A few days had passed in a blur. Avelina was still experiencing stomach pain even with the pain medication Adrik was giving her. The doctor would come in every now and then to check up on her and the baby, but he still wanted to give her some time for the stomach pain to go away before being concerned. She could tell Adrik hated that, but they had no other choice.
Avelina was finally able to breastfeed. Her nipples were larger and constantly leaking, one boob was becoming larger than the other, and she was getting tired of carrying around the extra weight on her breasts. However, no matter how bad things got, she would look down at her beautiful baby girl in her arms, and suddenly, everything would be so worth it. Words could not describe the warmth that settled in her heart. The love she felt for her newborn daughter, was unlike any love she had ever felt before. It was nothing but hopeless devotion.
"I put together a breakfast dish for you," Adrik said, walking into the room with a tray of food and her pain medicine. He had been doing such a good job of taking care of her when she really needed him to. He would bring her her favorite food at the same time every single day. He would sit down after placing the tray beside her and watch as she ate. Most times, if she wasn't breastfeeding, he would take the baby from her arms and give her a bottle.
"Thank you!" Avelina smiled. Adrik took the baby out of her hands, giving her the space to let her eat her food. He cradled the baby in his arms and rocked her gently back and forth toward the window. The sunlight kissed his skin, illuminating a soft glow. His smile was so breathtaking as he gleamed down at their beautiful baby girl.
"Vincent will be joining us for dinner this evening," Adrik told Avelina. She nodded.
Natasha had been staying with them over the past couple of days. Avelina didn't know if it was going to be a permanent thing or not, but she knew she wasn't one to protest if it was. She had been trying so hard to let go of all the betrayal and disappointment, but she couldn't. Every time Natasha bothered striking up a conversation or telling a joke, all Avelina could think about was her pretending to be someone she could trust just to get her to open up. Natasha used her and manipulated her.
Avelina never had any issue with letting things go, but for some reason, she just couldn't drop what Natasha did. She never really had friends. Her entire life, she was almost sheltered as trauma threw up walls that didn't allow anyone in or Avelina out. She didn't get to talk about her feelings because bottling them up was the only option she ever had. But Natasha crept in without her permission, and took what could've been a friendship right from under Avelina's feet for her own selfish reasons.
Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was unimportant. Her feelings were hurt, and they were still hurting.
"Okay. What will we be having?" she asked him.
"I will be hiring a cook for the evening. I mentioned to him that we would prefer some kind of pasta. I would like to be... amazed," he said. Her brows rose at his words. It was unlike him to be amazed. He usually preferred to stick to his same meals every single day. And the things he liked to eat were far from pasta.
"I will be making my own dish. However, I am sure you will share your amazement with me," Adrik said. Yeah, nevermind. Avelina shook her head with a soft smile on her lips.
"You really had me going there for a minute." Avelina chuckled.
She picked up her fork and dug into her pancake watching as the syrup completely covered the fork. She loved drowning her pancake in syrup. She didn't like when it was dry and flavorless. Every bite had to be covered in her favorite buttermilk syrup, or she wouldn't even bother finishing it. Adrik quickly learned that about her. And he made sure to not leave a single inch of pancake out when pouring the syrup.
"This is delicious," she tried her best to make out with a mouthful of pancake.
Adrik made his way over to her. The baby must've fallen asleep in his arms because her eyes were shut and she was no longer moving her limbs. She was in utter calm and peace. Adrik placed her in the crib by their bed before wrapping her around in her baby blanket. It was a gift from Vincent. The blanket was navy blue and covered in medium-sized white and yellow stars.
"I feel so bad not having a name for her yet," Avelina muttered, now digging her fork into the cut up fruit. It was strawberries, mangos, grapes, blackberries. and pineapples.
"What names have you been thinking about?" Adrik asked.
"Lani because the internet says it means to bring peace, but I just don't know if she looks like a Lani..." Avelina glanced at her baby girl and imagined herself calling out to her, but it just didn't click. "Otavia was another name I always loved when I was a little girl in Brazil. It was so unique and I had this girl in my class named Otavia, and she was so sweet and smart. She always lended out a helping hand... she just made that name so pure to me and I never forgot it."
Again, Avelina looked at the baby, imagining Otavia being her name and a smile came across her face. It wouldn't be so bad.
"The final name I was thinking about was Maria. It's very similar to her original name, but yet, it doesn't share any connection with..." Avelina paused. My mom, she wanted to say, but it just wouldn't come out.
Sometimes, for a very brief moment, she would just forget. She would forget about the look in her mother's eye as greed overcame them. She would forget that her father and her grandmother died by her command. She'd forget that she was kidnapped only moments after giving birth by the woman who was supposed to love her unconditionally. Then, it would all hit again, shattering her repairing heart like a wrecking ball.
Her gaze fell down to her food. She was beginning to lose her appetite again, but there was a reason Adrik wouldn't leave her side until all of her food was gone. She had barely been eating, and Adrik wasn't settling for it. She forced herself to continue to eat her pancake, each bite feeling harder to chew than the last one.
"Maria, Otavia, Lani..." Adrik repeated. "Nice names."
"What about you? What names have you come up with? I really would like to hear your opinion," Avelina said.
"Ludwig," he replied. She gave him a deadpanned look. She would've laughed if she hadn't known he was being dead serious.
"We talked about this... we can't name our baby after Beethoven, babe." She smiled.
"I do not understand why not," he said. She grabbed ahold of his hand and gently pulled him down onto the bed. Immediately, he went in for a hug. He had been giving out a lot of hugs lately.
"It's a cute name. I just don't think it fits our baby girl," Avelina told him honestly. She knew he loved Beethoven but naming their baby after him just didn't seem fitting.
"I think she will enjoy it," Adrik stated, finally pulling away from the hug and glancing at their baby. Avelina did the same thing she did with the other names, imagining her beautiful girl being named Ludwig, and it just didn't work out.
"I don't know..." Avelina sang.
"Are you going to finish eating?" he asked when he saw she wasn't done with all her food.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she continued to finish the food he prepared for her. She was hoping he wouldn't notice, but then again, he was Adrik. And Adrik always noticed everything.
Once she was done, she puckered up her lips. "Can I have a kiss?"
Adrik leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. He palmed her right cheek, allowing her to lean ever-so-slightly into it. A smile came across her face as he went in for another kiss followed by another.
"I can't wait to be fully healed... I want you," she whispered against his lips.
"As in, sex?" Adrik clarified.
"Yes, sex." she laughed.
"I can't wait for that as well. I want another baby," Adrik stated. Avelina pulled away from him with raised brows.
"Another baby?"
"Yes."
"We aren't even settled enough for another baby, Adrik. At least not yet," she told him.
Adrik sighed. He grabbed the empty tray and headed out of the room. She instantly felt bad, but she knew it was the most logical thing. Usually, it was Adrik who acted with logic instead of emotions.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" she called.
Natasha poked her head in, and Avelina only stared at her in wait. There was not an inch of playfulness in her face. She slowly crept into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.
"I have something to tell you..."
-
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