Chapter Eleven

The next day, Deianne woke up to find she was alone in their bedroom. A scene from last night suddenly came up in her mind. She can't help but blush, knowing the fact that she and Marcus kissed again last night. She looks at the alarm clock on their bedside table. It's thirty minutes past eight in the morning already. Deianne can hear a laugh from the dining room. It's Marcus' and Hani's voices for sure.

So they haven't left yet.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, then walked to the dining room. In the dining room, she can see the man and her cousin are sitting at the dining table while sipping their own cups of coffee.

They both turn their heads to her when they sense the presence of someone.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." It was Hani who greeted her first while smirking.

"Good morning," she answers, still with a sleepy face, then walks to the dining table and sits next to Marcus.

"Good morning," the man greeted her with a smile.

Deianne looks at her husband, not sure if he remembers what happened last night, so all he does is just smile shyly while answering his greeting.

"Hey, Daniella, is this how you usually wake up? Aren't you supposed to be the one who prepares breakfast?" Her cousin asked, scolding her, which only earned a glare from her and a chuckle from Marcus.

The man then looked at Hani and said, "She is not a morning person as I thought her to be, to be honest."

Deianne lowers her head, pretending to concentrate on her breakfast.

"Then she has to learn to be a morning person."

She looked up at her cousin, glaring at her once more, before turning her head back to her breakfast again. Meanwhile, Marcus only lets out an awkward laugh. He doesn't know exactly what he has to do.

"By the way, when do you plan to have a child?" the woman asked bluntly.

This time, Deianne snapped her head at Hani. "Hani!" she said, annoyed enough with all these topics.

"What? You know, your mom and dad are expecting a baby through your marriage. And I'm sure Marcus' parents are also sharing the same thoughts with your parents since he is an only child." Hani said, while looking at both of the dumbfounded husband and wife.

The woman, turning to her own breakfast, didn't know that both of them were still looking at her dumbfounded. Hani looks at the couple confusedly for a second before finally letting out a laugh. "Wait, are you two shy?" she asked between her laughs.

Both Marcus and Deianne suddenly looked at each other, feeling shy, then lowered their heads to their breakfast.

"Come on, we are all adults here. You are already married, and so am I. Why are you so embarrassed about having a child?" Hani asked again, enjoying teasing the couple.

Deianne, feeling annoyed and embarrassed, finally looks up to her cousin.

"Aren't you supposed to go to work?"

The woman laughs again, knowing she successfully made her cousin annoyed.

"Well, yeah. I should go, actually," she said, while looking at her watch.

"Ahmm, I should go as well." Marcus suddenly said.

"So it will be just you in the house. Wash the dishes! Help him a little bit in the morning." Hani said, which made Deianne pout.

They then walk to the front door together.

"Thanks again, you two," the woman said when they were at the front door.

"Anytime, Hani." Marcus said as he smiled.

"Make up with your husband," Deianne said.

"Don't you worry, I will." Her cousin is looking at the both of them, waiting for something. Then, finally, Marcus realized something.

"Ah, I have to go. I'll call you later," the man said, closing the gap between him and his wife, then softly kissing the woman's forehead.

Deianne, on the other hand, is shocked by the sudden act of the man. She can feel her cheeks burning and her body becoming stiff.

Hani laughs a little while watching her cousin's cheeks that are as red as a ripe tomato. "Hey, I didn't know that you were that shy."

"She is usually not like that." Marcus said while smiling, then stroked her hair softly. 

Deianne, who is still shocked, only hangs her head a little bit low, avoiding both Hani's and Marcus' eyes.

"We'll go ahead. Bye!" Finnally, Hani said, still with a smirk pasted on her face, then walked to her car. 

Marcus followed behind, walking to his car as well. Deianne just stood still, looking at both of them.

*****

Weeks have passed, and it is now Marcus' dad's birthday. They will hold a party for the Montañez's patriarch with some of their families, some friends, and some co-workers. It is just a party with all the executives and stock owners. Not a big deal for an introvert like her. No biggie. And as if the crowd is not enough to make her anxious, that will also be the very first time she will meet the man's other relatives who didn't get a chance to attend the wedding. Her "father-in-law" of course invited her parents, but unfortunately, her parents were overseas until now.

Marcus drove them to the hotel where the event was held. They stay silent along the road. No one tries to speak. When they arrived at the hotel, they walked hand in hand to the ballroom. Once, when Marcus' mom saw her son and "daughter-in-law", Deianne could see how she was smiling so widely out of happiness.

She hugs her son first, then she looks up at Deianne. 

"Oh, darling, finally, you came, and we saw each other again!" Mrs. Montañez said as she hugged her continuously.

"I'm sorry, mom. I haven't visited you and dad. We are really busy nowadays," she said, smiling apologetically.

"Oh, no. It's okay. The most important thing is that you two are here today." Marcus' mom replied, looking at both of them. Then she brought them both to her husband.

"Dad, happy birthday," Marcus said while hugging his dad.

"Thank you, son."

"Dad, happy birthday to you." It's her turn to greet and hug the Montañez's patriarch.

"Ah, Daniella, thank you. It's good to finally see you again."

"You know how busy we are now, dad." Marcus said.

"I know that. And I'm thankful that you two can take your time to come here." Mr. Montañez said.

"Of course, dad. It's your special day." Deianne said while smiling softly at her father-in-law.

Marcus glances at her slightly. He knows that his wife is nervous since they left their house. They didn't even talk on the way, which shows how much nervousness the woman is feeling right now. However, he doesn't have any idea why, but he also started to get nervous as time went by.

Deianne, on the other hand, could see how the man glanced at her from the corner of her eyes. She is indeed anxious, but she tries to get rid of it.

The party continues. Deianne is introduced to the crowd. Marcus stayed next to her as much as possible. Although they sometimes need to be apart, when she is being dragged by his mom to her friends, they proudly introduce her as the one and only daughter-in-law of the Montañez family, while the man is joining his dad's friends.

But it comes when she and Marcus are in the middle of his cousin, on his mom's side. Most of them are the same age as them, some are younger and older. It started when some of them asked something.

"So is my cousin a good husband at home, Daniella?"

She looked at her "husband" once before she turned to his cousins. "Well, he cooks for me every morning and tries to wash the dishes at night as much as he can. So I don't think he is a bad husband." Deianne said as she smiled at Marcus while the others teased them.

"I didn't know you could cook, Marcus."

"He is a good cook. He made a delicious breakfast for us each day." She said it again, and this time, she rubbed the man's side softly. Marcus' cousins are looking at them happily, while the man is trying to hide his confusion with a smile.

"Is he also good in bed?" someone asked, and the others laughed at the suggestive question. But Deianne couldn't help but blush.

"Well, he manages," she lied. Because how can she even answer that question when they have never done it at least once? That answer earns another round of laughs from their cousins. While Marcus is still looking at her, confusedly. She looks at the man, and she nudges his arm slightly. 

Marcus is still dumbfounded by his wife's sudden change of mood, but he knows that he at least needs to laugh, so his cousins won't find anything strange in them. And so he laughs with them.

It's Marcus' dad's turn to give a thank you speech. Everyone is sitting comfortably in their seats, ready to hear from the birthday celebrant. Marcus and Deianne are also sitting quite close to each other. In front of them are her "mother-in-law" and some of their family.

Mr. Montañez starts his speech by thanking God for giving him another year of life and everything that he had at this age. He also tells some stories from his childhood, making the audience laugh at some of his tales. Then he tells them how he met his wife, how they got married, and how it felt the first time he held their only son, Marcus, in his arms.

"I will never forget that day. I never knew that there would be such a beautiful creature like that on earth, and in my arms." he said, his eyes fixed on his only child. Marcus looked back while smiling tenderly. "Then, as time goes by, my little boy is already grown up. He is right there, with his wife." the Montañez's patriarch then pointed where they were sitting.

Marcus just smiled politely to the crowd and looked at her after.

"Son, I'm so happy that at an age like this, you are already married. And Daniella is such a good partner for you. I'm so thankful that you are together now." He continues. The crowd smiles, while Deianne is smiling shyly. She is aware that all eyes are looking at them right now, so she decided to reach for Marcus' hand and rub it softly. 

Marcus was yet again shocked by another sudden action from his wife. He looked at her immediately. He finds that his wife is looking at him lovingly while smiling. He is still dumbfounded by the fact that the woman's hand is holding his, but he manages to smile.

"Now, I'll be happier if you two can give me and your mom a grandchild." Marcus' dad said again, making the crowd laugh once again. The man looks at his dad, grinning. Then he moves his hand from Deianne's and puts it around her shoulder, pulling her closer and kissing her locks softly.

Everyone but Deianne. She immediately froze the moment she heard the request. They didn't even touch on that topic yet. They are doing fine and becoming closer, but nobody dared to talk about having a baby. And it shouldn't happen. Not when Daniella hasn't been found yet. 

The speech ended, but she didn't hear any of it. Her mind is full of possibilities and what ifs. The next thing she knew, they were inside the Montañez house. Her "parents-in-law" were sitting across from them.

"It's not that we are pressuring you." Mrs. Montañez started. "But you two have been married for six months or so now. So we are silently hoping that you guys will break baby news to us one day."

"Aside from that, Marcus, son, you were there when your grandfather's will and testament was being read by his attorney then. You know this is bound to happen once you get married."

"I know, but dad... I don't think we are ready for it. And... we are still enjoying each other alone." Marcus said, trying to buy more time because he knows that his wife wasn't ready yet. He is ready for that big responsibility, but his wife isn't.

The Montañez's patriarch then looks at Deianne. 

"Daniella, hija, you are now part of the family, so I will let you know what my dad said in his will about Marcus." 

Deianne swallowed a big lump in her throat. She thinks she knows where this is going.

"Marcus has to bring an heir into this world, at least a year after he gets married. It was a well, requirement before he took over the company. And with an heir, it means a baby boy. But don't worry if, in the end, your firstborn is a girl, then you just have to have another child. After all, I don't think you want your baby to be an only child." her "father-in-law," said without stopping. The only thing that stops is her heartbeat, as she feels it drop.

Not knowing what to do, she looks at her "mother-in-law," who looks at her with nothing but encouragement.

"Ahmm, can you let us talk about this first? Mom? Dad?" Marcus said, not willing to see his wife in an uncomfortable situation.

His dad smiled.

"Of course. You two can discuss it first. But please take it into consideration. You only have four months left before you celebrate your anniversary."

*****