Touching the Heart of Ace novel Chapter 68

Robbie's hand roamed all over my stomach. I had lifted my shirt for his convenience and I could not believe how much I wanted him to keep on doing that.

"Don't take it off, Angel." He rubbed his thumb on the clasp of my belly chain. He had to place a tracker on me and Lia.

"I won't." I promised. I was disappointed when he stopped and pulled me to his chest. I pouted at right at his face and his eyes warmed before turning sad.

"Don't go." I was not ready.

It had been weeks. Two weeks, three days, four hours, and he could only stay for one and half hour. Not fair at all.

Did he not care how he could not see me, touch me, taste me or kiss me?

Stop it, Ace!

I was just being bitchy. I could clearly see my Robbie struggling. He had lost weight. He looked tired and the stress lines had added a decade on his face.

"You are not eating well, Daddy." That was what got me all worried.

He kissed my eyelids. "And you are not sleeping well, baby."

He was right. How could I? He was not here.

"Remember why we are doing this?" He hugged me tight and I placed my ear on his chest, listening to his heartbeats. He kissed my head before repeating the question.

I refused to answer. I knew why we were doing this. But did not mean I had to understand it much less accept it.

Why could not people leave us alone?

The paparazzi were going crazy because of Janice and Kevin. It was their fault. Janice cheated and Kevin had the audacity to stream it live. Why were people coming for us? There had been an attempt to breach the hotel by some media and Levi suspected a possible abduction of either Lia or me.

Robbie and Jason went ballistic.

Levi noticed some people roaming around the hotel in staff uniform and they were peeping into rooms. He notified the owner of the hotel and Robbie; those people were arrested and none of them were from media.

I shivered.

There was also a case of bouquet delivery to my room but Levi knew Robbie would not just ask the receptionist to drop the flowers to me without telling him.

Janice had gone on a victim rampage on Facebook, making the mess, messier. Now, people wanted to know who Robert Brantley was protecting and why the kid was with that person. Speculations were blowing left, right and middle. Robbie could not even come to see me because media were tailing after him.

The only reason he was here because I cried. Not my proudest moment, but there were people after my Lia. To know that there was a chloroform bottle and black gloves in the pockets of an arrested person... Jesus!

We had to do a stunt where we pretended to leave this hotel and the media tailed after the dummies. I was shaking to core.

Janice had cried on live claiming she missed her child and wanted to see her beloved baby. Ironically she had not contacted the cops, but media of course stood with the 'troubled' mother.

Jason was also suffering because him coming with Robbie would raise suspicions about my being the 'anonymous person in Robert Brantley's jacket'. Everyone knew Jason and I were brothers.

I was alone in this hotel room while people were after my kid. Who were those people who roamed around in the hotel in staff uniform? I panicked and called the only person in this whole world who would want to be with me at that moment.

My Robbie.

So here he was.

"Baby."

I tightened my hug, knowing he would probably want me to let go.

Nope, not letting go.

"You have no idea how much I hate being away from you." Robbie whispered and my heart pained. My eyes found his and I saw anger, hurt and frustration in them.

This man loved me in his own way which might not be the perfect way. But I knew there was no one in this whole world, living or dead, that he had strong feelings for like he had for me. Whatever he had for me was all he could ever give and if he could do or feel more, I would be the one who would be on the receiving end.

The thought of hurting him, for not loving him like he deserved, was stabbing my heart. I could not bear him being hurt, not being next to me and I was worried out there, people were emotionally scarring him.

I remembered Janice slapping him across his face. My hand rubbed on his cheek. She had that power over our lives. To come and go out of our home like she owned it; owned him. She could brag and drag my man's name in her filthy twisted scam businesses without remorse.

I kissed his heart and then his nose on my tiptoes.

"The lawyer is not making it any easier. I hate this." When I was sitting in this luxurious hotel, safe and sound with my baby cuddling in my arms, my man was facing all my demons alone and what was I doing? Filling his heart with more sadness and frustration. "Knowing you are here, waiting for me, missing me and not willing to let me go are the reasons I had not gone completely insane."

"I will wait for you how long it takes. You are mine, Robbie." He squeezed me harder and his face found its home on the crook of my neck. My hands roamed around all of his upper body. "Don't forget to eat." I whispered to his ears and he nodded.

When he took his face away I latched my teeth on his neck and pulled up a hickey.

Mine! Mine alone!

My heart thrummed when his eyes lost that helplessness and determination filled in.

"Go, now. I don't care who finds out about us. So, take that off your mind, yeah? I am fine, here. I just got scared when..." I hugged his neck.

"I am the luckiest man in the world." Robbie announced staring at me.

"And don't you dare forget it."

"Yes, darling." He smirked and I blushed.

"It is a good thing you are a handsome charmer, or where would you be, Robert Brantley?"

"Charming or not, I will definitely end up in your arms, Ace Truscott." He kissed me, stealing my breath.

I poured all my feelings into that kiss before wiping his glistening mouth with my palm. "Go, now, Daddy. Next time can you stay the night?" I got lost in his intense stare. "I... I miss sleeping next to you."

He nodded. "I promise to hold you and cherish you while you sleep next to me for rest of our lives."

"And I promise to wait, until you can."

He peppered my face with kisses. "Lia?" He asked.

"Just go Daddy, if she wakes up from her nap, you won't be able to leave." He closed his eyes and sighed. "You have two people depending on you to come home, Robbie. Go now, so you can come back faster."

He gulped before his face turned stoic. He gave me a stiff nod, a hard kiss on my forehead and left without looking back.

I blinked back my tears.

I waved back when he turned around in our elevator on the other end of the hall.

For us, Daddy. I miss you already.

I locked the door and went back to my sleeping baby. She was too ecstatic to see her daddy. She sat on her lap and only opened her baby mouth when daddy fed her lunch. She kept on babbling and wanted daddy to sing her lullabies.

She was going to cry after the nap not finding her daddy.

I climbed on the bed and lied next to her popping my head on my elbow.

She had a small smile in her sleep.

"My baby." I whispered before planting a kiss on her cheek.

I smiled when she cooed and turned around before tucking herself on my chest. She always did that. The one person that I was sure would end my love, my obsession, my imperfect relationship with Robbie became the reason why Robbie and I evolved to whatever we were this day.

Who would have thought?!

Robbie had plans to keep Lia and I separated. I could not blame him. He needed to be with me and most people would not be okay to take care of a baby who were born from these circumstances. There were some days that did make me wonder, how much I loved and adored my baby.

I could not think of her not being in my life. And I wanted her as my daughter not as anyone else; definitely not just as my lover's kid. She was more than that. She was my baby; my child, my daughter.

I brushed curls off her forehead and kissed her again. "I love you so much, Amelia."

The one reason that could have successfully burn my relationship to ashes, the one person who could have possibly made Robbie hate me, turned out to be the glue that completely and irrevocably melded together.

Lia pushed and pulled us together until we three became one small entity.

One small family.

To think I was afraid of her before she was born made me feel so silly right at this moment.

I shook my head.

I adjusted the pillow on the headboard, and sighed before leaning back, with Lia on top of my chest. I took the phone off the nightstand and went through Robbie's messages.

My Jerk; I had named him. I smiled thinking of all those incidents that made me believe that he was a jerk.

I changed his contact name to Big Baby and on afterthought, also added a heart emoji.

A dorky name for a dorky person.

We miss you already. Show them what you got, Demon. I love you and I need you.

Robbie could calm down the media after some of his politician acquaintances did some publicity stunts. Media left Janice high and dry because of the pressure from the bosses who were not in their pay grade to even see.

But still my man could not be with us.

That stupid ass lawyer Terry still gave Robbie a hard time. We still did not get why he was reluctant to file a divorce. That idiot was dragging him left and right and postponing the whole process day by day.

It was affecting me. It was affecting Lia.

She barely left my arms. She refused to eat her happy foods and trying to get her sleep was tiring. She did not like Levi too and that was a first time. She hated him coming near me and always climb up my lap, her eyes narrowed in distrust.

Levi being the cool guy he was, politely smiled at her and made our stay comfortable.

When another two weeks passed without any progress from his lawyer's side I begged Robbie to come to us for at least a night.

And I accidently spilled that daddy was coming.

Now my baby refused her evening nap, her proper dinner and she was waiting for him to come to be my sweet baby again.

"Baby, Davey will wake you up. Come on sweetheart."

"No, Daddy come."

"Yes, he will. Come here."

She did come to me but instead of lying next to me, she climbed my body and draped herself across my waist.

"Little Baby, what are you doing?"

"Mmwnaeme." Her mouth was pressed to my stomach.

"Baby..."

"Kissie Davey." She announced before falling back again. Then she blew a raspberry too.

"Lia..." I warned. It was well past her bed time.

She picked her head up and pouted.

"Come here." I patted my chest, but she ignored me and fell back again.

"Fine! So be it. I am sleeping. I am a good boy. Not like you, meanie." I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. She wiggled and squirmed, slithering away. Then I felt a baby finger poking on my face. Then warm milky breath fell on my face and I opened my eyes, glaring right at her and she squealed.

I plucked her up and threw her to the bed, tickling her belly. "Who is the tough girl now. Huh? Huh? Huh? Not so smart, now. Huh? Huh?"

"DAVEY!!!! Stoooooop." She giggled and gave me nice kick on my chest. But I was used to it and I lied on 'top' of her blowing raspberries after raspberries.

I finally stopped when she sounded out of breath. "I love you."

"I lub you."

I pulled her closer and slowly rocked her. "Daddy, Davey."

I sighed. "He will come, Princess. But he will not be happy to see you up."

She mumbled something before dropping her head on my shoulder.

The doorbell went off and Lia jumped away from me. "DADDY!!!! DADDY!!! Daddy daddy daddy." She wiggled her wittle bum, doing a happy dance and ran to the door. I walked a bit more slowly behind her. The door would only open with my fingerprint or Robbie's. She was jumping on her toes and I wanted too.

When I peeped through the hole, I saw Levi standing with dinner and he raised his three fingers. It was our code to know it was all okay.

"Lia. It is not..."

"DADDY DADDY DADDY."

I opened the door and my baby deflated like a balloon. "Sweetheart..." She raised her arms, glaring at Levi and hugged my neck so hard.

If I did not know better, I would have thought Lia was protecting me from strangers. Silly Little Baby. Well, it was not entirely her fault. Her daddy, my Big Baby was just like that.

Levi only smiled and served the dinner on the table. "Mr. Brantley will arrive in ten minutes, David. He had requested me to wait." His eyes flickered to my baby who was still scowling with her adorable pout. "I can wait outside."

"No... no... please. She is not really like this. I think the whole situation is getting to her more than we anticipated. Come on, sweetie, give him a smile. Isn't he pretty?"

"No."

"Oh!"

Levi giggled. covering his mouth.

"I am so sorry. I..."

He waved away my apologies. "No worries, David. My husband calls me pretty all the time. My big ego can indeed take a pint sized hit."

I sat down and Lia straddled my lap facing away from me and kept on glaring.

"I did not know you were married. Who is the lucky guy?"

"I normally would not disclose when I am working. I am married to Salvatore Bianchi, the owner of this hotel."

"Then what are you doing here?"

He giggled. "Your partner wanted the best for you and he did not want you to feel left out. Sal says Mr. Brantley only picked Palazzo because he is gay and married."

"That is not true. I did not know about..."

"Mr. Brantley always thinks ahead, David. You know that. You were going to be under our care and he would rather have you with people who would not judge you. Well we are gay and happily married. How can we judge you when we are the same?"

I shook my head.

Robbie was something else.

"Well, we are not married." I put my chin on Lia's head.

Levi smiled at Lia and then back at me. "Still would not find a difference, you might as well be married. You even have a baby together. If this was a competition you would win." He fake pouted.

I laughed and Lia tipped her head back and glared at me.

"Look at her. Getting all protective thinking I will steal you from her daddy." Levi affectionately looked at Lia and smiled.

I winced. "Caught that, huh? I am sorry." How embarrassing! "She is..."

He smiled. "With everything going on, can you blame her? Kids are very perceptive, David. They are not articulate as us but they sure as hell not S.T.U.P.I.D. Though your child is far too advanced for her age."

"Uhh... Thanks. I always talk to her. Even when she was a few days olds I would read her everything and she would mimic whatever I do. I think that is one of the reasons and other is of course, her daddy is smart." I pecked her head and she went back to glare at Levi.

I could see the longing in Levi's eyes. "You have been trying?"

"Yeah."

"What is the problem?"

"My husband."

Ouch!

"He is not really into kids. I am from a big family and I want to have a big family too but he... he thinks we are perfect the way we are. I don't mind it but some days..." He sighed wistfully.

"Did you tell him that you want kids?"

He chuckled. "It is not that easy."

"Oh! Why not?"

"Is that what you do? Tell Mr. Brantley you want something and he will get you anything?"

"Pretty much. Yes. Always."

"Wow!" He snorted. "It must be nice."

"Yes, it is. So, tell yours and may be he is not wanting it because he does not know how amazing it could be to be parent. But if it is something much more complicated and deep rooted, you have every right to know. Even if you choose to not have kids, at least you would know why and it would be your decision too."

Levi blinked and I blushed.

"Thank you." His eyes dropped to Lia again. "I just did not want him to think that I would leave him or some equally absurd thoughts he would pull up from the depth of his childish mind. It is not a deal breaker or anything. I never thought of kids actually before getting married. I never thought of marriage too. But... it would be nice. That's it. He just too childish."

"Tell me about it."

He gasped. "Mr. Brantley too?"