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Chapter Twenty-Three
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A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Four
LauraLaura looked down at the two faces of her younger siblings and felt her heart break. They were staring back up at her with tears streaming down their little cheeks. Their eyes were puffy from crying. Each of their sobs caused Laura's heart to break a little more.Dallas was sitting on the ground, with his arms wrapped around her left leg. He was squeezing her so tightly that she was pretty sure her foot would go numb soon. Ivy was doing the same thing but on the right. She couldn't move. It was like both of her feet had been cemented into the floor.“Guys, please,” Laura pleaded with them. “Just hear Ethan out. He's trying to give us a gift.”Laura and Ethan had gotten back to the house a few minutes before. The kids had been so excited to see them initially. They were prancing and dancing around the house with giant smiles on both of their faces. Things changed immediately, though, as soon as Ethan presented them with their surprise trip to the Caribbean.At first, the kids wer
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Five
LauraThe next morning, Laura and the kids were all gathered in the kitchen. They'd already eaten their breakfast and were dressed in their swimsuits. Laura had on her favorite two-piece suit, which she'd only ever worn one other time. It was white, with giant black strips going across it. The bottom part was like a little skirt, which fell just below her butt. Over that, she had on sweatpants, because it happened to be the middle of May and still pretty cold outside in the mornings. Colorado winters never ended when they were supposed to and this year was no exception. One day it was warm and sunny, then the next day there would be a blizzard.“Laura, is it going to be nice today?” Ivy asked. “It looks cold outside.”“Yeah, it will warm up soon,” she replied. “The sun will show up here any minute. At least that's what the weather says.”Sitting on the kitchen table nearby was Laura's giant gym bag that she'd had since high school. It was stuffed with everything she could think of tha
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Six
LauraEthan, Laura, Dallas, and Ivy and made their way down the sidewalk and toward the front gates of Water World. Laura remembered many happy summer days at this water park as a kid. It was a quite good backup plan to come here.As they walked, Laura realized that something didn't feel quite right. There wasn't the sound of any kids laughing or water splashing on the other side of the fence, where the park was. In fact, it was pretty much silent except for their own feet as they scuffed across the pavement.That was when she glanced back toward the parking lot. She saw Craig driving away in the SUV, cutting across the parking lines on his way to the exit. He was the only car in the lot, though. Not a single other one was parked.That's weird, she thought. This place is usually packed.She reached over and touched Ethan's arm to get his attention.“What is it?” he asked.“Look,” she said, nodding toward the empty parking lot. “We're the only ones here. I'm pretty sure it's closed.”E
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Seven
LauraEveryone was quiet for the ride back home from Water World. Laura and Ethan relaxed in the third-row seats, while Dallas and Ivy slept soundly in the middle row. Laura hadn't seen the kids this tired in years. A day of fun in the sun, going on rides and building sandcastles had taken it out of them. They weren't the only ones who were feeling it, though.Laura was beat. She could feel a sunburn on her nose and couldn't seem to stop yawning. She was just glad it wasn't her that was driving because she wasn't sure she was going to make it home awake. It was the good kind of tired, though. The kind of tired that meant you'd spent the day the right way and squeezed every drop of life out of it that you possibly could.“Pass the bucket...” Dallas mumbled in his sleep. “I need to make the castle bigger.”Ethan nudged Laura and pointed toward Dallas. They both listened in, watching as he stirred.“It's my turn to go on the water slide,” he whispered, then smiled right before falling ba
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Eight
Laura“Are you sure you have to go?” Laura asked. She sat on the edge of the hotel bed watching as Ethan packed up his things. He was meticulous in where he put everything, and she could see why he wouldn't want anyone else to do it. The man was a little bit of a control freak about his things.“Yes,” he said, looking up. “It'll only be for a couple of days. You'll barely even notice I'm gone.”Laura made a visible show of pouting. “I just like having you here.”He chuckled and stopped packing to lean over and kiss her.“I like being here,” he told her. “However, W Motors is still based out of California. I have things I have to do there.”“And you're sure you can't do those things here?” she asked, still pushing out her lower lip. “I mean, telecommuting is a real thing.”“Believe it or not, I have done it,” he replied, going back to his suitcase. “I have to do this in person. Not everything can be done through a computer screen.”Laura crossed her arms and pouted, doing her best impe
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Twenty-Nine
LauraShe put her clothes back on and watched as Ethan did the same. It was a wonderful and sad thing to watch. Wonderful, because he was such a sexy man that seeing him naked was a treat, and sad because he was putting clothes on rather than taking them off.“Okay, this time I really do have to go,” he said, buttoning the last button on his shirt.“Can't blame a girl for trying,” she replied, and he chuckled.“You can only use that tactic for so long,” he said. He grew quiet as he looked at her. “I'm going to miss you.”Her chest tightened a little. “It'll only be for a couple of days. You'll barely even notice I'm gone,” she said, repeating back his own words to him.He kissed her cheek. “Would you like to come to the airport with me? The kids won't be home from school for a while yet.”Laura hated the airport. Especially this one. It was the last place she knew her parents were alive. They'd taken off in their small little twin engine plane from that airport and never come back.Sh
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty
Laura“Laura? Are you home?”Laura cracked open an eye and pulled the pillow off her face. It smelled like whiskey. She groaned as she sat up. She'd fallen asleep and now felt terrible. Drunk sleep was the worst.“I'm here, Dallas,” she said, moving slowly as she swung her feet to the floor. She glanced at the clock to see it was almost five. They'd gone over to a friend's house after school, but now it was almost dinner time.Dallas' small face peeked around Laura's bedroom door as he looked for her.“How was school?” Laura asked. She was just glad she wasn't hung over. Just exhausted, both physically and emotionally.“It was movie day,” he replied, standing in her doorway. He frowned as he watched her. “Are you okay?”“Yeah.” She ran a hand through her hair to find it super tangled. “Why?”“You look sick.”Laura looked over at the mirror hanging on the wall and had to agree with his assessment. She looked awful. Her hair was a mess, and her mascara was all over her cheeks.“I'm okay
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-One
EthanIt felt good to be back in his office. Things were where he expected, and his life made sense here. He knew where his pens were. He knew where the coffee was. He didn't have to hunt and search for everything. Plus, the hustle and bustle of the office were the soundtracks to his life.It felt like home.Ethan leaned back in his chair, and it didn't tip over. His chair spun exactly the amount a chair should. He smiled, closed his eyes, and let himself relax for a moment. There were still meetings to go to, and he'd only come into his office to grab a file, but it he was enjoying his moment of calm.“Ethan?” Becky opened his door and put her head in. “You've got five minutes before your meeting.”“Thank you, Becky,” he replied, not opening his eyes. He could reach out and find exactly what he wanted in his desk from this spot. He didn't even have to think about it. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his organization here.“I wanted to thank you for my anniversary dinner,” Beck
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A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Forty
Laura“Luckily it went the way it was supposed to,” Ethan told Laura.She was still having a hard time believing this was all happening. She looked over in time to see the EMTs wheel Craig off strapped to a gurney. He was still out cold as they took him away with a police escort.“What's going to happen to him?” Laura asked, following him with her eyes. She gripped Ethan's hand, drawing strength from him.“He's going somewhere they can help him,” Ethan answered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry about him.”Laura nodded and looked away. She understood that Craig didn't mean to hurt her, but she wasn't ready to forgive him for tying her up and threatening her life just yet.The EMT checking Laura out cleared her throat. She smiled as the two of them looked over.“You look okay,” the EMT told Laura. “You're a little dehydrated, but your vitals are good, and you don't have any physical injuries.”“Can I take her home?” Ethan asked his hand on her shoulder.“If you want t
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Nine
EthanEight hours earlier…“Come alone, or I'll kill her.”The electronic voice clicked off, and the line went dead.A picture came through of Laura tied to a chair and address to meet.Ethan stared at the phone in his hand. He was shaking. He never shook like this during business meetings or even when climbing over hundred foot drops. But this had him shaking like a leaf in a tornado.Someone had Laura and was going to kill her.He swallowed hard. It had to be Janie. The car, the break-in... and now she had Laura.His knees buckled, and he sat down hard in his office chair. The chair swiveled, nearly dumping him over and he cursed. He hated this Colorado temporary office.“You need a plan,” Ethan whispered to himself. He closed his eyes and started visualizing. It was what he did when he faced a difficult vertical mountain climb. He would visualize each spot his hands needed to go to and just how to grip the rock. He would plan the entire ascent up the rock face and anticipate any hi
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Eight
LauraLaura dozed off. There was no way for her to keep time in the quiet of the empty warehouse. She watched as the sunlight shifted against the floor, but her eyes were still heavy from the drugs Craig had given her.When she woke, the sun was at a different angle and more yellow than gray. She was thirsty again, and now she had to pee as well. She wondered what had woken her up when she heard the metallic thud of the warehouse door.She prayed it wasn't Craig. She wasn't ready to pretend to be the compliant captive. She still hadn't found a way to get out of the ropes tying her to the chair. All she had to show for her struggles were bruises.She watched with baited breath as a man came through the door. She wasn't sure if she could handle another conversation with Craig. She pressed her ankles and wrists against the ropes that held her to the chair, but the didn't budge. It felt like all she was doing was bruising herself.The man stepped into the light and Laura gasped.It wasn't
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Seven
LauraLaura's head throbbed, and her mouth felt like she'd eaten fire. She shook her head, trying to clear out the ringing in her ears and figure out where she was. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gray light and for the world to stop spinning long enough to get a clear image.She was in some sort of empty warehouse. Pale gray light filtered in through windows on the second floor, but other than that she couldn't see much. Everything was dusty, so she assumed that where ever she was, it wasn't in active use.She tried to rub her eyes to get the grit out of them but found them tied behind her. She was on a hard metal chair, the kind used for church get-togethers and elementary school concerts. It was not a comfortable thing to be tied to.“Hello?” she called out. It hurt her voice to talk, but she had to find out if she was alone. Her voice didn't seem to travel far.She waited for a reply, but nothing came. She swallowed down her panic. She was alone and tied to a chair.
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Six
Laura“Bye, guys! Have fun! Love you!” Laura waved to the kids as the car pulled away. She could see Ivy and Dallas waving back, as well as Grandma and Grandpa. The two kids were off to spend the weekend with their grandparents. Laura had forgotten about it completely until Grandma had called and asked what time to pick them up.Laura had arranged for the weekend off of parent duty two weeks ago, back when she was still with him. She'd had this fantastic idea to steal him away for a sexy weekend adventure. Then they'd broken up.That was a week ago.She turned and went back into the empty house, and she immediately missed her siblings. She had no idea what in the world she was going to do by herself this weekend. If nothing else, the barn was going to get a good cleaning.She sighed and glanced over at her phone. He hadn't called her. The only message she'd gotten from him since she told him she wanted a break was two days old.I'm fine. Home in California safe. Don't worry about me.
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Five
LauraLaura walked into Sandy's and was glad to see the place was mostly empty. It wasn't quite lunchtime yet, so the usual crowds weren't there. She'd dropped the kids off for their last day at school and headed over to the one place she knew would have comfort food and a friend.“Hey you,” Elena greeted her from the bar as she walked up. Elena's smile faded as she looked at Laura. “What's the matter?”“I think I broke up with Ethan,” Laura told her. The words felt like daggers driving into her heart.“What?” Elena asked. She quickly walked around the bar and wrapped her friend up in a hug. “What happened?”“I freaked out because he was on an airplane,” Laura explained. “Like super freaked.”“Okay...” Elena let her go, motioning to two bar stools. Together they sat down to talk. “How did that lead to you two breaking up?”Laura shrugged. It sounded stupid now, but she still felt mad about the whole thing. “He's going to be traveling a lot,” she explained. “He has to go back and forth
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Four
EthanEthan let out a long slow breath as the car pulled out onto the highway. He was doing his best not to be angry, but it was hard. It was hard not to be frustrated when she messaged him so constantly. Laura was so amazing in every other way, but her fear of him flying was the one thing that he did not enjoy about her.He stared out the window, watching the mountains to the west rise and dip into the horizon. He knew that he would have texted her too if their positions had been reversed and he'd seen the news on the missing plane. It was just that there were so many messages. He had so many issues on his plate between the R&D department problems and now Janie stalking him and sending him death threats. Getting a million messages telling him to call her was not helpful.He pulled up his phone and checked the news. The other plane was a small personal aircraft, not nearly as nice as his was, but he could see how she would be worried. Luckily, the other plane had landed without injuri
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Three
LauraLaura closed her eyes and imagined herself at a mountain lake. There were horses, and the world smelled of pine and fresh rain. The lake sparkled in the sunlight and sunlight warmed her skin. It was peaceful and calm. Nothing could be wrong in this beautiful place.And then a plane crashed into the lake, and everything was ruined.Laura groaned and opened her eyes. Visualizing a calm space was not helping her anxiety. Ethan was getting on a plane again today, and all she could think about was his plane crashing and never seeing him again. It didn't matter that he'd survived the last flight just fine. It didn't matter than she knew it was irrational and stupid.She was still anxious and upset about it.She flopped onto the couch and checked her phone for the millionth time. No messages. The kids would be home soon, and she welcomed the distraction. The kitchen was scrubbed to shining, the bathrooms sparkled, and the laundry was folded and put away. She was running out of househol
A Wonderful Kind of Love Chapter Thirty-Two
EthanEthan walked onto the elevator to the parking garage in a daze. He couldn't remember the last meeting that had gone on that long. All he wanted to do was go home and sleep for a week. Unfortunately, he was going to get about five hours before he had to come back and go back to work.There were going to be more meetings tomorrow that were just as important as the ones today. The new R&D department was causing issues with investors, and he had to make sure everything worked out. It was stressful, but that was his job. He was good at this. He knew he would make it work, but it would mean a lot of hours in the office for the next few days.He was seriously just considering sleeping at his desk. He felt like he might actually get more rest. He sighed and stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage. It would be good to go home. He could call Laura from the comfort of his car on the drive home. He was already looking forward to it.Ethan waved to Bruce in the security offic
