The Imposter Bride (Natalia and Magnus) novel Chapter 424

Since the day Hector moved out, Magnus had been over the moon.

Every day, he'd come home from the office early, grinning from ear to ear, eager to snuggle up with Natalia. With little Jonas often out, the lovebirds had the nest to themselves.

On this particular Saturday, Magnus returned home to the sound of Jonas' voice and remembered it was the weekend. As he stepped into the living room and saw the cozy scene of mother and son chatting on the couch, his heart melted into a warm puddle.

Jonas turned and sprang up with a shout, "Daddy!"

Magnus set his briefcase down and bent over to scoop up his boy, who was now nearly as tall as his waist. "Aren't you too big to be carried by me?" Magnus teased, a smile in his voice.

"I'll still be your baby when I'm thirty," Jonas declared, as Magnus plopped him down on the couch.

With a serious face, Jonas looked up at Magnus. "Dad, didn't you promise me a year ago that you'd give me a little brother or sister? I've been waiting a whole year. Where are they?"

He stared intently at Magnus, his little eyes brimming with a mix of scorn and challenge as if to say, “You really aren't cutting it, are you?”

Magnus was at a loss for words, glancing over at Natalia, whose cheeks were quickly turning pink.

"What do you know? Your brother or sister can see how tall you are, and they're worried. They think that when they’re born, you won’t be tall enough to protect them. So, you see, you need to grow taller. That's the real issue!" Magnus replied with a straight face.

"Hmph, Daddy, that's just an excuse. Admit it, you just can't make it happen." Jonas stood up, pointing at Magnus. "And tonight, I'm sleeping with Mommy!"

"Why's that?" Magnus asked, puzzled.

"Because I gave you Mommy to make a brother or sister for me, but since you haven't, I want Mommy back!" Jonas said, hands on his hips.

Magnus looked at his clever little adversary, fighting the urge to throttle him.

"You can't call me incapable! Look how tall I am," Jonas continued, jumping into Natalia's lap and planting a defiant kiss on her cheek, eyeing Magnus with triumph.

Magnus watched the smug little guy, feeling his blood boil. He wanted to toss him out right then and there, but seeing Natalia's smiling eyes, he held back.

He glared at his son, his lips curling into a cunning smile.

After dinner, which the maid had prepared before leaving them to their family time, Magnus called out to Jonas, "Let's go work off that meal, son. It's not good to sit right after eating."

"Sure, daddy! Where are we going?" Jonas asked, looking up at him.

"To the gym." They walked to the home gym. "Buddy, if you can do two hundred push-ups tonight, you can sleep with Mommy," Magnus said with a smirk.

"That's easy. I'll have them done in no time," Jonas boasted, eager to prove his dad wrong.

Natalia sighed. So this was all a ploy to tire Jonas out, to fulfill his own desires – Magnus was so shameless.

As Magnus expertly slipped off Natalia's straps and his lips traced her skin, she melted beneath him, and the room filled with their union's warmth and sweetness.

The next morning, Jonas did indeed sleep until nine, waking up without an ounce of strength. But where was his mommy? He got dressed and went downstairs, finding Magnus leisurely reading the newspaper on the couch.

"Did Mommy sleep with me last night?" Jonas asked, eyeing his father with suspicion. He remembered falling for his dad's sneaky plan the evening before. What a naughty daddy!

"Of course, your mom snuggled up with you all night, and kicked me out to the spare room. You're quite the charmer, aren't you?" Magnus replied, his dark eyes glinting with a teasing edge.

"But when I woke up, Mommy wasn't there." Jonas mumbled, scratching his head in confusion.

"That's because it's already nine in the morning, sport. Your mom's been up for hours. Look, she's outside watering the roses. Go ask her if you don't believe me," Magnus said, nodding toward the figure in the garden just beyond the patio doors.

Jonas dashed off to find his mother, and as he did, the corners of Magnus' mouth curled into an ever-deepening smile.

He had managed to dupe Jonas successfully, and of course, Natalia, his wife, wouldn't dare reveal that she hadn't actually spent the night in Jonas' embrace.

All day long, Jonas basked in the blissful belief that he had indeed slept with his mommy. His little heart was swollen with joy.