Signed In Ink, Sealed In Love
Chapter 78
The house was too quiet.
Not lonely.
Just different.
The decorations from the wedding had been dropped off earlier-flowers now resting in vases around the living room, her bouquet placed carefully on the dining table.
Aria stood barefoot in the kitchen the next morning already eating cookies, wearing one of Leo's white shirts.
Only his shirt.
It hung lower now, brushing mid-thigh.
Leo paused in the hallway when he saw her.
He didn't say anything immediately.
He just watched.
Hair slightly messy.
Wedding ring catching light when she reached for a glass.
Pregnant.
His wife.
She turned slightly and caught him staring.
"What?" she asked, amused.
He walked toward her slowly.
"Come here."
"That's not an answer."
"Still. Come here."
She rolled her eyes but stepped closer.
His hands slid to her waist-not rushed, not desperate. Slow. Possessive in the calmest way.
"You look dangerous," he murmured.
"I'm barefoot and hungry."
"Exactly."
She laughed softly.
"You're dramatic since yesterday."
"I'm married since yesterday."
He lowered his forehead to hers.
"Say it."
She raised a brow.
"Say what?"
"You're my wife."
She tilted her head slightly.
"I've always been yours."
That did something to him.
He exhaled slowly.
"You don't know what that does to me."
She studied his face.
"I think I do."
Breakfast burned.
Leo turned the cooker off.
Leo lifted her onto the counter without breaking eye contact.
"Leo-"
"What?"
"We just got married."
"Yes."
"And?"
"And you're acting like we eloped in secret."
He leaned in slowly, brushing his lips against hers.
"Maybe I would've preferred that."
She smiled against his mouth.
"You love control too much for eloping."
"True."
His hand moved gently to her stomach.
A different kind of tenderness settled between them.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
"Yes."
"No discomfort?"
"No."
He nodded once.
Good.
He kissed her again-this time slower.
Intentional.
His hand resting at her lower back like she was something precious but strong.
She slid her fingers into his hair lightly.
"You're softer today," she whispered.
"I'm relieved."
"About?"
"Starting clean."
She studied him carefully.
"You really needed that closure."
"Yes."
She nodded.
"I know."
That was the difference now.
They weren't guessing each other's emotions.
They understood them.
Later that afternoon, they stayed home.
No guests.
No errands.
Just them.
Aria lay stretched on the couch while Leo sat on the floor beside her, scrolling through honeymoon options.
"We can still travel lightly," he said.
"Lightly?" she laughed. "I'm carrying two humans."
"Domestic. Short flight."
She watched him for a moment.
"You're trying very hard to keep things romantic."
He looked up at her.
"I don't try. I prioritize."
That landed softly.
She reached down and brushed her fingers along his jaw.
"You're doing well."
He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles slowly.
"You haven't called me husband yet."
She smirked.
"You're insecure?"
"No."
"Then why are you fishing?"
He leaned closer.
"Because I like hearing it."
She held his gaze.
"Okay."
She leaned down slightly, voice lowering.
"Come here, husband."
His expression shifted instantly.
Not playful anymore.
Deeper.
He stood slowly.
"Careful," he murmured.
"About what?"
"Teasing."
She laughed softly, but he was already lifting her carefully again-this time walking toward the bedroom.
"Leo."
"Yes."
"You're very confident for someone who hasn't checked if the door is locked."
He kicked it shut behind him.
"It's locked."
He laid her down gently.
There was no rush.
No urgency driven by absence.
This wasn't desperation.
It was familiarity deepening.
He traced his fingers lightly along her side.
"You're changing," he said quietly.
She tensed for half a second.
He noticed.
"I mean it in a way I like," he added calmly.
She relaxed.
"How?"
"You feel... fuller. Not just physically."
She looked at him thoughtfully.
"I feel fuller."
He leaned down, kissing her neck slowly.
"You glow differently."
"That's hormones."
"No."
His voice lowered slightly.
"That's certainty."
She swallowed softly.
He wasn't just touching her.
He was seeing her.
His hand moved carefully, respectfully-aware of her body, aware of the pregnancy.
"You comfortable?" he asked quietly.
"Yes."
He never skipped that question.
Never assumed.
And that alone made everything feel safer.
She pulled him closer.
"Stop being careful for one second."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"You sure?"
"Yes."
That was all he needed.
The kiss deepened-not wild, not reckless. Just intense.
Familiar but renewed.
Hands learning curves that had slightly shifted.
Breathing syncing slowly.
Her fingers tightened lightly at his shoulders.
He slowed deliberately at intervals-protective but not distant.
Afterward, he rested his forehead against hers.
No rush to move.
No awkward silence.
Just shared breath.
"You're smiling," he murmured.
"So are you."
He kissed her again softly.
"Mrs. Moretti looks good on you."
She rolled her eyes faintly.
"Still dramatic."
"Still obsessed."
She laughed quietly.
"I can live with that."
That evening, they showered together-not for heat, just closeness.
Water running warm.
Leo washing her hair carefully.
"You're too gentle," she teased.
"You're carrying my future."
"I was your future before this."
He paused.
"You still are."
He rinsed the soap slowly.
There was something unspoken between them now.
Not tension.
Depth.
They weren't proving anything anymore.
They were settled.
Later, wrapped in towels, she stood in front of the mirror again.
He came up behind her.
Both of them reflected.
Married.
Growing.
Stable.
He rested his chin on her shoulder.
"You feel different to me."
"How?"
"Permanent."
She met his eyes in the mirror.
"We always were."
He kissed her shoulder gently.
"Yes."
That night, as they lay in bed, she shifted closer to him.
"Leo."
"Yes."
"Don't let us become routine."
He turned toward her.
"We won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I don't take you for granted."
She studied him.
"And I don't idolize you."
He smiled faintly.
"Good."
"No pedestal."
"No competition."
"Just partnership."
"Exactly."
He kissed her once more.
Slow.
Unrushed.
The kind of kiss that didn't need urgency to feel electric.
Outside, the house was still.
Inside, something had deepened.
Not louder.
Not dramatic.
Just intimate.
And this time-
There was no cliffhanger waiting at the edge.
Just warmth.
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