In The Hands of a Billionaire

Chapter 23

Aiden's POV

Quietly staring into the pit of the fire, I almost missed the figure sitting down next to me. Her luscious brown curls were now spilling over her shoulder, past her dark hoodie while her light blue eyes gazed at me questioningly.

"You've been quiet since this afternoon, are you okay?" Natalie asked while staring at me as I quietly smiled at her before turning my attention back towards the flames of the fire.

"I'm okay. Just thinking about some things." I replied while glancing at her as she furrowed her eyebrows in questioning before she leaned on me. "Your surfing was amazing today. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you." I smiled, quickly changing the subject as Natalie quietly chuckled before smiling up at me.

"Thank you. It took me awhile to get used to surfing again but I finally got back into my favorite hobby. What about you? What's your favorite hobby?" She questioned while quietly entwining our hands as we stared at the flames together.

"I secretly had a hobby for cooking." I stated while glancing down at Natalie for a reaction but she only gave me a smile. "My mom and my grandmothers slowly got me addicted to cooking. Whenever they cooked, I was there. I would slowly learn the family recipes one by one everyday and once I got older, I would test them out with my parents and my siblings." I added as Natalie nodded quietly in understanding.

"Well, that's good to hear that Natalie's in the hands of a man that can cook well. My poor heart can rest well." A quiet feminine voice stated from behind us as we quickly turned to be met by Natalie's grandmother along with her grandkids and some other people. At the front of them stood a tall woman with the same complexion as Natalie except her hair was shorter and it framed her face. Quietly standing up, I helped Natalie up while grasping her hand as we looked at the group of people. "You must be Aiden Sampson? I've heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you." She greeted while extending her hand as I shook it.

"Valentina!" Natalie squealed while practically jumping the tall woman who caught her in a hug before squeezing her tightly. "It's so good to see you again, sis." Natalie sighed while pulling back to stare up at her sister who looked down at her happily. "Why'd you cut your hair though?" She inquired as Valentina shrugged before smiling down at her.

"A new look to greet my baby sister with of course." She stated while an older man moved towards the fire with a heavy cooler as I ran to assist him. From the looks of it, I'm guessing this was Ada's husband. His dark brown hair was cut short, just below his ears and every now and than you could spot a few strands of gray. As we placed the cooler down near the fire, he quietly stood up while stretching his back as he stared at me with dark eyes.

"I hope you're treating my granddaughter and her baby well, son." He spoke while the others were slowly making their way towards us as they caught up with Natalie, a smile permanently gracing her face. "If not, we don't need anymore horrible people in her life." He stated as I quietly nodded my head at him.

"You can rest assured that I will not treat Natalie like that monster did. I was raised not to lay a hand on a woman and to respect her like I would with my mom." I stated as he looked me over quietly before nodding his head.

"Bastiano, I hope you're not giving Aiden any trouble over here." Natalie's grandmother, Ada, stated while placing her hand on her husband's shoulder as his eyes softened when they met hers. "We should be thankful for him." She added while gently smiling over at me as her husband sighed before nodding. "Now, let's get the fish ready. Raigh-lee won't last long on meatballs." She whispered as they both laughed before Ada walked away as Bastiano turned back to me.

"I leave the care of my granddaughter and her child in your hands." He stated as I nodded before he walked off.

"It's his way of saying thank you." A familiar voice stated as I turned to be greeted by Valentina as she approached me without Natalie. "Don't worry, she's only catching up with our cousins. She'll be here shortly, but let's have a talk." She added with a smile as I quietly nodded. "Don't worry about our Nonno (grandpa). If our Nonna (grandmother) accepts you than it won't be long before he does too as he loves her too much to upset her. I hope that the words you spoke are true because Natalie needs somebody in her life who won't turn their back on her when she needs their love. There's only so much that we as a family can do so we're counting on you, Aiden." She stated as Natalie was quickly approaching us with a smile on her face and a messy toddler on her hip. "Look at my chubby princess." Valentina cooed as Raigh-lee instantly looked up at her from eating a meatball before smiling.

"Hey, you okay?" Natalie asked, looking over at me as I nodded while smiling quietly. After Valentina rushed off after the triplets who had wanted to swim in the ocean, Natalie quietly approached me as Raigh-lee was leaning on her asleep. "I'm sorry about family. I hope they didn't interrogate you too much." She stated with an awkward laugh as I quietly kissed her forehead while pulling her close.

"Not at all. They're just making sure that you're in safe hands because they're worried about you and Raigh-lee." I stated while quietly running my hands through her soft hair. "I don't mind being interrogated or questioned because it let's me know that your family loves both of you dearly and don't want to lose you." I added as Natalie sighed softly. "Also, you asked me about what I told you the other night. Do you still want to know?" I questioned as she nodded her head. "I quietly whispered in your ear, 'I know Italian'." I stated as her face slowly started to turn red.

"So, this morning...you knew what I was saying?" She asked while hiding her face in Raigh-lee's curls as I nodded.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner." I laughed as she lightly hit me in the arm while continuing to hide.

I couldn't really tell her that those weren't the three words that I told her that night. It was too soon to tell her those words.

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A/N:

Hello darlings!

This chapter is not edited but eventually it will be. I apologise for the delay. I've been working on a new book, much to my own dismay.

What do you think Aiden actually said to Natalie?

Andrea