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"Did you feel that, it did it again? It's the first time I felt it kick." Autumn said as amaised as I was."Yes, he or she is definitely playing football in there." I can't even begin to explain the mix of feeling within me right now. The happiness and joy of my child kicking inside of the woman who I love more than life itself. And that baby is not even in my arms yet but I already know I would kill anyone who would ever try to hurt it."Wait, do you think the baby can feel when we...? Autumn lifts her eyebrows and points between us. How would I know, this is the first time I was going to be a father. It just down on me that there is a shit ton of stuff that I don't know."No, I don't think so. Do you?" She is the mother, she should feel it."I don't know that. I never thought about it." Apparently, we are both undereducated in baby topics. "You know what, I'm gonna go out and buy us all the best books about babies and we can read them together. We"ll learn together." I say as I gent
I hold the note in my hands as I look around myself trying to see if anyone was there. But this had to be Alice. And before in the parking lot in New York, that had to be her too. There was no trace of her leaving the country because she never left. She was still here, lurking. And now she knows about the baby which makes her so much more dangerous. But she can't come close to Autumn, there is no way for her to enter the Cromwell mansion. It doesn't mean she's not going to try. "Where are you? Come out and face me!" I yell and an old woman comes out of her car looking at me like I was crazy. "Sorry." I say before getting in the car and driving away. The whole ride back to the Cromwells I spent looking into my rearview mirror trying to see if anyone was following me, I even took a few wrong turns before getting to the entrance where security opened the door for me. I got out of the car and saw Miguel coming from the back of the house. "Just who I needed to see, do you know where
"Oh my God, what did you do?" Autumn asked existed as she saw all the bags on her bed while I helped her with her pillows so she could lean back. "I told you I had a surprise for you." I said as I first handed her the flowers. "Thank you, they are lovely." Autumn smelled the flowers while I started taking out books from the bag. "How many did you get?" She asked as the pile in front of her only grew. "Apparently these are only the essentials, there's a lot of things to know about babies." And a little time to get prepared to welcome one. Autumn is already twenty-two weeks pregnant which if I'm right is almost half the way there. "And what is in these other bags?" She wanted to get up to look at it herself but I stopped her. "This is the surprise, I was walking by and I couldn't help myself and I got these..." I say as I take out a yellow onesie and the baby rattle as Autumn's face lights up and she takes it out of my hands. "This is so adorable, oh my God look at how small it is
A part of me tells me to enjoy it now and worry about it later, but I know Richard isn't going to like this wedding idea and I'd rather say it to him now in private than later when Autumn says it to everyone. So as I left the room as Autumn stayed reading while I went downstairs in hopes of finding him but Mrs.Hendrics told me he left. I'll just have to get him before dinner. I have to admit I also wasn't used to having this much free time on my hands. I've spent years working for my father and my clubs and it felt unnatural for me not to be immersed in numbers and contract deals. But being with Autumn is more fulfilling for sure, and learning about her pregnancy and the baby has really opened my eyes as to the changes she is experiencing. The hormones that were developing inside of her as if the amnesia wasn't enough. Nothing I do will ever compare to what she is doing in a day. I could do a page in Excel while she was out here forming arms and legs inside of her. And the amount o
"Are you sure you dont want to join me?" Autumn asked as I massaged her feet while she lay in the bathtub. "I have a hard time controlling myself as it is, besides I don't think your father would approve. He would rather have Mrs.Hendrics help you with your bath." The last thing I want is to disrespect him in his own house, especially not with Adam breathing down his neck for allowing me to stay here in the first place. "But that is ridiculous, it's not like you haven't seen me naked already, you had to put this baby inside of me somehow." Yes but that was before things went to hell, the things you don't remember. That is why all of this is hard for them to accept but they do it for Autumn's sake. And that is why I am scared to tell him about the wedding, they all see this as temporarily expecting her to remember and kick me out like she did last time before the accident. "I know, but we never did it under his roof." It's the best excuse I could find at this moment. "Ohh, and wher
"I dont know what were you thinking Domenic, but my answer is no." Richard said determinedly. "Give me a chance to explain, I wasn't expecting this either. Autumn was the one who suggested it." Nice, I was putting the blame on her. "You're telling me my daughter who up until a few weeks ago didn't want anything to do with you wants to marry you? She doesn't remember her life, she is in no state to make that kind of decision for herself." I don't know why was I upset by his reaction, I knew perfectly well that this was going to be his reaction. "It seems Adam was right, I shouldn't have allowed you to stay so close to Autumn." I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes at the mention of Adam's name. I'm not even surprised he didn't want me near Autumn so he could step in. "Autumn may not remember our past but she feels the same way she did before. It's not for nothing that she is so drawn to me. She said it herself, even widout the past she wants to have a future with me, and the baby
"But what does she have to do with Autumn since she hasn't even met her?" I ask, not understanding the situation. "Rachel doesn't need reasons to hate, she just does. And now my daughter represents the fixation of that hatred." That still doesn't explain anything about who that woman was. "I'm sorry Richard but I don't understand." There has to be something that she wants, she came here for a reason, at first I thought it was money but now it seems like so much more. "Rachel is my father's daughter, one he had out of wedlock with his secretary. He never gave her our name or our position in the society. She grew up away from us and over time she came to resent Eloise and me. After her mother died I offered her my help and my brotherly love but all she took was the money." Well I have to give it out for the Cromwell family, usually people don't get to hide a secret like that for so long. It comes out one way or another. The truth comes out whether we like it or not, and thank God it
One month later "I hope this time we get to know the baby's gender, I want to start cooling our baby by its name." Autumn said as she lay on the hospital bed waiting for the doctor to come in. "As long as the doctor says the baby is okay and everything is moving on great I'm more than happy." There shouldn't be any bad news, Autumn has been feeling good this past month, taking her medications and resting a lot. We spent our days together reading and talking, laughing and entertaining the best we could. Playing cards and memory. Summer came by every once in a while when she could catch a break from the restaurant. Father said he would come by today for a visit, we haven't seen each other in a month but he would often call to check up on us. There was no news from Alice, and I don't know if that silence is a good sign. I avoided going out and practically stayed in all the time so she wouldn't get a chance to follow me again. Adam however came by every other day, saying he came for bu
Sasha lets him fall into one of our Victorian chairs while Adam and I stand in front of him like parents who are about to scoll their child. But this talk was very necessary, for the sake of our sibling bond and their friendship.I glance at Adam, silently asking him if he’s ready for this. His calm smile reassures me. He’s been patient, waiting for this moment to happen, but I know it’s not easy for him either."Sasha," I start, my voice steady but firm, "we need to have a real talk about all this because Adam isn’t some phase or fling. He’s serious, and I am too. And I need you to accept that. Not just for me, but for us...all of us.""So, let me get this straight," he says, finally breaking the silence, his voice low. "You two have been sneaking around behind my back, hiding this whole thing, and now suddenly I’m supposed to just accept it? What was all that about, huh?"Adam shifts next to me, his hand resting lightly on my back, but I can feel the muscles in his shoulders tense up
...That night... "...so now we are not only friends and brothers-in-law but I had the privilege of being his best man. What he and Autumn have is special, anyone can see that, and all I can say is that I wish them both happiness. Also Autumn I'd like to ask your permission to take him out this Friday to play ball." Anthony jokes as he finishes his best man speech. I once heard of a so-called bromance Domenic and Anthony had pretty much ever since they met each other. Summer said she found it endearing. "As long as Summer gave you permission to go." Autumn hits Anthony with a comeback. "But Friday is a no-go, we have a Lamaze class," Autumn says as she touches Domenic's shoulder. "But you are free to join us," She added to which I started connecting the dots. Why Summer looked somewhat green on her face, why she didn't eat and why would she go to a Lamaze class... "That's a great idea." Summer says and Anthony looks at her strangely. "Why would we go to a Lamaze class?" He asks an
Alex's POV I woke up with a smile on my face as the light of the day shined over my face. Despite the cold, I wrapped myself into a blanket and sat in the corner of my balcony, breathing in the familiar salty ocean air. I used to sit here and watch over the driveway, waiting for Adam's car to drive in, and while everything seemed the same, everything had changed. Now, we were together, dreaming about a future and enjoying the present. A day I once dreaded would never come was now here and the happines set in my chest could be painted in a million colours. I smiled to myself, thinking about how far I’d come. How we had come. With Adam, I had learned to be whole. I closed my eyes, letting the wind brush across my face, and took a deep breath. The salty air mixed with the faint scent of coffee surrounded me too and I suddenly opened my eyes to meet Mrs.Henrdics standing at the balcony door with coffee in hand. "Good morning." She says as she walks over to me and hands me to warm cup.
"How is Autumn?" Eloise asks us as soon as we walk in leaving her cup of tea on the living room table."She is alright, as is the baby. They are gonna keep her overnight. Domenic stayed behind but I think Richard and Sasha will go home soon." I say as her eyes travel to the spot where Alex and I are holding hands when my mother comes to stand by Eloise. The smile on her face told me everything I needed to know."So... the two of you..." Eloise gestures between Alex and me. "How long has this been going on?" She asks."A while now," Alex says. "And before you start, it was my idea to keep it a secret. I didn't want our families involved before we were sure of where this was going." "I think that was very sensible of you." My mother says as she joins the conversation. "So now that you are sharing the news does it mean it's official?" "But they didn't share the news, they were discovered in a secret. There is a clear distinction." Eloise says.Alex laughs softly at Eloise’s comment, squ
"How is she? Can I see her?" Domenic asks as he jumps to get to him before everyone else. "Miss Cromwell is fine, she and the baby girl are stable. Her blood pressure went up which caused her to faint. I'm going to recommend bed rest until the baby gets here to avoid any possible complications." The doctor says and one could see and feel the worry melt off of our backs. "Did you talk to her? Did she remember anything? Is that why she had the crisis?" Richard asked as I stepped back and took Alex to my side wrapping my hand around her, keeping her close. Perhaps it wasn't the right moment but being able to hold her in public gave me a sense of power I never had before. "We talked for a brief moment and she described to me what happened, all the excitement of the wedding and the events that happened after took a toll on her, but she remains not remembering the past." We listen as the doctor talks and Alex smiles. We didn't care about the memories so much anymore. Autumn was alright
"What happened?" Richard yells as he runs to Autumn's side, almost crushing down at the site of her unconscious body in Domenic's hands. "I'm so sorry... I didn't think..." Rachel said as she watched what her words caused. "What did you do?" Richard asks her with fury in his eyes but Rachel only stares at Autumn in shock while Leo does the best he can to hold on to her. "Help is on its way!" Alex yells as she comes back and sticks to my side. Her hands are cold as they slip into mine. I wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the situation that was in front of us with both Autumn and Sasha. "Dont wait. Get her in the car and drive to the hospital. I'll go with you and make sure they take good care of her." My dad says as he helps Richard stand up and move away from Autumn. Domenic lifts her in the air, and her veil falls down onto the floor. The sight was heartbreaking, this day turned out to be everything but perfect. First Alice, now this. I just hope it doesn't get any wo
Miguel jumps at Alice, grabbing her hand while the other guy manages to take the gun from her, ultimately pinning her to the ground when Alex pulls me back as the rest of the family gets up and gathers up at the front. “Let go of me, I'm not done yet!” Alice yells as she struggles to free herself but to no use as Miguel ties her hand to her back. “It's over Alice, it's finally over. You won't be able to hurt us ever again.” Domenic says as he presses Autumn to his side while Miguel lifts Alice, her hands pinned at her back. “Take her to the security room and call the police. She won't escape this time, not on my watch.” Richard says while rubbing Autumn's shoulder, trying to make sure she is ok. She look pale, shook but somewhat alright. She held onto Domenic the same way Alex didn't let go of my hand all this time. “He is lying to you, everyone is…” Alice says but Miguel drags her away. She was trying to do damage to the last second she could use. So much haterade in such a s
I always found weddings to be beautiful, yet this one was special. This was about my friend, someone who I knew would always be in my life, but I somehow knew that from the day I met her. Now sitting here, watching the smile on her face as she stared at the face of her loved one, the man she chose yet again despite every odd, despite not knowing the past. A path she chose solely based on what she felt within herself, and that was love. I had my doubts about it, I had my doubts about Domenic... the things I knew about their past, the things I didn't share with anyone else, not Alex, not Richard... I saw the regret in his eyes, I saw the pain but I also saw the love... and I wish them happiness. The same one I wished for myself and the woman who was sitting next to me right now. My love. My Alex. Today wasn't just the start of a new life for Autumn, this was also the day that meant something big for Alex and me. This was the day we would finally stop hiding. The day everyone would final
"Adam, where the hell were you? We are going to be late and you still haven't changed." Mom yells at me as soon as I step through the door. "I had some business to take care of. Dont worry I'll be ready in time." "Business, on a day like this one." Mom asks, her nad on her hip and eyebrow raised scepticly. "You look great by the way, where is Dad? You should go check he doesn't get something on his suit before we have to leave... I'll go shower now, bye." I manage to ramble up and run upstairs to get ready. Luck had it that Rosie had already got my clothes ready and waiting for me on the bed so I showered, got my hair ready, and got dressed just as a text came for me letting me know Derek was booked and taken care of. One more reason to party. ... "See, there was no reason for all that rushing. I had plenty of time to finish my meal." Dad said as we got out of the car at the Cromwell mention. It’s the perfect place for a wedding...grand, romantic, and more than enough to make an