CHAPTER 147. CLAIRE

CHAPTER 147. CLAIRE
Raviel always had all the ingredients in his fridge, so I could cook anything easily. I cooked biryani, chicken tikka masala, and a Middle Eastern salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and spices. I also made dessert, strawberry pudding with custard. I didn't know if Raviel liked it or not, but he never complained about anything I cooked. Bertha also never mentioned that Raviel had any dietary restrictions.
"Wow, rice."
"If you don't like it, I can make something else."
“I love everything you cook.”
“Really? I should have asked you before I cooked. This is all about you.”
Raviel pulled my chin toward him. He stared at me intently with a gaze so tender that it melted my heart.
“This isn’t just about me, it’s about you and Aiden too. It’s about us. You don’t have to feel guilty about anything you cook because I truly love everything you cook with your hands. You put so much love into them. That’s what I’ve always missed about you, and I’ll never get it anywhere else, even if I pay an expensive chef to cook the way you do.”
“Thank you for appreciating my cooking. It means so much to me,” I whispered hoarsely.
My eyes shifted to his tightly closed lips. It had been so long since I last touched his lips with mine. Part of me wanted to lean in closer and taste them. A year had passed, and perhaps there were many changes my eyes couldn't detect, but my lips could.
"When are we going to start dinner?"
I was startled when those lips suddenly moved. My head jerked back. A blush spread across my cheeks because Raviel had caught me admiring his lips.
"Right now," I stammered.
Since we don't have a crib or playmat here, Aiden had to stay in his stroller while we enjoyed dinner. He wasn't asleep yet, but he wasn't fussy. He was busy playing with his toy cars. The stroller was between us.
"This dining table is also very large. You could even invite fifty people to dinner at this table."
"You know me well, Claire. I don't like bringing strangers into my territory."
“You don’t like inviting strangers into your house, yet you built a house this big,” I chuckled.
“Let’s say I prepared this for my family. Just imagine, if you had ten children, this dining table would be big enough to seat them all. And if they got married, we’d have ten more people. This dining table would be big enough for them all. And if each of our children had children, this dining table would still be big enough to seat them all.”
I almost laughed at his words.
“You want ten children?”
“Why not?” he said nonchalantly.
“That’s a lot of children. How are you going to handle them?”
“I didn’t know how to handle a baby before I had one, but now I can tell you that I can handle Aiden pretty well. So, if you asked me now how I’d handle ten kids, I’d tell you I have no idea. The only way you’ll know how I do it is if you give me ten kids.”
I gaped at his explanation. Those were probably the longest words Raviel had ever uttered. I knew he wasn't a talkative man. But things might have changed for him in the past year.
"We talked about it as if we were going to," I chuckled dryly. "We knew we'd never have ten children and watch them grow up."
"Who knows? Aren't things always changing around us?"
I shot him a puzzled look.
"A year ago, I swore I'd never appear in front of you again. I'd give you the quiet life you desire. But now I'm here with you. We've been great parents to Aiden for over a week. It's possible you might even marry me one day," Raviel grinned.
"I always love surprises prepared by God."
I looked down at my rice, unable to look at Raviel's face for long. I was worried he'd catch a glimmer of hope on my face. Secretly, I wanted that to happen too. Maybe if God took action, things would be a lot easier.
“God never fails to surprise people,” I muttered.