Dangerous Love Affair

Monalise and Rafael

Rushing a baby shower was probably one of the worst things I could have done, but with a few calls and my husband's connections, it was all coming together. We had a venue, we had the decorations, we had a caterer, we had a DJ, and the last of the invitations had went out. Sophia was mostly satisfied with everything, but she wanted to incorporate more pink than there already was. I felt like it would be the closest thing to living inside of a Pepto Bismol bottle.

Sophia stuffed her face with the last cannoli and licked her fingers clean. I could tell she wasn't interested in whatever the decorator had to say. She had been tuned out since they brought a platter of food, courtesy of her husband. I made a face and focused my attention back of Grace.

"So, I guess we can change the color of the chair from white to pink and instead of roses, we can do pink carnations." Grace lazily scribbled in her notebook while mumbling something incoherent.

I glanced around the venue, trying to imagine how the room would look when everything was put together. The venue was a big, empty space that was surrounded by floor to ceiling windows. Right outside of it, there was a garden that had blue hydrangea's growing on the bushes.

I had almost kissed Rafael's business partner's when he offered this spot to me at a discounted rate on such short notice. My jealous husband held me back and wouldn't permit anything but a handshake to thank him.

"It all sounds so good." I looked back at Sophia to find her already looking at me, "So I guess the only thing left to do is find a dress for the mother-to-be. "

She smiled and got up from where she was sitting. Her black tank top rode up a little showcasing how full her belly was. It was actually beautiful to see her like this—swollen lips, swollen ankles—with child. It was something I wanted for myself one day.

"Let's go before my pregnant battery pack runs out and I beg you to take me home so I can eat and sleep some more."

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Rodrigo's Palace was bursting with joy an excitement the moment Sophia and I stepped into the shop. Rodrigo was someone all the Italians in town went to whenever they needed a dress made for a special event. He delivered every single time, so I could see why. I had been here on too many occasions to count myself.

Rodrigo rushed to us from one of the many mannequins in the shop. He held out his hands and mold his hands to Sophia's baby bump. She smiled and placed her hand on his to move it around her bump. He gasped and put his hands over his mouth.

"Soon little Arlene is going to get her baptism dress here."

He pulled her into him and gave her kisses on both of her cheeks before doing the same for me.

"So, Rod, I need a dress for this baby shower in a week." We both followed him when he started walking towards the back of the shop, "I know it's last minute but if anyone can do it, it's you."

He led us to a row of dresses that were all white and long. He looked through the dresses until he found the one he was looking for. He pulled it out and sat it on a table behind us. The dress was a long sleeved, form-fitting, V-Neck dress that looked like it would reach right under her boobs. It went all the way down to her shin and flowered out around her feet.

"This is the perfect dress. Of course, I'm going to dye it and add a few rhinestones around the bust area but after that you should look like a princess." He smiled at the dress like he was fantasizing about the end result.

Sophia raised her hands, "It's all up to you, Rod. I trust you."

He looked up at me, "What do you think, Mona? Should I make it silk?"