Melody paced in the living room of Allan’s condo, switching between wringing her hands and raking them through her hair. Her nerves were shot and her patience was worn. If she had to watch her brother sit against the glass wall looking out at the Hudson River as he clutched onto a piece of paper like it was a lifeline one more day she was going to break the glass and push him out!It had been two weeks since Matthew forced him back to the States. Two weeks of him sitting in the same spot only leaving it to use the bathroom. Two weeks of him looking out at that damn river like it was some sort of world wonder. He didn’t use another part of his condo, and if Melody hadn’t made it a point to cook and force the food down his throat, he would have starved to death.She had left her comfortable home to sleep on her big brother’s couch so she could watch him every single minute of the day because she was afraid he might finally kill himself.Mel
Allan stood staring at the wall, biting down the pain as the memories assaulted him.Why did they pick this place?Fine, he had refused to set foot in what used to be New York’s Casa Italiano hotel but why out of all the other hotels did they pick this one?He slowly raised his hand, his breathing growing labored as he moved closer to the wall. Tentatively, like he was about to touch an open flame, Allan placed his shaky hand on the wall.His heart lurched.He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the cold surface.He could see that day in his mind like it had happened yesterday. Just standing there made him relive each and every second of the moment his life had changed forever.Her tears and her sobs as she cried over her broken heart and the fierce determination that came after to get over her disappointment and move on.Her startled gasp as she jumped around to face him. Her saucy, brown g
Reno watched his sister as she stood at the beach looking out at the ocean like she did every single day since she came to New Providence. Every time she went missing, this was the place he found her.The first time she disappeared, the same day she arrived in New Providence, he had the employees of Albury Hotel search for her. He found her sitting on the beach, the low waves lapping around her. He’d never been so afraid in his life. For a moment there, he thought she was going to try and drown herself.The girl he’d left in the USA three years ago was different. This girl was always sad, pale, thin, puffy red gloomy eyes and a permanent frown on her face. When he first saw her at the airport, he wasn’t sure it was her. She didn’t even say a word to him she just collapsed into his arms, sobbing her heart out.He’d taken her home, waited patiently for her to tell him what was wrong, but she didn’t speak. She just sat on the sof
Loraine tapped her foot nervously as she watched the flight announcement screen. Riana’s plane had just landed. Loraine could only imagine how difficult it was to drag around luggage while trying to control her almost two-year-old hellion.Loraine chuckled to herself.Riana had sent her Aurora’s pictures and even home videos—the little girl was a hurricane! The one time—after Loraine had begged in her countless emails—that Riana agreed to Skype, they’d only been talking for ten minutes when she heard crushing and the screaming of a very scared cat. Riana didn’t even flinch. She just sighed, disappeared for a moment, and came back ‘restraining’ the girl who couldn’t be much bigger than the cat she was terrorizing!Aurora was such a beautiful girl. With the same brown eyes that harbored mischief, same dangerous smile, and once or twice Loraine had seen the familiar expressions on her face. She looked so m
Loraine stretched as she walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. She’d taken a nap when they arrived at the apartment but she still felt exhausted. She hated being jetlagged. If it wasn’t for Riana, she would’ve spent the entire day in bed, but it was time for some shrink time with her best friend. But coffee first.She paused when she saw five suitcases sitting in the middle of the living room. They varied in sizes and some had a very familiar pattern on them.“Oh. My. God. No way!” Loraine rushed and knelt next to them and ran her hands over the Dolce & Gabbana suitcases.Only people with money coming out of their asses bought a three-piece set in the signature print of tan and brown colors of Dolce & Gabbana luggage. But it wasn’t just the three pieces sitting on her living room floor, but two more large leather, trimmed printed scotch grain suitcases.Loraine’s family was
Why this hotel?Riana ran her hands nervously down her dress as she did her labor breathing. It didn’t work any better than when she was having Aurora.Loraine grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Just relax, Riana. You’ll just speak to Melody and then we’ll leave.”Riana turned to her friend. The last time they were here they were in uniform, and now they were dressed like they belonged. Riana was dressed in the exact same way the first night she went to dinner with Allan, right down to how she styled her hair.Loraine borrowed the green, figure hugging, knee high dress Riana had worn to the restaurant at the beach when they were in Bari. They’d walked in the water that night, and it was the first time she’d convinced Allan to do something he would not normally do.He had taken off his shoes, jacket and tie, rolled up his pant legs, and wadded in the water with her. She couldn’t remember what
Allan laid Riana’s limp body on the bed, his eyes riveted on her face. She looked too peaceful, in fact. He had to press her chest against his on their way up to the suite just to feel her breathe and make sure she was unconscious and not dead.He took off her shoes, and then proceeded to take off his own including his jacket and tie before he joined her on the bed.He touched her face lightly, tracing its structure with his fingers. He wanted to make sure it really was her. Not a clone, or a look-alike, or a figment of his imagination. That Riana was really alive, here, lying in his arms, unconscious from the shock.Where had she been for the last two and a half years? What had she been up to? He knew why she thought he was dead but…how was it she was still alive?He pushed up on his elbow, supporting his head in his hand as he leaned down over Riana, moving so close he could make a perfect shade for her body.How did she escape A
She never got a chance to finish. Allan pressed his lips against hers in a hungry kiss, his hands moving the rest of the dress up to her torso.Riana arched up on instinct trying to get closer. He pulled away, yanked the dress over her head before he descended on her again, his hands everywhere, touching, groping, teasing hungrily like a man starved. Her body responded to his touch in a way she never thought possible again.Tired of feeling cloth against her skin, she quickly undid the buttons to his shirt. Having an active twenty month old required her to work fast, especially when dressing and undressing her.Once all the buttons were undone, Allan helped pull the shirt off, while Riana moved to his pants. That only took two seconds to undo and one more second to push it and his boxers down to his ankles so that he could kick them off.Allan pulled away and looked at her, stunned. “That was fast. Where did you—”“Aha
“Are you okay?” Allan asked for the hundredth time that night as she crawled into bed next to him. She nodded, placing her hand on Aurora’s back as she slept on her father’s chest. God, she came so close to not having this… Riana took a deep breath to ward off another bout of crying. She had cried for what felt like hours, seeing Aurora and Allan go through her memory album. Allan laid his hand over hers on Aurora’s back. “I don’t think I’ll be able to thank you enough for what you did. Aurora would have known me if I had—” “Don’t say it,” she interrupted. “Let’s just treasure this moment with our daughter.” She placed her head on his shoulder, close to Aurora’s. “She looks so beautiful and innocent when she’s asleep you wouldn’t believe she is as destructive as a bulldozer!” Riana chuckled. “Well, I’m still not convinced,” Allan commented defensively. Riana smiled. He was going to defend Aurora no matter what. She loved him for that. Loraine had brought her laptop with ‘the
Allan felt the familiar lump in his throat at her emotional whisper. Melody’s smile wobbled, tears running unrestricted down her cheeks.Allan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. She pressed her face into his shoulder, her hand fisted in his shirt as she sobbed quietly.“I’m so sorry I put you through hell, Melody. I didn’t mean to. I just…life just didn’t seem worth living without Riana and Aurora and I know that’s selfish to you because it used to be you and me…but…God, Melody I don’t know how to explain it!”She pulled her head back, exposing her face. She smiled at him as she wiped her cheeks dry. “I understand. Remember dad?”Allan let out a shaky sigh. “Yeah. I finally understand.”Riana placed her hand over Melody’s on his chest. “Still. We are really sorry to have put you through…all of it. You too, Loraine.”Loraine waved the apology away and sat down on the carpeted floor across from them. “Hey, as long as my best friend isn’t depressed anymore, I’m co
The word fear wasn’t enough to describe the flood of terror that filled him when he saw her.He looked into the big brown eyes that stared up at him and listened to her shrilly giggles that filled him, pushing the fear out as she jumped up and down.“She’s beautiful,” he whispered as he watched her chant ‘daddy’ in a singsong voice as she danced around, her unruly, curly, black bob of hair moving with her.She seemed fascinated by how her hair moved around her head, covering her face when she paused, her head turned to the side. It reminded him of how Riana used to dance around, her hair flying all over her face until it completely blinded her. She would trip over her feet and Allan always had to stay alert to catch her before her ass touched the ground.She looked so much like Riana—happy and carefree.He was amazed by the instant love he felt for his daughter. Since the moment he’d known about her he’d loved her, but it stunned him how hard the emotion hit him when he saw her and he
Riana couldn’t stop laughing.“Will you quit it?”Riana knew he was getting irate with her but she just couldn’t stop laughing. Getting his hair cut and shaving his beard were understandable. In fact, they were a necessity. But what she didn’t get was his insistence to wear a suit and get all fashioned up like he was going to a business meeting and not to meet his daughter.It took a lot of convincing, but she got him to dress in jeans and a black T-shirt. After she warned him of Aurora messing up his suit with sticky fingers and food, he thought it best not to wear white.She borrowed some of Melody’s clothes, hoping that she really wouldn’t mind—as Allan had promised—and also stayed away from the whites.He looked even more anxious and pale standing at her door than on their trip to her apartment.The moment the sun was up they had left the hotel and went to his apartment. The first thi
“She’s the one who told me you were dead. She said it was my fault and I should be the one who died.”Allan felt his temper flare. “You mean to tell me that Theresa knew you were alive and said nothing about it!”Riana stopped crying. “Why would she think I was dead?”“Because before Dante corrected the media, the report was that there were two casualties in the yacht. You and me,” he bit out through clenched teeth.The moment he saw Theresa he was going to ring her neck!All this time, she could have ended his suffering. True, he’d asked Dante not to tell the media he was still alive until he felt he was ready to face the world—which was supposed to be never—but Matthew and Melody knew he was alive. And somehow Theresa had found out, too. She had tried to go to Italy to be with him just a month after the explosion and that’s when he bought a new yacht and sailed as far a
Allan hugged Riana closer to him. They had spent most of the night and into the early hours of the morning making love. Now they just laid together in companionable silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. But Allan could bet they were thinking of the same thing—each other and how lucky they were to have this second chance. Many people begged and prayed for a chance like this and never got it. He was never going to take her for granted ever again. Allan moved to hold Riana more comfortably against him as he battled sleep. He smiled at Riana’s declaration to never ever go to sleep again in fear he might disappear. Silly, yes, but he understood her perfectly. He loved the feel of her warm skin against his, her fingers trailing lazily on his chest as she made small content sighs and mumbled incoherent words under her breathe. Two and a half years he’d gone without this. He was learning to appreciate the saying ‘you don’t know what you have until you lose it’. He wasn’t going to l
She never got a chance to finish. Allan pressed his lips against hers in a hungry kiss, his hands moving the rest of the dress up to her torso.Riana arched up on instinct trying to get closer. He pulled away, yanked the dress over her head before he descended on her again, his hands everywhere, touching, groping, teasing hungrily like a man starved. Her body responded to his touch in a way she never thought possible again.Tired of feeling cloth against her skin, she quickly undid the buttons to his shirt. Having an active twenty month old required her to work fast, especially when dressing and undressing her.Once all the buttons were undone, Allan helped pull the shirt off, while Riana moved to his pants. That only took two seconds to undo and one more second to push it and his boxers down to his ankles so that he could kick them off.Allan pulled away and looked at her, stunned. “That was fast. Where did you—”“Aha
Allan laid Riana’s limp body on the bed, his eyes riveted on her face. She looked too peaceful, in fact. He had to press her chest against his on their way up to the suite just to feel her breathe and make sure she was unconscious and not dead.He took off her shoes, and then proceeded to take off his own including his jacket and tie before he joined her on the bed.He touched her face lightly, tracing its structure with his fingers. He wanted to make sure it really was her. Not a clone, or a look-alike, or a figment of his imagination. That Riana was really alive, here, lying in his arms, unconscious from the shock.Where had she been for the last two and a half years? What had she been up to? He knew why she thought he was dead but…how was it she was still alive?He pushed up on his elbow, supporting his head in his hand as he leaned down over Riana, moving so close he could make a perfect shade for her body.How did she escape A
Why this hotel?Riana ran her hands nervously down her dress as she did her labor breathing. It didn’t work any better than when she was having Aurora.Loraine grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Just relax, Riana. You’ll just speak to Melody and then we’ll leave.”Riana turned to her friend. The last time they were here they were in uniform, and now they were dressed like they belonged. Riana was dressed in the exact same way the first night she went to dinner with Allan, right down to how she styled her hair.Loraine borrowed the green, figure hugging, knee high dress Riana had worn to the restaurant at the beach when they were in Bari. They’d walked in the water that night, and it was the first time she’d convinced Allan to do something he would not normally do.He had taken off his shoes, jacket and tie, rolled up his pant legs, and wadded in the water with her. She couldn’t remember what