Chapter 7

Arabella POV

A knock on the door startled me, as it woke me up.

"Arabella, sweetie, are you up?" Miss Thompson asked, her voice was gentle, but my mind was foggy.

What time was it? Where was I? My eyes scanned the room, trying to remember...

Oh yeah, yesterday! The wedding! I got married to… Asher! I thought my memories were finally coming together but my heart skipped a beat at the thought of Asher, I looked around to see if he was on the bed, but thankfully he was nowhere to be found.

"Is Asher here?" a deep voice asked, sounding like Arlo.

"No, he's not," Miss Thompson's voice echoed through the door.

"Arabella, you awake?" Arlo asked, he asked with his rich baritone voice that always gave me goosebumps whenever he spoke.

Yes, I replied, my voice sounding rusty and my mouth feeling dry and sticky.

"Great then! Get ready, breakfast is served," Arlo said before he turned to leave with Miss Thompson, telling her how difficult the ride was for him on the road, where there was traffic for the first time in a long while. I wanted to be the one he was speaking to, telling me about his drive here.

I shoved off the covers and raised to my feet, my feet dangled in the air as they touched the cold floor. Why was he here so early? It was barely 7 am.

I knew my mom would throw a fit if she knew I had woken up this late on my first day as a wife, she had spent half of my life lecturing me on how to be a perfect wife, and just the first day of my being a wife I woke up late. Shoving the thoughts away, I headed to the bathroom to take my bath and freshen up.

I shuffled to my luggage, searching for something nice to wear. My eyes landed on my favorite cream gown, and I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest. The gown helped in showing my thick curves, it would be nice for Arlo to see me in this dress. I tried to brush the thoughts off, telling myself I was being silly.

"Stop it, Arabella," I muttered under my breath. "You're married to Asher, not Arlo." I scolded myself for even thinking about impressing him.

I abandoned my attempt to style my hair as I heard the sound of my stomach and headed downstairs, my stomach growling with hunger. I had barely eaten anything yesterday, and the aroma of breakfast coming from the dining room was too enticing to resist.

I headed to the dining room, feeling a bit shy about seeing Arlo. Arlo stood up, a warm smile on his face. "Well, well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up!" He chuckled and pulled out a chair for me. "Welcome to the table, sleepyhead."

I blushed, feeling my face grow hot. "T-thank you," I stuttered, barely meeting his eyes. I sat down, trying to hide my shyness.

Arlo passed me a plate of English muffins, eggs, and bacon. "How was your night?" he asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

I shrugged, my voice barely above a whisper. "It was okay, I guess." I fiddled with my napkin, avoiding eye contact.

Arlo's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I knew you'd play it cool, but I'm onto you. Spending your first wedding night alone, without your hubby? That's not how the Blackwood boys were raised. I'm truly sorry my brother was a jerk. I'll give him a piece of my mind...or a punch if I see him."

My giggles escaped before I could silence them. "You're a funny one, Arlo," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Arlo's face lit up. "What was that? You finally said something nice about me?" He leaned in, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I love hearing your soft voice, even if you barely look at me. You avoid my eyes like they're poisonous. I wonder why?"

I felt my cheeks flush for I was short of words, my gaze dropping to my plate. "I-I don't know what you mean," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper, as I proceeded to continue eating.

" See you can't even look at me, you are focused on your breakfast, did you have anything to eat yesterday? " He asked, concerned

I paused for a bit, on my breakfast I must have been so focused on my breakfast, for him to notice, I stopped for a bit, as I said

"Sorry, I didn’t..." I tried saying it before I was interrupted.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, I didn't mean for you to apologize, if I don't want to look at me no problem, maybe I look hideous to you," he said as he chuckled but his voice sounded a bit down, he tried hiding it with a chuckle.

"No, you're not," I whispered, as I tried looking at him, my eyes for the first time met his eyes and his face, I was struck by the angular lines of his face, the sharp jawline, and the way his hair curled slightly at the nape of his neck. His eyes, a deep, rich brown, his eyes drew me in, making my heart skip a little bit. I looked at his lips and imagined how lucky any woman would be to kiss that lip.

"Oh, stop it, Arabella," I said as I inhaled slowly, trying to control my breath. Then, the muffins got stuck in my throat. I hit my chest, trying to calm myself, but it didn't help. I coughed, hitting my chest harder.

Arlo rushed to my side, his hands instantly wrapping around my chest as he jerked me until the muffin piece flew out of my mouth. We looked at each other in awkward silence, his hands still on my chest. He looked into my eyes, concern evident on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Yes, thank you," I managed to say. Our bodies were very close, his lips near mine. I could feel the roughness of his breath on my neck and smell the cologne he had sprayed.

"Hmmm, hmm," a voice behind us said, clearing his throat. "Am I interrupting something?" It was Asher.