Chapter 215: I Won’t Keep You Waiting
"Mr. Sterling," Sienna said teasingly, "you’ve become surprisingly creative lately."
"I’ve always been creative."
"Really?"
"Hm. You just never noticed. But you’ll be by my side for the rest of my life; you’ll see a lot of it," he said confidently.
She shook her head in amusement.
"Tell me honestly," she said. "You place some reservations in trusting Logan and the bodyguards who follow me, do you?"
"I trust them entirely."
"But?"
He deliberately let the silence stretch for a second before answering.
"But I missed my wife too much to let someone else drive her." He said it so naturally that it almost sounded like an everyday fact. "So I drove here myself."
She smiled despite herself. "Honey, you could’ve just admitted it from the beginning."
"I thought I’d build a little suspense for some dramatic effect."
"What? That doesn’t suit you."
They exchanged amused smiles before both of them laughed quietly.
The conversation faded naturally, replaced by a comfortable silence neither of them felt the need to break.
Zachary kept his attention on the evening traffic. At the same time, Sienna leaned back in her seat, relaxing after the emotionally exhausting dinner.
The steady rhythm of the car and the quiet presence beside her eased the tension she hadn’t realized she was still carrying.
After several minutes, Zachary spoke again.
"So," he asked gently, "how was your gathering?"
Sienna opened her eyes and smiled. "It was fun."
"I’m glad." He nodded lightly before asking another question. "Did you eat well?"
His question caught her off guard.
’Did she eat well?’ She let out a silent sigh. ’Of course not!’
Most of the evening had revolved around her marriage. Although everyone had eventually changed the subject, the earlier conversation had quietly stolen much of her appetite.
She had forced herself to eat normally so her friends wouldn’t worry. Still, she certainly hadn’t munched the food as much as Zachary must’ve imagined.
Her fingers unconsciously tightened in her lap as Riley’s words slowly resurfaced in her mind.
"My uncle still hasn’t told his parents about his marriage."
"My grandma is trying to introduce him to another woman."
For a brief moment, she wanted to tell Zachary everything. She wanted to ask why he hadn’t told his parents yet and whether Riley’s worries had any truth behind them.
However, when she looked at Zachary’s calm profile as he focused on driving, she hesitated. The questions in her mind sat on the tip of her tongue.
She trusted him.
More importantly, she didn’t want to turn this peaceful drive home into another difficult conversation.
After a brief pause, she smiled to herself and quietly buried her questions for another time.
"Yes," she answered gently. "I ate a lot, and now I’m starting to feel sleepy."
Zachary glanced at her, and his expression softened with concern when he noticed how exhausted she looked.
"You can get some sleep," he said gently. "We’re still about twenty minutes from home."
"Mmm..." she murmured without opening her eyes. "Drive safely..."
A faint smile touched his lips. Seeing the fatigue on her face, he relaxed his grip on the steering wheel, kept a steady foot on the gas, and focused his eyes and peripheral view on the road and its surroundings, aiming to keep the ride as smooth as possible so she could rest.
By the time the car passed through the main gate of Lakeside Garden, the silence inside was broken by the vibration of a cell phone inside Sienna’s handbag.
Zachary glanced toward the bag. For a brief second, he almost felt annoyed that someone had chosen to call this late when she had only just fallen asleep.
Before he could do anything, Sienna slowly stirred awake.
"Did someone call me?" she asked, her voice still husky with sleep.
He nodded as he carefully parked the car in front of the main entrance.
"Yes... Hey look, we made it home just in time."
Still blinking away her drowsiness, Sienna reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She frowned when she saw Mia’s name on the screen, but before she could answer, the call ended.
She stared at the screen in confusion.
’Why would Mia call and hang up right away? Did something happen?’
Her sleepy expression disappeared, replaced by concern.
"Who was it?" Zachary asked.
"My friend Mia." She looked over at him before slipping the phone into her hand. "I’ll call her back later. Let’s go inside."
They got out of the car together and walked into the house. The quietness of the evening welcomed them as they made their way toward the staircase.
Just as they reached the first step, Sienna’s phone vibrated again.
This time, it wasn’t a call.
It was a text message.
She instinctively stopped walking to check it, causing Zachary to stop beside her as well.
"What’s wrong?" he asked, his voice carrying quiet concern.
Sienna lifted her eyes to meet his. "I need to call Mia."
"Alright." He nodded without hesitation, then naturally reached for her hand. "Let’s go upstairs first."
Their fingers intertwined as he led her toward the second floor.
"I’ll take a shower first," he said with an easy smile. "You can call your friend, but don’t make your husband wait too long."
The teasing smile on his face instantly made her understand what he meant.
Warmth spread across her chest.
Ever since they had gotten married, they still hadn’t truly become husband and wife in every sense. He had been patient, never once pressuring her because he was worried that her injured hand might reopen before it had completely healed.
Now, however, everything was different. Her hand had already recovered. There was no longer any reason for her to keep avoiding the next step in their marriage.
The thought alone made her cheeks grow warm.
She lowered her gaze, trying to hide the smile tugging at her lips.
"Okay," she replied softly. "I won’t keep you waiting."
His smile deepened. "Good."
Before letting go, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze that somehow felt even more intimate than a kiss. Then he released her and walked into their bedroom.
Sienna remained where she was.
Her eyes stayed on the closed bedroom door for several seconds as her heartbeat gradually sped up.
Without meaning to, her imagination wandered toward what might happen later that night. The thought of finally becoming one with her husband made her cheeks flush.