Was it really healthy for him to hold out for that long?

Kira was about to suggest that maybe he could solve the problem with his right hand, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. The thought of Austyn pleasuring himself brought a blush to her face.

'What are you thinking so hard about?' Austyn pinched her cheek, which was hot to the touch.

'N-nothing. She looked away.

He patted her head. 'Go wait for me on the sofa. I'll be done in fifteen minutes.'

'Okay.'

Kira sat cross-legged on the sofa and picked out a random book from the coffee table.

She stayed away from nuclear reactors this time.

But this one titled 'Secrets of Sand Hill Road' was just as abstruse.

Kira's eyes soon glazed over after one page of 'founder liability,' 'reserved matters,' 'lock-ups' and 'liquidation preference.'

She set down the weighty tome.

The study was quiet.

The only sound in the room was the clickety-clack of the keyboard.

Kira studied her husband, whose eyes never left the computer screen.

He was handsome to begin with.

Being hard at work only added to his charm.

Austyn sat with his back ramrod straight.

His long fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard.

Kira wondered what he was working on.

Probably something else she didn't understand.

The M Group had a finger in so many pies-energy, retail, telecommunications, aviation, venture capital, e-commerce and fintech.

She would be overwhelmed with trying to understand just one.

How could he juggle so many different pieces of work at the same time?

Once again, Kira prayed fervently that their child would get Austyn's intelligence.

She heard a sigh.

'I won't be able to finish within fifteen minutes if you keep distracting me.' Austyn looked over at her.

'But I'm not making a sound! How can I distract you?

'I can feel you staring a hole in me.'

Making Googly Eyes

Her gaze was filled with admiration.

She looked at him like she idolised him.

What man could resist that look?

Not him, for sure.

'We're going to be here all night if you keep it up.'

Austyn silently struggled for self-control.

His wife was making googly eyes at him, yet he couldn't touch her for another darned fifty-four days.

'Sorry.' Kira averted her gaze, somewhat chastened. 'I won't disturb you again.'

Austyn returned to his work, but his mind was still on her.

People had always looked up to him, from his army days till now.

But he cared nothing for their looks of admiration.

Yet, when Kira did it, he couldn't help but swell with pride.

He sat up a little straighter, pulled back his shoulders a bit more and tilted his face so it was fully lit up by the lamp.

'What are you smiling at?' Kira asked.

Austyn cleared his throat. 'Nothing.'

Kira stifled a yawn.

She checked the time. 'It's ten thirty."

She looked back at him. 'Must you finish all the work by tonight? I thought bosses don't have deadlines to meet.'

'I don't.' Austyn leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. 'I'm drafting the plans for next year.'

'But this is just September.' Kira was incredulous. 'Next year's more than three months away.'

'I know, but I want to free up more time next year. Which means I'll have to make sure the CEOS know what they're supposed to do and won't come and bother me.' 'Why are you in such a hurry?' Kira was more of a spontaneous type.

She seldom made plans for next month, let alone next year.

'Your due date is in mid-June,' he said.

Dr Lynch said it would be increasingly difficult for her to move about once she entered the third trimester.

Austyn wanted to be there for her, not just for the pregnancy, but also for the delivery and everything that came afterwards.

As the M Group's president, the person at the helm, he wasn't entitled to the luxury of paternity leave.

Which meant he had to make time.

The plans he was drafting would delegate more responsibilities to the subsidiaries' CEOS.

He didn't want them to come running to him every time some little problem cropped up.

Henry didn't teach him how to be a good father.

But Austyn thought that if he couldn't learn by example, he could at least learn by doing.

He closed his eyes for a minute.

After the short break was over, he rolled his chair forward and resumed pecking away at his keyboard. Kira sat motionless on the sofa.

Austyn's answer was brief, but she could infer the rest.

He was in a hurry because he wanted to clear his schedule next year and spend more time with her She was beyond touched.

Austyn was startled by the sudden sound of crying.

He shot out of his chair and went to her. 'What's wrong?'

I Don't Know if I'm Ready To Be A Mother

I Don't Know If I'm Ready To Be A Mother

Tears were streaming down Kira's cheeks.

She made no effort to wipe them away.

Austyn grabbed a couple of tissue from a box on the coffee table.

Why was she so sad all of a sudden?

Kira couldn't get a word out.

Her whole body was racked by sobs.

She wanted to tell Austyn how much he meant to her, and how touched she was by all he was doing for her.

The last person who had been this nice to her was her father.

Gideon used to treat her like family as well, but he had changed.

Austyn scooped her up in his arms.Exclusive content from .

He wiped away her tears with his fingers.

'There, there.'

He couldn't stand the sight of her tears.

It made him feel guilty, for some reason.

'What's wrong?'

'I don't... I don't want to cry.' Kira sobbed. 'But I can't help it.'

Austyn sighed, helpless.

Was this another side effect of the hormonal surge during pregnancy?

She had been fine a minute ago.

Kira gripped the front of his shirt. 'You're being so nice to me. I can't help it.'

Tears kept streaming down her cheeks.

The front of her pyjama top was wet.

Austyn was at a loss for words.

'I've been so scared,' she said. 'About this whole pregnancy thing.'

It was so sudden, so out of the blue.

'I can't imagine actually having a baby."

She knew she was going to start a family someday, but she always thought it would be a day in the distant future.

'I don't know if I'm ready."

She knew she would love the baby more than anything in the world, but Kira wasn't sure if she had what it took to be a good mother.

'My mother, Helen, she left me when I was two. I don't know what it's like to be brought up in a family with both parents.' What if she did something wrong?

What if she made a mistake and somehow end up hurting her baby?

'I don't know what I'm supposed to do when the baby gets here.'

She was completely at sea, even for basic things like food.

Was she supposed to breastfeed?

What if she didn't have enough milk?

Could she feed the baby milk powder?

But what type?

Goat milk, cow milk, soy milk?

What if her baby was allergic to something but she didn't know?

'I wish there's someone who can tell me what to do.'

Her tears fell onto Austyn's arm. 'But now I'm not worried. I have you.'

Austyn was so smart, so capable.

He didn't have any parenting experience, either, but he looked like he was ready for anything.

He even started planning for next year, way before the baby even got here.

Kira had seen the lift.

She wasn't here when the contractors came, but Elsie told her everything.

I Don't Know If I'm Ready To Be A Mother

8647

The housekeeper heard it from Kai, who said he did it on Austyn's orders.

Austyn was concerned that Kira might find it difficult to get up the stairs during her third trimester.

He was so thoughtful.

The baby would be in good hands.

Kira buried her head in his chest. 'Please don't laugh at me. I didn't mean to cry.'

The pregnancy was making it harder for her to control her emotions.

Austyn held on to her and stroked her back. 'Let it out. It's fine.'

His heart ached for her.

He wished he could take away all her worries.

"che

wake

She didn't have a mother to teach her what to do, but he was sure she would make a

Besides, they could learn how to be parents together.

There were classes they could attend, books he could buy.

They could consult others.

good mother.

Then Austyn realised with a start that he didn't know anyone his age who'd already had babies.

Luca was married but had no plans to start a family any time soon.

Jesse was set in his playboy ways.

Damian was tight-lipped about his personal life, but Austyn gathered that he was either divorced or separated from his wife. Austyn ran through more names in his head, but there was none whom he considered good enough to serve as a role model. He probably needed to make some new friends, he mused.

'Don't worry.' He caressed Kira's hair. 'We're going to do this together. I'll always be here for you. And for the baby.'

He was not going to let her face any more challenges alone.

She had lived a hard life.

He couldn't be there for her before, but he would always be there for her for the rest of their lives.

Kira deserved happiness.

Austyn felt her squirm in his arms. 'What's wrong?'

She raised her head and sought his lips, then she kissed him.

He tasted her tears.

'I love you,' she whispered.

Austyn shivered.

Those three little words produced an electric current that passed through his system, setting every nerve-ending atingle.

Kira continued planting gentle kisses on his lips, his cheeks and his forehead.

A broad smile broke out on Austyn's face.

But it soon clouded over when he was struck by a sudden thought.

He hesitated. 'Kira.'

'Hmm?'

"There's something I want to tell you.'

Kira pulled back to look him in the eye. 'What is it?'

He opened his mouth.

The words were stuck in his throat.

Kira stared up at him, curicus.

Austyn wanted to tell her the truth, desperately so.

She had been so open and frank with him about her past.

She deserved honesty in return.

But he was scared.

Scared by how she would react once the truth came out.

The deeper her love for him now, the stronger the hate later on.

He couldn't bear the thought of her leaving him.

Austyn averted his gaze.

0

I Don't Know If I'm Ready To Be A Mother

'What's wrong?' Kira had stopped crying.

Austyn had always been taciturn, but it was so unlike him to start a conversation but stop halfway. 'It's about...your father.'