The Professor - Ch. 36.2

Aurelia moaned again, this time at his intimate touch. “Yes,” she purred out upon releasing his instrument of speech to utilize her own.

“Don’t tempt me, woman. I said I wasn’t going to have you again tonight. That I was going to let you rest up for the honeymoon. I mean to keep that vow,” Baron reminded them both as he moved his hands back to a neutral place on her body – her belly.

Aurelia chuckled. “I’ll believe that when I see it, horny toad.” She faced forward again, causing ripples in the warm water.

He laughed. “Do that,” he challenged and then changed the conversation altogether for both their sakes. “I’m curious about Marshall’s last name. Jean-Baptiste is a French name, right? If so, does that mean that Trent’s father was French, too? It would certainly explain the boy’s wavy hair and fair skin, which is even lighter than your mother’s.”

“Jean-Baptiste is a French surname. Marshall was French and West Indian,” Aurelia replied. “His uncle called him Frenchie. I called him Marshall because I liked it much better and because I just didn’t want to have anything in common with evil Oliver. Sometimes I called Marshall ‘Brainiac’ because he was so smart. At nineteen, he already knew six languages.”

“Wow! That’s impressive. I only know three and a half languages myself. English and Spanish were necessities in my largely bilingual family. My third language is Italian, most of which my college roommate Gino taught me while we were in school. I only know a little Hebrew, which is why I call it my half language. I learned most of that for the bar mitzvah that my great-granddad insisted I have.”

“Knowing three and a half languages is nothing to frown at either,” Aurelia complimented, looping her fingers through his at her waist. “As for Marshall, I was more impressed with his brilliant mind than anything else. It was the thing that initially drew me to him. The main reason I fell in love with him in the first place. Such brilliance made me completely overlook the fact that Marshall was a bit on the chubby side,” she shared, inadvertently revealing the depth of her character in those statements.

Baron smiled, glad that his future wife cared about more than just a man’s wallet or his outward appearance.

“As for Trent’s fair skin, most folks excuse that away because my mother and aunt are so light. But that wavy hair and those amber eyes of his still bring a lot of speculation even to this day,” Aurelia continued. “Some people, namely Aunt Gladys and Uncle Sam, originally thought that my mother had an affair with Oliver after my father died because of those eyes. And also because they were among the few to know about Daddy’s reproduction issues.”

“Emile and Oliver would seem like a logical paternity match if you just considered Trent’s complexion, eye color, and hair texture. Yet one look at the boy’s nose, mouth, and bone structure and it’s clear to see that he’s a Bunting man all the way.”

Aurelia chuckled. “Yes, Trent does look a lot like my father and uncle. The fact that he also has diabetes like them keeps a lot of the speculation down as well.”

“Earlier you mentioned falling in love with Marshall’s mind first. What are some of the things you love the most about your son?” Baron asked, enjoying their ability to talk about any subject.

“I love Trent’s brilliant little mind, as well. In fact, I think he’s going to be just as smart as Marshall was one day. But what I love most of all about our son, at least for right now, is the fact that he’s such a lover of the outdoors.”

“Why is that, baby?”

“Because it reminds me so much of my father. Daddy was a great outdoorsman. He made me one, too.” Aurelia smiled. “I loved camping in the backyard with him on warm nights. I also love the fact that he taught me enough about engines to keep any car or lawnmower running.” She chuckled. “Daddy had to make me take dance lessons when Mama complained that I was becoming too much of a tomboy. And she absolutely hated the fact that I was so resistant to cooking. I’m still only a so-so cook to this day just to remind you of what you’re really getting into tomorrow.”

Baron laughed. “It’s a good thing that I’m practically a chef then,” he replied, fully aware of her culinary deficiencies. He learned about those last Sunday when Aurelia burned the jerk chicken they were to have for lunch that day. An impatient cook, she had the fire turned up way too high. Out of his love for her, Baron had eaten every agonizing bite of that meal.

“You can cook that good?”

“I had to learn in order to have home-cooked meals that were not only tasty, but healthy. Plus, the fiancée that I had before you couldn’t cook a lick and didn’t even want to try,” Baron replied, clearly referring to Megan since there had been no other fiancées. “By the way, I am sooooo grateful for those dance lessons your mother insisted upon.”

“You would be.” Aurelia rolled her eyes and chuckled.

Baron laughed again, too. “Anyway, I like that you and Trent enjoy the outdoors so much. I do, too. I can see us having so much fun camping together when he visits the states. By the way, before we leave, I want to set him and your mother up in another location while the house is being renovated. Because there’s no way I could rest at night in our comfortable California home knowing that Trent and Emile were back here living far below the poverty level, even if it is on family owned land. I felt guilty enough coming back to this luxury hotel every night.”

Aurelia’s eyes grew glossy yet again on this emotionally charge night. “And that right there is yet another reason I love you so much.” She turned sideways and draped her wet arms about his neck.

“Exactly what reason is that?” He smiled, encircling her waist a different way now.

“Your generosity. The guy in my last serious relationship could care less about my family’s well-being. Cain thought I should be grateful that he was doing so much for me and so shouldn’t expect him to do anything for my family.” Aurelia frowned. “Although when I think about it, all he was really giving me was free room and board. Room and board that I actually worked off by playing his maid. Matter of fact, a cook was Cain’s only in-house expense while I was there because I kept his house and his laundry clean. He even stopped taking his designer suits to the cleaners because I took care of them so much better.”

Baron frowned now. “Cain should have been grateful he even had you. I know I am. Which is why I want to do everything in my power to make you and yours happy. I gave you my word on that, Aurelia, and I plan to keep it.”

“Oh, Baron,” Aurelia purred, before literally attacking his lips.

It took everything in Baron not to break his word after that heated kiss. Yet he remained strong even after they returned to the bed to cuddle until sleep claimed them.

© 2009 by Mi’Chelle Dodson/Suprina Frazier