“The thing is Nathan, you might have fallen for her. But she hasn’t fallen for you. And she didn’t know how to get out of such a big mess.” His voice is dripping with fake sympathy. “So I made her a better offer. And told her all she needed to do was tell me the truth. I promised her I’d take care of everything else, including giving you the bad news.” Any pretense at sympathy vanishes. He grins. “If this was chess, you just lost your queen.”I barely hear him. I feel like I’m trying to breathe with a chest full of ice shards.Nicole betrayed me.I pushed for too much, so she stabbed me in the back.Was she really crying? Because she was scared to tell me no?Why the hell didn’t she talk to me? Why the fuckinghelldid she go tohim?I told Nicole everything about my dad. I told her why I hated him, why I’d never trust him, or ever ask him for anything.And then she turned around and sold me out to my dad the instant I asked for more.I don’t want to believe it. But the evidence is scraw
But Nicole doesn’t lie. Of course she doesn’t. She’s never liked lying. I’m the one who forced her into doing it, until like an animal in a trap she had to gnaw off her foot to escape.She just sits there, avoiding eye contact.Her breath is uneven.She’s about to cry, I realize.I need to finish this fast, for both of us. We deserve the mercy of a swift kill.“There is no us,” I say. I reach for a lighter, and our napkin contract.Nicole watches, wide-eyed, as I set it on fire and drop it into my wastebasket.“Leave.” I say. “And don’t come back.”She stands so fast that her chair tips backward, clattering to the ground. “Fuck you, Nathan. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But you, Nathan, you were the worst.”She pulls off her engagement ring and flings it on my desk. Then storms out of my office.I dump the ring in my desk drawer, hating the sight of it.I go back to preparing for my board meeting. Like Nicole never existed in my life at all.That afternoon the board members gather in t
“Sorry, I just mean, you’ve got pretty good people instincts. Even when you dated assholes before, you always held some part of yourself back.” She looks at me intently. “This time you didn’t. So I’m asking, what if you weren’t wrong? What if he doesn’t know you’re pregnant?”“Oh, so he just fired me for some other imaginary cause,” I snort. “How is that any better?”She sighs. “I guess it’s not.” She slumps down into the couch. “I just wanted a happy ending for you, for once. You deserve it.”I don’t say anything. I think if I do, I’ll start crying again. I’m too worn out for that.“At least you got the money,” Ellie offers, half-heartedly. “There’s more than enough to start your company and cover the costs of having a kid. And when you eventually run out, you can sue his billionaire ass for child support.”I give a broken laugh.“I’m serious,” Ellie says. “You’ve always wanted a kid. And you’ve always wanted to run your own business. Now you have the money to do both.”“I know.” My
From the other side of the door, I hear a muffled voice call, “Go away.”“Please, Nicole. I was wrong to fire you. My dad lied to me, said you’d betrayed me and told him everything about our arrangement.”There’s silence on the other side of the door.I hold my breath.I hear footsteps on the other side of the door, and then she yanks it open. Nicole’s wearing old, stained sweatpants and a mustard yellow sweater. Her hair’s a tangled mess. She’s got dark circles under her eyes, and not a lick of makeup. Objectively, she looks horrible.And yet, the sight of her is such a relief, I grip the side of the doorframe to keep from doing something crazy, like reaching for her, or falling to my knees and begging.“Why would you believe anything your dad said about me?” she demands. “Don’t you know me at all?”When she says it like that, the shame races through me. “I’m sorry. It was the pressure of the board vote. And he had the napkin. He said the thing I feared the most. And I...I believed h
“I take it your conversation didn’t go as hoped,” Lucia says quietly.I give a harsh laugh. “No. I...No. I apologized but...” I keep my voice dry and unemotional. “She said I wasn’t what she needed at this point in her life. It’s done.”Bridget frowns. “At this point in her life? What does that mean?”Lucia coughs quietly. “Nathan, if I could talk to you privately in your office?”“Oh, just say it.” I flop down onto the couch across from Lucia’s desk. “Bridget and Kiera already know Nicole and I weren’t...real.”I think of Nicole’s face, right before she closed the door on me.I need something real now.God, I’m an idiot. I had a woman like Nicole, and I fucked it all up because I was so focused on beating my dad.Lucia raises her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”I wave for her to go ahead.“Nicole’s pregnant. She found out the morning before the board meeting.”“WHAT?” I shoot to my feet. “She can’t be. We...I mean she could but...” My heart’s doing funny, painful things.I’m going to have a
Wait.Mess. That’s it.“Daaaaaad, why did you stop walking?” Kiera says.“I think I know how to fix things,” I say.At least I hope I do. Because if this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.AMELIAA week after I turned Nathan away for the last time, I’m wrapping up a meeting in a cafe with the web designer I’m working with. I had a meeting with a lawyer this morning, to talk me through the legal side of starting a new company. Tomorrow, I have a meeting with an old colleague who I’m hoping will be able to put me in touch with potential clients.If I just keep moving, I don’t have to think about all the ways I feel woefully unprepared to be a single mom.If I just keep moving, I don’t have to wonder if I made a mistake turning Nathan away.The same doubts have been running through my head and heart since Nathan explained why he fired me.He wanted to get back together. Maybe he would have been happy about the pregnancy. And you’re going to have to tell him at some point anyway.My curr
I don’t want to look at his face, and know he misses me.I rub a hand protectively over my stomach. I don’t know if I’m trying to reassure myself or the baby. Maybe both.Just don’t think about him, I tell myself,think about anything else.My eyes search the room for inspiration and fall on the mysterious package. There’s writing on one corner. Maybe it says what it is.It’s a weird shape, flat and rectangular like a giant flatscreen TV. Or maybe a wall-size pane of glass?I approach and read the writing.Property of Nicole Craig.It takes me a moment to recognize Nicole’s handwriting. It’s neater than his handwriting normally is. Like he was careful when he wrote it.What the hell is he playing at? If he’s trying to win me back with gifts, he’s going about it the wrong way. Even if I could be swayed with gifts, I can’t think of anything this shape and size I’d actually want.I mean, it’s sort of the shape of...“No,” I breathe. “He wouldn’t...”I reach for a strip of butcher paper an
He laughs. “Kidding. About the college fund.”“But...you told me you’d never ask him for anything.”Nathan takes a step closer to me. “You’re worth changing for,” Nathan catches my face gently between his palms. So I can’t look away from the truth in his eyes.“You and our family come first, Nicole,” he says. “Before my pride. Before this company. Before my dad. You come first. And it might be messy at first, as I learn how to show that. But if you give me the chance, I promise I’ll keep trying.”My breath feels ragged. I realize I’m on the verge of crying.“I love you,” Nathan says. His voice is hoarse. “I love you so fucking much, Nicole.”Then he kisses me. I’ve never had a kiss like this. It tastes like hope, and commitment, and telling the truth, and trying again tomorrow. It tastes like falling for him, again and again, every day for the rest of my life.It tastes like love.I pull back, searching his face. “Nathan, it’s not just me anymore. I’m pregnant. So it will be less sex
"I don't know what to think anymore Nathan. This is all just like a nightmare. I may never see her again, or my child. The thought scares me more than anything.""Don't lose hope my friend. I am certain that we will find Nicole eventually. Nothing bad has happened to her. Nicole is a strong lady; she can survive anything. I have a very good feeling that she's doing well. We will find her soon."NICOLE"Ash! Are you leaving already?" Claudia asked, coming into the house. She carried a bag with her, containing some items. Claudia is my close friend from college."Yes Claudia, my presentation at work starts in an hour." I was packing my bags, ensuring that I'm not missing anything. I checked to make sure that my health insurance card and phone are in the bag. I was going to visit the hospital right after work for my prenatal care. The hospital was just a few miles away from where I work.Four months have passed since I had met Claudia at the O’Hare airport as soon as I got into the city.
"He left? Where did he go to? Did he say where he was going?" I asked frantically."No, sir. He didn't mention where he was going. He only packed up his stuff and started leaving in a hurry, he was trying to call someone on the phone as he left"."Are you Ok, sir?" One of the employees asked. I ignored her and thought of what I could do next.It had been 3 months since Nicole disappeared with no trace and I hadn’t been able to get hold of Justin, either. He also left IM Corp after taking a few days off after that day.I received Justin’s contact information and tried to have face to face conversations with him several times, but there was no response from him. Eventually, I hired a private investigator to help me find them. One day, they informed me that they had found Justin working at another tech company, Sinews and living in a new apartment in the city.I cancelled my meetings for the rest of the day and hurried over to see Justin at Sinew with Nathan."Welcome to Sinews. How may
"How official!" He mocked, shielding his body from another violent hit from me."You're just crazy. Please don't forget to get me the plane ticket. I'll be all packed up and waiting for you to return this evening"."Alright. I'll be leaving now. I made you breakfast. Try not to throw up, please. It took me an hour to make those waffles.""An hour? Just to make waffles? Did you use sunlight to cook them?" I rolled my eyes at him. "All for some tasteless waffles."“Hey, if they were tasteless maybe you should save some for me. I didn’t want all that effort to go to waste.” He left the room while I laughed. I was certainly going to miss Justin. That is for sure!NATHAN"What happened? I heard Nicole resigned.” Nathan stormed into my office. I was totally in shock."What are you talking about? You informed me she was feeling unwell yesterday and asked for a sick leave. Isn't that why she still didn't turn up for work today? I checked her office today, but she wasn't there"."Yeah, yeah. I
“You are the most amazing man in the world. Do you know that? Wait. Don’t answer. I already know what you’re going to say.” A smile fell upon her lips.“Damn right, I am.” I kissed her.Our wedding was a blast. Between the alcohol, great conversations, and all the dancing everyone did, we all had a great time.I was talking with my brothers and cousins when Henry and Aunt Barb walked over.“Boys. I’m happy you’re all together. There’s something I need to tell you.”“What’s up, Mom?” Stefan asked.“Henry asked me to marry him, and I’ve accepted his proposal.” She held out her hand.“WHAT?” Simon spit out his drink.My brothers and I looked at each other and didn’t say a word.“Mom, are you serious?” Sam asked.“Very serious. Do you not see the diamond on my finger, Samuel?”“You haven’t known each other that long,” Sebastian said.“It doesn’t matter if we knew each other for a week. When you know you’re meant to be with someone, you know. Isn't that right, darling?" She kissed his chee
“Good. Then I’ll be connecting your credit card to my Amazon account.”“Now, now, Nicole. Let’s not get all crazy.”She laughed as I pulled her into me.“Shall we go greet our guests and thank them for coming to our wedding?” she asked.“Yeah. Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone.” I smirked.“Very funny.”NICOLEAfter the DJ announced us, we stepped into the ballroom while all of our guests shouted and clapped.“I’m going to grab a drink. Do you want a water or something?” Nathan asked.“Water would be great.”“I’ll be right back.” His lips met mine.“In case I haven’t told you. You look gorgeous.” Jackson smiled as he kissed my cheek.“Thank you, brother-in-law.” I grinned.“Hey, bro.” Conner walked over and handed me my drink.“This place looks as beautiful as it did when Georgia and I got married,” Jackson said.“Thanks. I did a good job, didn’t I?” A grin crossed Conner’s lips.“Excuse me?” I laughed.“What?” He cocked his head. “You were stil
“Thank you.”“Gabriel. Grayson.” She walked over and hugged them. “It’s good to see you both again.”“Good to see you too, Barb.” Grayson smiled.“So, Mom.” Simon walked over and hooked his arm around her. “We’re going to have a little chat once the wedding is over.”“A chat about what, Simon?”“About you and what’s going on.”“Nothing is going on, darling. Put your detective instincts away.” She patted his chest. “I’ll see you boys in the Gardens.”“Your bowtie is crooked.” Nathan walked over and straightened it. “Are you ready?” He gripped my shoulders."Are you? Your day will be here before you know it.”“Speaking of,” Jackson spoke. “Have you and Sofia set a date yet?”“No. Not yet. We’re discussing it.” He smiled.“It’s time,” Christian said as he glanced at his watch. “Let’s go get you married.” He patted my back.* * *I stood there with my brothers and cousins and wasn’t nervous. This day almost didn’t happen for two reasons. One was because we weren’t sure if Nicole was going
I think about it for a moment and realize that I really should focus on building my relationship with my Fiancee and baby daddy. We can do all of that later but now we should focus on knowing each other.Even though we should think of focusing on our upcoming project. He cocks his head slightly. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?I love you and I want to be with you and who knows? I could die before you.”Nathan glares at me. “Don’t talk about dying,” he replies angrily.“But it’s the truth, anything can happen so the age difference doesn’t bother me.”Nathan exhales. “What about your parents then? We should meet them again ?”Laughing, I shake my head. For what?. But I stopped letting them tell me how to live my life a long time ago. They are just going to have to accept you and love you like I do.” I smile at him and lean forward to kiss him.The kiss grows deeper, but Nathan pulls away before it can turn into something more. “If you weren’t so sore right now, I would take you right h
Her back bows,body quivering and thighs clenching as our bodies grow slick with heat and sweat. Soon enough, she stiffens and shatters in my arms, reaching that desired peak for the second time in minutes.I watch her with adoration,marveling at how extraordinary she looks right now as she rides her pleasure. Groaning loudly now, with her name on my lips, I follow her swiftly, thrusting with careless abandon until we are both riding that high.Later that night,after whipping up something for us to eat, I feed it to Nicole with one hand while grazing her hip with my other hand.After chewing and swallowing,she clears her throat and stares at me curiously. “What made you change your mind?” She asks.“What do you mean?”I reply, handing her another bite which she takes in her mouth.“Well,maybe you cast you spell on me, I am not doing al of this because of the baby alone but because I believe you will be the best daughter to Kiera and our unborn and I love you so much.”I drop the plate o
Slowly,my hands trail her upper body and settle on her breasts. Gently I squeeze both just as my mouth peppers kisses along her neck. She quivers, moaning loudly as my mouth descends on her nipple. Never before have I felt this way with any woman, not even Bridget whom I once loved.Although everything is happening so fast,I make sure to remain gentle with her and I take my time caressing her body, learning every inch of it. I am just as eager to pleasure her as much as I am pleasured, if not more.Suddenly,I pick her up and rise from the couch with her thighs wrapped around me. I carry her towards the bedroom she slept in the last time we were here. Once we’re in there, I place her feet gently on the floor and drop a kiss on her forehead before proceeding to pull off my own clothes and underwear.I guideher to the perfectly made bed and help her lie on it before going to lie beside her. “You are an enigma, Nicole, so beautiful,” I whisper into her ear as I begin to trail my mouth acr