The Sun Will Rise | T Shelby

thirty

Angelina stood in the drawing room, anxiously waiting with her eyes fixed on the long driveway that stretched all the way to the road in the distance.

"It'll be alright, Miss Santoro."

The housekeeper Frances gave Angelina a reassuring smile. While Tommy had travelled to Belfast to collect his child, Angelina had found herself confiding a lot in Frances. It was helpful to be able to get her feelings out to someone that wasn't a particularly close friend.

She had given Angelina a lot of advice over the past few days, she had tried her best to get Angelina excited to become a mother of sorts, and some days Angelina would be excited. She and Thomas had spent hours picking out the bassinet for the baby's room, as well as choosing the colour of the walls and the toys he would play with as he grew up. The tiny baby clothes made Angelina's heart swell, she had always been an incredibly maternal person and having the baby's room decorated and furnished suddenly made it all very real for her.

Despite this, other days were different. She would cry to Frances about her worries and problems, and Frances would do her best to console her and remind her that although the baby had come from another woman, he would grow up loving Angelina as his mother.

She watched as the car pulled up on the driveway, quickly moving away from the window when she saw Thomas jump down from the drivers seat.

"Hey," Frances smiled and took both of Angelina's hands in her own, "Mr Shelby loves you, and he wants to raise this baby with you. You can do it, I know you can."

Angelina bit her lip and nodded, quickly grabbing the pendant around her neck and giving it a squeeze. She knew Alfie would be with her today, giving her the strength to take on this new challenge.

The sound of the door opening brought her back to her senses. She watched as Frances rushed into the hallway and she heard her offer to help Thomas with his luggage.

"Oh he's beautiful Mr Shelby, he looks just like you."

Angelina looked like a deer caught in headlights, frozen to the spot when Thomas walked into the drawing room with the baby in his arms.

Admittedly, Angelina's heart flared up at the sight of it. She felt sick with love seeing Tommy cradle his child, it was a beautiful sight and for a moment, Angelina was calm.

Tommy smiled and walked over to Angelina slowly, his eyes flickering between her and the child who was sleeping soundly.

"I've missed you while I've been away."

Angelina blushed as Thomas leant in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She looked down at the baby, smiling as she saw him for the first time. His tiny chest was rising and falling underneath the blanket he was wrapped in and he had a full head of dark hair that was peeking out from underneath a blue knitted hat, his hands covered in tiny blue mittens.

"Can I?"

Tommy gently passed the baby over to Angelina and she took him graciously into her arms, looking down at his tiny, perfect face. He was a beautiful baby, and Frances was right, he looked just like Tommy. Angelina was secretly thankful that he didn't resemble his mother, but she kept that to herself.

"Wow," Thomas smiled and folded his arms at his chest as he looked at Angelina holding the baby.

"What?"

Thomas just chuckled quietly, "This is the most peaceful I've ever felt in my life. Looking at you with him, I feel like I've won every bet at the races a million times over."

Angelina smiled. Her anxiety had disappeared without her noticing and her heart had slowed, though was growing more and more every time she looked down at the child. She realised that her fears were nothing but a work of fiction from her mind, she would love the child endlessly as her own.

Tommy stood behind Angelina, her back pressed against him and his hands set firmly on her waist. He kissed her neck softly, his lips moving across her jaw and to her cheek. They brushed against her ear, his breath tickling her skin.

"I love you, Angelina." He whispered, making Angelina let out a small breath. Hearing those words, finally, was exactly what she needed to move forward.

"Tommy," she smiled and looked up at him, "I love you too."

They shared a kiss, Thomas standing proudly behind Angelina and his son. He had been incredibly nervous about bringing his child and Angelina together. Looking after a child himself was never a concern, he knew he could get the help from other people, though he also knew how fragile Angelina was and he was sick with worry that she would walk away from their relationship over it.

Luckily, Angelina had stuck by his side like he had hers.

"You make a beautiful family, if I may so so."

"Thank you Frances." Thomas replied.

"Does he have a name?"

"His name on his birth certificate will be Maxwell, but he'll go by Max. It was Angelina's suggestion."

Frances smiled, "Well I think that suits him perfectly. Congratulations the both of you, I'm sure you both know I'll be more than happy to take care of him whenever you need me to."

"You're a saint," Thomas nodded, "Thank you."

Thomas and Angelina spent the rest of the day with their son. Tommy had made it clear to Angelina that he was as much her son as he was his, no matter how much she objected. They took a walk around the grounds of the house with him in the new push chair they bought together, both of them in awe at the new addition to their lives.

Once they'd finished dinner that evening, Frances offered to take Max and settle him for the night so Thomas could get some rest after his journey and spend some time with Angelina alone.

The two of them retreated to their bedroom, laying down beside one another with the glow of candles scattered around the room casting a soft shadow on the walls.

"Thank you." Thomas whispered, his fingertips tracking Angelina's waist as she lay on her side facing him.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"For stepping up, for sticking with me, for loving me. I know I'm a hard man to love."

"I'm not exactly the easiest woman to love, Tommy."

Thomas chuckled softly, his eyes gazing into Angelina's.

"I've never fallen in love so easily in my life."

Angelina blushed and looked down, the gaze of his eyes being too much for her when he spoke like this. Some days he would say nothing loving to her, and other days he would wear his heart on his sleeve and Angelina wouldn't know how to act around him.

She felt him lift up her chin with a single finger, his lips just centimetres away from her own. He kissed her hard, pulling her body underneath him as he looked down at her from above, his hands either side of her head.

Angelina looked up at Thomas with those eyes, having missed his body the past few nights when she slept alone in their bed. He kissed her neck, making her let out soft moans as his lips made her skin tingle and her heart race.

He parted her legs, lifting up her black silk nightgown with one hand, his other on her inner thigh. Angelina closed her eyes as she felt Thomas all over her skin, gasping quietly and fluttering her eyes at the sensations he made her feel so effortlessly.

He leant over her body, one hand on the wall behind their bed and the other on her waist as they made love, their eyes locked on each other, the sweat from Thomas' hair dripping down onto Angelina's chest.

"I fucking love you Angelina, I love you."

"Thomas," she gasped, her eyes rolling backwards as she quickly grabbed the pendant from her neck and threw it to the ground, "Thomas Shelby, I love you."