuck)," I heard Leo curse under his breath before he took the phone from the man's grasp.

          I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment as I moved away from his touch and held onto the yacht myself.

          "What?" Leo barked into the phone as I silently asked the man standing to help me up while Leo got himself on it. "Are you sure? Send me the address."

          I was handed a towel by the guard who walked away to provide me some privacy. I removed the black cover-up from my body that weighed me down with its soaked fabric and wrung it out while Leo was looking away, too occupied with what Mike had to say. As I reached down to pick the towel up from the table I had placed it on, Leo's eyes suddenly fell on my half-naked body before he immediately averted his gaze out of respect. I wrapped the towel around me and waited, not knowing what else to do.

          "I'll be right there." Leo hung up, grabbing the towel set aside for him and wiping his face. "There is a change of clothes for you in the room down there. I suggest you change quickly."

          I did as he said without a word and changed into the clothes that were laid out for me on the bed in one of the rooms. A white t-shirt that fit perfectly with a pair of black leggings and a thin jacket which was good since I was cold now. However, Leo was still in those black shorts, finishing up a different call.

          The yacht had moved closer to the shore and we were taken to the beach by a smaller boat. We jumped off and strode toward the car. In order to keep up with Leo's pace, I power-walked instead and sat in the passenger seat. We hadn't spoken a word or exchanged a look. The awkwardness and tension between us were more palpable than ever, and I wanted to run for the hills at that moment.

          "Something important has come up," Leo broke the silence first which eased me as he raced the car down the streets. "Dangerous, needless to say. I don't have the time to drop you off home, so you will be coming with me."

          I hummed, looking at him. "Do I get a gun?"

           A surprising smirk pulled on the side of his mouth as he shifted his eyes to look at me with amusement. "Which one do you want?"

          I jumped in my seat with excitement which made him chuckle. "The baddest one."

          "Well then." He turned his attention back to the road with a subtle grin. "Your wish is my command, love."

———————————————————

Yay or nay?

Cockblocking Mike is back!!! Who's excited?!

Will they ever kiss or will they seek other people or none at all?

Who was more enjoyable in this chapter? Sophie or Ana? And why?

Did you guys enjoy the Arieo moments?

How do you guys feel about Arie and Leo's relationship at this point?

What dangerous thing are Leo and Arie headed to now?

Since we haven't had a look into Leo's head in a while, what do you think is going on with him when it comes to Arie?

What do you want to see happen? I'm just curious. Not that I will do it. 😉 You never know tho 😈

Thoughts on Leo?

Or Arie?

Further comments and questions are always welcome ❤️

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Much love ❤️
~Reet