~ 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
~ Caspian ~The news of the engagement seemed to be working out well for Audrey and Killian, but that was not the case for Caspian. Within a matter of weeks, expectations and pressures from everyone began to weigh him down. Not only that he was a Vanderbilt, but he was also a co-CEO of his father’s empire. And now he was also going to take on roles in the Huntington Empire.Caspian went on a golf trip with his dad and Audrey’s dad last week and it was the most excruciating time of his life. The two men were grilling him about his business strategy and future plans. Suddenly, he was expected to know the answer to all the world’s problems. And while all this was happening, Killian was staying at home with Audrey, watching Netflix and chilling.Caspian was starting to wonder if he got the short end of the straw. He would much rather let Killian handle all this nonsense while he st
~ Audrey ~“So, Audrey, I heard you graduated from NYU this year?” Anna Vanderbilt spoke in that calm but sharp tone of hers. She was seated across from Audrey at the long dining table. Caspian was seated next to her and John was at the head of the seat.“Yes, I just graduated this May,” Audrey replied.For most of the night, it was just Audrey and Anna having a conversation. Caspian and his dad were mostly silent. A part of her believed that this dinner was actually an interrogation into Audrey’s life. She didn’t mind it, though. Caspian had it worse when they were meeting her dad. This was nothing compared to that.“And yet you’re already working for your father’s company,” Anna noted. “You must be a very hardworking girl,”“Oh, I’m still learning,” Audrey s
- - - - - Two Weeks Later - - - - - ~ Audrey ~ “Happy birthday, Audrey!” the entire room cheered and clapped as Audrey stepped into Culture’s VIP area. For her twenty-second birthday, Mikey and Olivia talked to the Vanderbilt brothers about renting out the entire VIP section for Audrey. The brothers, of course, agreed. Mikey and Olivia then invited Audrey’s colleagues at work as well as old friends from high school. They went all out because this would be a special year for Audrey. Her last single birthday ever. “Aw, guys, thank you!” Audrey gasped and she got teary-eyed. Everyone was there from her assistant Marie to Sebastian, to her old classmates at Catholic school. Mikey and Liv even went the extra mile to get her favorite band, All Time Low, to play the happy birthday song. “Your last birthda
~ Killian ~Killian and Audrey managed to sneak out from the back door without the other guests noticing them. The next thing he knew, Killian was sitting in the back of the limo with Audrey next to him. Her body was shaking a little, and he wrapped his jacket around her in case she was cold.“I’m sorry for what he said,” Killian said after a while of silence. “He didn’t mean it,”Audrey threw her gaze out the window and watched as the car rode through the city. “Do you think this is a charade too? Is what we’re doing even real?” she sighed.Killian cupped her cheek and tilted her face back to him. “I promise you, it’s absolutely real,” he said. “No one can make me feel what I feel when I’m with you. You have my heart, my soul, and my everything, Audrey Huntington,”
~ Audrey ~When Audrey opened her eyes next, the dawn was breaking and the morning sun was slowly rising through the sky. She could see the purple and orange hues lighting up the darkness through her bedroom window, signaling the start of another day.Behind her, Killian was sleeping soundly. His arms were wrapped around her body, and she felt warm and secured. After their excursion last night, Killian must be exhausted. Audrey would’ve been sleeping too, except she heard a noise coming from the living room, and it woke her up.She lifted Killian’s arm from her body and lay it down gently. Then she got up to her feet and pulled a robe to cover her body. Audrey made her way to the living room, thinking that maybe her friends came to deliver her presents from the party last night. But instead of finding Liv and Mikey, Audrey saw Caspian standing before her.&
~ Killian ~Killian’s steps were filled with conviction. Normally, Killian was always calm and levelheaded. He’d think and re-think his decision before taking any action. But this time, there was no time to think. Killian knew he had to act fast. Otherwise, he would regret this for the rest of his life.Flipping a fúcking coin, he scoffed to himself.Fúcking worst decision I’ve ever made.Caspian was now busy talking with Audrey’s dad and Audrey was talking and laughing with her friends. Killian didn’t think twice and he stood right behind her. Mikey and Olivia saw him first and they gestured for Audrey to turn around.“Kill, hey,” Aud
~ Caspian ~Caspian only took his eyes off of Audrey for one second, and now he couldn't find her. He was busy talking to Maxwell about the wedding that was scheduled in three month’s time. Maxwell said that they should have a company meeting between the heads of the two empires, discussing the possibility of strengthening each other. This would mean a lot more work and stress for Caspian. But since today was his engagement day, Caspian refrained from rolling his eyes or complaining again.After the talk with Maxwell, all Caspian wanted was to find Audrey so he could relieve some stress. He went all around the garden looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. But luckily for him, Caspian managed to find Audrey’s two best friends by the open bar, and they told him that she went inside the mansion with Killian.That’s odd. Why would they do that?
- - - - - 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