- - - - - ONE WEEK LATER - - - - -
~ Audrey ~
“What the hell is this? Why are you dressed like a baby prostitute?” Mikey chimed as soon as he entered Audrey’s apartment. Liv was following right behind him.
“Excuse me?” Audrey gaped at her friends. She was dressed in a sexy leather skirt and cropped sweater. Yes, it was a bit more revealing than her normal winter attire, but this was for a special occasion.
“An elite baby prostitute,” Liv corrected Mikey. “For high-ranking officials and celebrities,”
Audrey shook her head at her friends and combed her hair. It was a typical Monday afternoon and Audrey was done with her classes today. She was standing in her walk-in closet and her friends just barged in here out of nowhere.
“G
~ Killian ~Killian didn’t think Caspian was serious when he said he was taking over business for today, but he was. Everything in his schedule was suddenly cleared as Caspian was doing everything. Killian was left with nothing to do. He just lingered in his office, feeling confused and perplexed.By 3 PM, Killian wondered if he should just go home. He felt weird being in the office and having done nothing. Meanwhile, Caspian was still busy in the meeting room. Killian saw from the office CCTV that the meeting was going well. Caspian did a great job convincing the investors. It was only a matter of time before they’d sign with the Vanderbilt Enterprises.Killian ended up spending his time watching his brother from the CCTV camera. He saw how good of a job Caspian was doing. It was shocking, yet impressive. Killian was so engrossed with watching everything from his laptop that he didn
- - - - - ONE MONTH LATER - - - - -~ Audrey ~“The bottom line is, this is gonna be our last spring break as college students. Our college career is coming to an end in less than three months. So, I think this deserves a celebration,” Liv argued. Being a fourth year law student, she made a compelling argument too.Today was a Sunday and Audrey was enjoying her routine Sunday brunch with her two best friends. This week’s topic was the upcoming spring break that was right around the corner. Normally, Audrey and Liv would use their spring break to catch up on studying and sleep and Mikey would be busy with Grindr. But this year, Audrey’s friends wanted to do something different. Seeing as their college days were coming to an end, they wanted to experience the ultimate college spring break.“Well, okay, we can do spring br
~ Killian ~“Hey, did you see Audrey?” Olivia came up to Killian who was drinking alone at the VIP couch. “We can’t find her anywhere,”“She went home,” he said simply.“She did?” Mikey looked taken aback.Mikey and Liv only took their eyes away from Audrey for a second and suddenly she disappeared. Liv noticed was off about Audrey tonight the moment they stepped into the club. It was their last night of spring break and instead of celebrating, Audrey was moping around in the corner for no reason.“Yeah, she said she was tired, she wants to rest,” Killian explained.“Oh,” Liv muttered. “Well, we should probably go too. We’ll check up on her,”“It’s fine. Stay and enjoy the party,” Killian waved his ha
- - - - - ONE MONTH LATER - - - - -~ Audrey ~Life was pretty darn amazing for Audrey Huntington. Spring had come to the city and the flowers weren’t the only things blooming in Manhattan this season. Audrey was filling her days with Caspian and Killian and her love life was blossoming more than ever. Sure, none of them ever used the word ‘love’ out loud to each other, but whatever they were doing, Audrey was surely feeling the love.Like today, for instance, the brothers invited Audrey for a special dinner in their apartment. It was a Friday night and the brothers just closed a huge deal for the company. They wanted to celebrate and they wanted to celebrate it with her. Audrey felt honored as the brothers would rather spend their time with her instead of at a huge blowout at Nobu.Audrey showed up at their place at 7 PM sharp and
~ Audrey ~* KNOCK! * KNOCK! * KNOCK! *Audrey raced to the door excitedly in her comfy PJs and fluffy slippers. It was a Monday afternoon and she was expecting her friends. Finals week was upon them and they planned a study session at her apartment today. Audrey was well prepared for it. The living room was filled with all her books and she even got the snacks ready, everything from skittles to gummy bears, to cupcakes and pizzas.“Hey guys,” Audrey beamed as she opened the door for Mikey and Liv.“Get in, loser. We’re going shopping,” Mikey spoke in his Regina George impression. He was flinging a car key in his hand and gesturing for Audrey to come out.“What is this? What are you guys doing?” Audrey eyes her friends from head to toe. Instead of dressed in comfy clothes, Liv w
- - - - - TWO WEEKS LATER - - - - -~ Audrey ~“So? How do I look?” Audrey stepped out of the walk-in closet and appeared before Mikey and Olivia. She was wearing a smart blazer and pencil skirt, complete with a silk blouse and Manolo Blahnik heels. Her hair was tied neatly into a high ponytail, and she was even wearing fake glasses to make herself look smarter.If Caspian were here, he’d probably call her a sexy office porn girl.“Damn, you look like a queen that’s gonna slay her first day of work,” Mikey nodded his head approvingly and snapped his fingers.“Thanks, Mikey,”“I still can’t believe you’re getting up this early to go to work,” Olivia groaned and rubbed her head. “How is your head not hurting?&
~ Killian ~“Guys! This is not funny!” Audrey groaned as Caspian put her inside the limo and Killian closed the door.“I know it’s not funny, but you two did it to me anyway,” Killian laughed. “You’re lucky we didn't drug you too,”“Oh, come on. You can’t still be salty about that,” Caspian waved his hand carelessly. “That trip was the best trip of your life. Admit it,”“That’s not the point,“ Killian rolled his eyes.“This argument is not the point!” Audrey scoffed at the two brothers. “You two shouldn't be doing this. I can’t leave my office, people would be looking for me!”“Don’t worry, we got that covered,” Killian said reassuringly.“What does that even mean?&
~ Audrey ~“Dad!”Audrey burst through the door with tears falling from her face. After the plane turned around, the Vanderbilt brothers drove her to her dad’s home and she called Sebastian on the way. Sebastian explained how her dad had another sudden heart attack and this time it was worse than before. Her dad could barely speak but he kept saying Audrey’s name. Sebastian said he had been trying to reach Audrey for over an hour. They were now in the Huntington townhouse and the doctors were doing everything they could.“Oh, Audrey. You’re here,” Her father croaked. He was laying atop a makeshift hospital bed with an IV tube running down his arm. He waved his hand to the doctors standing by and said, “It’s okay, you can leave,”“Dad? Oh my God, dad!”Audrey rushed to her dad’s
- - - - - THREE YEARS LATER - - - - - ~ Killian ~ “Alright baby, it’s your first day, are you excited?” “Yes!” Grace squealed in excitement. She was wearing her favorite dress and her hair tied up in a ponytail. She also got her pink backpack and Princess lunchbox with her. Today was her first day in kindergarten. Audrey and Killian were dropping her off in front of the school. Some other kids were crying because they didn’t want their parents to leave them with a bunch of adult strangers, but not Gracie. She was fearless, like her mother. “We’ll be back in a few hours to pick you up,” Killian said and kissed the top of Grace’s head. “Listen to your teachers, be nice to your friends, and have fun,” Audrey added. “Yes, I will!” Grace exclaimed and waved her hands. “Bye, mommy. Bye, daddy!” “Bye, baby. We’ll see you again soon,” Audrey and Killian waved back as Grace raced to the doors. Her teachers were greeting her and she greeted them back politely. “I can’t believe she’s i
- - - - - ALTERNATE ENDING - - - - - ~ Caspian ~ “Daddy, daddy!” Caspian opened his eyes to see Grace looking straight at him. Her little hands that were the size of ravioli were resting on his face. She was tapping him lightly, wanting to wake him up. “Mmhm,” Caspian groaned and turned around. He was teasing Grace on purpose. “Daddy, wake up!” she protested. Taking after his daddy, Grace was a persistent girl. She climbed up the bed and climbed on top of Caspian’s body. He was laughing to himself as Grace struggled and got on top of him. “Daddy!” she exclaimed happily as she sat on Caspian’s chest. “Hey, good morning, you,” Caspian chuckled and opened his eyes in defeat. “Good morning, daddy,” Grace was laughing triumphantly and hugging his neck. “Did mommy send you to wake me up?” “Uh-huh,” she giggled. She had her mom’s smile and that made Caspian smile. “Where is she?” he asked. Grace pointed to the floor, meaning downstairs. “Alright, let’s go get her,” Caspian got
~ Audrey ~ “Sweetheart, you’re making all my dreams come true,” Killian’s words made Audrey’s heart swell. Her eyes softened and glazed over. Her hand reached for his face and her thumb caressed his skin. Their eyes were locked onto each other and she stared at Killian as if her life depended on it. “I love you so much, Kill,” she whispered. Killian leaned down and kissed her in response. His kiss was so tender and deep, Audrey couldn’t help the tear falling from her eyes. She was so incredibly happy. And he was too. She could feel it. “I love you too. So, so much more,” he whispered back. Killian pulled her into his chest and Audrey tightened her grip around his neck. She wanted to feel more of him, so she linked her legs around his waist too. Killian held her entire body up with ease and he carried her up to their room. He laid her down gently on the bed, and he stared at her eyes for a moment as he hovered above her body. Audrey was seeing her entire world in Killian’s pier
- - - - - Six Months Later - - - - - ~ Audrey ~ “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Gracie, happy birthday to you!” The whole room was singing and cheering for baby Grace’s first birthday. She had no clue what was happening though. She was sitting on her chair with a pink dress on, staring at everyone in front of her. Her biggest fans in the world were in the room, her mommy, daddy, grandpa Max, grandpa John, and grandma Anna. Even uncle Mikey, Uncle Sebastian, Auntie Liv, and Uncle Benji were there too. Audrey and Killian invited their closest friends and family to attend an intimate weekend celebration for Grace’s first birthday party. They wanted it to be extra special, so instead of doing a house party at their home in Brooklyn or at the Vanderbilt mansion, they decided to have it in Bermuda, the place that inspired her namesake. The Vanderbilt villa was big enough to house everyone. And out in the garden, Audrey, Mikey, Liv, and Benji had dec
- - - - - Six Months Later - - - - - ~ Audrey ~ Audrey was staring in front of her laptop for the longest time. A word document page full of words was staring back at her. She thought for a moment before her hand reached for the keyboards again. And just as she was about to start typing, she heard a loud cry coming from the next room. Audrey immediately knew what that cry meant. After listening to her baby’s cries for six months, Audrey could tell what she needed just by the way she cried. Getting up to her feet, Audrey quickly went to the nursery. She opened the door to see Killian and Virginia, their postpartum doula, picking up baby Grace from her crib. Yes, following their busy schedules, Killian and Audrey thought it’d be a great idea to have a doula live in their home and help with the baby. Virginia was a highly experienced postpartum doula in her mid fifties. She had great insights and support on infant feeding, infant soothing, and coping skills for new parents. She also
- - - - - One Month Later - - - - - ~ Killian ~ Killian lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling. Not being able to sleep was a normal thing for him, but there was another reason why he couldn’t sleep tonight. Tomorrow was a big day for him and Audrey. It was the day where their baby girl would come into the world. Audrey decided that she wanted to do a homebirth. They didn’t have the best memories the last time they were in a hospital. And Audrey felt most relaxed and comfortable being at home. Dr. Shepherd, who was closely monitoring Audrey and the baby, agreed that home birth would be a viable option. So they set on a date, got all the equipment ready, hired a midwife-nurse, and set aside a hospital transport just in case. Tomorrow was the D-day and Killian was too nervous to sleep. He kept checking the clock to see if the hour hand had moved. Audrey seemed like she was nervous too. It was about eleven-thirty at night and she was usually asleep by now. But tonight, she wasn
- - - - - Two Weeks Later - - - - -~ Audrey ~“Good afternoon, Mrs. Vanderbilt,” the receptionist greeted Audrey politely. It had been a whole month since people started calling her by this name and she still got giddy every time she heard it.“Hi, is Killian done with his meeting?” Audrey was biting her lip to stop herself from smiling too much.“Yes, he’s in his office. Would you like me to call him for you?”“No, don’t call him. I’ll come up and see him,” she said quickly and winked. “It’s a surprise,”The receptionist nodded her head and opened the door to the private elevator leading up to Killian’s office. Since he started working as the head of both the Vanderbilt and Huntington corporations, Killian would divid
- - - - - Two Weeks Later - - - - -~ Killian ~ Two weeks had gone by so fast. Before they knew it, it was already the last night of Killian and Audrey’s honeymoon. Sure, being in Bermuda was great, but Killian enjoyed spending uninterrupted quality time with Audrey the most. He couldn’t care less of what they were doing as long as they did it together. And they did everything together, from exploring around the island to trying out the local food, and visiting historical sites that she liked so much.The days went by so fast, but the nights were a bit more troubling for Killian. Ever since the accident, Killian had been having trouble sleeping. Every time he closed his eyes, he was back at the steering wheel again. He’d try to drive away to safety, but the end result was always the same.Letting out a deep sigh, Killian opened hi
- - - - - Two Weeks Later - - - - - ~ Audrey ~ “Welcome back to Bermuda, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt,” Benji greeted Audrey and Killian with his signature toothy smile. “Thanks, Benji,” Audrey replied. She hadn’t seen Benji, the Vanderbilt’s personal tour guide, since their last visit to Grace Bay two years ago. “It’s been so long since your last visit. Congratulations on the wedding,” he said as he took their luggage and put it in the trunk of the car. “And I am sorry to hear about Mr. Caspian. I cry when I see the newspaper,” “Thank you, Benji. I appreciate it,” Killian replied. Though Benji’s English wasn’t particularly great, Audrey could see the sincerity in his eyes. He must be sad to hear about Caspian’s passing. Whenever he visited Bermuda, Caspian always treated him very well. Benji only wor