Chapter Four ~ Ariana

"Can't believe they were happy to see us leave." I sulked as we drove out of the estate's premises.

"I'm sure they're just happy you're getting a break from working all day." Damien tried to reassure me but I was not having it. My kids didn't even act like they were going to miss me.

"But,"

"Baby, let's just enjoy our time together, alright?" He said, cutting off my rant session before it even began.

"Fine." I grudgingly agreed, enjoying the silence of the ride afterwards.

We found ourselves on a resort quite a distance from the busy city. It was so serene, I felt this sudden peace envelope me as soon as he drove into the premises and had the car parked by the valet.

"Welcome to Serenity."

"Just the perfect name," I sighed out a with smile at the concierge.

"Indeed." She nodded and returned my smile with a professional one.

"Reservation?" The receptionist asked as we stopped at the marble counter.

Damien nodded and answered in his usual authoritative baritone, "Yes, Kingston. Damien Kingston."

The blonde woman nodded quickly, "Yes sir, you requested for our best suite."

"And I'm hoping it's available."

"It is. She'll escort you to your suite." She said, gesturing at the concierge who welcomed us.

"Thank you. Let's go babe." Damien said to me. I snapped out of looking around and took a few steps behind him before spotting a book trolley filled with a sort of magazine.

"Can I take one of these?" I asked when I got a closer look.

"Yes ma'am, they're complimentary." The receptionist responded.

"Thanks." I grabbed one and paused to take a glance.

"Baby?" Damien called out to me, halfway into the elevator.

"Coming!" I jogged over to him, clutching the little book to my chest.

"What is that?" He asked as I stood next to him.

"Oh it's nothing, I just wanted to read through something while we're here." I shrugged.

"Okay,"

I could spot a slight smirk on his face. Apparently, he had other plans for this trip but there was no way I was going to return tired from a trip that was meant to be relaxing, not on my watch.

"I'm going to read this while we're here Damien." I stated firmly.

"Yes ma'am." He gave me a mock salute with an ever so sarcastic grin present on his face.

We got up to the suite and I was in awe. "It's breathtaking." It literally was cause I said that breathlessly. The view was spectacular.

"Have nice stay Mr and Mrs Kingston."

"Thank you." We said in unison as we watched her leave.

"You like it?" Damien asked me when I looked around.

"Love it." I said and hopped on the bed, letting out a sigh of content.

"Seeing you so relaxed already, makes me so happy." He fondly said with the cutest smile on his face.

"Awww." I pecked his lips lightly for lack of words to say in response.

"That's all you're gonna give me?" He tried to pull me back to him.

"We need to call home!" I hopped off the bed in reflex just so I could avoid his touch. I grabbed my phone and FaceTimed mom.

"Hey mom." I said as soon as her face popped up on my screen.

"I knew you were gonna call soon." She said smugly.

I chuckled nervously, "Where are they?" I searched the screen like there was a way to get in and see them.

"Mommy!" Damon and Darian's faces were in front of me the next second.

"Hey babies! Where's Ava?"

"She's asleep."

"In grandma's room?" I asked further and they both nodded.

"Let me see her." I said and they soon started fighting over who was going to hold the phone and show me.

"Now now boys, you promised to behave." Mom said to them.

Soon the camera zoomed in on my daughter's angelic self as she slept peacefully in the cot that her grandmother had placed in the room for all of her grandkids. So cute. Crazy how she was so unbothered by the noise from her big brothers.

"Where's daddy?" Damon asked eagerly. He was more of a daddy's boy than his brother.

"Hey guys!" Damien popped up behind me.

"What are you gonna get us when you get back?" Damon asked quickly.

"When are you coming back?" Darian asked at the same time.

Damien chuckled a bit before answering them. "We'll be back in a few days bud. What do you guys want?"

"Oh oh! Me first!" Damon exclaimed hopping up and down.

"Go on," I urged him.

"I want lots of candy and ice cream and a huge cake."

Damien nodded to everything. Knowing how he loved to spoil them, I knew he was going to get everything they asked for. "Anything else? Darian?"

"A baby." My son said out of nowhere. I ended up choking on my own saliva at that while Damien held back his laughter with little to no effort.

"Why would you even want a baby?" I asked, thoroughly appalled at such a ridiculous request. Of all things in the world to ask for?

"Me and Damon have to share Ava, I want my own baby." He sulked.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sure you and your brother can work something out." I managed to say without turning pink in the cheek at the sinister smile Damien threw at me. I heard mom's loud laughter in the background. Great, everyone found this amusing but me.

"Mommy and Daddy can't have another baby right now." I told him plainly.

"Why?" He pouted.

"Cause we're okay with three of you."

"Are we?" Damien piped up from nowhere.

"Damien!" I whisper yelled.

"I love you baby but mommy and daddy have to go right now. Be good okay? Both of you."

"Okay." They said in unison, waving me goodbye and blowing me kisses before hanging up.

"Phew," I plopped on the couch next to him. "I almost had a heart attack."

"I thought you wanted more babies," He sure was having a good laugh about this.

"With three of them, I'm almost losing my mind. Not doing this ever again." I let out a traumatized breath.

"You can't be so sure," He said with a meaningful undertone.

"That's it! You're not sleeping next to me on that bed. Better get comfy with this couch." I said, quickly shifting away from him.

"It's a good thing that I can take you anywhere." He winked.

"I'm serious Damien." I said blankly.

"Okay fine, I'll try to keep my hands off you without protection."

"Even with protection." I was not taking chances.

"Come on Ariana, don't be so paranoid." He rolled his eyes like I was being dramatic.

"Yeah, better safe than sorry." There was no relenting on my part. I had a three-month old for goodness sake!

"So you don't trust me?" He questioned with one brow raised.

"Of course I do."

"Then why are you running away from me?" He reached for me again and I was already halfway off the sofa.

"I'm not." I denied quickly.

"It feels like it." He was sounding serious now.

"You're over thinking things then." I said, ready to change out of my clothes. I walked into the bathroom, shutting him out as he tried to follow me in.

"You see what I'm saying." He said from outside.

"What are you talking about?"

"Since when did you start going into the bathroom to change? And locking me out too! When did you stop changing in front of me?" He said with an increasing tone of bewilderment.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and asked myself the same question.

"Force of habit I guess." I ridiculously responded.

"That's not true Ariana." He countered my statement with an odd firmness in his tone.

"What do you even mean?" I asked him, feeling unnecessarily accused.

"You don't even want me to touch you anymore. Babe, our sex life used to be so awesome!" He exclaimed.

I lacked the words to say in response to that. I placed my head on the door, hoping it was the same spot he laid on. "Damien can we just leave lovemaking out of this little trip? I just really need to connect without... you know... I want us to reform a bond that is more than just physical."

"You know I'm willing to do anything for you," He rasped out. "Babe I just want you to be you again, happy, bubbly, and loving on me just like it used to be."

I found myself crying after those words. "So let's have all the fun this weekend then," I said trying to not let my voice come out shaky.

"Anything you desire, consider it done. I just want you to be happy no matter what. I don't mind having blue balls just for you."

I chuckled at the last statement, "Thank you." I said so softly, I wondered if he heard me.

"Our love is forever..." He quoted.

"Forever..." I completed with sigh of relief.

~~~

That night I was unable to sleep. I tossed and turned and immediately figured that I was going to disturb Damien's slumber if I kept doing that. He needed a break too.

Getting on my feet to get a glass of water from the kitchenette of the suite, I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around myself and found my way out of the dimly lit room. I was halfway through gulping down the glass of water when I spotted from the corner of my eye, the little book I had gotten from the lobby area.

Much to my surprise, the book was not a brochure or a magazine of some sort as I thought it was, it was actually a devotional from a local church situated not so far away from the resort. I opened the first page and was in awe of how encouraging the words were at the introduction. I decided to take a seat as I read through the first topic.

"Let not your heart be troubled," I read the first line aloud, it was apparently a verse from the bible. Strangely enough I felt a sense of peace and was urged to read on. I read through the page and I don't know how but I found myself weeping. I picked up my phone and downloaded the bible app. I hadn't opened this in so long, I couldn't even remember the last time I went to church, except for a wedding. Crazy huh?

"Babe?" I heard Damien's voice from the bedroom and quickly wiped my eyes clean of any trace of tears.

"Ariana?" He was in the living area the next minute, groggily rubbing his eyes.

"Did I wake you?" I asked him concernedly.

"Not exactly, I just couldn't feel you on the bed and I wondered where you went." He said.

"I'm just here. Can't sleep." I told him. He came over and kissed my forehead to empathize with me, believing it was the fact that Ava was usually awake and crying that had me up as a result of habit. For me, I believed it was the change of environment for the first time in a while that was the source of my sleeplessness.

"What's that?" He pointed at the book that I once again held on to my chest. "Is that the brochure you got from the lobby?" He asked again and I nodded.

"Yeah..." I said letting out a little breath.

"Hmm. Let's go back to sleep."

"I just want to be here for a moment."

"Why?" He caressed my face.

"Solo necesito tiempo a solas. Me unire´ a ti en un rato." I told him.(I just need alone time. I'll join you in a bit.)

"Vale." He said and went back to bed. (Okay.)

I gazed at the page for a few more minutes before letting myself go back so I could catch some sleep for a few hours before dawn.

Little did I know it, but this night in particular was going to be the start of a total life-altering experience.