Chapter 133. FIONA

Chapter 133. FIONA
Joshua threw the treasure we’d found in the refrigerator into the oven and pressed the start button. We were very lucky to find a frozen pizza in the refrigerator when we were so hungry.
We'd crawled out of bed half an hour ago, sweaty and starving. I couldn't sleep when I was hungry. Joshua suggested we look for something edible in the kitchen. Honestly, I doubted we'd find anything edible without cooking. Roberto was very strict about food. He wanted us all to eat only real food.
Hell, frozen pizza was real food. That wasn't just a picture downloaded from Google. It was real.
"Maybe Mia bought it and kept it in the fridge."
"Yeah, she must have a sixth sense then. She knew I'd be hungry at two in the morning after you drained all my energy."
"You said it like I raped you. You were so wild. Even wilder than the last time I remembered."
"I'm sure your memory isn't that sharp. You're an old man."
I stuck my tongue out mockingly at him. The most fun thing was making fun of him. Joshua always said he didn't care how old he was, but he was clearly annoyed when someone mentioned his age.
“I may be much older than you, but I’m damn sure I can still give Melissa more than two dozen siblings.”
“What? You’re crazy. You’ll kill me if you plan on giving Melissa two dozen siblings.”
While waiting for our pizza to be ready, Joshua pulled me over to sit on his lap. I knew it was a very unwise idea, considering we could barely keep our hands off each other. But the only comfortable place to sit was on his lap.
“I was just kidding. I’m not going to force you. We already have Melissa. I don’t mind if we only have one child because I’m an only child, and so are you. Being an only child isn’t so bad.”
“But if I let you impregnate me, how many would you want?”
Honestly, I was curious about Joshua’s response to that. I knew he wasn’t a big fan of children. Having more than one child would potentially bring him additional hassles he didn’t want.
"I don't mind the number. As long as they're my children. Because I wouldn't raise children who weren't mine."
"Of course they're yours," I nudged him gently in the stomach.
"So, you don't mind if this house gets noisy with children?"
"Why should I?"
“Kids are just unnecessary hassle. Are you willing to sacrifice your peaceful life for that? Imagine having several Melissas in this house. If they whine together, if they get sick, if they cry, if they…”
I considered my next words hard.
“The point is, those are the hassles and noise you’ll hate. Think about that. Don’t just think about sex in various styles. We have to be rational about life.”
“You’re being convoluted as usual,” he flicked my nose lightly.
“I told you I didn’t mind. You don’t have to say something so long because I already know what hassles we’ll face. I learned that when you went to Mexico.”
“How did you feel then?” I asked, looking at him over my shoulder.
“You must know how I feel.”
I laughed at his expression. I could already imagine Joshua spending days with Melissa for the first time. Not only was it a fun few hours like usual, but he also had to take care of Melissa from the beginning.
“First impressions are always terrible. I grumbled like a jerk the first day or two. But then I got used to it. I taught Melissa toilet training and helped her clean up after using the toilet.”
I clapped my hands enthusiastically.
“I wish I was there to see you do that. It must have been so entertaining. You dealing with poop. Gosh, the whole world should know how Joshua Lident deals with a poopy toddler.”
“It wasn’t as scary as I imagined. I’ve been trained to be a father. So, it doesn’t matter how many babies you give me now.”
Joshua slid his hand inside my pajamas and rubbed my belly.
It was a damn sweet moment. I never imagined I’d be discussing this in the kitchen with Joshua. It was the kind of normalcy I’d always wanted.
“One more thing you need to instill in your mind. No swearing or rudeness in this house.”
I took a deep breath. This was something that was really bothering me too.
"What?"
“Can you make this house a safe place for our children? I’ve seen a massacre in this house before. I’m afraid it might happen again in the future.”
“I’ve thought about it. That’s why I started being careful about everything I do four years ago. I want to make this house a safe haven for my family. If they face any threats out there, they’ll have this house to come home to. Trust me, I’ve thought about everything.”
“So?”
“That’s why I’ve made many changes after months of research. I overhauled my business system. I overhauled the security system in this house. I made sure it was the most advanced security system available. I designed it myself. My paranoia has certainly worsened, but that’s a good thing for now.”
“You still won’t tell me what you do for a living? I mean your current businesses. You said you’ve made many changes, right?”
"I'll tell you and show you slowly. It's too complicated to explain right now. And our pizza is ready."
A soft beep came from the oven.
Joshua pulled a cheese pepperoni pizza out of the oven that smelled absolutely delicious. My mouth watered as I watched him bring the giant pizza to the table. I'd thank the person who put it in the fridge tomorrow morning. This pizza was my savior.
"Are you drooling?"
"I didn't realize I was."
I pulled out a tissue and dabbed it on my lips.
"I'm starving."
"You're always so excited about pizza."
I shook my head.
"You have no idea how miserable I was during pregnancy. This delicious smell turned into something that made me nauseous, even vomiting. I didn't eat pizza at all during my pregnancy. I tried it once, and it ended up leaving me unable to eat anything for days. The bits I swallowed came right back out. It was a horrible pregnancy experience."
I pulled out a slice of pizza. I always loved watching the cheese stretch out as I pulled it up. It was a kind of satisfaction for me.
I took a big bite and hummed as it slid into my mouth.
Joshua took a bite of his pizza too, but he didn't seem as excited as I was. He wasn't typically a foodie. He'd eat anything, but nothing tasted particularly special to him.
"You weren't traumatized by it?"
"Yeah, a little. But my doctor said each pregnancy is different. It's possible I won't experience hyperemesis in my next pregnancy."
"What if it gets worse?"
I slapped the back of his hand, which was slumped on the table.
"Don't try to scare me."
"I'm not scaring you, I'm just trying to be realistic. Are you ready for that possibility?"
"Please, don't ruin my pizza mood with that. I'm starting to imagine it again."
"Forget about it. Everything will be fine."
"Right. Everything will be fine because I have you, Melissa, Erick, Mia, and Roberto. I have a huge support system to back me up when things get tough."
Talking about them, I suddenly remembered Roberto's words and his behavior at the dining table. I intended to tell Joshua as soon as possible, but everything we'd done in bed made me forget.
“I want to tell you something about Roberto.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“I talked to him in the backyard this afternoon. I actually let it slip. I told him that Erick was interested in Mia. Roberto didn’t react very well. At the dining table, he forbade Mia from sitting near Erick. I think Erick noticed, even though he tried to play it cool.”
“Can’t blame Roberto. He just wants to protect Mia. I would have done the same if some bastard had tried to get close to Melissa.”
“Tsk, this is about Erick.”
I slapped the back of his hand again.
“I think he’s really in love with Mia. We have to do something.”
“We don’t need to interfere with Erick’s feelings. He’s a grown man, not a child. If he truly loves Mia, he’ll do anything to get her. Even Roberto won’t be an obstacle for him. Do you understand what I mean?”
I nodded slowly.
“But I’ve already ruined it before he even starts.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Roberto will be fine in a few days. Besides, Erick is tougher than you think.”
“I don’t doubt it. He has a boss like you and works in a rough environment. I’m sure he’s great at handling difficult situations.”
The eight slices of pizza on my plate were gone. I think Joshua only ate two. I didn't realize I'd devoured six. And I was starting to feel sleepy after eating like a pig.
"I ate six slices of pizza."
"And?"
"You should have stopped me," I grumbled, taking the plate to the sink and washing my hands.
"I'm so sleepy now, and I just ate six slices of pizza. I'm going to get fat, Josh."
"You're that skinny, and you're worried you'll get fat? Seriously."
"Look at my lower stomach starting to sag. I have to work out starting tomorrow."
Joshua suddenly snapped his fingers.
"What's wrong?"
"We're going to work out together in the gym tomorrow. Wear your best workout clothes."
"Did you forget, I didn't bring anything here? I don't have any workout clothes."
"I told Mia to get your stuff out of my room four years ago."
“I know. Mia told me. And thankfully, she hasn’t thrown them away yet, because she said most of them were new. "So she put them in boxes and put them in the storage room,” I snorted.
“I found these pajamas in the storage room yesterday after I was unpacking the boxes with Mia. The rest of the clothes need to be washed before wearing them because they're dirty with dust. Melissa didn't bring any clothes either. She's wearing the clothes she wore from NYC yesterday.”
“We'll buy everything you and Melissa need tomorrow. Now it's time for bed.”
“But I just ate six slices of pizza.”
Joshua dragged me upstairs to his bedroom.
“Trust me, those pizzas won't have time to turn into fat on your body.”
“What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him.
“Because I'll burn them into energy soon.”
“No, Josh. You've got to be kidding me.”
“You know, I never joke, baby. Get in bed now.”