Tick.

Tick

Tick.

"Come on! Come on! Wake up!" Alexandra whispered to herself, feeling exasperated as her actions got no outcome at all.

She glanced at her watch for a while before gathering a few more small rocks in her hands. The time read 3 o'clock in the morning and no one needed to tell her that what she was doing right now was a crazy thing to do. Hell, if one of the neighbours caught her doing stuff like this at time like this, she'll surely be sent to jail in any time now.

It had been a month since that night at the party. True to Nikolei's words, Boris had picked her up from the party and sent her home after she had said her goodbyes to Gayle and the hosts. Ever since that night, she hadn't heard from Nikolei anymore. Well, what should she expect? She had turned down the man twice for heaven's sake! Alexandra had been tossing and turning on her bed for a few nights now, unrelieved of how they both parted away from each other after that mind-blowing kiss. With Grant, she had felt the love and warmth in their kisses they shared together but with Nikolei, it had been sparks and fire mixed all together in one.

So, when the thirty-fifth night arrived, Alexandra threw her comforter away from her body and drove all the way to Nikolei's house. The first time she arrived here, she had no idea on why she was here in first place. All she knew was that she needed to see Nikolei as soon as possible since sleep won't be coming any nearer soon. And so, here she was standing just outside on the lawn of his backyard, gathering stones in her little hands with the help of her two children, Tiara and Jack, who were very persistent on coming with her after they caught their mom sneaking out of the house at three in the morning.

"Gather some more rocks, kids. He still hasn't wake up." She told them, in hush voice carefully not to alert nearby neighbours.

"This is fun!" Tiara whispered, bouncing up and down in her stance.

With a few more rocks flying towards the window she believed to be his room, Jack quickly tugged onto Alexandra's pyjamas robe and pointed towards the window.

"Mamma! Look!"

Alexandra and the kids stopped throwing pebbles and stared at the window as it slided open, revealing annoyed and sleepy Nikolei. His hair was disheveled - good kind of disheveled. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly and shouted, "You kids better be rich cause I'm suing you for trespassing private property!"

Before Alexandra could call out to him, Nikolei's shocked and surprised voice was the first to resonate into the cold, morning air. "A-Alexandra?"

"Nikolei! I-I..." She stuttered.

"What are you doing here at three in the morning? Tiara? Jack?"

Jack was the first to answer, "Mamma wants to talk to you!"

As soon as Jack said it, Nikolei's head disappeared back into the house. Alexandra waited for fifteen minutes with her children near the pool but still, there was no sign of Nikolei coming down to greet her. Her heart constricted painfully at the thought. In a few seconds, her hand shot up and clutched onto her chest as she felt her heart beating rapidly against her rib cage.

"Come on, children. Let's head home before the sun rises." Alexandra mumbled faintly.

She was disappointed that Nikolei refused to see her. To when this feelings emerged, she didn't have a clue at all. All she knew was that she wanted to see his face every day. She wanted his presence in her life and Grant's words had never stopped pestering her mind every night before she went to bed. She longed for Nikolei's presence and Patricia and Jerry had laughed in her face and teased her about it when she came to seek their help and advice on it.

Turning their backs on the huge house, Alexandra began to walk back to their car with Tiara and Jack holding onto each of her hands when Nikolei's loud voice called out to her. She stopped and turned abrubtly, only to see Nikolei clad in his pyjamas pants minus the shirt. He was shirtless and breathless judging by the rapid heaving of his chest as he stared at her with those curious, brown eyes. They stood facing each other when Alexandra realised that he had been runing towards her to catch up with her since they now stood out in his backyard a few feet away from the house.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" He questioned, still with his cruious eyes lingering around herself and the children. "Sorry that it took me half an hour to come down, but Gayle almost wakes up from his sleep and I couldn't find my pyjamas. Luckily, the pants I managed to-"

Nikolei was cut off when Alexandra's lips pressed onto his cold ones. His eyes widened slightly before fluttered close, enjoying the warmth radiated from her pair of soft lips. He hadn't notice when Alexandra had ran to him and slammed her lips with his, with her arms wrapped around his neck, but he didn't mind it at all. In fact, he loved every second of it especially her bold move. Their lips moved in perfect sync with each other, tasting each other as the sparks and fire ignited both the passion hiding in their bodies.

His hands squeezed the side of her hips tightly as he dominated the kiss. The cold was getting to him since he went out shirtless, but with Alexandra's body pressed so close to his, he wouldn't mind being in this position forever as long as he could feel the warmth and Alexandra's finely, shaped body in his embraced for him to love, appreciate and worship.

They soon parted away from each other, breaking the kiss when Tiara and Jack started to whine loudly at them. They turned their heads towards the two little munchkin who were snickering in disgust before running towards their mother, pulling her away from him.

"No kissy, kissy! Eww!" Tiara snorted, soon followed by her brother.

The two adults chuckled to themselves as the kids continued to snicker beside Alexandra. She felt very content and happy, and so did he when his long, buff arms wrapped around her waist unconsciously.

"What's the kiss for?" He questioned.

"I-"

"Hey."

Alexandra jumped in surprised when she felt a pair of arms slithered their way around her waist. Two hands were rested on her belly as one of them slowly moved to caress her belly. She turned her head sideways and glanced back at the owner of the arms before smiling cheekily while shaking her head.

She sighed, "Nothing."

"Liar! You ready? Tiara needs her mamma, though. She said she wants you to make her look beautiful for her papa."

Chuckling to herself, Alexandra nodded. "I'm on it. Go take Jack and Gayle and wait for us at the car. We'll be down in a few."

"Okay." Nikolei replied before placing a kiss on his wife's lips. He then shouted, "Jack, son! You better be done with your duckies in the bathtub! Gayle, go take the towel from the closet."

From their bedroom, Alexandra could hear the loud giggles her son, Jack, emitted. The boy loved the huge bathtub and his rubber ducks toys Nikolei had bought in Geneva for him a month ago. However, what Nikolei didn't know was that Jack had came to love his duck toys so much that he refused to come out of the bathtub without being man-handled by Nikolei after he spent hours bathing and playing with the rubber ducks in the wooden tub.

"Oh gosh, Jack refused to come out of the bathtub again? Right on it, dad!" Gayle replied from his room before running in the direction of Jack's room with two fluffy towels in his hands.

Alexandra shook her head while laughing loudly as she made her way to little Tiara's room. There Tiara was, standing in front of the full length mirror while eyeing herself in the mirror. She was smiling to herself before grinning at Alexandra, showing the full front of her teeth that had just grown over the past few months.

She ran to her mother and clutched her little hands onto Alexandra's long, turqoise tunic. "Mamma! Can you braid my hair and make it a ponytail?"

"Braided ponytail? I thought you like it down, Tiara?" Alexandra asked, amused. "You don't like it down anymore?"

"It's just that... I wanted to be different and pretty for papa this time. Last time I already had it down."

"Okay, sweetie. But remember, you are always beautiful to me, papa and daddy no matter what, okay?" Alexandra said.

"Okay, mamma!" Tiara grinned cheekily.

By the time Alexandra had finished braiding her little girl's hair, Alexandra walked hand in hand with Tiara down the stairs. When they reached the front porch where the car was parked, Gayle was busy tucking Jack into the backseat before putting on the seatbelt around the seven years old boy. Hearing his name being summoned, Gayle turned around and faced amused Alexandra.

"Where's your father?" She queried.

"Inside, changing his clothes. Jack made a big splash in the tub." Gayle answered, earning fits of giggles from Jack who was relaxing in the backseat of the car. The fourteen years old then slid into the car, occupying the space beside his little brother who was now playing with one of his rubber ducks.

A few minutes later, Nikolei slid into the driver's side of the car and grinned at Alexandra who was watching him with a smile on her lips.

He chuckled, "Sorry that I took so long. Kind of forget where my shirts are since I got too dependent on you for picking out my clothes."

"It's okay." She replied, still smiling.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just that, you look very handsome."

Then, there's that stupid yet breathtaking grin on his face. Alexandra shook her head playfully before turning around to check on their children in the backseat of the car, avoiding her husband's of two years meaningful gaze.

The half an hour drive to the cemetery was fun and eventful. Jack and Tiara had been non stop singing the Old Macdonald Had A Farm song while Gayle was more than happy on playing the role as the backup singer.

"We're here." Nikolei announced.

"Daddy! Lift me up!" Both Tiara and Jack said in unison.

Nikolei chuckled and easily lifted the two up in his hands, one on each side. Gayle followed behind them as they all made their way to Grant's grave. Alexandra had a few types of flowers in her arms as she watched Nikolei and the children from the entrance to the cemetery.

A smile graced her lips as she made her way to them. She felt grateful and happy that Nikolei had become an understanding husband and kind man over the past few years. After that night in his backyard, Alexandra and Nikolei had decided to date and spend time with each other and the kids to see where their relationship was going. Throughout the two years of dating, they finally decided to tie the knot after Nikolei proposed to her at her birthday party. 

"You're here!"

Alexandra turned to her right to see Grant smiling gratefully at her. His perfect white teeth shone brightly under the faint light of sun rays that penetrated the trees nearby.

Alexandra smiled softly, "Of course, we are here. It's your anniversary. The kids are excited to meet their papa again."

"Thanks, mon cheri. I see you are happy living with Nikolei."

"Thank you, Grant, for telling me what I have to do four years ago. I'd not be here today if it weren't for you." She smiled.

Grant chuckled, "If it was meant to be, it was meant to be. Serena said thank you by the way."

"Is that her?" Alexandra asked, pointing towards the direction of the tall, beautiful woman by the tree a few feet away from them. The woman then waved at her, with a bright smile on her lips. "She's beautiful, Grant."

"She is." A smile broke out on Grant's face. "Well, we have to go now. Send my love to Gayle, Tiara, Jack and the little one here for me. Goodbye, Alexandra. I love you. I always will, cross my heart."

With that he walked back to where Serena was and soon after, both of them vanished into thin air. Alexandra smiled and wiped the single tear away from her right cheek. She whispered, "I love you too, mon amour."

Alexandra then resumed her steps towards Nikolei and the kids when a sharp pain hit her. She groaned and quickly grabbed onto Nikolei's shoulder, "Ow! N-Nikolei!"

Nikolei's panicked face entered her peripheral view when he suddenly stood up from his crouching position, cradling her in his arms while softly cooing his soothing and soft words in her ears.

"Is it time?" He asked, slightly panicking.

Alexandra breathed heavily, "I think it is. Oh my god! My water broke!"

***

"Here you go! What a healthy baby boy you got here. Congratulations, Mr. And Mrs. Machiavelli." The nurse transferred his newborn baby boy into his awaiting arms before exiting the room, leaving him and his wife alone in the hospital room.

The loud cries brought a newfound joy to him as he watched the baby squirmed in his arms. He never thought this day would come after the obstacles they had been through together but now that his dreams did came true, Nikolei was lost for words as he stared at his and Alexandra's little bundle of joy.

"Here." Nikolei whispered, putting the baby on Alexandra's side.

Alexandra was smiling with happy and joyful tears in her eyes as she cooed her crying baby in the crooked of her right arm.

"He's beautiful, love." Nikolei muttered, kissing Alexandra on the lips and temple. "Thank you. Thank you very much for the beautiful gift, my love. I love you."

"I love you too. What should we name him?"

"Dominico Grant Machiavelli." Nikolei replied, with a smile graced his lips.

"Mamma!"

"Mom!"

Gayle, Tiara and Jack barged into the room with a big smile on each of their faces. Behind them entered Nikolei's family, Patricia and Jerry whom also had big smiles.

"Where's our little munchkin?" The in-laws asked impatiently.

Petra who stood quietly beside her mother quickly scooped her nephew into her arms before anyone could do the same. Everyone in the room groaned impatiently. She grinned and muttered, "Me first."

"Oh! You're a cute little boy, aren't you? You'll be spoilt by Aunty Petra so much!" She said, pinching the baby's cheek softly as he stared at her curiously with his big brown eyes which he inherited from his father.

As the family rounded around Petra and Dominico, Nikolei sat on the bed by Alexandra's side. He planted a soft kiss on her lips once again before sniffing her hair lovingly.

"Thank you, Nikolei, for putting Grant's name as our son's middle name."

He whispered, "You're welcome. He's done a big help in our lives, especially Gayle's and yours. I couldn't thank him enough for bringing us together."

"I love you, Nik." Alexandra smiled gratefully.

"I love you too, my love."

•THE END•

***

Author's Note:-
That's a wrap for this book. To everyone who has been there all the way through of this book's progress from the start till the end, thank you so much for the support! Love you guys very much and your comments never failed to amaze and squeezed the laughter out of me. Once again, thank you so much for voting and reading.

Oh, before I forget, Happy Eid al-Fitr to all Muslims out there!

Love, DNA.😘