Chapter 58

Ana woke up to the delicious aroma of good food. She didn't know what exactly it was, but it made her stomach grumble. She had eaten the previous night, but it didn't matter. Baby got all that he demanded.

She sat up in bed just to see Jack walking in with a tray. She watched him as he approached the bed with a smile. He was shirtless and Ana wondered which hunger surpassed the other.

Finally, hunger for food won out. It was the baby's fault. Ana knew damn well she would have forfeited the meal for a while if it meant she was having a "sexy time" with Jack.

Jack placed the tray on a small bedside table then came to her. He held her in his arms and kissed her. He was about to deepen the kiss but Ana pushed him away.

"Morning breath," she said, the stumbled out of bed. She rushed to the bathroom, did a quick work of brushing her teeth then came back to bed. Jack chuckled at her adorableness.

As soon as she got into bed though, he took her into his arms and kissed her ardently. It was almost like he was trying to communicate all his love for her through that kiss.

"Good morning," he said and thoroughly enjoyed Ana's flushed skin.

"Good morning," Ana replied a little more breathlessly. She wondered if she had been the only one participating in the kiss.

Then she noticed Jack's expression. He looked extremely smug. She felt like finding out what exactly was prompting that look on his face.

"You brought me breakfast?" she asked, and her tummy took that as a signal to growl again. Very loudly this time around. Ana blushed and cursed her loud stomach.

Jack found it funny apparently and laughed out loud. Ana rolled her eyes at him. This dumbass could never be serious.

He took the tray with warm eyes and placed it in her lap. Then he said, "Eat up we have a long day in front of us."

Ana looked at him with a fork halfway to her mouth. He had made eggs, bacon and since she couldn't drink coffee, had made tea as well. He knew she loved her creamer and her sugars. And he made it sweet as she enjoyed it.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ana asked Jack, raising a brow at him. Jack knew he had no right to say no. Actually, he had to say yes.

"I already–" he started lying but Ana interrupted him.

"Bloody liar. Come eat with me. You made so much food. I'm pregnant. I'm not four people," Ana said, hitting him lightly.

Jack laughed but didn't reply. He took the fork away from Ana's hand. If she wanted him to eat, then she was going to let him feed her.

It was a tender moment between the two. It was quite intimate. They were sitting across each other, the tray in the middle and Jack feeding Ana. It was sweet and endearing.

Soon enough, they were done. After an order for Ana to wait for him so they could shower together, Jack went downstairs to dispose of the tray.

He came back upstairs to meet her undressed and in the process of wrapping a towel around her body. Jack stopped her slowly.

"No babe. You're with me. No need for all that," he said, taking the towel from her and throwing it on the bed.

Ana frowned a little but didn't complain. It wasn't that she wanted to be absolutely covered up when she was with Jack. It was just that she saw her distended skin and she was scared he was going to find her ugly.

She didn't realize till it was too late that she had said everything she thought out loud. Jack walked towards her with a stern look on her face. He held her face in his hands then started earnestly, "You are the most beautiful woman I have laid my eyes on, and the fact that you are carrying my baby makes you even more beautiful in my eyes. I don't want to hear another degrading word about yourself again. And don't think it too. Christ, you don't know how much I'm holding myself back from taking you into my arms and worshipping your beautiful body. I love you."

Ana stared at him with tearful eyes, then with a choked sob, she kissed him blindly. Jack took control of the kiss. It was a gentle one, but full of passion nonetheless. Then they stopped. "I love you too," Ana said.

Jack didn't say a word after that. Just held her and took her to the bathroom. After helping her put on her plastic shower cap and they went underneath the Jets of water.

Jack took his time soaping Ana. He started with her neck. Then down to her shoulders. Deliberately, he missed his mark. He went down to her stomach instead of continuing with her breasts.

Then he washed her hands and moved to her lower body. He washed her legs thoroughly then moved to her inner thighs. Jack kept teasing. He made sure that none of his movements came close to touching Ana's pussy.

Ana's breath was choppy now and since Jack was bent, her hands were in his hair. She gasped when he threw the loofah and decided to use his mouth instead. It was a perfect way to start the day.

***

It was later on in the day. Jack had kept his promise. He had kept Ana really busy. First, they had gone to an arcade. He had demanded that it be open early for them alone but that was beside the point.

Then he had taken her to a spa. They had spent a considerable amount of time there. A full body massage, armpit wax (she cried through it, embarrassingly enough), and a foot massage.

Then he took her to a beauty shop. Yes, Jack accompanied her all through the day. Ana was surprised when he settled in as the nail tech was about to start doing her nails. He even proposed some colors he thought would look good against her skin. Ana was, for lack of a better word, shook.

After a manicure and a pedicure, it was time for her hair. The stylist had taken her weave off. Then given her hair volume and added some pretty brown highlights.

That was not all. They chose her evening dress and shoes cause apparently, the day had just begun.

Now they were in Jack's car. He had blindfolded her cause he didn't want her to know where he was taking her to. He wanted it to be a surprise. Even though, naturally, like the curious person she was, Ana was none too pleased about being kept in the dark.

But she had no choice. Yes, she could rip it off. But it was no fun. And she didn't want to be a spoilsport.

The car stopped and he led her out carefully. He whispered, "Take off your shoes."

Ana was bemused but she did as he said. She let out a squeal when she removed her shoes and felt the cool sand underneath her feet.

Jack laughed and they kept talking about everything and nothing until they reached wherever Jack wanted them to reach. Then he removed the blindfold.

It was beautiful. It was dark but there was a small string of lights illuminating the place. The noises the waves made were very peaceful and the salty smell of the sea was refreshing.

"The beach? What on earth are we going to do at the beach? Swim?", Ana asked, scrunching her nose up in confusion.

"C'mere.", Jack said, holding her hand and bringing her closer to him. Ana gasped at the little distance between them but quickly composed herself.

"Close your eyes", Jack said softly and in a gentle voice. Ana didn't even think of going against the order and closed her eyes immediately.

Jack put a hand over her eyes and started leading her slowly and carefully. Soon enough, Jack's hand fell off her eyes and he said, "You can open them now".

Jack opened her eyes and was mesmerized by the sight in front of her. It was truly beautiful, even more than she had thought, and brought tears to her eyes. She turned to Jack and asked him,

"How did you know I've always ever wanted something like this? And how did you arrange for it in such a short period?"

"You never do remember anything do you?" he asked teasingly. "You told me. You wanted to experience this one day, sitting with your legs almost in the sea. And enjoying the scenery."

He didn't even need to say something else, Ana had already jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. It was the first time someone was being so considerate of all the things she said, except for Landon.

Ana then said teasingly, "If you keep taking everything I say into consideration, you'll end up bankrupt."

"It would be worth it," was Jack's simple reply. It almost brought tears to her eyes but she managed to control herself in time.

Jack kissed her but pulled away after some time because if he continued, he was not sure he would control himself.

"Hey, come on let's go, there's something you need to see.", Jack said, holding Ana by the arm and leading her to their table.

Jack pulled her chair and both sat.

"What did you want me to see?", Ana asked Jack curiously.

"Look at the horizon", Jack said, holding her hand over the table. Ana turned to look and gasped at what she saw. The sun was setting and the sky was different color shades. It was very beautiful.

It was perfect. It was like a dream come true. She was sitting here with the man she loved, surrounded by nature that was so beautiful. There was nothing more she could ask for.

She sighed and looked at Jack who had been staring at her the whole time. Ana blushed. "What?" she asked a little self-consciously.

"You're beautiful," Jack replied almost immediately. Ana's flush deepened and she laughed it off then looked elsewhere.

Just at that moment, a fish jumped really high out of the water. Ana was flabbergasted. She was so happy. So grateful that she was sharing this with the man she loved.

"I love you, Jack," she said and he smiled. It was like he was nervous. He kept on shifting in his chair.

Ana frowned. "Are you okay babe?" she asked worriedly.

Jack nodded. But he still had that uneasy look on his face. Like he was worried that something was going to go wrong.

"What do you have planned?" Ana asked. Jack almost jumped out of his chair in surprise.

"What?" he exclaimed.

Ana was startled. "I mean what else do you have planned for the evening?" she asked softly. Jack relaxed.

"I.. I am a nervous wreck right now Ana. I don't even know what I do know. I am just so nervous. Forgive me for my anxious behavior," Jack said suddenly. Ana frowned. It wasn't like him to stutter or to doubt himself.

"There's nothing to forgive," she murmured absently, then asked, "What's making you nervous?"

Jack took in a deep breath. He knew that this question was going to come. He had planned everything meticulously. But he had last-minute jitters.

Not about asking her, no. Never about asking her. He was confident in his decision to make her his wife. But he was scared she was not ready.

"Close your eyes, Ana," he said suddenly.

"O-okay," she stuttered then closed her eyes. She heard shuffling. Then some more shuffling. It was almost like Jack was stalling from doing whatever he was supposed to be doing.

All of a sudden, Jack said, "Open your eyes."

Ana opened her eyes for the biggest surprise of her life. Jack was kneeling, barefoot, with a ring box in his hand.

"I love you, Ana. You are quite literally the other half of my soul. I love you and I am so happy that circumstances led us to meet. I want to keep sharing beautiful memories with you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?"

Ana nodded tearfully. Jack slipped the ring on her finger then scooped her up into his arms. They were going to be one, more one than they were now.

Ana stared at Jack and he at her. "I love you," they said at the same time.