~ 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
- - - - - 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
- - - - - 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
~ Audrey ~A kiss was always Audrey’s kryptonite.Like any other girl in the world, Audrey Huntington loved kissing her boyfriend’s soft lips in the warm New York 4 o’clock light. They were sitting on a bench at Washington Square Park, which was only a stone’s throw away from their college campus.It was a bright warm day in late May, and it would have been a romantic afternoon except Audrey’s phone alarm kept ringing incessantly in her hand. She peered at it lazily tapped the snooze button again.“Ash, you know I have to go," she sighed.“Just one more kiss,” Ashton was more persistent than her alarm clock. He closed the distance again and murmured to her lips.“You said that three kisses ago,” Audrey laughed and tried to pull away.“Mm-hmm,” Ashton held her tight, refusing to let her go. He kissed her again, savoring her plump pink lips, and running his hand on her long brown hair.Audrey summoned her strength and broke the kiss. Her bright hazel eyes gazed up at her boyfriend longi
~ Audrey ~“Can you believe it? He’s basically auctioning me off like a horse!”Audrey stomped her feet, making her way out of her walk-in closet. As soon as she stepped into the room, her two best friends, Mikey and Olivia, gasped in awe. “But still, a very pretty horse, wearing Oscar de la Renta!” Mikey exclaimed, he sashayed his way over to her and examined the dress further. He nodded approvingly at the way the silver dress hugged her slender curves, hollering, “Damn girl, you’re gonna be selling out like hotcakes,”“Mikey, you’re not helping!” she hissed and slapped Mikey’s painted nails away from her ass.“Mikey’s got a point, though. You look great in that dress,” Olivia shrugged. “And your dad’s not auctioning you off, Aud. Look on the bright side, he just wants you to pick a guy that he trusts,”“If by trust you mean having a trust fund, then sure,” Audrey rolled her eyes.Olivia and Mikey were Audrey’s two and only friends. They met in kindergarten and they were inseparable
~ Audrey ~Audrey shuddered at the touch. Was that electricity she just felt?Caspian noticed that her breath had hitched, and he looked up at her with hooded eyes. She immediately felt intimidated, so she pulled her hand away briskly. Yes, intimidated, but also… excited?“I’m sorry we’re late to the party,” Killian coughed to ease the tension, “We just arrived from Shanghai, we had some business to attend to,”“Stop talking about business, already. We’re at a party, you’re gonna bore the pretty girl to death,” Caspian groaned jokingly.“Cas,” Killian scolded.“What? It’s true,”Killian shook his head and sighed. He turned his attention back to Audrey and said, “Please forgive my older brother, he’s known to be a little bit... crass,”Caspian scoffed mockingly and said, “Please forgive my little brother, he’s an ass,”The two brothers exchanged a look like they wanted to punch each other in the face. Somehow, Audrey found the situation amusing. These two grown men were bickering in fr
~ Audrey ~ “I can’t believe I’m ditching my own party, my dad’s gonna flip if he finds out…” Audrey looked from side to side, making sure that no one was following them. “Let’s just make sure that he won’t,” the brothers replied simply. It was Audrey’s home, but Caspian was leading the charge. The three of them scaled up the stairs and jumped out of a window, climbing up to the roof of the building via the fire exit. It was a hard maneuver with heels and a dress, but the brothers lent each of their hands and Audrey took them. The next thing she knew, she was standing on the rooftop of her townhouse. “I knew it. These old townhouses always have a nice rooftop,” Caspian walked around and inspected the edges. They were about four stories up from the ground. “Wow, I’ve lived here for years and I’ve never even been up here,” Audrey took note of the bright full moon above them and the skyline of New York City in front of them. “How long have you lived here?” Killian asked. “Since I
~ Audrey ~Audrey had never done something so daring before in her life. With the help of the brothers, she managed to get into her room and changed into her jeans and t-shirt, before sneaking out through the back door.Maybe it was the champagne in her blood talking, but she had never felt more alive. With Caspian and Killian by her side, she felt fearless, like she could jump out of windows and rob a bank if necessary.The next thing she knew, the three of them got into the Vanderbilt’s black limo and the car took them across the city. Blood was pumping in her veins and her heart was racing faster than Paul Walker in the Fast and Furious movies.In the back of the limo, Audrey was sitting in the middle, Caspian was to her right and Killian was to her left. She was smiling and giggling the entire way, imagining the look on her dad’s face as his plan to marry her off crumbled into pieces.After a solid twenty minute drive, the car pulled up in front of a townhouse with some Greek symb
- - - - - 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