No Strings Attached

Part 22 : No Strings Attached

"Rick, if you love me, you'll let me do this."

He turned away from me, "Don't play the love card Kimberley, that's petty and beneath you. I'm going for a drive and by the time I get back you better get this silly notion out of your head that you're going to abort our child because by hell is it going to happen. I'll cut ties before you get rid of our child."

Cut ties? He would divorce me? I could've never imagined he would react this way. I thought we'd be on the same page. Not ready. I'd get an abortion and this would all be swept under the carpet for another few years. Five. Seven.

But here he was, Riccardo Alonso, notable ex-bachelor and womaniser, wanting me to have his child?

Did this really mean that much to him?

He paced slowly away from me, muttering under his breath in Spanish, he really must have been pretty angry.

My emotions were all over the place. I couldn't lose my husband. Not now, not ever. Not when I'd just found him...

"Rick..." I pleaded, grabbing his shoulder.

He shook my grasp, "Don't wait up."

"RICK."

Wow, I had never heard this side of me before....

He shot around, I could see the anger in his eyes. He had never been like this before. It almost scared me.

"Kimberley." He said through gritted teeth

I looked into his eyes, his deep brown eyes... fighting with supressed anger... but most of all pain.

I never wanted to hurt Riccardo. Not ever. He said I was strong. And I thought he was. But really, he was just a little boy, a little boy that knew his father had been wh*ring around on his mother, never home, always drinking. A little boy that saw his mother in despair over her absent husband. Inside, Riccardo was still just that little boy that desperately wanted love. From his father. From anyone.

If I aborted this baby, it would be the final nail in his coffin, the ultimate betrayal. I had to grow up, for both of our sakes.

"Okay." I whispered.

"Okay what?" he replied, rolling up his shirt sleeves.

"I'll keep it."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I'll keep the baby. For you. Not for me."

His serious face broke in a face-splitting grin, and he moved, taking me into his arms and spinning me around and around until I felt dizzy, "I knew you'd reconsider. Imagine Kim, our own baby! A part of us. Oh Kimberley, you don't know how much this means to me!"

I felt his hand brush across my stomach and he looked deep into my eyes,

"It's me and you and of course our little one...." He grinned, "It's us... against the world."

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Riccardo's P.O.V.

I couldn't believe it! I was going to be a Dad! I'd always imagined myself having a proper family. With Kimberley I knew everything was going to be fine.

After our amazing evening, we were tucked up in bed together, her flesh against mine. No arguments, no fights, just..... Us. The way I'd wanted it to be.

"Rick," she smiled, putting her head against my bare chest, "Are you seriously excited about this?"

I looked down at her raising my eyebrows..

Was she being serious?

"Of course I am. Kim, it's our baby! It's our chance to have a family. A real family. And we'll learn and grow together."

She sighed, rolling over, "Good."

I loved this woman more than I could possibly imagine. And now, I had a child to shower with attention and love and care. How could Kimberley not want this? I was so glad I had convinced her.

And I knew this would be the start of a brand new perfect life for us.

*

"Rick!" she shouted, "Are you coming down?"

I shrugged on my suit jacket and slipped into my shoes, making my way downstairs.

There she stood, in a black and white spotted halter neck dress, which accentuated her beautiful figure and those Louboutins she had worn the day that I met her.

Stepping off the last step, I put my hands around her waist and kissed her cherry red lips as I did every morning.

God. That felt good.

"You okay sweetheart?"

She grinned at me, fixing my tie, "Yeah, I'm good."

"You ready?" I asked, looking in the hallway mirror and pulling down my suit at the back.

"As I'll ever be." She replied, "I have a feeling this won't be as good as the engagement..."

I frowned, "Baby, you're pregnant. Everyone will be happy. And no matter what, I'll love you just the same."

"You're too sweet...." she said, "I've had the most amazing idea, and what's more, I've sorted it all within one day!"

I raised my eyebrows, "And what would that be?"

"We're having the best baby celebration shower New York has ever seen." She smiled.

"That's a great idea, Kim." I smiled, putting on my watch.

She sighed, "Now just to tell the world I'm pregnant. You don't think it's too soon, Rick?"

"It's alright. Everything will be okay." I reassured her, kissing the top of her forehead.

"Thanks." She replied, opening the door

We got into the Daimler and drove to the offices where the paparazzi were eagerly waiting. No matter what anyone said, I was still afraid of the press. I was the most famous man in the public eye and nothing would change that.

The press seemed to be in love with me. I cracked a few jokes, used my intellectual wit and of course that smile got them every time and what's more, they loved her even more than me.

They reacted just as I expected, happy to see us, even happier when they found out.

Of course there were the usual pregnancy questions, "When's it due?" "Is it a girl or a boy?" The same questions that nearly every couple knew so well.

I was finally going to have my own family. I'd never contemplated this with Sofia. We'd never got to that point in our relationship despite being married four years. With Kimberley, it was all fitting right into place. A woman I loved more than anything, and a baby I would dote on and absolutely adore.

Kimberley.

I love her so much.

It was hard to believe that at first I'd pictured this, being with Kimberley, to be the next thing in my line of no strings attached arrangements with women.

But this...our marriage, our baby...well the strings were firmly attached and and I never wanted to let her go. And I never would.

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That's it for now everyone, hope you enjoyed this. B. X