She looked down at Jack who was snuggling into her. He looked so small and weak. She could feel him breathing, but it felt different—slower than what it should be. She stroked his small face and he responded by moving. "Is there a chance for you and your husband?" Benjamin asked. And before she could answer, Milton snorted loudly, cutting Benjamin off. He only looked at Milton briefly before he continued talking. "I only ask because that's a nice wedding ring." There was a part of her that doesn't want to talk about Derrik, but she knew Benjamin was just talking to keep her mind off of what was going on. "I never received a wedding ring from Derrik. She ended up with the one my father gave my mom—" She stopped talking and snorted. "She hated it because he only spent three hundred dollars on it. So when she left us, she left the ring, too. My ex-jerk asked me to marry him with a shower curtain ring. I thought it was cute, but now looking back, I can see that he didn't think I was wo
Pandora felt her face pale and shook her head at her. "I wasn't, I swear." Alexis laughed and winked at her. "Oh, I know. Besides, he talked about you. He thought you and Benjamin would've hit it off," she narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "Did you come to the bar?" She rubbed her head as she closed her eyes. "Can we talk about it after I've seen my boys?" she pleaded with Alexis, but she continued looking at Pandora as if she was trying to figure out a puzzle. "Sure," she said after a few minutes. "Can I call someone for you, like the father?" "If only it was that easy," she muttered. "Can you call my dad and Sia?" She nodded, but had a shell-shocked look on her face, as Pandora told her their phone numbers. "I have a wonderful hospital gown, some lovely new mommy underwear, and pads," Benjamin said, placing the items on her bed. Pandora looked at him, seeing that he had a scrub top on but she could still clearly see his tattoos. "Thank you," she told him, wincing when s
"Breast," she answered as she looked at her boys. A few weeks ago she was unsure, but Benjamin told her both the pros and cons of both options. "The room across the hall has a chair and a breast pump so that you can express your milk. Make sure you label the bottles before putting them in the fridge.""What?" she stuttered. ‘Why is she talking about bottles?’ "We store the breast milk in the bottles. For now, the boys will be fed through a tube. Once they can nurse, you will start doing that," the nurse replied, and Pandora started to feel as if she had reached her limit. "I'll show her," Benjamin announced and started to push her chair out of the room. As soon as he pushed her into the new room, she started to cry into her hands. "Hush, Pandora," Benjamin whispered as he held her to him. "This is not the way we planned it. It wasn't meant to be like this," she sobbed into his chest, and he sighed, rubbing her back. "I know, sweetheart, I know." She sniffled and then took a dee
Pandora’s mouth opened and closed, flabbergasted. She put her fingers in her ears and gave them a good rub. "I'm sorry, I think I must be in shock, overly tired, or hallucinating... something. Can you say that again?" Pandora smiled, picking up her necklace. He twirled the ring between his fingers, and then wrapped his arm around her neck, taking it off. He held the ring up to his eyes and a huge smile broke out on his face. He looked happier than she had ever seen him.He slowly told her his side of the story, even the parts she didn’t remember. "Then you walked into my office. At first, I thought you looked like my Dora, but you were married and your hair was different. I thought your married name was Leonard. I knew my girl wasn't married to anyone but me, so I dropped the idea of it within a few minutes. However, I was and still am strongly attracted to you. As the weeks and months passed, I stopped thinking about Dora and started to think about you. I needed and wanted to prote
"You're not failing them," he told her. She blinked, wondering how he knew what she was thinking. "What you're feeling is normal, it's called the baby blues. Most new moms feel low just after giving birth. Your hormones are all over the place. You're not failing the boys at all; all things take time." "Okay," she whispered, unsure if what she was feeling was related to her hormones. "I'm here, Pandora, and I have my eyes on you, trust me." She sighed in relief and he got up and resumed their way to the NICU. "Stop," Pandora said as they got to the door. "What do we tell them? I mean, I had just told them the father wasn't here." "We'll tell them the truth, that I am their father. Don't worry. It's going to be okay." "You're what?" someone yelled loudly, and both Benjamin and Pandora turned to see Alexis and Milton standing there with their mouths open. "This is Pandora, my Dora from Vegas," Benjamin stated. "We know that; Royce was talking with her friend Ron. Ron was laughing
"Does this have something to do with Derrik?" Benjamin asked and received a nod in response."I think he's done something else. I wish I could freaking prove it was him that's been messing with my home and selling it." She turned to Benjamin, who looked confused. "He sold my house, I guess. A family showed up and demanded that I leave. By the time Milton arrived, I had heartburn and went to get some milk. In the fridge, I saw this gross bloody pig's head, it scared me and I jumped, hitting the counter." Benjamin's eyes narrowed and his hands rolled into fists. "I'm starting to see why Ron dislikes your ex so much." "Hey, relax and unfold your fists. It's bad enough that I have so many men including my father, all planning and strategizing to kill him. I need someone to help me stay calm and not worry that everyone ends up in jail." "Hey, you forgot about Sia and me," Keira said as she walked in. She narrowed her eyes looking at Pandora before looking at the boys. "Oh, I want one,"
Pandora rubbed her face as she placed her head back on his chest. "I'm sorry for getting you and your family mixed up in this crap with my ex and his stupidity." "You're my wife. The crap you deal with is the crap I deal with. Just like my family is your family, your family, and friends are now mine, too." Benjamin kissed her head. "Benjamin?" Pandora jumped on seeing his mom and dad standing at the door. "Hey, Mom, Dad, this is my wife, Pandora. And these are our sons, Jack and Micheal," Benjamin said smoothly, but his parents seemed to stare between Pandora and the boys. "Dad, I need a word with you. Mom, do you think you could help Pandora express milk in the room across the hall? I know you would be more helpful than anyone else since you've been there and done that before." His mom narrowed her eyes, but there was a flash of understanding in them and she smiled. "Sure, come on, Pandora. I understand the struggle." She took Pandora’s hand and started to walk with her to her wh
Pandora yawned, feeling her eyes roll closed. “I think it is time to go back to your room,” Benjamin told her cautiously. "What? No, I am fine. Besides, my father hasn't gotten here yet." Benjamin looked at her and sighed. "I'll see how close he is." He jumped up, pulling out his cell as he walked to the door. "Hi, Mrs. Parks," someone greeted and Pandora frowned, looking at them. "You are Mrs. Parks, right? Jack and Micheal's mother?" She chuckled but nodded at the man speaking to her. Should she have found it strange being called that for the first time, or be alarmed that she didn't find it as bizarre as she did being called Preston? "I'm the neonatologist in charge of caring for your sons while they are here in the NICU." He offered her his hand and she shook it. "I thought if you had a moment, I could go through everything with you about the boys?" "Can you wait for a few minutes? Benjamin, their father, just stepped out," she asked, looking toward the door in hopes he was
"Looks like you are going to have a baby," Emily said, showing her the test. "Or maybe two. Knowing you and Benjamin, it will be twins again," she laughed. "Hush," Pandora gritted out and glared at her. "Hey, you never know, it could be three this time," she smiled. Pandora snorted and slapped her arm. "No, thank you! Now, not a word about this to him. I want to surprise him!" Emily nodded. "Just glad I know someone that's having a baby who will be around this one's age," Emily rubbed her tummy as she spoke. "Maybe you'll have a boy and I'll have a girl and they'll get married," Pandora joked. Emily’s eyes lit up and Pandora knew her joke backfired when she got a big smile on her face. "That would be so awesome," she said. Pandora heard Benjamin yell her name and Emily winked at Pandora. "I better get back to work. Text me when you tell him!" "I will," Pandora replied and she opened the door and ducked out. "Give me three minutes, and then you'll be free to get out of here wi
"It was just some homeless man. I really don't know why they even followed up on it. But I was blamed, and then put in jail. JAIL! When I got out, I was a laughingstock. No one wanted to know me. No one, not even the people I had made great. They all left me to rot. My daddy left with all the money he had and started over in another country. I had nothing. I have nothing and it's all your fault." At that point, she stood and charged at Pandora again, but Pandora easily deflected her arms, grabbed her, and held her down as Raegan hissed and growled at Pandora. "Oh shit!" she heard Milton say and he moved quickly to her, restraining Raegan. "I told you to stay away from this place," he said. "This is all your fault. You and that bitch took my life. I was meant to be Mrs. Parks—it was my life!" she yelled and Milton sighed. "Handcuff her. We have to drop her off at the hospital again," he sighed to the female officer as Pandora watched her place handcuffs on Raegan. Pandora stood, a
Their imperfections, and the fact that they didn't want to be perfect, or have a perfect marriage made them able to cope when one of them made a mistake. Thankfully, Pandora was very kind, and since it was Benjamin that normally screwed up, that made him lucky. Benjamin glanced at Pandora who was hugging his mother, and he noticed she had a warm glow around her. He had always seen it, but it had become more evident to him since they renewed their wedding vows. Benjamin wanted—needed—to marry her again, not because they were both drunk the first time, but because he needed her to know that he meant it all and that he wanted her to be his wife. Pandora looked stunning in the wedding dress that Maisey had made her, but he thought she could have worn a trash bag and still shone like a star. She was so happy and cheerful that he made it his vow to make her that happy at least once a day. He hated to let her dance with anyone else at their reception, but it did give her a chance to hold
"Where are we going tomorrow?" Jack asked. "The zoo," Amy answered with a roll of her eyes. "We can't all be great at remembering stuff," he replied, making the rest of them roll their eyes at him. "It's on the family schedule on the fridge... Oh wait, that's right, you don't look at that because then you would need to do your homework," Beth was quick to point out. "You're just jealous that I can do it in five minutes flat and still pass," Jack boasted. "That's not always going to work, and you will no longer be doing the work moments before it's due to be turned in; do you understand me?" Pandora asked him. "But, is it more important to get it done right or promptly?" he asked, making Benjamin stifle the chuckle that was starting to bubble up, knowing he just stepped into it. "No, mister smarty pants, and you'd be wise to use those smarts to mind what you argue. Getting your work done promptly and done correctly are both important and if you keep doing it at the last minute,
"They must have been naughty, they're back to being just mine," he said with a chuckle, knowing full well that they had been fighting all day. He gave her one last kiss before walking away. "Okay, Amy, you're up first," he said, pointing in front of him as he sat down. He took them one at a time, listening to what they each had to say. As it turned out, this was just a fight about whose turn it was to pick something to watch on the television. So as a punishment, he removed their TV time for the rest of the day and the next. "I can't believe I am going to miss watching golf!" Jack tutted. "What am I going to do now?" "You could read, like Amy," Beth told him with a touch of attitude. "I am not reading one of her silly books!" he bit back. "They were Mom's books," Micheal reminded him. "And Dad said he read them, too." "Yeah, I guess, but what about tomorrow? No TV tomorrow and I planned to watch the tournament. I wish school started already." "Jack, we have plans for tomorrow–
Benjamin took his time looking at the screen. He looked over all the measurements and made sure the spine was straight. Next, he paid close attention to the beating heart and found that it, as well as the other organs, were seemingly perfect. He let out a soft breath when everything looked good, and looked up with a smile. "Mackenna," he said softly as she had her eyes tightly closed. "Come on, open your eyes and look up here at the monitor. She's fine– everything looks great," Benjamin whispered. Mackenna had four miscarriages in the past ten years, and where Benjamin couldn't prove that they were caused by the mistreatment that she received at the hands of Derrik, he stood firm in his belief that the drugs he had given her had some long-lasting effects. About eight years ago, Pandora and she ran into each other while out around town. They got talking and Mackenna accompanied Pandora to the tattoo store Benjamin frequented. The couple had planned on getting matching tattoos on the
“On the twelve counts of Identity Theft Fraud, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” “On the four counts of Attempted Murder, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.”“On the three charges of Breaking and Entering, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” “On the five counts of Mortgage Fraud, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” “On the six counts of Aggravated Assault, we, the jury, find the accused, Derrik Preston, guilty on all counts.” The reading went on, covering all the different charges. Meanwhile, Miriam was wailing. Pandora closed her eyes, feeling a sense of relief, as each charge came back guilty. "Mr. Preston, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers; you will be remanded in custody and sentenced on Friday at ten a.m.—" "No! No, not my boy! You've made the wrong choice, you stupid people! I'll end you all for doing this to my baby
Benjamin and Pandora arrived just as the court was starting up. First up was Derrik, who sat there for almost three hours, trying to paint himself as the victim. It was hard sitting there listening to him spew out how Pandora was trying hard to ruin him, and she did all that herself to set him up. Miriam was the next to take the stand and she just glared at Pandora as she was sworn in. "I would first like to ask you about your son, who is he?" Derrik's lawyer asked. "Oh, my sweet Derrik is such a good boy. He was a star football player, but she..." Miriam hissed with a nod in Pandora’s direction, "made him give up his dream. She was always bossing him around, telling him what to do, and what to wear. He wasn't allowed friends, and she even tried to stop him from talking to me. But I wouldn't allow that to happen. I would walk through hell for my son." "So, Mrs. Preston, you are saying that Mrs. Parks was controlling your son?" "Oh yes, he wasn't allowed to work because she was af
During her testimony, Pandora learned that she was also known as Brownie. As she continued through the questions she was asked, Pandora had to bite her lip to stop the sobs from coming out. She told the court how she was paid to pretend to be Pandora. It was one thing to hear how she pretended to be her, but then she told the court how Derrik had sex with her several times inside Pandora’s home. She talked about being in Pandora’s bed, and it just about broke her. For the first time since all of it had started, Pandora was grateful that she had sold her home. "We have one more witness, Your Honor," the District Attorney said and with a nod, the Bailiff walked out. "We call Hannah Song to the stand." Pandora looked over to see a girl who looked like a teenager walking in with her head down. She was sworn in but her head remained down. "Can you tell the court your age?" the District Attorney asked. "Nineteen," she answered quietly, so the Bailiff adjusted the microphone in front of