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Chapter 98
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His Wicked Games series Chapter 99
- LILY – Seven Months LaterI'm going to kill Calder for doing this to me.Sure, I knew pregnancy wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park. I always knew there'd be aches and pains and a number of physical surprises - but I wasn't prepared. Not at all.It's like I'm a helpless child - I'm exhausted all the time and sometimes need help doing even the simplest tasks. God, I never thought I'd be looking forward to the day when I could tie my own shoes again. Did Lou have this much trouble when she was pregnant? Or am I just especially bad at this whole baby-growing thing?My hand slides across the wide surface of my belly. It'll be worth it, I know. But I really wish I could speed up the whole pregnancy part and get to the having-a-baby-in-my-arms part. Or, you know, just be able to go two hours without having to pee.The baby shifts inside of me. I've taken to calling him Bubble - it felt weird referring to him as only "the baby," and Calder and I have been in hot debate over what we'
His Wicked Games series Chapter 100
- WARD -I thought I was ready for this - but fuck me, I was wrong.I want to punch something. Just to release some of this energy. Just to do something. Because standing here waiting around for the ceremony to start isn't working. It's almost funny - I mean, I've wanted this forever. I tried to convince Lou to marry me from the moment I found out she was pregnant. I'm not supposed to be nervous now. And I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to find myself aching for a fight right before I marry the woman I love.Is Lou this anxious? Is she fidgety and distracted? Is she wondering why she ever agreed to marry a crazy oaf like me?I've never wanted anything more than this in my entire life - so why am I so damn jumpy?I jerk a hand through my hair. I want to fix something. Grab my toolkit and get hammering on one of my projects. Or grab a sledgehammer and tear through some old drywall. Smash something. But I'm already dressed. Already here. And anyway I'm pretty sure Lou wouldn't apprec
His Wicked Games series Chapter 101
- LOUISA -We're married. I can't believe it.I spread my fingers and look down at the ring on my hand. Dinner went by in a blur, and now that we're back in our room, the whole thing feels a little like a dream."Beautiful," Ward whispers behind me."It is, isn't it?" I say, letting the simple gold band catch the light.He grabs me so quickly that I don't have time to do anything but squeak as he scoops me up in his arms."You know I wasn't talking about the ring," he says into my hair, and I can hear the grin in his voice.I tilt my face up and kiss his neck. "Yes, I do."He carries me over to the bed. We've just put Ramona down for the night, and that means we've got some business to continue. Ward lays me gently on the comforter and lowers himself beside me. There's a devilish look in his eyes and one side of his mouth is raised in that lopsided smile of his. Some of his auburn hair has flopped across his face, and he pushes it back with one hand. Despite his urgency back in
His Wicked Games series Chapter 102
- CALDER -I haven't been able to take my eyes off Lily all evening.It's not just the way she looks in that dress - but I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the equation. Over the past several months, I've watched her body change and grow, watched her curves become curvier and her whole body evolve into something so beautiful I can hardly believe it. It takes my breath away, watching her glow a little more each day. Watching her get heavier and heavier with our child. With my child. I don't think I've ever been hungrier for her, and that means my present craving is all but unbearable.She looks ravishing tonight. My sister let her choose the dress she'd wear at the wedding, and Lily decided on a gown in a dark red hue that draws my eye to every one of her irresistible new curves. I spent most of the ceremony with my hands curled into fists, fighting the urge to grab her and pull that dress off of her right then and there, my sister's wedding be damned. And now that dinner is
His Wicked Games series Chapter 103
- LILY -For the first time in over twenty years, I'm having breakfast with my mom.It's still so weird - seeing her here, sitting across from me at the table, eating cereal and toast like this is completely normal. It's not normal at all.But I guess, if I'm being completely honest, there's a part of me that finds it all frighteningly familiar. I thought I'd buried most of my memories of my mom, but they've all come rushing back, one after the other, and some are so vivid it's almost as if no time has passed at all. It might have been yesterday, the pictures are so clear - I see her making breakfast for me and my dad with her curlers still in her hair, her floral pajamas covered by a polka-dotted bathrobe I got her as a Christmas present. She somehow always managed to burn the eggs, but she made up for it by making little sandwiches out of the toast.I study her across the table, and my chest tightens when I realize she still eats her toast in the exact same way - she's just layer
His Wicked Games series Chapter 104
- LILY -In spite of everything, I find myself enjoying the tour with my mom. It's been a long time since I've shown someone around this place, and I like watching her face light up with pleasure and surprise at the house's secrets. I remember how I felt the first time Calder gave me a tour. I wanted to hate him - after all, the only reason I came out to the estate in the first place was to demand the money the Cunningham family owed the Frazer Center - but even then, I was already falling under his spell.Sometimes I still wonder what would have happened if that storm hadn't stranded me here. Fate works in funny ways.I take my mom by some of the fancier bedrooms, the movie theater, the rooftop pool, the gallery - and in each room, I find myself recalling my history with Calder in those places. I don't share any of those stories with my mom, though - she's still practically a stranger, and my intimate memories with Calder are ours to keep - but she must notice the blood that has ru
His Wicked Games series Chapter 105
- LOUISA -I've never seen my brother this agitated.For as long as I can remember, he's been so serious. So intense. He always wants to be in control, and it kills him when he can't - especially when something he cares for is on the line - but it's not normally this bad. All morning he's been pacing around the house, clearly on edge. I'm on my way outside with Ramona when I catch him in front of a window, staring out into the rose garden with his hands clasped behind his back."Spying?" I call to him from the doorway.He's so intent on the scene outside the window that I startle him - he jumps nearly a foot at the sound of my voice. He runs a hand through his hair as he turns around."I'm not spying," he says. "I just don't like that woman.""I don't think you're ever supposed to like your in-laws," I say, repositioning Ramona on my hip and coming to stand beside my brother at the window."I like Lily's father just fine. But then again, David never abandoned his daughter." Ther
His Wicked Games series Chapter 106
- WARD -It's been over a year since I started renovating this place, but I think I've finally finished the south side of the house.Lou's been teasing me this week, telling me that I should take a little time away from my tool belt - after all, we've only been married for a couple of days and it's not like we took a honeymoon - but honestly, I've never been more eager to get all of my projects done. To finish making this place ours. Now that we're officially a family, now that the responsibility is fully on my shoulders, I'm determined to give my wife and my daughter the best home possible.Of course, considering the size of this place it'll probably take me about ten more years to finish, but who's counting? It's hard not to feel satisfied with the work I've done so far. We have big plans for this place - but our first priority is to get the house and estate back to what it was, to erase all evidence of Edward Carolson and Huntington Manor."What do you think?" I ask Ramona. Lou
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His Wicked Games series Chapter 116
- CALDER -I wait until both Lily and the baby are asleep before I decide to sneak out. As much as I want to sit here with her in my arms forever, our conversation about her mother reminded me of a call I need to make.I look down at her before I leave. Her brown hair is in a messy bun on her head, and she doesn't have a stitch of makeup on, but I don't think I've ever seen her look so beautiful. I lean over and press a kiss against her forehead as I lift our sleeping son out of her arms.He's so tiny that I'm afraid I'll break him. But even though he was born a little early, the doctor told us he's perfectly healthy - and after hearing him scream this morning, I'm tempted to believe him. This little guy has quite a pair of lungs on him.I settle him gently in the bed the nurse wheeled in for him. I can see so much of Lily in him - and so much of myself. I knew I would love my son, but the intensity of my feelings is startling. When I think of how close I came to losing both of the
His Wicked Games series Chapter 115
- LILY – Two Days LaterThey won't tell me what happened.I remember the pain. The screaming. The fear.I remember hearing the first, sweet cry from my son's throat.I remember the miracle of Calder's voice, the proof that he was alive.But after that, there's only darkness.I woke up yesterday morning in the hospital. Calder tells me they were able to get an air ambulance out to us at the estate, but he won't give me any more details than that about what happened two nights ago after he made it to the house. And there's a desperate, hollow look in his eyes when I ask, so I don't press him for details.Honestly? I'm not sure I want to know.And truthfully, it doesn't matter. Calder is alive. I'm alive. And our son is here. So much has happened in the past couple of days, and none of it feels real.I look down at the tiny little human in my arms. He's perfect. Even though he arrived a couple of weeks before his due date, he's still round and healthy. He emerged with a thick cro
His Wicked Games series Chapter 114
- LOUISA -Just stay calm.Just stay calm.Just stay calm.It doesn't matter how many times I say it to myself - it gets harder with every passing second. I spend almost twenty minutes searching for my cell phone in the rain, but I can't find it anywhere. It's not in the car. It's not on the driveway. It's just gone. Finally, I force myself to give up the search and return to check on Lily - and I'm not a moment too soon.If I had any hope that we might make it through the night without this baby - after all, I was in labor for nineteen hours - it's fading fast. After five minutes at Lily's side, it's clear that her little one has no intention of waiting for help to arrive, and she seems to know it, too. Even if I thought I still had a chance of finding my cell phone, I can't leave Lily now.Both Ward and Calder are still out there somewhere. It's just me and Lily - and a whimpering Ramona, who's still clearly confused and terrified. I long to go over to my daughter, to pick her
His Wicked Games series Chapter 113
- LOUISA -Lily's face has gone white."Calder?" she says into the phone, her voice cracking. "Calder! Calder, answer me!" Her hand visibly shakes as she pulls the phone away from her ear."What's going on?" I ask her, running over and shifting Ramona in my arms. I've just managed to get my little girl to stop crying. "What happened?"She doesn't answer. Instead she hits a couple of buttons on the screen, presumably calling him again. I glance over at Ward, but he looks just as shocked and confused as I feel.After a moment, Lily drops the phone, her eyes wide with horror."What happened?" I ask again, my stomach sinking further with every passing second. Something is wrong. Something is desperately wrong. Ramona starts to whimper in my arms."Lily," Ward says firmly. "You have to tell us what's happening."Lily glances up, blinking, as if she's suddenly remembered she's not alone."Something happened," she whispers. "Something happened to Calder."She's in shock, that much i
His Wicked Games series Chapter 112
- CALDER -Lily is in labor. Lily is in labor.That thought drives out everything else - even the raw, gnawing feeling in my gut when I think about what Michelle has done - and suddenly nothing matters but getting to my wife.If I was a madman on the road before, it's nothing to how I drive now. I don't care about the rain or the traffic. I don't care if a cop chases me down for driving twice the speed limit. I'm getting to that hospital. Getting to my wife.I should have been there, I think. I should have been by her side when this started. But though the guilt eats away at me, I can't think about that now. I have one concern and one concern only - getting to her. Being with her as soon as humanly possible. Holding her hand as the pain comes. Even over the phone, I could hear the fear in her voice.I need to be with her.And if I have to kill myself to get to her, I will.. . . . .- WARD -Keep it together, man. They're counting on you.I hate that I have to remind myself o
His Wicked Games series Chapter 111
- LOUISA -It might be storming outside, but I'm determined to make today a little brighter."I have a surprise for you," I tell Ward.It took me half an hour to find him after I put Ramona down for her afternoon nap. Even though I've insisted that he take a break from his restoration projects, Ward has continued to work, and I find him retouching the paint in a bedroom in the eastern wing. He's currently perched on a ladder with a paintbrush in his hand.When he grins down at me, I know he couldn't be happier to see me."What sort of surprise?" he asks, and his expression makes my heart skip a beat. He climbs down the ladder and stands in front of me.I drink him in as he wipes the back of his hand across his forehead. His T-shirt has streaks of paint on it, and there's a new hole in his jeans, but somehow all of it works together to make him look irresistibly yummy. Something wells up inside of me as I admire him - and the way he's looking at me right now brings the blood rushi
His Wicked Games series Chapter 110
- CALDER -Less than two hours later, Michelle and I are in Barberville and I've got her set up at a modest little extended stay hotel just outside of downtown. I've prepaid for a two-week stay, and after that, I'll reassess the situation and figure out the best course of action. Michelle told Lily that she was looking for a job in the area, but since learning the truth about her health, I'm not sure whether that was an empty claim or not. Either way, though, now is not the time to be making any rash decisions. Lily comes first. We'll deal with Michelle after the baby is here.I'm getting ready to leave when a thought occurs to me."Lily will have lots of questions when she learns the truth. And she'll want you to start treatment as soon as possible."She starts to protest. "I still don't think I want treatment - ""At the very least, will you go talk to a doctor here in town? Explore your options? I'll pay for your visit, of course."She hesitates, then nods. "All right."I tur
His Wicked Games series Chapter 109
- LOUISA -I'm in the office on the south side of the house, working out some of the final details of my surprise honeymoon trip for Ward, when Calder stalks into the room."Good morning," I say - though you'd hardly know it was morning, considering how overcast it is outside today. When I glance up and see his face, my fingers freeze on the computer keyboard. "What's wrong? Is it Lily?"We had a bit of a scare yesterday, what with Lily getting rushed to the hospital. She'll be on bed rest for the duration of her term, but both mother and baby are healthy - or so I thought. Calder looks like he's hardly slept. There are dark circles under his eyes, and he seems agitated."We need to figure out what Lily's mother wants," Calder says, jerking a hand through his hair. "It's that woman's fault that Lily is in this state."I lean back in my chair and glance over at Ramona. She's in her playpen over by the window, and she's pulled herself up onto her feet so that she can watch her uncle
His Wicked Games series Chapter 108
- CALDER -That was too close.My jaw hurts from clenching. My mind won't slow down. I've been pacing the same spot on the floor for so long that I'm surprised I haven't worn a hole into the boards.It was only a false alarm, I remind myself. Lily is fine - for now - and the doctor said she was only having Braxton-Hicks contractions, probably made worse by stress. But even though she's now safe in our bed, I still can't seem to make myself calm down. When it comes time for the real thing... I don't even want to think about it."There's no need to be so worked up," Lily tells me. "Everything is fine. Come to bed.""Everything is not all right," I say. "Your mother upset you so much that you - ""It was my dad's fault, too," she says. "And it was a false alarm. I'm all right. No harm done.""Maybe not this time, but I'm not willing to take that chance again." I resume my pacing. "That woman needs to go.""I agree," she says. "And she's already looking for a place. But in the mean
