2°: Chapter 13

James watched intently, listened as the man spoke to him, but only kept his eyes on one fixed point. It was beautiful.

- This is not new, it came from somewhere else, a little old lady in her 80s or so brought it five years ago. She said she had inherited it from her family, who lived in Italy, and that it was a tradition to give it to a son, but since she had never had any family, she preferred to donate it.

James's eyes widened.

- Donate it? That is, she didn't get anything in return.

-Oh, no. I can assure you that lady was more than a millionaire, she didn't need the money.

-Perfect, it's perfect. -James took it.

- Dad, can I see it? - Portia asked, holding out her hand.

James bent down to Portia's level and she opened her hands, he placed the beautiful ring between her hands.

- Be careful. Do you like it?

-It's very nice, I want one like it. Will you buy me one?

James smiled.

- I don't know if one just like it, but you can pick one over there. -He said pointing to a small shelf with a lot of rings with little stones on them. -James asked.

- Most of them are. -The man answered. James looked at the ring one more time.

- I'll take it, what's the price?

- $278.623. -

James looked up and saw it. He smiled.

- Perfect. I'll take it.

- I'll take it. - The man took the delicate ring. -Come with me, do you want to wear it with a box or... -Oh, yes.

-Oh, yes. I want one. -She said following the man.

James glanced at Portia and saw how she was looking at the small rings.

He kept walking behind the man and the man led him to a counter, he pulled out several boxes of engagement rings.

- Take your pick.

James looked, blue, black, black, red, white. Um, he liked the normal, but the white seemed more formal. He took the white one and handed it to the man.

- Okay, wait for me over there. -He said and pointed to a counter further to the left, a few feet away. James walked over to where Portia was standing.

-Do you like any of them, honey? -I asked.

Portia pointed to a gold one, with a small purple pebble inside.

______

James walked through the house, Luna was on the couch, holding a package of potato chips and watching a web series.

- Hi," he said, approaching her. Luna smiled.

-Hi. She gave him a kiss. - Where have you been?

James smiled and sat down next to her.

- I went to buy some stuff for Portia, besides, mom's birthday is coming up and I stopped by to buy her something, and Portia wanted something too so, I spent a little. -He said jokingly.

- Oh, I bought something for your mom too. -He said and stood up, walked past James and kept walking until he came to a bag behind the couch.

He picked it up and went back to James's side. He took out a set of paint.

-Oh, I will love you. -He said, looking at and delicately touching the brushes, "Mom loves to paint.

-I know, I talked to Iris, and asked her.

- It's perfect.

James looked at her and smiled.

- How do you feel? He said and placed one of his hands on Luna's not-so-flat belly.

- Perfect, I feel perfectly fine. - She said with a huge smile -These two are just as calm as you are.

- Well, they have my blood, don't they?

Twins, they would have twins. That news had been a bit unexpected, but it didn't take long for them to get twice as excited. Luna was almost four months along.

- What names do you like? -she asked. James sighed.

- I don't know, for a girl, I'd like something like? Mia, Frances, or... I don't know. -Luna, you know, for a boy, something like Theo, James...I'm not good with names, Luna, you know that. -he said, laughing.

Luna laughed with him.

-Well, Theo and Mia, I like them, James is cute. I like several names, like Claire, Jamie, Luke, or Frances, my grandmother was called that. -He said with a smile.

- Do they have middle names? -Someone was watching Outlander.

Luna laughed....

- Yes, do you want them to have one?

- Oh, of course. But we don't know if they'll be two boys, or two girls, or a boy and a girl. In any case, what will they be called?

-Um well, if it's two boys, one could be Theo, and the other Jamie, do you think?

- Yes, I like them. And if they are girls, one could be Claire, and the other Frances. -He said smiling.

-Exactly, and if it's a girl and a boy... Do you want to choose the boy's or the girl's? -Luna asked.

James looked at her puzzled.

- Really...

- Come on, rock paper scissors. -she said, smiling. James sat up a little straighter, so that he was right in front of her. - Whoever loses, picks the one with the kid. Okay? - James nodded, "Okay, rock, paper, scissors, 1, 2, 3, go....

James made a rock, while Luna made a paper.

- You got the one with the child. - Luna said.

-Um, well, it'll be Theo, and his middle name...Jamie," she smiled.

- Theo Jamie Bexell, sounds good. -He smiled. "Well, if it's a girl, it'll be Claire Frances Yorke.

- They look perfect. - he said and kissed Luna's cheek.

- Speaking of children, where is Portia?

- Oh, she's in her room showing her ring to her stuffed animals. -She smiled.

- Oh, I want to see it. -She said tenderly.

- It's so cute, it has a little purple stone in it. -James commented.

- She must be happy, yesterday she asked me for a crown.

- As what?

- As a queen, since, according to her, she is not a princess, she is a queen. -She said and laughed tenderly.

James smiled.

- I wanted to ask you something.

- What?

- Do you have something to do next Friday? I mean, from 6PM until the next day.

- No, I've finished editing this week's photos, so, nothing. Why?

- Well, let's just say I want to surprise you. - He smiled. -

- Oh, I'm available. -He laughed.

James reached over and planted a kiss on her nose.

-

- You will ask her to marry you. - Peter said.

James nodded.

- Don't you think it's a bit hasty? I mean, they have a whole life.

James opened his eyes and gave him a dirty look.

- I thought that before and I lost my wife. Let's see, since when did you have that point of view? - she asked, looking at him doubtfully.

- It's just, I'm not sure about this...I, I don't trust....

- Who? Who don't you trust? - he said sternly. James's face had completely changed.

Lately Peter had been bragging about how surprised he was by Luna, doubting her pregnancy and questioning her love, James had tried to tell him how wrong he was, but Peter kept insisting.

- In...

- No, don't tell me. I don't care if you don't trust my relationship with Luna, she will be the mother of my children, you understand. I love her, and I'm sure, pretty sure she loves me too. I don't understand your obsession with coming here and bragging about it. It's stupid. -He said grumpily.

Peter gave him a dirty look.

- She's changed you.

- Are you out of your mind? Luna hasn't changed me at all, I thought you liked her.

- I did, it's just....

- You know what, you better go, I don't... I don't want you to bother me anymore. - He said walking past Peter.

He gave him a grudging look and opened the door for him. Peter looked at him quizzically. James wasn't one to argue, but it got on his nerves when Peter questioned everything from his relationship with Luna, to the pregnancy. He kept repeating that there was still a possibility that she wanted him just for his money. James was sure that wasn't why. He was her friend, he knew, but that didn't give him the right to judge the person he was in love with.

James sat down at his desk, picked up his phone and dialed the number he had written down on a piece of paper a few hours earlier.

- Hello," said a female voice on the other end.

- Hello.

- Yes, who is this?

- This is James Yorke, I need to book your restaurant for Friday night, is that possible?

_____________

Luna kept scribbling something, pretending not to hear. She looked up and tried not to turn around and hit them both with a chair. The blondes were chatting about how hot the next model was, who wasn't a model, but they were going to write an article about him for a National magazine. The blondes mentioned every part of his face, not forgetting his smile, "beautiful, bright and warm," as the one in the red blouse had said.

- He just looks so good. -I can't believe a man like that is single.

- Ugh, he's not. -she said whispering. - I asked Pia if she knew anything about him and she said he has a girlfriend, and a daughter.

Luna paid attention. Neither of us knew she was behind that glass wall too blurry to see.

- Too bad.

- Yeah, James Yorke shouldn't settle down. Having all that money and being so handsome, I can bet their relationship won't last more than this year.

Luna was startled. Were they talking about her boyfriend? Would those girls know she was the one they were talking about?

She grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote down what she should have written a long time ago, but hadn't because she was listening to those gossipy girls. She walked out of the office, and into the office next door. The two blondes immediately fell silent.

- Hello, Sarah, Luciane..." He said greeting kindly, but with a hint of hatred. The blondes waved back, "I'm here because I need James's interview to put together the design.

- It's Mr. Yorke while you work here. If Delora ever hears you call him that, she'll call your blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde blonde.

- You're not going to tell me what to call my boyfriend.

He turned and walked out of the office. He didn't turn to look at them, as he knew they would probably exchange a comment or two. She didn't like to talk about her private life, much less with people who weren't worth her time, but those two blondes had kindness and privacy down pat.

He walked into his office and left the notebook on the desk. His phone rang.

"Today is Friday, remember our date :) - James."

"Trust me, I won't forget! - Luna!"

Luna smiled. Of course she wasn't going to forget that date. James had been reminiscing about her all week. If or if, he was planning something.

-

James; he still didn't know why, but he used to feel sad at night. One day was left until Friday, one day for his life to change, whatever Luna's answer would be.

A huge pressure, full of pain and some guilt filled her heart and thoughts at night. She tried to distract herself, sometimes went downstairs for a drink, but that feeling was still there, constantly nagging. That feeling had started in the early hours of Tuesday morning, just after he had gone to sleep after watching a movie with Luna.

Then, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, he woke up at 5 a.m. sitting in the living room, with the photo album in his hands and a cold sweat on his face.

He had been having nightmares for 1 month now but he didn't think much about it, he was trying to focus on what was most important to him now, his family. He had done perfect, but he still couldn't focus completely on the dream, the last nightmare he had had in the early hours of Thursday morning, he woke up at about 4 am, in the guest room, on top of the bed, where the blanket that Sarah used to tuck Portia in when she was just a baby.

James raised his head in alarm, looked at the clock on the nightstand, 4:10AM. He smelled that peculiar scent and looked down and could make out the lilac-colored blanket in the dim light. For some reason, she felt her nose start to tingle and her eyes to burn. She touched her face with her left hand while holding tightly with her right.

Her eyes filled with tears and she had no choice but to let them out. James's low sobs were audible only to him, and so was the pain he felt at that very moment. He flopped down on the blanket and tried to distract himself by thinking about something else, but the only thing that managed to take over his thoughts was the pale-faced, brown-eyed woman he hadn't seen for 6 years, almost 7.

He felt guilt, and he didn't know why, the only thing he could think of, was Sarah's face, completely disappointed, as he asked her how he had been able to have forgotten her so quickly.

He quickly got out of bed and left the room. He walked a few feet until he reached the door to Portia's room, opened the door until he could make out the pink bed. He walked over to the little girl and sat down next to her.

He admired every faction of her face, the delicate upturned nose, those long eyelashes, just like Sarah's. Her long hair, it was darker. Her long hair, it was darker. It had grown so long.

He remembered what it was like the first time Luna saw her. Portia was in that pink tutu, and a delicate hairdo. That day he invited Luna over to play, but she went to his room and broke all the pillows.

Of course, he knew perfectly well that Portia had made a 'Feather Rain' with her pillows, and that Luna had helped her hide them, but so as not to make Portia feel bad, he hadn't said anything. And the first time she held her in her arms, she was so tiny and so delicate. She had tiny, slender fingers that were as soft as her face. The first time she looked at him, with a confused look. James swore that at that moment he had fallen in love, and so he had, he fell paternally in love with his daughter, because he loved her with all his heart and had sworn to protect her with his last breath.

She was a strong child, she had been through many hospitals, punctures, pains and cries, and now she was healthy, now she could run, enjoy and ride a roller coaster. She wiped away a long tear that had fallen down her right cheek and after that she placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. He slowly walked out of the room and closed the door with all the care not to make any noise. He walked a few steps and reached the room he shared with Luna. He entered it and saw how Luna was sleeping peacefully, the comforter was lying on the floor and she was on her side with a peaceful expression on her face.

He quietly approached the bed and lifted the black cloth and then covered Luna with it.

He sat down beside her just as he had done with Portia, and tucked a lock behind her ear. Luna twitched her mouth in a gesture of discomfort, he smiled.

When Sarah left, the sass made him fall in love all over again. But then Luna's face appeared, on his computer screen. And though he tried to stay away from her, he knew who she was and couldn't resist those beloved memories. He loved her with his soul, and he also loved his two babies, who were patiently growing up full of love.

He had done everything to show his love for her. He had cared for her, kissed her, caressed her and made love to her. For days now, making love to her had seemed like a very caring thing to do. I mean, James knew he could make love to his girlfriend until the end of her pregnancy, but he felt she was too fragile. He remembered the first time he saw her, with that nervous hand movement she made when he was near. He had had many, too many encounters with her, he had watched her in all the breaks and when he could he would talk to her. But of course, she was too shy and sometimes a bit cold, so James interpreted that she disliked him. He got up from Luna's side and went to her side of the bed, lay down quietly and covered himself with the black duvet, thinking of all the times he had talked to Luna, or watched her until he was tired.