Chapter 138 BOOK 2: CHAPTER 28

Chapter 138 BOOK 2: CHAPTER 28
—Nathaniel—
I sat up straighter and lowered my glass on the coffee table before taking the call.
Mama Emelda’s face filled the screen. She was seated on a high-backed chair in her study, wrapped in a dark shawl.
“Good evening, Mama,” I said.
She squinted as though surveying my environment. “You're in London.”
“Yes Mama,” I swallowed.
“I thought you were pursuing a contract in France.”
I let out a breath. “Yes, Mama. But Eloise and Damian flew in from the States and offered to help.”
“Why?” A faint smile lit her eyes. “Does this, by any chance, have to do with the girl you attended the gala with?”
My cheeks reddened. She always had a way of asking questions that she already knew the answer.
“If you’re asking, Mama, then you already know.”
She lifted her face with quiet authority, a fake frown crossing her features.
“Are you avoiding my question?”
“Yes, Mama. It has to do with her.”
She burst into laughter. “Of course. I just wanted to hear you say that.”
I let out a deep breath, a smile curving my lips.
“You've got me, Mama,” I murmured.
“Who's she?”
“Amira Nwosu. She's Nigerian.”
“How did you meet?”
“We met months ago in D.C. on the night of my birthday. It's a long story.”
The sound of doors parting filled the air, followed by the familiar voice of my maternal great-grandmother. 
Mama Veronica.
“Emelda, the chiropractor, is here,” she called and paused. “Hold on. Is that Nathaniel?” 
Mama Emelda looked up from her screen briefly. “Yes.”
In a split second, the face of my maternal great-grandmother also filled the screen.
“Nathaniel. How are you doing?” she asked.
“I'm good, Mama Veronica. Good evening.”
She winked a brow. “We saw photos of you at the gala. When are you bringing her over?”
I scratched my head. “I–I... don't know, Mama. Maybe before we walk down the aisle.”
“Do your parents know about her?” Mama Emelda asked.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Not that I'm aware of. Unless they've seen the tabloids.”
Mama Emelda cleared her throat. “I know love is a beautiful thing, but I still feel you should've stayed down considering the situation we have on ground. This could cause a scandal.”
A lump formed in my throat.
This was an uncomfortable truth looming, one I wasn't ready to confront.
“I will handle that, Mama. I need you to trust me,” I said, and lifted my glass to my lips.
The two women exchanged glances.
“Alright,” Mama Veronica chipped in. “We can't wait for you to settle down and give us our great great-grandchild.”
I choked on my drink. 
Did she just say great-great-grandchild?
“Oh, sorry dear,” Mama Emelda purred, eyes gleaming with amusement.
It was a set-up.
This call wasn't about the contract, or the tabloids, or even Amira. It was the same ambush they staged for every one of us—marriage, babies, and no escape. History has it not even my father was spared!
I let out a brittle laugh. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is,” Mama Emelda chipped. “You're with a woman you love.”
Mama Veronica nodded in agreement, amusement also lingering in her expression.
“There's Damian, who's older than I. I'm the third born.”
“Oh it's you now,” Mama V. purred. “We'll get to him next, or maybe Eloise.”
My eyes widened. Do they have this planned out?
I glanced at my watch. “We'll talk later. I have a zoom-meeting now.”
They raised their brows in disbelief. But I didn't hesitate, I ended the call and emptied my glass.
A great-great-grandchild.
Actually, my thoughts had never gone there. But now that they'd pointed me in that direction, I could only imagine how cute my child with Amira would look like.
That would be the first biracial child in the history of the Rivera family.
Why was I now looking forward to that?
A smile tugging my lips, I traced my way to the room and found the love of my life still asleep. 
Then she stirred.
“Nathaniel?”
I removed my shoes and joined her in bed. She quickly wrapped her arms around me, resting her head on my chest.
“You seemed exhausted,” I murmured.
She nodded. No words.
We stayed still, watching the sun dip over the horizon through the floor-to-ceiling window of the bedroom.
Then the intercom buzzed— a housekeeper informed us dinner would be ready in five minutes.
“Thank you,” I said and let go of the answer button.
“I'm not hungry,” Amira muttered.
My brows creased. It had become a pattern— skipping meals, fatigue— 
Was there something she wasn't telling me?
I met her gaze. “Are you alright, baby?”
“Yes. I–I just don't have the appetite.”
“I could make you a smoothie if you want.”
She blinked. “Will you?”
She sounded so shocked.
I got it. A billionaire wouldn't randomly offer to do such things. If only she understood how much I loved her.
“Wait here.”
I kissed her temple and headed out.
The eyes of the domestic staff were wide as I walked into the kitchen and sorted fruits from the fridge.
Then I realized I didn't even know how to make smoothies.
Pulling out my phone, I swiped to some online videos and went to work. Within minutes, I had a glass of smoothie on a tray.
I carried it to the room and waited for Amira's verdict like a student.
She sipped it and her brows shot up. 
“What do you think?” I asked.
“It's nice,” she said. “Did you really make this?”
I feigned shock, slamming a hand to my chest. “I go through all the trouble for the love of my life just to get accused of cheating.”
She laughed. “I didn't mean to say that. Come over here for a kiss.”
When I joined her in bed, she kissed me. We kissed again, the taste of her so intoxicating.
Her hands brushed my chest before inching toward the button of my shirt.
I caught them. “Are you sure about this?”
“I need you,” she whispered, eyes locked on mine.
She didn't need to say it twice — I claimed her lips with all the pent-up desire blooming inside me.
I peeled away her dress, noticing how her boobs had grown fuller. She winced when I pinched her nipples.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yes. Please, take me now.”
I peeled my clothes and entered her with one long thrust.
Her moans filled the room, her nails digging into my back. When our lips met again, it was like the collision of two worlds— hot, 
She willingly gave herself to me, and I took her until she was trembling with her first orgasm. After her third, I came too and slid on the bed beside her.
Still panting, I gathered her in my arms and kissed her. “I love you, Amira. Never forget that.”
She was quiet. When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes.
“What could make me fall short of your love?”
I blinked. “Pardon?”
“At what point can you stop loving me?”
I kissed her cheeks. “Nothing on earth will stop my love for you.”
The sadness in her eyes lifted just a little bit. “I love you too,” she murmured.
My brows furrowed as something crossed my mind.
“I was thinking... Do you have any intention of furthering your studies?”
She beamed. “I would like to become a certified engineer someday. I've never stopped dreaming.”
Her tone. The way she said it shifted something in my heart.
I cupped her face. “How about Harvard University?”
She playfully tugged my nose like my mother would always do when we were kids. “You're trying to lure me with you to America, aren't you?”
I raised my hand. “Guilty as charged.”
We laughed. Then I laced my fingers with hers.
“It's no secret anymore, Amira. I want forever with you... something of a lifetime.”
She was quiet again, and tears in her eyes.
I understood how sensitive the topic was. Unless she was crying for something else.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
“I had always loved you right from the moment I walked into that room in D.C and saw you seated on the chair. I was only too afraid to admit it.”
“When I took that money and ran off, my heart had shattered, as if I left a piece of me behind. But I was afraid. I thought you'd break me just like my ex-boyfriend did.”
“You have no idea how happy I was when fate brought us back together in Nigeria, especially when I walked into that Allwell suite and saw you standing there.”
“Then I denied knowing you,” I chipped.
She gave a teary smile. “I deserved that. I deserved more.”
I hushed her with a kiss.
“You deserve my love, my attention, my loyalty.”
We exchanged a smile, before she cupped my face.
“I will go with you wherever you go. Even if it's to the far ends of the world, I'll come with you.”
Warmth surged through me.
I flipped, so that she came on top, straddling me, her breasts brushing my chest. We kissed, before I positioned myself at her entrance.
She took me, inch by inch, until I was fully buried inside her.
Our gasps filled the room, followed by the steady slaps of our bodies.
We climaxed together, our bodies shuddering at the waves of euphoria washing us, before she slid to my side.
“Good night baby,” she said.
I pulled the sheets to our midriffs and pecked her cheek.
“Good night, my love.”
She dozed, almost immediately. Fatigue, of course.
I grabbed the smoothie on the nightstand and emptied it. Hmm, it really tasted nice.
Switching off the lights, I rested my head on the pillows, only to hear my phone buzz moments later.
I glanced at the time, and it said 6 a.m. Who calls by this time?
Yawning, I checked the caller— Eloise.