Tyler let out an impressed whistle after turning on the lights in the living room. He had not visited the beach house since Bonnie hired an interior decorator to update the space. The only inkling he had about the changes to the home's décor came from the e-mails that Felicity sent. Bonnie had required final approval on all furnishings, accessories, paint colors, and fixtures. In the beginning, he didn't understand her desire to update the house. Sheila's design sense had been rich and very reminiscent of the old world. The house had always reminded him of the Loiacono family home in Milazzo. The centuries old home evoked the color scheme reminiscent of the Tyrrhenian Sea that his family once used as their fishing ground. However, the new décor appeared younger, more feminine, and very comfortable. In short, the house looked more like Bonnie.
Her plump lips split into a broad smile as she walked over to the soft gray sectional. She had chosen the L-shaped sofa because of the stylish appearance and large size. Bonnie had instructed Felicity to ensure that living room was set up for entertaining large groups. Now that she was away from the Salvatore family, Bonnie had no interest in continuing her life as a recluse. She had people that loved her and she wouldn't be isolated from them any longer.
She sat down and dropped her purse onto the oversized tufted ottoman that served as a coffee table. She asked, "Do you like it?"
He nodded and took off his leather jacket. "It looks beautiful, Bon. You definitely have better taste than I do."
She took off her pumps and rubbed her aching feet. Bonnie loved her outfit but dancing in those shoes hadn't been her smartest decision. However, her grandmother had always taught her that through pain came beauty. "Thanks. Your place isn't half bad. I kind of like it. The artwork is especially nice."
Tyler sat down on the couch and patted his lap expectantly. He chuckled, "My mom decorated the townhouse for me. The only thing I had any input on was the size, number, and placement of my televisions. I think the one in the bathroom is my favorite."
Bonnie giggled as she put her feet onto Tyler's lap. She sighed happily when he started massaging her throbbing feet and swollen ankles. "You men and your big TVs are so predictable."
"I don't know…that TV looks pretty big to me," he said and nodded toward the 55-inch television mounted on the wall.
She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Sarah helped me pick out the television. I guess she wants to watch her cartoons on the biggest screen possible."
Tyler lifted an eyebrow. He asked, "And it has nothing to do with you having all of the premium sports channels? You wouldn't want to miss any of those basketball, hockey, or football games."
Bonnie just laughed and poked the inside of his thigh with her foot. This was one of the many reasons that she loved Tyler so much. She could just be herself with him. "Okay it was a little bit for me but mostly for Sarah."
"Sure it was," he murmured playfully. "One of these days I am going to get you to watch a baseball game with me."
"Not a chance. The games are long and boring. The only interesting part of baseball is the occasional bench clearing brawl but I think that is just the hockey fan in me."
"Boring?" he asked. "You like to watch curling!"
Bonnie huffed out a laugh. She said, "Curling is a freaking art form. I've always wanted to learn how to play."
He gave her sad puppy dog eyes. "You won't watch even one baseball game with me?"
"I might be willing to watch the home run derby or like the last game of the World Series." She wiggled her toes. "That feels amazing. Thank you."
He shook his head in mock exasperation over her disdain for baseball. "You are welcome."
"That foot fetish of yours comes in handy every once in awhile," she joked.
Tyler tickled her feet and laughed. "You think that you are so funny."
Bonnie squirmed as she laughed. "Stop it. You know that I hate being tickled."
"Then you should be nicer to me," he replied.
She put her hands up in surrender. "Okay! I won't make anymore jokes about your foot fetish."
Tyler playfully pinched the side of her foot before focusing his energy on her swollen ankles.
Bonnie closed her eyes and allowed her body to relax under his skillful touch.
The brunette mobster continued the massage until he saw all the tension practically bleed out of Bonnie's body. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. He asked, "Are you hungry?"
She thought about it for a moment and said, "I am now that you mentioned it. Do you think anything in the refrigerator is any good? We haven't been here in a couple of weeks."
"I am sure that I can find something. You relax. I will go cook something for us to eat. I'm hungry, too."
She laughed. "We had a huge dinner before going out tonight. I'm pregnant. What's your excuse for being hungry?"
He stood up and then kissed the top of her head. "Uh, I was tearing it up on the dance floor all night. Did you not see me?"
Bonnie giggled and tossed a throw pillow at Tyler's back as he walked away. She picked up her phone to check for messages. As expected, she had received a few messages from Lucy. She learned that John was dead by the time the paramedics arrived. They didn't even bother transporting him to the local hospital. Instead, the police called for the coroner to retrieve the body.
Despite the nasty encounter with Damon, the young woman was quite pleased with how everything had played out. John's death meant the last known traitor to her family was dead. Furthermore, there were no more viable candidates to challenge Damon's ascension to boss of the Salvatore family. The only bit of unfinished business was Giuseppe skulking about in the shadows. Bonnie was willing to give her husband a few more weeks to handle the issue. If he couldn't come through, then her family would handle it. Part of Bonnie wondered if she shouldn't have gone to her uncle from the beginning.
She was about to put her phone down when it began to vibrate. Bonnie frowned when she saw that the call was coming from a private number. She had a feeling that it was Niklaus. Bonnie considered not answering the phone, but she knew that he would call until he got an answer. "Hello?"
"Hello, love. I know that I am breaking my promise but this is an emergency."
Bonnie paused and then asked, "Is everything okay, Nik?"
"I am sorry. That was poorly worded. I was calling to check on you. Are you okay?" he asked.
She hated the cognitive dissonance that came from dealing with Niklaus. He had behaved monstrously with Bonnie a few weeks ago. However, he had the capacity to be gentle, loving, and considerate. The worst part was that both versions of Niklaus' personality were genuine. Bonnie supposed that the same was true for her. She was a devout Catholic, a loving mother, and a philanthropist. However, just a couple hours ago she had watched her cousin seduce a family friend into taking a fatal overdose. Bonnie would have gladly watched John's last moments were it possible. She had wanted him to know that she was responsible for ending his life. Unfortunately, Bonnie being discovered with John's dead body would have brought on scrutiny from the police and her husband.
"Yes, I am fine. Why do you ask?"
"I am glad to hear it. I was worried you might have witnessed that ugliness at my club tonight. I know your family has been acquainted with John Gilbert through the Salvatores for a long time," he replied.
"Well, I was there at the time but I was on the dance floor. I didn't see what happened to John. I am afraid that I didn't know him very well but I do know his daughters. They are both a few years younger than I am," she explained.
Bonnie idly wondered if her voice was somber enough as she played Bingo Blitz on her phone. She was addicted to the game.
He said, "It is better that you didn't see what happened. It was a nasty business. The police seem to think that it might have been some sort of drug overdose. They are questioning my business partner Marcel since he was actually on the premises tonight."
"Oh, that is awful. His daughters, April and Violet, are orphans now. Their mother died after a long battle with cancer just a few years ago."
"I am sorry, love. I am sure that hits close to home for you."
She said, "It does. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of my grandmother."
"Did you enjoy yourself otherwise?"
"Yes, I did. Tonight was my first time at a club. I had such a lovely time with my family. It was very generous of you to comp our evening. Thank you, Nik."
He replied, "You are welcome, love. However, we both know there is nothing that I could ever deny you. I was supposed to be there tonight but I went to Full Moon in order to honor our agreement."
Bonnie smiled as the wheels in her head began turning. She said, "Well, I appreciate you being so thoughtful. I am still trying to work through everything that happened between us. I have been thinking about seeing someone to talk about everything. Keeping this secret for so long has been difficult. I wouldn't use your name even though those sessions are supposed to be confidential."
"I am sorry, Bonnie," he whispered in a thick voice.
"You don't need to apologize again, Niklaus. You said more than enough in the letter that you gave me. It was beautiful and heartfelt. I could tell that you meant every word."
"I did," he said. "I know that I have no right ask anything of you. Do you think that you will ever be able to forgive me?"
"I don't know. Maybe that will be possible with time and help from a professional. I know you never meant to hurt me," she replied in a soft voice.
He said, "If there is ever anything that I can do...please let me know."
Bonnie smirked. However, her voice remained soft. "I may just take you up on that offer at some point. It's late and I really should be getting to bed. My little girl will be wide awake in a few hours. She can be a bit of an early riser."
"Rest well, love. I am afraid I will be up long after the sun rises. The police become very accusatory when someone dies from a drug overdose in your club."
"Oh. I hope it doesn't turn out to be too much trouble for you, Nik. Good night."
"It isn't anything that I can't handle, love. Good night."
Bonnie ended the call as she considered her options. She had been onboard with her mother's plan to send Niklaus to prison. However, she wondered if Niklaus could be more useful to her on the outside. A Mikaelson in her back pocket was invaluable. Klaus was worth even more because of the position of power that Elijah had bestowed on him. Sheila had taught her granddaughter the carrot/stick method when cultivating assets. She could use his guilt and obsession as the carrot. The evidence in the trafficking case would be the stick if he stepped out of line.
The only problem with Bonnie's idea was convincing Tyler, Lucy, and her parents to go along with it. They were merely settling for prison because she forbade them from killing him. Bonnie would have to prove that she was capable of controlling him. Niklaus was always going to be a rabid dog but now she wanted him to be her rabid dog.
The green-eyed girl giggled softly as she turned on the television. She flicked through the stations until she found an old episode of Columbo. Bonnie had fallen in love with the show after he grandmother bought the entire series on DVD. The two had watched all the episodes together when Sheila became too sick to get out of bed. While they binge watched the seasons, she had learned that her grandmother had a thing for Peter Falk.
Bonnie found herself engrossed in the episode for nearly 30 minutes before the aroma wafting from the kitchen caught her attention. She went from being merely peckish to practically starving. She paused the episode and then went into the kitchen to see what Tyler was cooking. "I thought you were going to make a sandwich or something."
Tyler chuckled as he flipped the Italian sausage cooking in a frying pan. There was also a pot of marinara sauce bubbling away on the stovetop. He said, "All of the quick stuff in the fridge has reached its best by date. I'll clear it out before we leave here. Anyway, there were a couple packs of Italian sausage in the freezer. I found a bag of frozen peppers and onions up there, too."
"You didn't need to go to all this trouble, Ty. I could have waited to eat until we made it back to my mom's house."
"If you're hungry then I am going to feed you," he said.
She smiled and asked, "Do you need any help?"
"You can choose what kind of pasta you want to go with this," he suggested as he stirred the sauce.
Bonnie walked over to the cabinet and looked at what they had on hand. She just wanted something that was at least a pound's worth. She was hungry and Tyler always ate as if he had a tapeworm. Bonnie grabbed a glass canister containing rigatoni. "Good enough?"
He glanced and nodded. "That'll work."
She placed the container near the stove and then dug out another pot. "If only your mother could see you cooking right now. She would have a heart attack."
He laughed. "Nah. My ma likes to pretend that I don't know how to cook so that she can still treat me like the baby of the family. I don't mind. She literally stole a lamb chop from my old man's hands a few days ago because I hadn't eaten yet."
Bonnie huffed out a laugh as she filled the pot with water. She placed it on the stove and asked, "Are you serious?"
"Oh, yeah. He looked like he wanted to kick my ass but I ate those lamb chops right in front of him. They were good, too," he replied with a grin.
"Brat…."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Who asked her mommy to bake a German chocolate cake for her yesterday?"
Bonnie's expression turned sheepish. "That's different. The babies and I were having a craving."
He kissed her forehead. "Uh huh…"
"Hush. You ate part of that cake, too," she muttered. "Do we have any cheese?"
Tyler nodded. "Yeah. There is a hunk of parmigiano in the fridge. It should still be good."
Bonnie scoured the fridge until she found it. She opened the package and inspected the cheese. "It is still good. You know how much I love cheese."
"Oh, I know. I think Abby's mac & cheese clogged up one of my arteries. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious. I just think she shaved like three years off my life expectancy."
Bonnie chuckled as she grabbed the cheese grater and a plate. Then she washed her hands in the sink. "It was worth it. She really does make the best mac & cheese. Has there been any word from your uncles?"
He shook his head. "Not yet but I figure that they are tied up with Damon right now. What about Lucy?"
She nodded as she began grating cheese. "She sent a couple text messages. John is very dead. They called the coroners to pick up the body. Oh, Damon is acting like a complete ass still."
"I'm not surprised by either of those things." Tyler glanced at Bonnie with worried eyes.
She saw the concern in his dark brown eyes. Bonnie said, "I am fine, Ty. I didn't feel threatened at the club. Damon isn't physically abusive. Even if he was thinking about putting his hands on me, he isn't stupid enough to do it in front of my family. He wouldn't have survived the night and he knows that."
Tyler shook his head. "Still the way he was yelling at you. Mason had to hold me back…literally."
Bonnie wasn't surprised by that. She said, "I am glad that Mason was there to stop you from getting involved. I don't want you in Damon's crosshairs. I told you once before that I wouldn't stand by and let him kill you, Ty. I meant it..."
"It's just the nerve of that asshole. I couldn't even hear what he said to you over the music but I saw your face. It was quick but whatever he said hurt you."
She looked down at the hand that once bore her wedding ring. "He said that I looked like a slut."
Tyler's head whipped around. "He actually said that shit to you?"
She laughed sadly. "He claimed that he was drunk and didn't mean it. I have to believe that at least part of it is true since Cesare was standing right there. Damon risked getting the beating of his life."
"Porca miseria," he angrily spat.
"Don't get all worked up, Ty. Damon was just throwing a tantrum."
"I don't give a fuck what his problem is. He doesn't get to talk to you that way."
Bonnie abandoned the cheese and walked over to her friend. She latched onto his muscular forearm. "Do you trust me?"
Tyler turned around more so that he was facing her. "You know that I do, Bon."
"Then believe that I am going to make Damon pay for his little tantrum. Seeing him get beat bloody by my cousins would be amusing but does very little further my goals. On the other hand, I threatened to divorce him tonight. I have him by the balls and I will make him give me exactly what I want."
"And what do you want?" he asked.
She smiled up at him. "I want one of my family members as CEO of Velocita. I thought I would have to stage an internal coup to get Damon and Zach out of my way but my husband's temper gave me all the leverage that I need. I am going to string this divorce threat out for a bit and then I will make my demand. Unfortunately, once I do this I will no longer be able to play his innocent little bunny."
Tyler stared at Bonnie for a minute and then groaned. "That kind of got me hard."
"Ty," Bonnie said with a laugh. She rolled her eyes before walking over to the island to finish grating the cheese.
Tyler dumped the pasta into the pot of boiling water. He grinned. "What? I am being serious."
She thought about what happened between them earlier. Bonnie said, "That seems to be your normal state."
"Only when I am around you,'' he promised.
Bonnie bit her lip as she smiled. She dusted off her hands and said, "Alright. I think I grated enough cheese."
Tyler looked at the mound of cheese and chuckled. "Yeah, I think that is enough."
She put away remaining parmesan and then placed plates, glasses, and silverware on the island. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Uh, I'll take a Dr. Pepper."
She grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper and a bottle of fruit juice from the fridge. Then Bonnie had a seat and watched as Tyler finished putting their meal together. In moments like this, she often wondered how different her life would be if Sheila had allowed nature to take its course. However, the businesswoman in her knew that teenage love was fickle. Her grandmother couldn't jeopardize their family's legacy for a budding romance that might not have possessed staying power. Taking down the Salvatores was literally decades in the making.
When the food finished cooking, he brought everything over to the island and pointed to the sausage in the pan. "Those are hot and these are sweet."
Bonnie nodded and shamelessly piled food onto her plate. She added almost half of the cheese that she had grated. The expectant mother's mouth was practically watering.
Tyler sat beside Bonnie and piled the rest of the food onto his plate.
The pair said a silent prayer over their meal before eating. They were both quiet for the first few minutes as they ate.
"This is good. Thanks for cooking, Ty," Bonnie said when she finally came up for air. She opened the bottle of juice and poured it into her glass.
"You're welcome, Bon." When they finished eating, Tyler groaned. "I probably shouldn't have eaten so much."
She laughed softly. "The food was too good to leave any leftovers."
"True."
"I'll take care of the dishes since you cooked," she offered
He gave her Versace dress a pointed look. "You took a big enough risk eating in that thing. I don't know how you managed not to get marinara sauce all over it. I would have."
She laughed and said, "There is a skill in eating while wearing something so expensive. But you are right that I should change into something else. Yoga pants sound really comfortable right now."
"Go. I can handle this," he said
Bonnie smiled at him and then headed upstairs. The master bedroom had received a well-deserved makeover, too. Unfortunately, that meant that the clothes she kept at the beach house were boxed up inside the walk-in closet. She opened the doors to the closet and turned on the light. Bonnie frowned at the space. She was going to have to hire a closet organizer once she moved into the house. There wasn't nearly enough space to house all of her clothes, shoes, and purses. She would probably end up using the guest bedroom's closet as well.
She dug through the boxes until she found the one containing her leisurewear. Bonnie grabbed an outfit and then tried to unzip her dress. She groaned in frustration when she realized her arms were too short to reach the zipper.
Bonnie walked to the top of the stairs and called out, "Tyler! Can you come up here, please?"
A moment later, he came thundering up the stairs. "What's wrong?"
She looked sheepish at his genuine concern. "I'm sorry. There isn't anything wrong. I just needed help getting my dress unzipped."
He chuckled and said, "Of course you need help with those little T-Rex arms of yours. Come here."
Bonnie huffed in mock offense as she turned around.
Tyler unzipped the dress and resisted the urge to touch her soft skin. "Do you need anything else?"
"No." She hugged him and asked, "What did I ever do to deserve you as a friend?"
He smiled. "You kneed me in the balls when I was ten years old."
She laughed and said, "Keep it up and I will do it again."
Tyler lifted and eyebrow. "Try it and I will put you over my knee."
Bonnie feigned a gasp. "Should I be worried about what kinky things you are into? I mean I already know about the foot fetish."
He laughed and tickled Bonnie's sides. "What does innocent little Bonnie know about kinky sex?"
She batted his hands away as her cheeks grew hot. She huffed, "I have the internet."
Tyler's hands stilled when he understood her meaning. "You watch porn?"
Bonnie shoved him. "No! Shut up!"
He grabbed Bonnie's arms and pulled her closer. "That's kinda hot...if you do."
"I was only watching it for research purposes. I had to learn about making love somehow," Bonnie argued.
Her grandmother had educated her about the basics. However, Bonnie used the internet to broaden her base of knowledge after marrying Damon. She had seen enough women traipsing in and out of his bedroom over the years to know that he had a few lifetimes worth of experience. She had wanted to be prepared for anything he required of her. However, Damon had never required much more than missionary sex and the occasional blow job.
Tyler winced and said, "Oh, baby, the internet is not the place to learn about making love. It is fucking pure and simple."
She said, "I figured that out after the fact. It was useful for other things…"
He cocked his head to the side and then grinned. "Do you masturbate?"
"What? No," she said too quickly. She elbowed him. "Stop picking on me."
"Yes, you do! You totally masturbate. I remember when someone was afraid that she would go to hell for that."
Bonnie couldn't stifle her laugh. "I grew up. Besides, masturbation is way down on the list of things I have done that will send me to hell."
"Now I am curious to look at your browser history," Tyler muttered as he kissed her neck.
"I always clear my browser history. I would literally die of embarrassment if anyone ever saw what I watch in my spare time."
His dark brown eyes studied Bonnie's face as if it were a puzzle he just couldn't figure out. He whispered, "Don't knee me…"
Bonnie had a less than a second before he tentatively brushed their lips together. A shiver ran down her spine when his tongue swiped against her lips. Her mouth opened on instinct as she leaned into the kiss.
Alarm bells were going off in Tyler's head. He knew that this was a bad idea. Bonnie was still upset about what happened at the club even if she planned to use it to her advantage. However, he had been desperate to touch her all night and he knew that the feeling was mutual. He pulled away from the kiss reluctantly but rested his forehead against hers to maintain physical contact.
"Why did you stop?" Bonnie asked breathlessly. "Don't you want me?"
He groaned hearing the confusion in her voice. "Fuck. Do you really need to ask me that question? You felt how hard I was for you earlier."
She chewed at her bottom lip. "You had just finished dancing with Vicki. Maybe that was all for her."
He chuckled deeply and moved his lips to her neck. He couldn't get enough of kissing and touching Bonnie. However, he was determined to show a modicum of willpower tonight. "First, Mason would literally kill me. Second, Vicki is my aunt and she doesn't do anything for me on any level. Third, you are the only woman that I want, Bon. I have been celibate for weeks because I want to show you that I'm not him."
Bonnie felt the sincerity of Tyler's words in the pit of her stomach. She didn't think it was possible but it made her want him even more.
"I broke up with Elena yesterday afternoon," he murmured against her neck.
"Really?" she asked in a barely audible voice.
Tyler pulled back to look in her eyes. He nodded. "I told you that I planned to break up with Elena after she finished her final exams. I decided to end our relationship before I helped kill her uncle."
Elena and John weren't particularly close but they were family all the same. Tyler had not wanted to risk being stuck in the relationship simply to be a good person. It would have seemed callous to dump Elena after her uncle died mere days before Christmas. He hoped that by doing it this way she could lean on her family or the classmate that Tyler was still convinced Elena was screwing.
"How did she take the news?" Bonnie asked curiously.
He shrugged his shoulders. "She put up a token fight that I don't even think that she believed. She shed a few obligatory tears and then asked if we could still be friends."
She studied his dark eyes. "Are you okay?"
Tyler said, "I'm fine, Bon. I told you weeks ago, that this breakup has been a long time coming. I just dragged my feet because…"
"Everyone just expected the two of you to get married," she murmured.
He nodded. "My mom must have told my old man because I got an earful tonight over the phone. He has certain concerns about me being your bodyguard now that I am single. He is worried…"
"That we are going to be reckless," she finished.
Tyler smiled. "He's worried that we are going to fuck up everything our families have worked decades to accomplish. But I can tell that he's worried for my safety, too."
Bonnie looked into his eyes for a long moment. "He really doesn't know me, if he thinks that I would let Damon hurt you. You are mine, Tyler Lockwood. I am systematically dismantling Damon's life just because it is what I want to do. He doesn't want to see just how much of an unrelenting bitch I can be when provoked."
He grinned. "I'm yours?"
"Is that all you took from what I just said?" he asked.
He nodded. "Yep."
She chuckled. "Stop grinning like an idiot."
Tyler grabbed her butt and said, "I can't. I like this possessive side of you."
Bonnie's eyebrows furrowed as she gasped softly.
His cheerful smile disappeared and he gazed at Bonnie in concern. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and said, "I am fine…"
Tyler silently waited for Bonnie to explain what was happening. However, a full minute passed and she was still staring down. It finally dawned on him that she was staring at her stomach. "Are the twins okay?"
Bonnie looked up at Tyler and flashed a smile as bright as the sun. "I am like 78% sure that they are moving. The books I have read described the whole quickening thing but this is freaky. I mean it isn't bad or painful just…"
He relaxed once he knew that nothing was wrong. He lifted an eyebrow. "Just tiny humanoid creatures moving around inside of you…"
"Right!" Bonnie exclaimed with a laugh. She shed her dress and marched into her bedroom.
Tyler picked up the $12,000 dress and followed Bonnie into the bedroom. "What are you doing?"
"I read in one of the books that you can feel the movement better if you are lying down," she explained while climbing onto the bed.
He dropped her dress on a chair and took out his phone. Tyler pulled up Google and searched for information on the topic. "What did you say it was called?"
"Uh…quickening," Bonnie said as she tried to get comfortable on the bed. She turned onto her side and stroked her bare tummy.
Tyler climbed onto the bed and sat beside Bonnie. He said, "They say it could be gas. Do you think it is gas?"
She glared at him. "No!"
He asked, "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" She frowned and said, "Maybe. Oh, shut up."
Tyler chuckled and watched Bonnie's face as she waited to feel the babies move again.
A few minutes later, she giggled softly. "Definitely not gas, they are really moving."
"Wow," he muttered quietly.
"I wish that you could feel how awesome this is, but it will be at least a month before that happens-at least that is what book said." Bonnie explained.
He stretched out beside her. "Your face says it all."
"Do I look goofy?" she joked softly.
He said, "You're glowing."
"Ugh, don't be cliché, Ty."
"I am being serious," he said. Tyler snapped a picture with his phone and showed it to her.
"I look regular," she commented.
Tyler kissed her forehead. "Take my word for it."