We pulled up to this beautiful home in this very upscale suburban neighborhood. Rowan parked in the driveway, and I took my seatbelt off once the car came to a complete stop.
"Why do you look so nervous?" He asked, turning the car off. I immediately relaxed my face. I didn't realize I was wearing my emotions so openly.
"New things make me nervous," I uttered, shaking my head.
"You'll be fine." He then took his seatbelt off and got out. I slowly did the same thing, and Rowan pulled me to him once I got to the driver's side. We just barely made it to the front steps before the door was promptly yanked open. A loud squeal then erupted from a woman standing on the other side. And I just stared as she struggled to contain her excitement.
I wasn't sure what Rowan was thinking, but I couldn't take my eyes off her. Not only was she super pretty and tall, but she was also very pregnant and very far along.
"I was waiting by the door, so I heard you pull up," she smiled, moving to the side. Rowan then ushered me up the remaining steps, and he closed the door once we were inside.
"You must be Amira."
"Yes." I shook her extended hand, noticing how her smile beamed with joy.
"I'm Nina...Adrian's wife."
"Oh." My eyes snapped to Rowan. I didn't know that Adrian had a wife let alone a pregnant one, but I guess it wasn't my business to know.
"It's nice to meet you," she said to me. I just smiled as I nodded in return. Nina then welcomed Rowan as well, but their greeting wasn't so formal. She went in for a full hug, but her stomach made it somewhat awkward, so she opted for a side one instead.
"I was barely showing the last time I saw you. Now I'm as big as a house."
"How's my nephew?" He asked, lightly touching her stomach.
"Oh," she gasped. "He's great."
"And you?" Rowan made sure to include her.
"I'm good too. But between the mood swings, the pregnancy cravings, and the full-body aches, Adrian thinks I've gone mad," she giggled.
"Speaking of Adrian, where is my brother?"
"He's in the kitchen. I'll show you to him," she stated, rushing off. And I couldn't help but laugh as I watched her hobble away. She was surprisingly fast.
"Is she always like that?"
"Energetic? Yes. My brother has a hard time keeping up with her." Rowan shook his head as he guided me down the hall. We weren't in as big of a rush as Nina, so she beckoned us forward with her hand. She then waited until we were near to start speaking.
"Babe?" She called out to Adrian. His back was to us, but he also couldn't hear Nina over the loud vent above the stove.
"Babe!" She called again. I snorted when he spun around with a beer in his hand. The look on his face coupled with his bedazzled apron had me damn near crying on the floor.
"Well shit." He moved the skillet from the burner.
"Are my eyes deceiving me?" Adrian sat his beer on the counter and made his way over to us, blinking multiple times in shock. He stopped maybe a foot away and sized Rowan up.
"I told you I was coming," Rowan said.
"Yes, only after I threatened to call your mother and complain about how much you hate me."
"I don't hate you."
"But you don't like me either," Adrian jested, causing Rowan to sigh. "I'm joking, brother. Relax. It's nice to see your rude ass." There was some tension between the two of them, and it seemed like it was mostly coming from Rowan. Adrian was doing his best to lighten the mood despite Rowan's closed-off demeanor. His sense of humor was definitely lacking, but something was telling me that there was more to the story.
"Amira, this is Adrian. Adrian, this is Amira," Rowan introduced.
"It's nice to formally meet you," Adrian stuck out his hand, and I quickly shook it.
"Likewise," I smiled as I observed him. I swear his resemblance to Rowan was uncanny. I know they're siblings, but damn. Adrian's only a few years older—somewhere in his early thirties, but they literally looked the same age. I don't know, maybe it was the jawlines or the tattoos. Or maybe it was the fact that their voices favored one another.
"I love your apron," I complimented.
"Nina made it for me." He pointed to his wife, and she instantly perked up before chiming in.
"Yes, it only took some paint, a hot glue gun, and rhinestones to really make it pop."
"It's nice. I like it," I told her.
"Thank you. I have one too, but I don't use it much since Adrian forbids me from cooking. I'm usually good with my hands, but cooking is one of those things that I just can't grasp. Adrian calls me clumsy, but that's not why I can't cook. I think it's because I have a tendency to—"
"Alright, Nina," Adrian interrupted.
The silence quickly thickened as he retreated back to the stove. Rowan squeezed my waist, and I had to stop myself from laughing. Nina then asked me if I wanted some wine. I told her that I wasn't a big fan of it, but she insisted on pouring me a glass. It wasn't until we started walking away that I realized that she wanted to give Rowan and Adrian some space.
"What is he cooking? It smells amazing," I said.
"Cajun butter steak, mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus," she replied, showing me to the dining area. I watched as she began to set the table. I asked her if she needed my help, but she said no. So I stood quietly until she was done. Rowan and his brother were far enough away that I couldn't hear them, but I could still see them from where I was.
"Are you sure you don't want some wine?" Her question grabbed my attention.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "Is it bitter? I don't do bitter."
"No, it's sweet. You have to try some." She grabbed a corkscrew from the table and skillfully opened a bottle. She then eagerly poured me a glass and waited for my opinion.
"Oh. It is sweet." I acknowledged, eyeing Nina as she lifted the bottle to her nose.
"I just love the smell. It's a bummer that I can't have any," she giggled. "But come on. Let's go sit." She sat the bottle back on the table and slightly re-corked it. I nodded as we then left the dining area, passing the guys as they stood talking in the center of the kitchen.
"Nina?" Adrian spoke up.
"Yes, Love?"
"We're going downstairs to shoot some pool. Dinner should be ready in the next thirty minutes, so let me know when the timer goes off."
"Okay," she smiled.
"Please don't forget. If you do, we will be eating fast food for dinner."
"Okay, Adrian." She waved him off as she continued walking. I was well aware that Rowan was watching me, so I cupped the large glass with both of my hands and scurried out of sight.
I slowed my pace once Nina and I made it to the living room.
"I haven't seen Rowan in months," she huffed, plopping down onto the couch.
"He doesn't come around much, and he's so distant. But when those two are together for long enough, they pick up right where they left off," she continued, looking uncomfortable as she tried to find a good position. She ended up stacking a few pillows behind her and leaning back against them. I took a seat as well, but I left half a cushion's space between us.
And for maybe fifteen minutes, Nina bounced from topic to topic, telling everyone's business including hers. I thought my mom could talk, but Nina had her beat. I learned that Nina is half White and half Armenian. She grew up as an only child like me, but her parents were very strict and they sheltered her for most of her upbringing. They enrolled her in private schools, they made sure that she had the best of everything, and that she also never had to struggle for anything.
Nina also mentioned that although she doesn't work, she has a lot of hobbies to keep her occupied. And once the baby comes, she will also be a stay-at-home mom. I asked her if she was content with being so dependent on Adrian, and she said that she didn't mind.
Nina and I are different for obvious reasons—she grew up surrounded by money and with parents that coddled her. My parents, on the other hand, raised me to be an independent woman. They taught me certain things with the intent of making sure that I could fend for myself. I couldn't imagine being so dependent on anyone, but I guess it didn't matter as long as Nina was happy with her husband. Right? Because that's another difference between her and I. We have two distinct mindsets not only because of how we were raised but because of where we're both currently at in life.
"Does Rowan ever talk about his mother, Eliza?" Nina asked next, jumping into another topic. I swear it was hard to keep up.
"Rowan doesn't talk about anyone," I responded.
"Oh, but Eliza is lovely. She's very down to earth, and she's one of those eco-friendly, save-the-planet type women. She teaches Ecology at a university in North Carolina. We go visit her often, but Rowan doesn't."
"Really? Why not? Do they not get along?" I hesitantly asked. Nina then looked over her shoulder to make sure that no one was eavesdropping, and I just knew that she was about to tell me some messy shit.
"I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I only know because of Adrian."
"You don't have to," I shook my head. "I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your man."
"It's not Adrian that I'm worried about. We tell each other everything, so he's not an issue. But you have to promise not to tell Rowan. He would know that I told you, and then that would be another unnecessary argument between him and Adrian," she revealed.
"I won't say anything."
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise," I nodded.
"Okay. I trust you." Nina smiled as she rubbed her stomach. I guess it didn't take much to persuade her.
"I heard that Adrian and Rowan's father—I don't know his name—was living a double life until he got caught. Eliza threatened to leave if he didn't cut ties with his mistress, but he wouldn't. Instead, he made her life a living hell as he paraded his affair in her face. And after embarrassing her, he then had the nerve to hire a divorce attorney and take everything," she scoffed, pausing to catch her breath.
"Adrian and Rowan were young, but they saw everything unfold. And I heard that even after their father remarried and had multiple kids with his mistress, Eliza still forgave him for what he did. Rowan called her weak for forgiving a man that took everything from her, but Adrian showed her kindness—he empathized with her. And sadly, they've had plenty of arguments on the subject, which has dampened their relationship."
"Which relationship? Rowan and Adrian's or—"
"Yes," she nodded. "Rowan might not have appreciated the way his mother handled the situation, but Adrian thought it took guts for her to be the bigger person. Rowan loves his mother, but because of what happened years ago, a small wedge was created between all of them—Adrian and Eliza on one side with Rowan on the other."
My shoulders dropped at her words. I wondered how Rowan felt about the situation. It's one thing to get information from a secondary source, but it's another to get it straight from the original. I had to take everything that Nina was saying with a grain of salt—not because I didn't believe her, but because there were multiple sides to a story, and she was only telling a summarized version from Adrian's point of view.
"Oh!" Nina suddenly yelled. I jumped at her outburst.
"Are you okay?" I instinctively reached for her, placing my hand on her stomach. But she merely looked at me in confusion. It was obvious that she was fine, so I removed my hand.
"Do you want to see the nursery? It's fully furnished and decorated," she expressed, slowly scooting toward the edge of the couch. But before I could say anything, a loud bell sounded from the kitchen.
"That's the food. I'll go get Adrian." She tried to get up, but I told her to stay put. I then handed her my empty glass, and she shrugged as I rushed off. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I eventually found my way to the basement. As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I realized that I was stepping into a man cave. I spotted Adrian near the pool table and made a beeline for him.
He nor Rowan heard me as I snuck up on them. I then tapped Adrian on the arm, and he swiftly turned to me, accidentally blowing some smoke in my direction.
"Damn, my bad." He pulled the cigar from his lips and reached for the remote. He legit had every TV playing from every angle, and they were all displaying some baseball game.
"The timer went off," I voiced after he muted the TVs.
"What timer?"
"The food," I laughed. He cursed as he placed his cigar in the ashtray.
"Thank you, Amira."
"No problem." I then walked to Rowan, who was standing on the other side of the table. Adrian eyed us for a second before telling us to keep it PG. Then he left.
"Your brother is funny," I spoke once he was gone.
"He's the one expecting a baby, not me," Rowan stated as he started cleaning up. I grabbed the pool cue that he was using and attempted to hit the last two striped balls. Someone must have won because the 8-ball was missing.
"Did you win?" I asked him.
"I did," he nodded. I smiled as I tried to hit the green ball first. I was terrible at playing pool, but I ended up pocketing the ball on my first attempt. I thought I could also hit the second one with no problem, but it proved to be a harder task.
"Damnit." I had to climb on top of the table as the cue ball settled out of my reach.
"Wait!" I shrieked, peeking over my shoulder as Rowan squeezed a big chunk of my ass. "Can I please finish?" He let me continue, but it was hard to focus as he kept a tight grip on my butt.
Luckily, I was able to clear the table on my next shot. And Rowan then pried the stick from my triumphant hands before putting it away. By the time I scooted to the edge of the table, he was already moving to stand between my legs.
"I know I suck at pool, but I can whoop anyone's ass at foosball."
"Really?" He chuckled, sticking his fingers in the holes of my ripped jeans.
"Yes. My dad had a man cave like this one, but his setup was much smaller. He would buy miniature versions of almost every game, and we used to play foosball all the time."
"Do you two still play?"
"No. My dad passed away," I said, staring into his eyes.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Me too," I shrugged, frowning a bit. I needed to change the subject before I started crying. "But anyway, we should head upstairs." I tried to get off the table, but Rowan made no attempts to move. I also tried to nudge him back, but his sturdy ass wouldn't budge. So I ended up poking him a few times as I made a goofy face.
"Why. Aren't. You..." I paused when he suddenly leaned into me. "Your brother is upstairs," I blurted out, drawing back as he kissed my neck.
"So I can't touch you because my brother's upstairs?" He caught me by my throat.
"It would be awkward if he or his wife saw us doing anything non-PG," I whispered.
"You weren't worried about keeping it PG when I was deep inside you last night."
"That was different," I shivered at his words. "It was dark, the atmosphere was sensual, and I wasn't trying to make a good impression on anyone."
"And why are you trying to make a good impression now?" He released my neck.
"It's not that I'm trying to...I just...I don't..." I huffed as I stopped to think.
"You're doing this shit on purpose." I crossed my arms over my chest once I noticed the smirk on his face.
"Doing what?"
"Making me flustered." I wasn't about to play with him. I was hungry, my stomach was growling, and the food was probably getting cold.
.....
After dinner, Nina showed me to the nursery while Rowan and Adrian stayed downstairs to clean. The room was beautiful as they went for a more sleek look. The interior was mostly white, but it also had little pops of brown. Not to mention, they had an emerald green accent wall that had this cool-looking panel design.
I got comfortable on Nina's thick plush rug as I gazed up at the ceiling.
"What's your story, Amira?" Nina spoke up from her rocking chair.
"I don't know. I don't really have one."
"Do you want kids?"
"I'm not sure," I responded.
"You and Rowan are a thing, right? You guys are together?" She questioned. "You must be. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought you here," she said, answering her question.
"Why do you ask?" I simply huffed.
"Rowan has never brought a woman around. And you're younger than him. Adrian said that Rowan doesn't usually date younger women."
"I'm not that much younger than him, and we're not dating," I corrected her.
"Why not?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. It would be too complicated for me to try and explain our situation to her—someone that knew nothing about what we were doing.
"Still, you must be special to him."
"I'm not," I shook my head.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure, Nina."
"Well, I think you're good for him," she continued.
"Can we change the subject, please? Let's talk about something else."
"Sure, but I see the way you two look at each other. It reminds me of when I first met Adrian. We were at a—"
I tried to tune her out as she attempted to coax more information out of me—something that my mom is notorious for doing. I know Nina means well, but she just didn't know when to stop. Why couldn't we just sit here and relax until it was time for me to leave?
"You're pushing too hard, Nina." I slowly climbed to my feet.
"I'm sorry, I don't get out much. Adrian is the only person that I usually talk to, so I get excited with new people. You're just so friendly, and I want to get to know you better." Her lips were moving a mile a minute, and I was done listening.
"I need some air."
"Wait. Amira, I'm sorry. I know I talk too much, but I can't help it."
"Okay, but maybe you should work on understanding boundaries. There are some things I don't want to talk about, and the subject of Rowan and I's relationship is one of them," I stated carefully.
It's hard enough to keep my feelings to myself without people constantly telling me shit that I already know. I know that Rowan treats me differently, and I know that I'm the first woman that he has openly showcased. But we already discussed where we stand, and I respect that he wants to keep things strictly BDSM.
I left the nursery after that, making my way downstairs and quickly pulling on my shoes. But as I headed for the front door, I wasn't paying much attention and ran straight into a hard chest.
"I'm so sorry," I quickly apologized.
"Why are you moving so fast?" Rowan steadied my waist.
"I need some air," I expressed, avoiding eye contact. I then tried to maneuver around his body, but he grabbed me before I could get too far.
"What's wrong?" He gripped my chin and forced me to look at him, but even as he searched my face, I merely stared right past him.
"I want some air," I mumbled, pulling away. Rowan was too perceptive. He would surely read me like a book if I let him analyze me for too long. And once he finally let me go, I made a beeline for the front door.
....
Hey, everyone!!! Sorry if this chapter was too long. I couldn't split it up.