Secrets

Of course Nathalie was at her desk on time, early that Monday morning. When Gabriel entered he was surprised to see her there and that she looked much better.

Instead of his usual cold 'Good morning', he walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Good morning, Nathalie. May I say, you are looking much better today. I hope you feel like it too?"

She nodded, her cheeks lightly blushing while she felt an unpleasant pressure in her stomach.

"I'm feeling a lot better, Sir, thank you", she replied in a neutral tone.

He let out a disappointed sigh, then he mumbled:

"I'm glad to hear that!"

He stared at her for a moment, his hand still on her shoulder, his fingers unconsciously caressing her. He noticed, what he was doing, several minutes later and quickly pulled his hand away.

"I-I'm sorry!", he blurted out and went back to his tablets. Nathalie looked past him, with a deep desire to be held by him, but swallowed it down as fast as she could and focused on her work.

But at some point that feeling in her stomach became unbearable and she stood up to rush outside and to the bathroom. Gabriel watched her with furrowed brows.

"Are you okay?", he questioned as she returned about ten minutes later, her face rather pale, but her eyes lightly red as if she had been crying.

Nathalie nodded.

"I'm fine, thank you, S... Gabriel."

He smiled at her, but was still concerned.

Christmas passed by quickly, as did New years eve. Soon Valentine's day was approaching and around the same time, Nathalie just couldn't close her pants anymore. Sighing she pulled her usual turtle neck shirt out of them, hoping that would do the trick a little longer. It did, but now the shirt was longer than her blazer and she didn't even have to see Gabriel's disapproving look to know, that this was a no-go.

So she dug through her closet and eventually managed to find a different shirt, one that showed her cleavage instead of hiding every possible female form. She sighed and tried it on, then took a glimpse into the mirror. That would do. Maybe the cleavage would even distract from the fact, that she would have to open the button and zipper of those pants, if she wanted to take a seat in her office chair. Her gaze fell on a skirt, she usually avoided to wear, because it was a little too wide and she didn't like wearing a belt. But maybe...

She was lucky, the skirt fit her excellently and Nathalie, now halfway content with her new outfit, got on her way to work.

As always she was in the office long before her boss, so he didn't notice her new attire right away. But when she got on her way to the bathroom, as she did every morning lately and mostly in a hurry, he saw that she wasn't wearing her usual pants, but a rather short skirt, that showed her beautiful legs, despite the tights, she was wearing and gave him a couple of rather inappropriate thoughts.

Her return to the office was even worse, as he now noticed her provocative shirt with the deep cleavage. Nathalie noticed him staring and he blushed deeply, as he saw her looking at him.

"I-I am s-so s-sorry, it's j-just, may I say, you look amazing today. I didn't mean to stare I...", he covered his face with his hands now.

"Thank you, Gabriel", she just responded, as she walked over to his tablets to lay a hand on his upper arm. "I didn't feel as if you were staring, no need to feel bad, okay?"

He let his head hang low, before he agreed.

"Okay", he said, looking deeply into her eyes.

Nathalie blushed instantly and looked away.

"Please don't look at me like that, I...can't..."

She was about to run away, when he caught her arm and pulled her back to him.

This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. Why did he pull her back and why was he looking at her like that. He...

He started to kiss her. He just couldn't hold back anymore. He wanted her, needed her. Just now, there was no Adrien, no Emilie, there was just this beautiful, hot woman, who had almost died to fulfill his wishes, to get those cursed jewels. Maybe it was time to give up on those and...

But she pushed him away after a few seconds.

"Don't play with my feelings, Gabriel. I can't do this. Not as long as you still want her. So please, don't!"

He was crying too now.

"I wished, it was that easy. How should I explain to anyone, that my dead wife is conserved in my basement. How should I tell Adrien, that his mother didn't vanish, but died? How could I ever live up to your expectations, after all those things I did? After I hurt you so much?", he whined.

Nathalie didn't know, how to react. She just stood before him and watched him cry desperately. Then she just smashed her lips on his, her arms pulled him close, as she felt him take a hold of her waist and draw her tautly to his body.

He could feel her quiver the moment his hands start to explore her body, when he cupped her full round breasts, when he lifted her up to take her to his room and place her on his bed. He noticed that she was stil crying and stopped all his movements immediately to look at her.

But Nathalie shook her head.

"It's okay. I know, that this is a one time thing, and that you aren't ready to let her go yet. But I...", she looked to the floor in embarrassment, "I need this, I need you now, so please, don't stop, Gabriel."

He was still reluctant, when she just opened the buttons of her shirt and guided his hands to her breasts. Gabriel inhaled deeply, knowing very well, that this wasn't right, but she felt so perfect and so warm, and she smelled so good, that he couldn't resist very long and was soon not just fucking her, as he did when they were drunk, but gently and tenderly making love to her.

He looked puzzled, as she afterwards stood up and started to get dressed.

"What are you doing?", he asked.

"Well, I am getting back to work. I most certainly don't want to wake up the way I did back then, with you yelling at me...", she answered, trying to sound as if she wouldn't care. But he could hear in her voice that she was still, or again, crying, despite her turning her back towards him.

He stood up and walked to her hugging her from behind.

"I am still very sorry for the yelling", he whispered into her ear. "Just come back to bed, please. You still look pale and exhausted most of the time, so just lay down with me for a little bit. I promise, to get up before I fall asleep. If you would like to take a nap, it's fine with me. I don't want you to feel...", he hesitated.

"Like you're using me?", she spat, "sorry...I...didn't mean to...I... just can't control all my emotions lately."

Gabriel just stayed this way for some time, his arms still around her waist, his hands stroking the soft skin on her stomach, until he felt her relax into his touch and lean against him. He then kissed the side of her neck tenderly and slowly he pulled her back onto his mattress, to tuck her into the duvet with him and hug her tightly.

"You are just making this harder than it had to be, Gabriel. I could have just gone back to my desk and..."

"Shush, my Nathalie. Don't spoil this moment. Maybe soon, I can eventually accept what happened, but as long, as I don't know if I can, I won't promise you anything, so, please, this is our time, and I want you to enjoy it just as I do!"

With a deep sigh, she leaned against his chest and tried to relax.

"I would like to take a longer vacation at the end of summer!", she quietly informed him.

"Really? Not that you had to tell me, but I still want to know, what for?"

"I am going to spent some quality time with a family member, who I haven't gotten to know very closely by now, but still feel strangely connected to!", she replied honestly.

"Oh, I understand. Well, take all the time you need. I'm going to miss you though!", he admitted.

"Thank you", Nathalie whispered and he could hear the tremble in her voice again, knowing she was crying. But he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable again, so he just tightened his grasp and let her feel, that he was there.

The spring passed by and the summer was hot and made it really difficult for Nathalie, to hide her now very visible bump, but somehow she managed it anyway. But at the end of July, she had only four weeks left, until her daughter was due. She still couldn't believe, that she was having a little girl.

She already had chosen her name. Cécile sounded just right to her. With a blissful smile, she rubbed her round belly, then she sighed and reached for her phone, to call Gabriel and inform him, that she needed to take that vacation now.

He sounded sad, but he wasn't angry, as she had feared. He even rejected her offer to do some of her work from here. The man she still loved and who was the father to the child she was about to give birth to very soon, just told her she should take her time and maybe, she would like to introduce that important family member to him one day.

"Yeah, maybe!", she said and then she hung up and buried her head into the pillows of her sofa once more.

It wasn't four, but only two weeks later, when she woke up late at night to a searing pain in her lower back and her belly.

Thirteen hours later, she held her beautiful, little daughter in her arms, crying tears of happiness and a few because there was nobody to share her luck with.

It took her a couple of weeks, to get into the new routine. And she needed to find a good day care, so she could get back to work very soon. There was still nobody except herself, who knew about that little sunshine. When Cécile was six weeks old, Nathalie went back to work, sitting at her desk just on time, after leaving her daughter at the daycare, that she had chosen after lots of thinking and researching.

Gabriel wasn't expecting her already and gasped, as he saw her.

"Nathalie!", was all he could say.

"Good morning, Sir!", she greeted.

"G-good morning. I didn't expect you back already, but I'm very glad, that you are!", he said sheepishly, while he blushed. "You look beautiful and happy, so I guess you and that family member got along rather good?"

She nodded.

"We still do. She makes my life better every day!"

"I see. Well, I'm glad you could do that. Welcome back."

"Thank you, Gabriel"

He noticed, that she had changed her way to dress once more, was now hiding her front instead of only her belly. Women, he thought, always having trouble with their bodies. Here a pound too much, here something too big or too small. To him she was always beautiful, but he still wasn't at the point to let go of Emilie. At least not before he had found a way to explain to his son, what had happened.