Chapter 81 Chapter Eighty-one

Chapter 81 Chapter Eighty-one
CHAPTER 81

One month later, the sun was shining bright. Damian drove Aria to a new place. The car stopped in front of two tall iron gates.

Aria looked out the window and frowned. "Where are we, Damian?"

Damian smiled big. "Get out of the car and open the gates."

Aria pushed the gates open. They moved inward slowly. Behind the gates sat a beautiful, lovely house. It had gardens full of colorful flowers and big, old oak trees. It was not a giant mansion like the Cross estate. It was elegant, but it also felt warm and peaceful. It looked like a place where people really lived and played, not just a place to show off to guests.

Aria stared at the house in disbelief. "Damian..."

Damian put his hand into his pocket. He took out a set of shiny keys and put them in Aria's hand. "This house is ours."

She looked from the keys to his face. "You bought a house?"

"I bought our new home," he said.

Aria covered her mouth with both hands. Tears of joy came to her eyes. "It is so beautiful."

"You have not even seen the inside yet," Damian laughed.

"I do not need to see it," she said. "I already love it so much."

Damian laughed happily. "I hoped you would like it."

They walked through the front door and looked at every room together. There was a bright kitchen with very large windows that let the bright sunlight inside. There was a cozy library room with shelves for books. There was a special nursery room for the baby, and the walls were already painted in a soft cream color.

The last room they visited had a big window that looked out over a beautiful blue lake. Aria stood by the window, completely unable to speak.

"I wanted a safe place," Damian said, walking up behind her. "I wanted a place where our child can grow up without any fear."

Aria turned around to face him. "You have already given me everything I ever wanted in life."

Damian shook his head. "Not everything. But I am trying my best." He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood together by the window looking at the lake.

Two weeks later, it was a very dark night. It was almost midnight. Damian was sleeping deeply when he felt someone shaking his shoulder hard.

"Damian... wake up," a voice said.

He opened his eyes quickly. Aria was standing right next to the bed. Her face looked very pale, and she looked scared.

"I think..." Aria took a slow, deep breath. "...I think it is time for the baby to come."

Damian sat up instantly. His heart started beating very fast. "What?"

"My water broke," Aria explained.

For exactly three seconds, Damian forgot how to think. His brain completely stopped working. Then, everything became crazy. He ran around the bedroom. He grabbed the heavy hospital bag. He called the doctor on the phone. He ran to the door but realized he did not have his shoes on. He picked up the wrong keys for the car two times.

Aria felt bad pain from the baby, but she could not stop laughing at him. "You were so calm when we were attacked.”

"I was never calm!" Damian shouted, trying to find his shoes.

"Well, you looked calm," she said.

"I was terrified inside," Damian said. He helped her walk carefully to the car. "And I am even more terrified right now!"

Many hours later, they were inside a bright hospital room. The room was filled with the sounds of medical tools. The doctors and nurses moved around the bed in a calm way. Damian never let go of Aria’s hand. He held it tightly to give her strength.

"You are doing an amazing job, Aria," he said to her.

Aria looked at him with angry eyes because she was in so much pain. "If you tell me to breathe one more time, Damian Cross, I will be very angry with you!"

Damian decided it was smart to stay quiet after that.

After one final, big push, a loud cry filled the room. The baby was crying. Everything else stopped moving. The doctor smiled big and looked up at the happy parents.

"Congratulations to both of you," the doctor said. "You have a very healthy baby girl."

Damian’s eyes filled with tears right away. Aria began to cry with pure happiness. The nurse wrapped the tiny baby in a warm, pink blanket. Then, the nurse placed the baby gently into Aria’s arms.

The baby looked so small. She was absolutely perfect. Damian stretched out his hand and touched his daughter’s tiny fingers. The little baby automatically wrapped her small fingers around his big thumb. Damian could not hold his tears back anymore. He started to laugh and cry at the same time.

"She has your beautiful eyes," Damian said, looking at his wife.

Aria smiled down at the little girl. "No, look closely. She has your smile."

Later that afternoon, the sun was warm. Evelyn quietly opened the door to the hospital room. She was carrying a beautiful bunch of white lily flowers. She stopped at the door because she was nervous.

"I hope I am not interrupting your peace," Evelyn said softly.

Aria smiled at her with a warm face. "Please come in, Evelyn."

Evelyn walked slowly over to the side of the bed. Aria carefully lifted the baby and placed her into Evelyn’s arms. Evelyn froze. She was afraid to move because the baby was so small and delicate. Big tears rolled down her cheeks.

"She is so beautiful," Evelyn whispered.

Aria nodded her head. "Yes, she is."

Evelyn looked up from the baby and looked straight into Aria’s eyes. "I am so sorry, Aria." Her voice was very quiet. "I should have loved you and accepted you from the very first day."

Aria reached out her hand and squeezed Evelyn’s hand. "Do not worry. We are a real family now."

Evelyn smiled through her happy tears. She looked at Damian. "Thank you, Aria. Thank you for giving my son the true happiness that I forgot he deserved."