A ragged breath left Olivia's mouth. Even though she had planned on how she was going to reveal the information to her parents and she had prepared herself for a hundred times, right now every sentence that she had carefully wielded to say to them, vanished. Tension charged the air like lightning after a thunderstorm.
"What about him?" Kaia asked again, her face showing her anxiety and tension.
Olivia took a deep breath. She willed herself and thought of Kaizan before speaking. She thought of her kids and brought happy memories to dispel her fear. "Mother, a few days back Paige brought a girl with her to the house. The girl, Ara, was her lover," Olivia started. She continued to talk to them as she guided them to a gazebo that was covered with vines and had small wooden benches inside. They sat down while Olivia told the entire story to them. "And we came to know that she was pregnant with Luke's child. Actually, Kaizan dug up the information when he found her acting weird. She was trying to get to Kaizan and kill both him and me using Paige as a tool. Little did we know that she was pregnant with Luke's child."
Olivia could see the shock that blasted through her parents. Both were stunned as hell. It was as if someone had poured a bucket full of ice on them. Kaia looked like she couldn't even breathe. As for Vaarin, he had clenched his fists as blood drained from his face.
"I know that it is a huge shock for you," Olivia said softly as her brows drew together. "And I know that you may not want to listen about Luke or do anything with him or his memories. And truly—" she placed her hand on her chest. "I truly didn't want to rake those memories. And just so that you are not burdened by them, Kaizan and I are ready to adopt that child." Her gaze darted between her mother and father who were too dumbfounded. She reached across her mother over the table between them and touched her fingers that seemed to shiver. "Please mother, all I wanted was both of you to know about it. I wanted to know whether you are okay with me adopting the child. I wanted to know if you were willing to adopt the babe. If not, I completely understand." She pulled back her hand and flattened it on her thigh. "It was Kaizan who suggested that we adopt the baby. But I really wanted you to know…" her words trailed off. She would have added 'your thought or whether you wanted to adopt', but she didn't speak further. It was better not spoken.
For what seemed like eternity, both Kaia and Vaarin struggled with their thoughts. It was as if time had stopped for them. While Kaia's eyes swelled with tears, Vaarin still looked deathly pale. He was too quiet and his quiet was unnerving. Olivia thought that she made a big mistake in telling them. She recoiled seeing her parents' discomfort and regretted the thought of mentioning it to them. Inside she berated herself. Kaizan had told her not to talk to her parents about it, but she just went ahead. Nervousness crept in her heart. She lowered her head to her lap and fiddled with her finger. No one spoke a word. She heard her mother sniffle.
Upon hearing his wife crying, Vaarin raised his arm and circled it around her shoulder. He pulled her to him and the two sat like that. Olivia got up from her place and said, "I will give you both some time to ponder on this situation. If you want to talk about it, you can find me in my chamber." Saying that she turned to leave. The morning sun had risen a little higher and the birds had begun chirping noisily. She walked all the way back to her bedchamber with a heavy heart. On her way she saw Paige who was instructing about half a dozen men on what to do for the orchards for the day. Inside the manor the servants scurried around. Smell of freshly cooked stew wafted in the air. The whole place was normal, yet her mind was too numb. When she reached her bedroom, she found Kaizan still sleeping. She slid beside him and his arms curled around her as if on instinct. He pressed a kiss on her shoulder, murmured something and went off to sleep. She smiled and stroked his hand as she sighed. It was so warm in his embrace. She could just forget the world.
An hour later when Kaizan woke up, he saw his wife's face. She was staring at him, stroking those brown curls from his forehead. "You've got messy hair," she said softly. "I wonder how our babes would look like?"
"What's there to wonder?" he replied, taking her hand and pressing a kiss in the palm. "They both will look like me," he said with a shrug.
Olivia stopped an urge to roll her eyes but she raised an eyebrow.
"I think you talked to your parents," he said, getting up.
"How do you know?" she asked, surprise crossing her eyes.
"That look. It is written all over your face."
Olivia bit her lip. "I did." She turned to rest her head on the pillow.
"And what did they say?"
"Nothing…" she sounded tearful.
"You have to give them time to process the information, sweetheart," he said, as he leaned over her and caressed her cheeks. Their gazes met and a tear rolled out of her eyes. "I didn't know it would be so difficult, Kaizan."
"Everything that is right is difficult. Don't regret what you did. Are you afraid of the consequences of what you did?"
"I am. I am very afraid…" she said and got up. She tied her hair in a knot.
"Don't be, sweetheart. Don't let that doubt come in her heart, he said, still lying beside her. She started getting up when suddenly he slapped her ass.
"Ouch!" she turned to glare at him.
He grinned. "They looked slap-able!"
"Kaizan!" she whined and wriggled her way out when her thighs were grabbed. "Wolf!" she growled. "Let me go!" Her dress was bunched up, her panties were shredded her butt cheeks were parted. She growled at him more but her growls turned to mere mewls when she felt his tongue over her core. He sucked and sucked hard, till she was so wet that she was soaking. Before she could come, he had thrust himself from behind. And the next she heard were sound of his balls slapping against her skin. He pounded inside her until her muscles clenched around him.
"Come for me Olivia!" he growled and she came all around him. He followed her with a roar.
"Gods, Kaizan!" Olivia slapped her husband's chest as they were climbing down the stairs to go to the dining hall. "You have to stop bellowing when you—" she stopped herself, blushing hard.
"When I? What?" he asked, squeezing her buttock.
"Olivia." Kaia called her.
Olivia stopped in her tracks. "Mother?"
"Can you take us to Ara?" Kaia said in a very low, wavering voice.