The next morning, the couple woke up happy and peaceful. They cuddled for a long, long while, but eventually the maid came in and reminded them that they had to get up. It was going to be time for Jacob to sign the contract to finalize the k.u.mi Diamond deal. As they sat in bed together and ate their breakfast. Almasi complained that she didn't want to get up.

"I think you should, love," said Jacob. "We have a brunch planned right after."

Almasi crinkled her nose. "Have you seen me? I am already getting fat enough with this baby in me as it is, and I'm eating breakfast now, so I don't need more food inside me this morning. Besides, I don't want to have another one of those boring meals with Mr. Arko k.u.mi and Mr. Kofi k.u.mi. Mr. Arko k.u.mi never pays any attention to me, and Mr. Kofi k.u.mi... Well, I don't want to further injure your business partner's brother, so I think I ought to stay clear of him."

Jacob laughed at that last bit. "Well, you need nutrition if you're going to carry this baby. He or she needs lots of healthy food to grow, and we want him or her to be a genius nerd like his or her mother, right?" He laughed again and dodged as Almasi swung a pillow at him. "Anyway, this brunch is not with either of the k.u.mi brothers. It will be just me and you, and I'm having it served in the garden," he added.

Almasi perked up a little at the mention of the garden. "Whereabouts in the garden?" she asked curiously. She knew the place like the back of her hand, and she loved the entirety of it, but she was interested to know where Jacob had chosen for them to eat.

"In the spot right next to the stargazer lilies," said Jacob. "The cook is going to pack us a picnic lunch, and we can sit on the gra.s.s with a wicker picnic basket and a white and red checkered picnic blanket and everything." He saw the dreamy way in which she was smiling. "Are you still so full of ennui at the idea of getting out of bed now?" he teased. "Or will you grace me with your presence after all?"

Almasi made a big show of rolling her eyes, and said "Fiiiine." She was full of excitement, though. What did Jacob have planned for them in the garden during brunch?

After Beatrice the maid took away the tray, Jacob stood up to get dressed. Almasi lounged in bed for a little while longer, enjoying the view while her husband strutted around, picking out clothing, dodging into the bathroom to neaten up his hair, and then reappearing all pressed and sharp looking. Seeing Almasi watching him as she was, Jacob gave her a lewd wink. She laughed, and sat up, motioning for him to come kiss her. They shared a brief, pa.s.sionate kiss, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Hey," Jacob protested. "I just fixed my hair, and now you're mussing it all up!"

Almasi raised her eyebrows suggestively. "It looks s.e.xier like this, though," she said in a sultry tone.

"Somehow I doubt that Mr. Arko k.u.mi will care about whether I look s.e.xy or not," said Jacob, smiling a little in spite of himself.

"Oh, I didn't say you would look uns.e.xy with your hair all neat," said Almasi. "It is just s.e.xier when you have it a little less rigid looking, but I take your point," she added, fixing his hair with her fingers as she talked. She also giggled a little to herself, but decided that it would be a bit too immature to make a "take your point" d.i.c.k joke about the s.e.x they had had the previous night. "There," she said. "Now you're all spick and span for signing the diamond deal."

Jacob smiled and leaned down to kiss her one more time. "Okay. I have to get going now, Almasi. Get up soon." He walked to the door, but then had a thought and then turned back around to say one last thing. "I love you," he added. It felt so good to say it.

"I love you, too," said Almasi. She was smiling widely. "Now, go sign that contract."

With a love-struck grin, Jacob nodded, and then promptly disappeared into the hall, shutting the door quietly behind him. Almasi smiled happily to herself. This was perfect. She looked down at the slight curve of her belly, and patted it gently. "And I love you, too," she told the baby inside her. "I love you so, so much." Then, with a sigh, Almasi got up and got herself ready for the day ahead.

Jeremy was already waiting in the study and reading a book when Jacob arrived. Jeremy looked up and saw that Jacob had a big goofy smile on his face. Because he knew the man well, Jeremy recognized the look as similar to his "got laid" grin, but there was something a little different about it.

More substance, maybe? More satisfaction. Although it was kind of gross to think about what his boss did in bed, Jeremy was happy for Jacob. Clearly, he had found a woman who loved him deeply. Jacob had been anxious and ashamed, but all the same elated when he had called Jeremy on the phone after talking to Mr. Arko k.u.mi and discovering the truth about Almasi and Mr. Kofi k.u.mi.

It hadn't been much of a surprise to Jeremy. He had a feeling that it would all work out somehow. Jeremy didn't have intuitions very often, but there was a sense of... some kind of rightness about the relationship between Jacob and Almasi, and, well, Jacob's conversation with her had clearly gone well.

Jeremy shook his head. He could read Jacob like a book, but he was looking forward to pa.s.sing the puppy of a man off to another skilled reader, and clearly, Almasi would be good for him. Jeremy would always bet there for both of them if they ever needed him, but he had a feeling that there were going to be fewer crises in Jacob's life now that Almasi was in the picture to stay.

"So..." began Jacob. "Before the others arrive, I have some news for you. I think I should share it with you first, before anyone else, but I wanted to tell you in person instead of in a text message."

Jeremy looked up curiously, closing his book. "I am all ears," he said evenly.

"Well," said Jacob. "Almasi told me... that she's pregnant."

"Oh," said Jeremy. It took him a moment to register the new. "Wow!" he said. "Congratulations!" He discarded his book on the coffee table, and stood up to hug Jacob.

When they pulled apart, he continued to talk. "That's fantastic, but there is so much to do! We will have to find a consultant on pregnancy matters. A professional to help out with food choice and nutrition supplements so that the baby stays healthy throughout the pregnancy, and someone to make her maternity clothes when she starts to show-is she showing yet?

No, it has only been a month at most, so she would not be showing much-and of course she will need a midwife to come visit, and perhaps a personal ma.s.seuse, as well as a decorator to turn one of the old guest rooms into a nursery, and a lactation consultant, and of course a nanny, and..." He trailed off, and saw that Jacob was smirking.

"What?" he asked him, a little defensively. "I want the next Adamson baby to go through life as easily as possible!" he exclaimed.

Jacob laughed, and patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "I know," he said. "You're always thinking of us, and I'm so grateful for your presence in my life, Jeremy. I know it sounds sappy, but it's true. So, just... Thank you." Jeremy nodded. "So," said Jacob, "now we have to focus on the task at hand. What time are the k.u.mi brothers meant to be arriving?"

Jeremy checked his watch. "They have three minutes to get here," he said. "Now. Do I have to brief you about not punching Mr. Kofi k.u.mi when you see him, or does that go without saying?"

Jacob shook his head, chuckling. "I think I can contain myself," he said confidently. "And besides, I was told that my wife did a number on him yesterday."

"Oh?" asked Jeremy, frowning.

"She got him right in the diamonds," said Jacob, and Jeremy couldn't help but laugh in spite of himself. Then they heard footsteps in the hall, and Jacob ran a hand through his hair and fixed his tie. "Okay," he said, grinning at Jeremy. "Show time."

The final touches to the contract and the signing went well, and Jeremy was very, very proud of Jacob for managing to refrain from beating Mr. Kofi k.u.mi to a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp. When all of the official business was done, they all shook hands with one another. Then, Mr. Arko k.u.mi handed Jacob a small box. Jeremy and Mr. Kofi k.u.mi looked at the two of them quizzically, but Jacob nodded. "Thank you," he said.

"No," said Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "Thank you." He leaned a little closer. "And tell Mrs. Adamson that I thank her, as well." Jacob smiled and nodded, and they shook hands again.

"Well," said Jeremy. "I will be escorting Mr. Arko k.u.mi and Mr. Kofi k.u.mi to the limousine and accompanying them to the airport." He looked at Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "I trust that you all have everything packed up?"

"Yes," said Mr. Arko k.u.mi. "The maid came to our rooms earlier this morning to bring our bags down."

"She was very obliging," said Mr. Kofi k.u.mi with a smirk. "And not too hard on the eyes, either. What was her name? Brianna? Bridget?"

"Her name is Beatrice," said Jacob in a harsher tone than he intended to use. He saw that Jeremy shot him a warning look, so he took a breath and counted to ten. Turning to Mr. Arko k.u.mi instead, he said, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you. I look forward to our continued correspondence via telephone and the internet."

Mr. Arko k.u.mi nodded and thanked Jacob again for his hospitality. Then he turned to Jeremy and nodded, and with that, Mr. Arko k.u.mi and Mr. Kofi k.u.mi were on their way to the foyer and out the door of the mansion. Jacob sighed once they were out of earshot. He would miss his conversations with Mr. Arko k.u.mi, but as far as Jacob was concerned, if he never saw Mr. Kofi k.u.mi again it would be too soon.

Jacob looked at his watch. It was a little past a quarter to eleven, so he had less than fifteen minutes to get ready to meet Almasi for brunch. He took off his formal suit jacket, leaving it on the desk chair where it could be collected later. He also began loosening his tie, but then he just decided to remove it completely and even unb.u.t.toned a few b.u.t.tons at the top of his collar, since the hickies from a few nights before when Almasi had tried biting him had mostly faded away.

He blushed a little as he remembered that night. Then he mussed up his hair in just the way he knew Almasi liked it, and grinned a little to himself. The last thing he did before he left was to check inside the box Mr. Arko k.u.mi had handed him. His grin widened to a beam. This was going to be perfect. He was so looking forward to seeing Almasi's reaction to this.

Meanwhile, Almasi had been slowly getting ready all morning. She took a hot bath, and then she did her hair and makeup, going for a somewhat dramatic ombre of light to dark pink with her eyeshadow. Then she donned her fluffy bathrobe and made her way to the dressing room, where she went through the racks of dresses, looking to find the perfect one for her brunch date with Jacob.

Her favorite pink dress was going to be a little too tight now, since it was in a 1950s style that cinched at the waist, so she opted for a more flowy dress that was in a slightly paler shade. She smiled, knowing that she would match perfectly with the stargazer lilies where the picnic would be set up. Then, after putting on a splash of perfume and smiling at herself flirtatiously in the mirror for a moment, Almasi declared herself fit to go out, and she slipped into some comfortable white shoes and made her way down the stairs and out toward the garden.

It's a spectacularly beautiful day outside, she thought as she strolled down the path to the familiar place. There were birds chirping around her, and a cool breeze offset the heat of the brightly shining sun. As she walked, Almasi began to hum, and soon she was singing out loud, not caring if anybody could hear her. It was an old jazz tune, and she snapped her fingers along to the rhythm as she sang. "Never saw the sun shinin' so bright, never saw things goin' so right... Noticin' the days hurryin' by, when you're in love oh my how they fly..." She smiled widely as she sang. "Blue days, all of them gone. Nothin' but blue skies from now on!"

She finished her little tune just as she turned the corner, and she saw that Jacob was already waiting for her there, sitting next to the wicker basket he had promised her with a white and red checked picnic blanket, just like a dream of a beautiful day. She waved, and he waved back and stood up as he saw her walking towards him. She walked faster, running now, and they crossed the last few feet between them and crashed into each other quickly, laughing happily and holding hands and smiling and kissing.

Jacob's shirt was unb.u.t.toned a little bit, and Almasi could see just the faintest hint of the marks her teeth had left a few days ago.

Jacob noticed where she was looking, and he blushed lightly. "I figured, now that Mr. Arko k.u.mi is gone, I no longer have to conceal the fact that I enjoy being bitten hard by a woman once in a while," he said. "Somehow, I have a feeling that he wouldn't approve of signing a business partnership with a man who gets off on being dominated."

Almasi laughed, stroking his chest gently and outlining his collarbones with her fingertips. "I suppose not," she said. "But luckily for us, he's halfway to Ghana now, and we're still here." She leaned in to kiss him, making sure to reward him with a little bite on his lower lip. "Now, scandalously submissive husband mine, shall we have our picnic?"

Jacob laughed. "I thought you said this morning that you didn't want to eat more than once before lunch," he remarked.

Almasi swatted at him. "I'm pregnant, so I have permission from Mother Nature to be as irrational and inconsistent as I please," she said, slapping him lightly on the rear. From the little gasping sound he made, Jacob seemed to enjoy it, and Almasi made a mental note to remember to do that again sometime. She let him take her by the hand, and together they walked to the picnic blanket and sat down.

Jacob opened the basket and brought out an a.s.sortment of the kind of snacks that the cook had made for that first luncheon when the k.u.mi brothers had arrived. He had noticed how much Almasi had enjoyed the spread, so when he had planned this picnic, he asked to have some of them specially made. It seemed to have the right effect, as Almasi's eyes widened when she saw all of the delicious food packed inside the basket.

Reaching inside, she took out a sandwich and began to nibble on in. Jacob took out a container of deviled eggs and removed the lid, and then he arranged the cheese and crackers nicely on a plate. The two of them ate plenty, and then when they were full, they sat and talked, telling funny anecdotes and laughing and basking in each other's company.

There was a tension that had dissolved since the previous evening when they had both confessed their feelings for each other. Even though they had obviously been very intimate before, now they could discard any pretense between them of trying to keep their relationship professional. Jacob found that he could make himself more vulnerable, and Almasi was allowing herself to have a bit more att.i.tude, although the latter may have also been pregnancy hormones. Either way, they discovered they there were both enjoying one another's company more now that the last of the formality was gone.

They sat for hours, giggling at each other's jokes, touching hands, and kissing tenderly. Almasi had always loved being in the garden on her own, and she found that having Jacob there with her only enhanced the experience. They completed each other, she thought, and they had been through enough together in the past month that she knew they could make things work out in the long term if they put their minds to it.

Eventually, after lots of laughing and talking and kissing, Jacob remembered the box in his pocket. He let Almasi finish the story she was telling, and when she was done, he took her hand and asked her if she wanted to walk around in the garden a bit. She smiled and said that she would love to. So they set off hand in hand, and walked down the looping paths, by the pond, and past the orchard.

As they walked, Almasi pointed out the various flowers that she recognized, and talked about her job at the florist's shop and farmer's market all those summers ago. Jacob, for his part, shared stories of his childhood playing in this garden, showing her the spot where he had slipped and fallen and chipped a tooth on a garden gnome, and the specific tree where he had first learned to climb with some of the servants' children. The stories were funny, and Jacob told them so well that Almasi could almost picture them happening as if she had been there.

She smiled when she thought of how her child would be growing up in this house, too, and how he or she would someday have memories to share with his or her own partner. Jacob, seeing her pensive expression, asked Almasi what she was thinking.

"Nothing much," she said, smiling a little to herself. "I was just thinking about our baby, and how I will get to raise my child-our child-in such a beautiful, happy place." She looked a little sad for a moment. "You know," she added, "I loved my childhood. I was happy. I sang, and I danced, and I played with the other kids out in the alley behind our apartment, but life was scary, you know?

It was really hard, and it makes me sad that there are people who have to raise their children in conditions like that." She looked up at Jacob and smiled. "So I guess... I'm just really, really grateful that our son or daughter won't have to worry about that.

Because this baby will be perfect, I know it, and I'm so looking forward to teaching our child to walk in this soft gra.s.s, and having picnics as a family, and everything like that." She wrapped her arms around Jacob and hugged him. "So, I guess what I want to say is... thank you. Thank you for choosing me."

Jacob smiled, shaking his head. "No, thank you," he said, "for teaching me what love is." He paused. Here goes, he thought. "I've been waiting for a time to do this, and now looks like the perfect moment," he said. Almasi let go of him, looking a little confused and curious. As she stood there, Jacob took the box out of his pocked and got down on one knee.

"Almasi Quinn," he said. "You stuck with me through one of the strangest and hardest months of my life. You endured what no one should have to endure, and even though you had no obligation to, you went beyond and above everything you signed up for and were faithful to me in every way imaginable.

You have been under enormous heat and pressure in the past month and throughout your life, and like a diamond, you have never once caved, but instead become the most beautiful, shining gem there is. I didn't plan to fall in love with you, nor you with me, and neither of us planned to have a baby together, but here we are, and I am a happier man than I have ever been, and it is all thanks to you."

He paused, looking at the tears of joy glistening in his wife's beautiful, dark eyes. "I know that we're already married, but the first time around, everything was in a rush. We barely knew each other, and, in spite of the fact that everyone from the household service staff to Mr. k.u.mi have taken to calling you 'Mrs. Adamson,' you didn't take my last time as your own. I would like to change that. Almasi," he said, opening the box at last and showing her the ring inside of it. "Will you marry me again?"

Almasi looked at her husband's earnest face, and then at the ring. It was a solid diamond set in gold. She felt tears welling in her eyes. It was beautiful and perfect. She smiled. "I will," she said.

Jacob beamed, and taking her left hand, slipped the ring on next to the other one. "We can have the old ring made into something else, or you could wear both, or..."

"Jacob?" said Almasi. Her lips were turned up in amus.e.m.e.nt.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Just shut up and kiss me, please."

And he did.

EPILOGUE.

The second wedding ceremony was beautiful, and this time they invited all of their friends and family. They held it at a big cathedral in the city, and the entire place was decorated with Almasi's favorite flowers. Jacob's parents flew in from France for the occasion, and Almasi's parents were picked up in a limo and bought new outfits to wear.

There had been a lot of explaining to do about the entire arrangement, but in spite of its unconventional nature, Almasi's parents had appreciated and understood their daughter's decision. They were also surprised and delighted to find out that they would become grandparents, and when Almasi suggested to her mother that they could come live at the mansion to be with the grandchild, her mother's eyes lit up and she beamed.

"Oh!" Mrs. Quinn exclaimed. "That would be absolutely lovely. If, of course, it's not an inconvenience to you two." She looked at Jacob, who insisted that they had plenty of s.p.a.ce to spare, and suggested that Mrs. Quinn might even enjoy retirement with a view of their beautiful garden.

Mrs. Quinn smiled in agreement, and then turned back to her daughter, taking her hand. "Almasi, my dear girl, I would love nothing more than to be with you as you raise your baby. It was always a great regret of mine that we didn't have the means to give you the childhood you deserved, but we can make that better for your baby," she said. "And-my goodness-I will get to be a grandma!" There were tears of joy in her eyes, and in Mr. Quinn's, too, and they all hugged together.

The ceremony itself went splendidly, and Almasi's wedding dress was beautiful. Yifeng had altered the previous one to fit Almasi's pregnant self while concealing her growing belly, and since there was more time to spare this time around, she added some floral appliques that Almasi found breathtaking.

Mrs. Quinn had loved them, too, and she and Yifeng spent almost the entire receptions talking about sewing and swapping secrets. Almasi smiled when she saw them. She knew that, between everybody in her life, she and her baby would be in good hands.

And, eight months later, her baby literally was in her hands. The tiny child had turned out to be a girl, and Jacob and Almasi decided to call her Lily, after the flowers in the garden where Jacob had proposed. Lily Akia Quinn Adamson. Her nursery was set up in the room where Almasi had first stayed, the bed replaced with a crib, and a changing table in place of the vanity table. The pretty pink wallpaper had been left as it was, and Almasi delighted in playing with her beautiful child in the perfect little room. Jacob made an excellent father, always knowing how to make the baby laugh, and Almasi and her mother sang songs to the child so that she would always have them in her heart. Almasi began writing in a diary again, this time to take note of all the funny little things that her darling daughter did so that she wouldn't forget any stories. The family was happy, and Jacob and Almasi had finally made a home together.

They would go on to have more children in time, but for now, they were content to focus all of their attention on Lily, and with her sweet smile and chubby little baby face, Lily shone bright like a diamond in her parents' eyes.

THE END.

Authors Personal Message:.

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