JOURNEY TO LOVE [ON HOLD]

JOURNEY TO LOVE - 20

AMELIA KNIGHT

I sat on the bed with my laptop on my lap, going through important emails and sending a message to Mr. Reed's assistant, Madison, to confirm the meeting for next Monday. Lucas, on the other hand, was at his desk, working on his laptop. He sneezed a couple of times but showed no sign of resting.

It was infuriating.

"Could you please take some rest ?" I asked, putting my laptop aside and giving him my full attention.

"Just a minute." He replied without even looking at me. I let out a sigh and grabbed my phone, setting a one-minute timer.

When the minute passed, the timer beeped. "Your minute is over." I reminded him. He closed his laptop, approached me, and lay down next to me with his hands folded beneath his head.

"Being bossy now, are we ?" He playfully muttered.

I leaned back in my seat and turned my head towards him. "Being a responsible wife, I think." I replied, recalling our earlier conversation in the office. He chuckled and closed his eyes.

"Would you like to share how your night was the other night ? You did say you had fun." I asked.

"I did. It was good to see them after so long. And yes, Jessica is pregnant." He informed me.

"Wow, they must be on cloud nine," I replied, genuinely happy for the couple. He hummed.

"What should we do ?" I asked.

"Tell me something about your childhood." He said, catching me off guard. I turned to look at him and found him waiting for an answer.

I closed my eyes, reminiscing about the happiest moments of my childhood, and began to share some of those cherished memories.

"My mom and dad were the best parents ever. Dad was busy all week, but every Sunday, no matter what, he made time for us. We used to cook together. I was only five years old, but it was so much fun. I would create havoc in the kitchen, and Mom would get really angry. But as soon as she saw Dad's face and my cute pout, she would just melt.

On my ninth birthday, they surprised me with the news that I was going to have a little brother or sister. And that's when Alex came into this world. He was so cute. We had so much fun together. With Mom and Dad by my side, every moment was filled with love and happiness."

By the end of my recollection, a single tear escaped my eyes. I felt Lucas's thumb gently wipe it away, bringing me back to the present.

I looked at him sitting beside me, his eyes locked on mine. He pulled me into his embrace, and there was no need for words. Our silence spoke volumes of trust and security.

It often made me wonder why he felt the need to change himself. He had everything a woman could desire, at least, everything I desired. Then it struck me that in his past, he had only met women who seemed interested in dates and gifts, often ignoring the care and respect he offered.

"You know, you have nothing to change about yourself." I whispered, pulling away from him. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as I took his hand in mine, gently squeezing it.

"That day when you asked me to marry you, you said you could try to change yourself. You reaffirmed it on our first date night. But I never understood why you had to change because you already possess everything I crave for. And as I thought about it, I realized you may think you need to change because in your past, you only dated one or two women, and unfortunately, they couldn't see past their idea of fun activities. They couldn't see your loving and caring nature. But I do, and that's why I don't want you to change." I whispered. For a brief moment, silence enveloped us as we got lost in each other's eyes.