Chapter 28- Aurora
Aria and Adrian were both one of the last few people to arrive at Jared’s house. Jared welcomed them inside and thanked them for coming fashionably late rather than not coming at all.
“Congratulations on your little one and sorry for being late, the traffic was crazy” Aria explained with a small smile as she met him with a quick hug. Jared hugged her back and looked at her and Adrian,
“No need to apologise come on in” he said before he stepped aside and lead them both out to the garden where the party planners had set up everything nicely.
Adrian rested a hand on Aria’s lower back and helped her carry some of the gifts that she chosen for the baby inside. He had given her his card and told her to get anything she liked as he wasn’t good with gifts. Aria had prepared a few different hampers, one just for the baby, one for Jared’s wife Brianna and one for both the couple that was filled with chocolates and other luxurious gifts.
“Everything looks so pretty” Aria said to Adrian with a small smile, the moment they both stepped out into the garden. Adrian followed her pretty eyes,
“You fit in perfectly with the theme” he said quietly as he looked around at all of the pink balloons that were scattered around and nicely set up dessert table.
“And you stick out nicely” Aria said with a smile as he was the only one there dressed in black. Adrian had to admit she wasn’t wrong, as he did look very out of place.
Jared quickly walked over to them both with Brianna who was holding their little baby girl Aurora in her arms.
“Aww she’s so adorable” Aria said the moment her eyes fell on the very cute baby. Brianna met her with a hug,
“It’s so nice to meet you finally! Jared’s told me so much about you” she said before she met Adrian. Adrian gave her a quick one-armed hug,
“Congratulations once again, it’s good to see she looks like you and not him” he said about Jared as he looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. Jared looked at him,
“I think she looks more like me” he said as he stroked her head gently. Aria passed him the hamper she was holding before she asked Brianna if she could carry Aurora.
“Of course, you don’t have to ask here” Brianna said with a smile before she passed her to her and thanked her and Adrian for all the gifts they had bought.
Adrian felt something deep inside as he watched Aria hold the tiny baby in her arms and cuddle her lovingly. He imagined her holding their child in the future, but quickly pushed the thought away.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Aria asked him quietly with a small smile as she gently stroked her rounded cheeks and rocked her gently. Adrian looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms,
“She is” he said quietly as he slipped a hand into his pocket. Jared looked at Aria and smiled,
“She looks all innocent but trust me she isn’t, I’m barely sleeping at night” he said as he wrapped an arm around Brianna and held her close.
Aria kissed Aurora on the cheek softly and looked at him,
“Well, she’s worth losing sleep over so get used to it” she said before she looked at Brianna and asked her how she was feeling. Brianna smiled and looked at her,
“I’m feeling much better, thank you for asking. Whenever you get tired let me know and I’ll take her from you” she said before she called over a waiter and asked him to bring some drinks over. Aria smiled and looked at her,
“She’s so small and cute, I don’t think I’d ever want to give her back” she said truthfully. Jared looked at Adrian,
“Get the hint man” he said before he passed a glass of water to him as he knew he didn’t drink any soft drinks.
Adrian took the glass from him and looked at him with a serious look,
“We’re good” he said quietly, making Aria’s heart skip a beat. Brianna looked up at him, wondering why he was so against having kids.
“You guys would make great parents one day” she said to him and Aria who was too busy looking at Aurora. Adrian drank some of his water,
“I agree” Jared said before he showed them both to their table. Aria only let go of Aurora when someone from Brianna’s family wanted to carry her, and Adrian couldn’t be more glad as he wanted her all to himself.
Aria sat down on the chair next to him and took a small sip of her iced cold drink,
“What I wanted to talk you about earlier was my family, my sister flew over yesterday and said my mom’s not well” she said quietly with a serious look as she turned towards him slightly. Adrian rested a hand on her knee,
“You should pay her a visit” he said quietly, wondering what she would say as he knew she hadn’t seen anyone from her family for a few years. Aria felt a dull ache in her heart,
“I’m scared dad won’t let me in as he made it very clear to me to not return home the day I left” she said quietly.
Adrian took hold of her free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze,
“I would come with you, but I think its best you go alone first” he said as he watched her quietly, thinking she looked pretty lost in thought. Aria listened with a small smile,
“You’re right, I just hope I get to see mom” she said before she took another sip of her drink. Adrian brushed a few strands of her hair out of her eyes and looked at her,
“I’m sure you will beautiful, take my private jet and let me know if you need anything else” he said with a serious look as he looked down into her eyes deeply.
Aria found comfort in his words as she listened to him quietly, thinking she was glad to have someone like him in her life as he always found a way to make her feel better.
“Thank you” she said before she reached up and kissed him on the lips softly. Adrian took hold of her chin and deepened the kiss, liking the feel of her soft lips pressed against his.
“No need to thank me beautiful, it’s the least I can do” he said as he moved back from her slowly and leaned back against his seat lazily. Aria moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder,
“She really wanted to meet you, but I said to her not yet” she said about Raya.
Adrian wrapped an arm around her and looked down at her pretty face,
“If she’s anything like you then she probably didn’t take that very well” he said with a very small smirk on his lips. Aria smiled and looked up at him,
“She did surprisingly, you know if it wasn’t for you, she may have never found me” she said as she explained to him how Raya had seen her with him on the internet. Adrian kissed her on the side of her face softly,
“When there’s a will, there’s always a way, which day are you thinking of going?” he asked.
Aria looked up into his dark eyes,
“Maybe tomorrow if I can” she said quietly as she wanted to see her mum quickly and not waste any more time then she had already. Adrian gently stroked her leg,
“Take Hunter with you and anyone else you want” he said as he didn’t want her to go alone. Aria listened quietly,
“I don’t know why but I find Hunter a little strange” she said just as Jared walked over to them both and took a seat opposite of them.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything” he said with a small smirk as he made himself comfortable.
Adrian put his glass of water down on the table in front of him and looked at him with a serious look,
“She was just complaining about her new bodyguard” he said about Aria. Jared looked at Aria amused,
“Not missing me, are you?” he asked as she relaxed back against his seat. Aria looked at him and smiled,
“I didn’t think I’d ever admit this, but I think I am” she said just as a waiter walked over to their table and started serving the food. Adrian looked down at her,
“He’s not that amazing” he said quietly, earning a look from Jared. Aria picked up her head from his shoulder and looked at him,
“But I trusted him more then I trust Hunter” she said before she asked him what he wanted to eat and put a bit of everything into his plate.
Jared watched them both quietly, thinking they seemed nice and relaxed in each other’s company which was a good thing. He was glad Adrian had finally found someone who saw past his status and money and was very down to earth and normal, unlike his past flings.
“Are you going to put some food in for me to?” he asked Aria with a small grin. Adrian looked at him,
“You’ve got hands, help yourself” he said before he took his plate from Aria.
Aria looked at Jared and smiled,
“I don’t mind, what would you like?” she asked before she also made his plate for him, thinking Adrian and his blunt comments could never go unnoticed. Jared took his plate from her and smiled,
“Thanks, I’ve just realised you’re nicer to me when I’m not your bodyguard” he said before he started eating. Adrian leaned back against his seat and looked at him,
“Well since its clear you both can’t stay away from each other, when do you want to come back to work?” he asked before he picked up his glass of water from the table.
Jared ate some of his food and looked at him,
“I just need another few weeks then I’ll start, I’m currently on night duty with Aurora” he explained. Aria smiled,
“Children are such a blessing, how are you finding dad life so far?” she asked before she ate some of her food, thinking everything tasted yummy. Adrian watched her quietly, thinking it was clear she liked kids.
“It’s not easy but I’m learning, she’s amazing” Jared said about Aurora. Aria listened with a smile,
“She is” she said before she took a small sip of her drink.
They all talked some more and once lunch was over, Jared showed Aria and Adrian to the dessert table and told them to help themselves to anything they liked.
“For someone who was worried about her weight, you’re sure enjoying the desserts” Adrian said to Aria quietly as he watched her bite into a small chocolate muffin. Aria smiled and looked up at him,
“I know, I have a very bad sweet tooth” she said before she reached up and offered him some of her muffin.
Adrian took hold of her wrist and looked down at her,
“Explains why you always taste heavenly” he said in her ear quietly, making her stomach flutter crazily. Aria felt her cheeks blush as she looked up at him and waited for him to taste the muffin she was holding.
“You’re making my arm hurt” she said with a small smile. Adrian wasn’t much of a dessert person but for her sake he took a quick bite of muffin she was holding up to his lips.
“This is nothing angel, compared to what I put you through in bed” he said quietly as he pulled her closer to him by her waist and kissed her on the side of her neck softly, thinking she smelt nice and refreshing.
They stayed at the party for another half an hour before they thanked Jared and Brianna for inviting them and took their leave.
“Thank you for all the gifts and you’re welcome to come any time you like, it was lovely meeting you” Brianna said to Aria as she met her with a tight hug. Aria smiled and hugged her back,
“It was really nice meeting you to and thank you for everything, we had a great time here” she said as Adrian shook his hand with Jared.
“We did?” Adrian asked with one of his annoying eyebrows raised ever so slightly. Jared and Brianna both shook their heads and started laughing as they knew him well enough to know when he was being serious or sarcastic, unlike Aria who looked a little taken back by his remark.
She gave Adrian a look with her pretty eyes before she kissed Aurora goodbye and told Jared that she would be looking forward to having him as her bodyguard again.