Chapter 12

RAINA

Ronald called not long after they had dinner that he would be a little bit late today, so Raina tucked the girls to bed alone.

As usual, she was sitting in the middle of the girls’ bed, her head against the headboard, reading them a bedtime story.

Raina turned to her left and saw that Adrie was fast asleep. She turned to her right and saw that Alexa was sleepy as she kept rubbing the back of her hand against her eyes.

A question popped into Raina’s head, so she asked Alexa about it. “Alexa darling,” she called.

“Yes,” the little girl answered in her sleepy voice.

“Why do you introduce Adrie as your sister to everyone?”

Everything was silent for a while until Alexa sat up and faced Raina. “Are you mad at me for doing that?” the little girl asked.

“No, honey. I’m not mad at you. I’m just curious to know why,” Raina said as she stroked the little girl’s light brown hair.

“It’s because I love Adrie so much, and I want her to be my baby sister. I’ve always wanted a sister to play with, and then Daddy introduced Adrie to me.

“I want us to be a family, Raina. Will you marry my daddy so that you can be my mommy? Please?” the little girl pleaded.

Raina was beyond shocked. She didn’t know what to say to Alexa. She wondered how a six-year-old knew what marriage meant.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Go to bed. I’ll think about it,” Raina finally said, and she kissed Alexa on her forehead.

RONALD

“And what was your reply?” Ronald asked with a huge smile on his face.

He came back from work a while ago, and now they were having some alone time. But this time around, they were on the balcony. They were seated on chairs beside each other, and the weather was cool.

Raina had filled Ronald in with what she discussed with Alexa, and he was extremely happy about it.

He was thinking of ways to come clean to Raina about his feelings, and he was glad his daughter had taken a huge step already.

“I told her I was going to think about it,” Raina said, after which she took a sip of her red wine.

“So what will you say when she asks you tomorrow?” Ronald asked, eager to know what her reply would be.

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Being in a relationship with someone now seems too soon. It’s only been two months.”

Ronald turned his attention to her, collected the glass cup from her, and placed it on a small table beside them. Then he took her hands in his and looked straight into her eyes.

“I was thinking of how to open up to you, but I’m glad that Alexa took that bold step.

“I like you, Raina. I don’t know how or when it happened, but I find you very attractive, and you make me feel what I’ve never felt before.

“I don’t know if you feel the same way about me, but I want you to please give me a chance. I’m not insisting we get married soon, but I want you to be my girlfriend.

“I want you to give us a chance, and above all, I want you to give me a chance to make me make you fall in love with me. Honestly, I can’t imagine my life without you or Adrie in it.

“You don’t have to give me your answer now. I will wait till you’re ready.”

RAINA

Things got quiet between the two of them.

Raina did not know what to say. Truly she liked Ronald, and she found him really attractive; even his gesture right now, him holding her hands, sent tingling sensations down her spine.

“Can I think about it, please?” she whispered.

Raina did not fail to see the hurt in his eyes, which turned into a sad smile after a while.

“No problem,” he said as he untangled his hands from hers.

For things not to get awkward between them, he changed the topic.

“So, how was work today?” he asked.

“Fine. Everyone was nice to me.”

“Any new friends?” he asked.

“Not really, except for the head chef. Her name is Maggie,” she replied, and he nodded.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it over there,” he said. “That reminds me—Alexa will be continuing her swimming lessons tomorrow, so Adrie will be joining her. I signed her up too.”

Raina frowned. “But Adrie doesn’t even know how to swim.”

“That’s why it’s called a swimming lesson, babe.” He smiled.

She sighed. “I know. Maybe I’m just scared of her drowning.”

“You don’t need to worry. She will be in safe hands,” he assured her.

***

~WEEKS LATER~

“I will give the phone to her. Hold on a sec,” Raina overheard Ronald say. She in the kitchen was baking with the girls.

Raina wearing short shorts and a tank top, her hair in a messy bun. She also had an apron on. Alexa and Adrie matched her in their short shorts and a cute little top with the small apron Raina made for them.

The girls were sitting on stools beside the counter, mixing the flour.

Ronald smiled as he walked toward them. He kissed the girls on their cheek, which made them smile, and went ahead to do the same to Raina.

But this time, he gave her a quick kiss on her lips, making her blush a little. She still hasn’t gotten used to him kissing her, and she still finds herself a little bit shy around him.

Raina agreed to be Ronald’s girlfriend a few days after he asked her out. Alexa and Adrie were also aware that their parents were dating, and they were really happy about it.

“My mom wants to speak to you,” Ronald passed his phone to Raina.

Raina and Adrie met Ronald’s mom a few days back, and the old woman fell in love with them instantly. She told Raina to call her Mom and Adrie to call her Grandma.

She was so sweet to them, and Raina never regretted meeting her.

“Hi, Mom,” Raina said to the other side with a nervous smile while Ronald shrugged and moved toward the girls. He started a conversation with them about what they were doing.

“Hello, dear. How are you?” Magda, Ronald’s mother, asked.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she answered.

“I’m glad you are doing well, dear. I just wanted to ask if my grandchildren could come spend the rest of the weekend with me. Please?” Magda pleaded, referring to Alexa and Adrie.

“Sure. I’m certain they will be happy to spend some time with you,” Raina replied.

“Okay, dear. I will come to pick them up in about three hours. Is that okay with you?” Magda asked.

“Sure, that’ll be fine. I will start getting them ready.”

“Okay, dear. See you soon,” she said, after which she ended the call.

“Girls, your grandma is coming to pick you up for the weekend,” Raina, turning to the kids, announced.

“Yaaaay, that will be fun, Adrie,” Alexa said to Adrie with a big smile.

“I know. Grandma will give us many chocolates like the other day.” Adrie grinned.

That was Magda for you. She always made sure she spoiled them rotten whenever they visited, and they always came back home with new things.

“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll help them pack and get ready. You can continue with your baking. Maybe when you’re through, you can come supervise us,” Ronald offered.

She smiled. She was glad he was willing to help.

Clarice had gone on a week’s break to visit her daughter. Clarice had only one child, who had two kids, too, so she took vacations to go visit them from time to time.

Ronald walked over to Raina. He kissed her cheek, after which he walked back to the girls and helped them undo their aprons, then led them upstairs to get ready.

As soon as they left the kitchen, Raina continued her baking. She was making some cupcakes for Jemma’s baby shower, which was this evening. Since Jemma requested them, she decided to make them for her.

Raina put her full concentration on what she was baking until Ronald’s phone buzzed beside her, indicating he had a message.

She ignored his phone and focused on what she was doing, but it made another noise. She sighed as she abandoned what she was doing and looked at the phone. The message was from Loretta.

To be honest, the first time Raina saw Loretta, she knew she had a lot to do in keeping her away from Ronald.

Raina could admit that Loretta was fine, attractive, and sexy, but hello—Ronald was hers, so Loretta needed to stay away.

Ray continued her baking, wondering why Loretta was texting Ronald on the weekend.

RONALD

“So we have the whole house to ourselves. What do you think we should do before we start preparing for the baby shower?” Ronald teased as they both took a seat on the couch.

After Raina was done with the cupcakes, she went upstairs to the girls’ room to assist them in packing for the weekend at their grandma’s place.

Luckily, Ronald had done all of that, so she just cross-checked if the bag had all the essentials they would need.

Their grandma came a few hours later. Raina and Ronald helped the girls into their grandma’s car. She also packed some cupcakes for them too.

She gave them each a goodbye kiss and told them to be good to Magda before they left.

Ronald noticed the change in Raina’s mood. He moved closer to her and made her sit on his lap.

“What is the matter, Ray?” he asked. He knew her well to conclude something was wrong. Also, this was not the first time the kids would be sleeping over at their grandma’s place, so he didn’t think she was sad about that.

“Why is Loretta texting you nonstop?” she asked as she folded her arms.

Ronald chuckled because he knew what this was about.

“Is that why you’re mad at me?” he asked.

She nodded.

He kind of liked it when she behaved this way. It was an assurance that she liked him. “Loretta was just being herself, Ray. She was texting me about what she should wear for the baby shower tonight, but I didn’t reply.”

“She’s coming for the baby shower?” Raina asked in shock.

Ronald nodded.

“Why?” she groaned.

“Gabriel invited her. Out of respect, of course. You know she also has this high position in the company,” he said, and she nodded slowly.

“Hey.” He raised her chin with his finger. “You don’t have to worry about anything. Loretta is not my type. I only have eyes for you, okay?” he assured her.

Over the past few months, Ronald had told Loretta to stay away because he now had a girlfriend.

He knew she was shocked at what he said, but he also knew that she wouldn’t stop trying. As long as they were not married, she would never stop trying.

“I believe you. I don’t just trust her,” Raina mumbled.

“It’s fine, my love. I will be by your side throughout the party if that will make you feel better,” he said, and she nodded instantly.

***

Ronald dressed up in a casual outfit, which consisted of dark blue pants and a black shirt that had a touch of red in it. His hair was neatly styled in a way Raina had said she loved.

His phone was already in his pocket. He decided to take one of his phones and leave the other one at home.

He jogged down the stairs; Raina was not in the living room. He assumed she was still dressing, so he used that opportunity to take the wrapped gifts and the cupcakes Raina baked into the car.

He came back inside and saw Raina struggling to fix her necklace.

“Sorry I took so long,” she apologized, still trying to fix the chain.

“Here, let me help you.” Ronald collected the beautiful piece of jewelry from her and fixed it almost immediately.

He kissed the back of her neck before twirling her around to face him.

“You look very beautiful, my love,” he complimented her, and she smiled.

RAINA

Raina wore a red knee-length dress that showed a bit of her cleavage. The red color matched the touch of red on Ronald’s shirt. Raina matched the dress with a pair of black heels, and her hair was down.

“Thank you, you don’t look bad either.” She giggled.

He leaned toward her and gave her a passionate kiss before ushering her out of the house into the car. He drove straight to Gabriel and Jemma’s place, where the baby shower was taking place.

“Welcome. We have been waiting for you two,” Gabriel greeted as soon as he opened the door.

He gave Raina a quick hug while he pulled Ronald into a half hug. He couldn’t hug him fully because of the box of cupcakes he was holding.

“Where’s Jemma?” Raina asked.

“She’s in the living room,” he replied, and Raina nodded at his reply before making her way through the small crowd into the living room.

“Hey!” Raina greeted her as soon as she saw Jemma, who was seated on a couch in the living room, holding a glass of lemonade.

The living room was well decorated with a mix of pink and blue. The party extended into the garden, and Raina could see people hanging out and eating.

“Raina.” Jemma grinned as she slowly rose to her feet and pulled Raina into a half-side hug because of her huge belly.

Jemma was one hell of an energetic pregnant woman. She looked like she was about to pop anytime soon. She was wearing a white dress and a flat fancy slipper.

“We’ve been waiting for you. Everyone was asking where the baby’s godmother was,” Jemma said as she let Raina take a seat beside her.

“The baby’s godmother?” she asked, confused.

“Yes, Raina. Gabriel and I decided you will be our baby’s godmother. Will you? Please?” Jemma asked.

Raina nodded with a smile. “Of course. I would love to,” she replied. “So, who’s the godfather?”

“Your boyfriend,” Jemma whispered, and Raina blushed. “We had in mind that Ronald was going to be the baby’s godfather. We were thinking of a godmother for him or her, and then you came by.”

“You guys make a really beautiful couple,” Jemma said as she looked toward the stairs and saw Ronald laughing at what Gabriel was saying.

Suddenly, an attractive lady walked to their side, which caused Raina to frown. It was Loretta. She wore a dark short dress with red heels, and her hair was in a high ponytail.

Jemma chuckled as she noticed the frown on Raina’s face. “You know you don’t need to be worried, right? Ronald only has eyes for you,” she assured her as she held Raina’s right hand.

“I trust him, but I don’t trust her a bit.”

“She’s in her dream world, honey. She thinks she can still get Ronald, which is impossible because you have him wrapped around your little finger,” Jemma said, hoping Raina would worry less.

The baby shower started in full swing, and Jemma introduced Raina to her parents, her brother, and some of her other close friends.

When it was time to announce the baby’s gender, Jemma made sure it was the baby’s godparents’ duty to do so.

So that left Raina and Ronald standing in the middle of everyone who gathered around them in circles. Some were seated, and some were standing.

“So, this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” Raina said with a folded paper in her right hand, tied with a yellow ribbon.

“The moment that determines if my girlfriend and I are expecting a goddaughter or godson,” Ronald said as he walked closer to Raina and wrapped his hand around her waist, after which he kissed her shoulder.

There was a collective “Aw” from the partygoers.

“So, let’s see what it says,” Raina said as all eyes were on them.

First, she loosened the ribbon, after which she opened the paper and smiled. Ronald could see it, too, because his arms were still wrapped around her waist, and his head was on her shoulder.

She glanced at Ronald, and he nodded.

“It’s a girl,” they announced together, and everyone cheered.

Jemma burst out in tears of joy, and Gabriel tried to calm her down by whispering calm words in her ear as she cried in his chest.

After that, everyone celebrated with food and drinks. A toast was made to the soon-to-be parents, and everyone presented their gifts.

Raina and Ronald stayed a little longer with Jemma and Gabriel. They helped them unwrap the baby’s gifts and arranged them in the baby’s room.