~ 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
~ Audrey ~Audrey was a bundle of nerves as she walked to the Vanderbilt brother’s apartment that night. She paused for a second before knocking on the door, mentally preparing herself for what to say. Killian’s message didn’t explain much, but she could tell that he wasn’t too happy by the tone of the text.Technically, I didn’t do anything wrong. So even if Killian saw me at the restaurant, there’s no reason why he should be mad. As far as he knows, I was only having a friendly lunch.With that thought in mind, Audrey braced herself and knocked on the door. It didn’t even take a second before the door flew open and Killian was standing at the door. It was like he had been waiting for her.
~ Audrey ~When Audrey opened her eyes next, it was already daylight. She was wearing a shirt, either Caspian’s or Killian’s, and she didn’t even remember putting that on last night. Next to her was Caspian sleeping very soundly, but Killian was nowhere around.Audrey stirred in the bed and felt her muscles tightening and sore. Flashes from last night came to her mind and she knew why her body was feeling this way. Caspian and Killian were trying to prove a point and she heard the message loud and clear.Caspian felt her body moving and he reached for her. He wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her close. Audrey rested her head on his chest and let out a long sigh. Caspian sure had drained her out last night, but when he held her close like this, she felt her energy returning back to life.“Hey,” Audrey then heard a soft whisper. She tu
~ Audrey ~* KNOCK! * KNOCK! *Audrey tapped the door gently and pushed it back. She found her dad sitting in his home office, his head was buried on the documents he was signing. It was a Saturday afternoon and yet her dad was still busily working.“Hey, dad,” Audrey greeted him.“Finally, someone decided to return my call,” he replied without even taking his eyes off of the desk.“I know, I’m sorry—““You could’ve just called. You don’t have to come all the way here,” he cut her off sharply.Audrey let out a sigh. Her dad was being salty because she ignored his calls and texts all day yesterday. But she had a good reason for it. She was busy planning and plotting for her future with the Vanderbilt brothers.
~ Audrey ~“Holy freaking shit! You got engaged to Caspian Vanderbilt?!” Mikey exclaimed as he slammed the door open to Audrey’s living room.“Ha, that almost rhymed,” Audrey laughed drily. She was seated casually on the couch sipping her tea. There was also food on the table as she was hosting their routine Sunday brunch at home today. Ever since the news of her engagement broke out to the media, the paparazzi went crazy and Audrey couldn’t eat outside in peace.“Audrey Nicole Huntington!” Liv chimed in behind Mikey. She was holding onto a newspaper with Audrey and Caspian’s faces on the front page. “Is this true? Explain yourself!”“Yes, guys. It’s true,” Audrey let out a sigh. “Please, come in. I’ve got bagels if anyone cares,”“How
~ Killian ~“Dude, what the hell are you still doing here?” Killian said as he found Caspian still at his desk. “Our dinner with Audrey is at 7,”Killian was feeling excited about tonight. It was going to be their first public appearance in a long time. Even though people thought that it was Caspian and Audrey who were getting engaged, Killian felt like this was as much his engagement too.“Ah, shit. I forgot about that,” Caspian muttered. “You two go ahead without me,”“What?” Killian gaped. “Since when are you bailing on a date?”“I still got a lot of work to do,” he groaned, motioning to the stack of papers on his desk. “This shit’s a bottomless pit. Now I know how you can’t ever stop,”“What work are you d
- - - - - 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