Principessa Diana

Chapter Seventeen: Diana

FOUR MONTHS LATER

CHRISTMAS EVE

"So," I laughed as I flopped down to sit beside my husband of almost three months on the couch that sat in front of our Christmas tree. "How well did I feign surprise?"

We were spending our first Christmas together at our cabin in Little Creek. We were joined by my brother, Apollo, and his partner. My sister, Nona, was also in attendance with her boyfriend, Dave's friend and co-worker, Spencer. Well, he was her boyfriend until a little over an hour earlier when the couple had announced their engagement. I acted surprised because I had already known that the announcement was coming. Spencer had used Dave's jeweler, and the couple had just gotten back from a romantic trip to North Carolina. I could do the math.

"You were perfect, as always, la mia anima." Dave wrapped a strong arm around me and softly kissed my forehead.

I leaned my head back against his shoulder and smiled up at him. "You want your Christmas present?"

"It's not Christmas yet, Principessa Diana," he reminded me. He was probably the only person on planet earth who could get away with calling me that.

"I know," I nodded, "but I wanted to give you this present in private."

Dave raised an amused eyebrow.

"Mind out of the gutter, old man," I chuckled and smacked his chest lightly.

"That's not what you were calling me last night," he teased, making me blush.

"I thought a man's libido dropped the older he got." I had learned to give as good as I got when it came to my husband's teasing.

"Cara mia, have you seen yourself?" Dave laughed huskily. "All you have to do is look at me, and I'm ready to go. I'm a damn lucky man, and my libido knows it."

"I'm lucky too." I leaned down and softly kissed him before grabbing the green envelope that I had stashed behind a couch cushion and handing it to him. "Merry Christmas, baby."

I watched my curious husband open the envelope and extract the black and white photograph that it contained. He looked confused for a brief second before everything seemed to click for him. He looked at me with a tender expression on his handsome face. "I'd wondered why you suddenly lost your taste for scotch."

I nodded and giggled. "Trust me, I miss it, but this is more than worth going without for a while."

We'd started trying to get pregnant immediately after our September wedding. I hadn't expected it to happen this quickly, but I wasn't complaining. I had everything that I had ever wanted.

Dave reached out a hand and gently placed it over my stomach. "I don't know how you'll ever top this gift, sweetheart. This is the greatest gift that anyone has ever given me." He reached up with his other hand and cupped my cheek, his thumb lightly caressing my bottom lip. "Ti am oil, mia angelo."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I offered him a small smile. "I love you too, babe."

I gave myself to him, freely, and without fear, as his lips came down passionately on mine, and he got to his feet, with me in his surprisingly strong arms, and carried me upstairs to bed. I was finally living the love story as opposed to writing it. Finally.

FINIS