46. Date On

Diego invited Stellina back to their home. Their arrival brought a smile to Arianna's face. The little girl was thrilled to see her mommy and daddy. "Mama, Arianna's been waiting all day. Why did papa and mama leave for so long?" The little girl immediately ran into Stellina's arms. As always, Stellina's presence always made Arianna happy. Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around the neck of the woman she considered her own mother. Stellina and Arianna had a special closeness that only the two of them knew and felt. A bond between mother and daughter that even Stellina herself could not explain. With Arianna, Stellina feels like a perfect woman even though Arianna is not her daughter. "Honey, I've only been gone for a while, I miss you, mom and dad have work to do first." Stellina replied softly while looking at Arianna's clear eyes that radiated sincerity. "Mama, Arianna wants a pony. Do you want to buy it for me?" Arianna whined while hugging Stellina's neck. "Oh, why do you suddenly want a pony, dear?" Stellina put Arianna's small body down after they arrived in the living room. "Ponies are cute, Mama. They have cute faces, big eyes, and perky ears. Their coat is also soft and thick. Their colors are also attractive, some are white, brown, black, or patterned." With eyes full of interest, Arianna talks about how nice it would be to have a cute pet pony. Stellina laughed at the funny chatter of the little girl who was always cheerful when she was with her. Diego listened to his daughter's conversation while loosening his tie. "How did you know a pony could be such a cute pet? Must be from that movie you watched, huh? Of course it's not easy to care for and maintain them, dear." "Mama, will papa forbid me to have a pony?" Arianna whispered in Stellina's ear, then continued her words, "please tell papa I will definitely take care of him, if necessary we can sleep together." Stellina couldn't contain her laughter. Diego's face was wracked with curiosity. "I'll buy you a cute stuffed pony, darling." Diego finally answered Arianna's request. "Arianna's friends have ponies too, Papa. Instead of a doll, Arianna wants to be friends with a pony." Arianna's eyes looked at her father with a hopeful look. Diego felt guilty about his decision. "Arianna wants a real pony, Papa, not a doll." Arianna kept asking her father for a pony. "If Arianna really wants to be friends with a pony, how about we learn to ride tomorrow?" Stellina suggested an interesting idea that made Arianna widen her eyes. "Seriously, is this really okay, Mom?" asked Arianna with an incredulous look on her face. Diego shook his head at Stellina's idea. "Of course I'm just kidding, sweetheart. How could I let you learn to ride a horse?" Diego emphasized that he would not give Stellina the permission she was asking for. Meanwhile, the one who came up with the idea was now smiling mischievously at him. Getting pleading looks from the two women who now fill his heart makes Diego continue to shake his head. "Of course I won't let my daughter learn to ride a horse, I'm afraid of anything happening to her." Diego's flat voice did nothing to discourage Stellina. "I'm afraid she'll get hurt, that's why we have to train her." "No, Stellina, I won't let my daughter- "Try something new and fun?" asked Stellina with a smile that made Diego's heart beat faster. "Papa, I want to ride a horse," whined Arianna, feeling supported by Stellina, making her mama's smile even wider. This time the little girl hugged her papa's thigh, as if she didn't want to let go until Diego agreed to her request. "Don't worry, Diego. I taught Patrizia to ride a horse once. You can see how good she is now. I don't think this is a bad idea." "Ah, still I won't let Arianna learn to ride a horse. Don't overdo it, Stellina." Diego immediately went inside his room, leaving Stellina and Arianna staring at his back. "I guess mom's right, this isn't a bad idea, right?" The girl's innocent eyeballs rounded in delight at Stellina's support. The next day when Arianna woke up, Stellina was already in the little girl's room with reddish hair. "So are we riding today?" Stellina's soft voice woke Arianna up and rubbed her eyes, gathering memories. "Mama, we're going to learn to ride a horse, really?" Stellina spread her arms to welcome Arianna who gave her a tight hug. "Of course, dear. I won't ignore your wishes. Making friends with a pony means learning how to love it too. Let's go to the backyard of the mansion. Uncle Roberto has prepared his horse for us." With a big smile, Arianna followed Stellina. She was delighted when they arrived at the backyard of the mansion. There, Roberto, who was in charge of the horses and the yard, was waiting for them. Arianna saw a small white pony with a cute face. "Mama, it's a cute pony just like in my dream!" Arianna shouted with excitement on her face. "Of course he's the horse the angels sent for you, sweetheart. Are you ready to ride? Come here to learn with Mommy. Don't forget to say thank you to Uncle Roberto." "Thank you uncle Roberto. What is the name of this horse?" asked Arianna as she rubbed the wiggling pony. "He hasn't been given a name yet, uncle just calls him pony. Of course you can give him a name, little girl." "Well how about Remo? He's a male, isn't he?" Roberto nodded his head. "This stallion seems happy with his new name. Don't you think, Remo?" Roberto rubbed the head of the little horse who immediately shook his head. The sound of the collar around his neck jingled and it made Arianna very happy. Arianna laughed happily at the sight of the pony she wanted. She laughed so much that Uncle Roberto also smiled happily. "Can I ride it now?" Uncle Roberto nodded his head. "No, uncle will hold you." With Roberto's help, Arianna climbed into the horse's back. She smiled as the little horse slowly led her around the field. Stellina faithfully accompanied her and taught her how Arianna should learn to control the horse. "Don't be afraid Arianna, Mommy is holding your body." That soothing and encouraging voice made Arianna even more confident. "Mama, it feels so good to ride this pony." Arianna's small body continued to shake on the back of the pony, which looked excited and welcomed Arianna with joy. "Now I'm slowly releasing the handle, is Arianna brave enough to hold on to the reins?" "Sure mama." The girl laughed as she felt her body begin to relax on the tame pony Remo's back. "Don't worry, Uncle Roberto is right behind you, Arianna!" Stellina occasionally shouted encouragement to the amazing Arianna. Arianna's bravery deserves a thumbs up. It only took three laps before the little girl finally had the courage to ride the pony on her own without having to be held by Roberto. "Look mama, this horse is taking me for a walk!" Arianna shouted, waving her hand at Stellina. "You're great at conquering fear, baby, I'm proud of you!" Stellina continued to encourage the little girl. While Arianna and Stellina were excitedly learning to ride, Diego suddenly arrived on a horse. He was still dressed in a suit and shoes, not in his riding clothes. Diego looked worried and a little angry with Stellina for not following his orders. "Look Diego, Arianna is great, she's a fast learner, I only taught her for a short time, now look at that brave girl, it's amazing." Stellina looked in amazement at Arianna. Of course Diego saw it too. "I'm still worried about her. What if she falls?" Diego asked anxiously. "If we keep an eye on her, the chances of that are slim. Don't people have to fall sometimes to be more careful?" Diego turned to Stellina, whose face looked calm. "If she's careful everything will be fine. Her instincts will naturally be honed to protect herself, Diego. We have to give her trust. Learning to ride is new experience for her. Look at the happiness in her eyes. I've never seen her this happy." Stellina was right, Diego was also touched by Arianna and Stellina's closeness. Arianna deserved this much love. Unfortunately, her biological mother didn't know how to love her own daughter. Diego let out a long sigh, thinking of a name that he now wanted to bury deeply. "Look at how talented Arianna is at riding. That girl has the courage to pull the reins. She can really control it Diego! What a smart little girl!" cried Arianna in delight. Arianna, who saw Diego's arrival, was so excited, she even showed off to her papa about her new skills. "Papa look, Remo is now Arianna's friend and can be controlled!" "Be careful looking ahead, darling! Roberto keep a close eye on her, if Arianna falls I'll kill you!" Despite his excitement, Diego still seemed worried about his daughter's safety. "Well if you're so worried about her, I'll accompany her." Stellina quickly put on her gloves. "Roberto, could you please prepare a horse for me?" "Of course ma'am, would you like a stallion or a mare?" "A sweet and obedient mare, give me the best." Diego took off his hat and bowed to Stellina, then hurried to the stables. It wasn't long before he was in step with a young, eager-looking stallion. "This is the horse, ma'am. I have everything ready." "Thank you. Diego. I really appreciate your care and work." Roberto quickly walked away after handing over a mature horse with a soft white coat that glistened in the sunlight. Stellina quickly mounted the horse, then looked back at Diego. "I think we should both accompany him, Mr. Diego." Stellina said with a shake of her head, as if challenging Diego to a horse race. "Watch your step, Miss." With a swift movement, Diego pulled on the reins until the gallant black horse whinnied and lifted its front legs. "Let's catch up with Arianna," Diego exclaimed as he gave the order for his horse to immediately move forward after the pony his daughter was riding. Finally, the three of them rode around the field at a moderate pace. Arianna was thrilled to see Diego and Stellina following her on their respective horses. "Why are mom and dad riding separately, not together?" Arianna asked innocently. "This way we're riding in threes, isn't it more fun?" replied Stellina with a shy smile. "I'm afraid the horse won't be strong enough, papa is heavy, honey." Diego replied simply to make his daughter stop the question. Diego glanced at Stellina who was also watching him. He was secretly reminded of Stellina's words to make Stellina his own. Diego was increasingly tempted to actually marry Stellina, to make her his real wife. Diego had no intention of returning Stellina to her parents. "Arianna is really amazing. She's learning so many things so fast. I'm happy for Diego, Arianna is growing up to be a confident child. At least that will be her foundation when I'm not around anymore." Hearing Stellina's words, Diego immediately came to his senses and dismissed his desire to marry her. Stellina spurred her horse on, leaving Diego far behind. "Roberto, don't let your guard down with Arianna!" He ordered before pulling the reins and chasing after Stellina. They both rode around the field several times. "Uncle I'm thirsty, can we stop now?" whined Arianna. "Sure little missy, we'll have a rest over there, while drinking some fresh fruit juice." Roberto pointed to a parasol umbrella filled with chairs for shade. Arianna dismounted with Roberto's help, then the grown man took Arianna by the hand to the edge of the field and sat her on a chair under the parasol umbrella. Gina was waiting there with refreshments drink. "Pretty girl must be tired from learning to ride. Here, have a drink first," Gina said as she poured a glass of orange juice into a glass. Arianna happily accepted the drink. This time Arianna looked at Diego and Stellina who were racing horses. "Mama don't want to lose to papa, mama must win, let's cheer up Ma!" Arianna's shouts reached Stellina's ears and lifted the beautiful woman's spirits. "Look baby, mommy beat your daddy!" Stellina also laughed happily as her nimble horse sped off with a strength she hadn't expected. "Hey... don't get excited yet, missy. I'll catch up with you!" With a big smile, Diego soon caught up with Stellina. Feeling threatened by Diego's approaching horse, Stellina kept ordering her horse to pick up speed. Stellina looked happy to be her cheerful self. A big smile was always on Diego's face, who also seemed to be enjoying the race. "Papa, let's go, chase mommy!" Arianna also encourages her father. "Hey little girl, whose side are you on?" asked Stellina with her body shaken on the horse. "I love papa, but I don't want him to beat mama. If you're far behind, I'm sad for you too." Arianna's answer made Diego and Stellina burst out laughing. They unintentionally looked at each other because Diego's horse had managed to ride Stellina's horse. "It's done, we should rest first." Stellina nodded her head and signaled her horse to stop. After riding Stellina took off her hat. My hair is getting long, I think I'll cut it like Fionne's haircut," Stellina said while holding her hair. "Can you cancel it? I prefer your long hair like when we first met." Diego's words were short and clear, but they made Stellina smile with embarrassment. Her face turned red.