LOGINShare
Chapter 12
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Jack came home from the office around 6 p.m., and he went straight to the nursery. Eric was awake. Marry was holding him when Jack entered the room, and the joy painted the baby's face as soon as he saw his father. He smiled with his characteristic toothless smile and started to giggle and to move his little legs like he was trying to go to Jack.
Jack's heart melted, and he immediately went to Marry and took the baby in his embrace. His one night stand with Jennifer was a mistake, the one he will forever be careful not to repeat. But Eric? Eric was a gift, and he was worth it. If Jennifer were alive, he would do anything to make it work with her for Eric's sake. Now? He will have to figure out things on his own..."Is she awake?" he asked Marry."No," she answered, not taking her eyes from the baby, "I checked on her maybe a half an hour ago, but she was still asleep, so I let her be."After Jack had dinner, he played with his son for a while, bathed him and fed him, and
Related chapters
Meant to be Chapter 13
Maggie and Jack spent the morning in Eric's nursery. Both of them were quite surprised by the baby's reaction when he locked his eyes with Maggie's. He wanted to jump from Jack's embrace to get to Maggie, he giggled and smiled and tried to reach her with his small hands.But Maggie never reached for him, she couldn't. Her heart clenched, and she swallowed hard. Her eyes filled with tears. For some reason, she felt trapped, like a bird in a cage. Her discomfort was evident on her face, and as soon as Jack noticed it, he turned the baby towards himself."New nanny is starting next week. She will be spending whole days here, and you won't have any obligations concerning Eric." Jack said.Maggie nodded her head. It's not like she didn't like babies, no. She always thought they all were cute. She just never had any experience with them and was scared of hurting them unintentionally."Speaking of obligations, I'm still waiting for you to explain
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 14
The next morning, Maggie woke up to the sound of buzzing. It took her a minute to fully come to her senses and figure out where she was and what was that sound that she was hearing. She sat in the bed and reached for the phone that was vibrating on the nightstand."Hello," she spoke in a deep and raspy voice. There was nothing but silence coming from the other side. Maggie repeated "Hellooo," but there was no answer, so she hanged up.With every night she spent in this bed, she loved it more and more, because she was waking up rested and relaxed. She skipped dinner last night, and the loud growling in her stomach was reminding her that she was due to put some food in it.After did her morning routine, Maggie took her phone and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The sight that she found there pleasantly surprised her. She was greeted by the heavenly sight of a table filled with homemade pancakes, waffles, full plates with bacon and eggs, and all kinds of fruits. T
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 15
Jack and Robert arrived at the place of the accident 15 minutes later. Emma was being checked by a medic, and Robert ran to her as soon as he stopped his car. Jack got out too and felt panic rise in him while he searched the crowd for Maggie.As soon as he spotted her there, not far from the wrecked car, he ran to her and not minding the police officer she was talking to, engulfed her in his strong embrace. Maggie was startled by his action, and it took her a second to respond, but when she did wrap her arms around Jack's torso, he felt relief wash over him, and his rapid heartbeats slowed down a little."Are you ok?" Maggie heard his whisper. "Yeah." She answered shortly and pulled away from him to return to the police officer who was taking her statement. But she stayed close to Jack, enjoying the sense of security he was giving her.Jack waited patiently the next few minutes, and as soon as the police officer excused himself, he grabbed Maggie by her shoulders
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 16
It was early Saturday afternoon when Maggie started getting ready for the charity event she was supposed to go to with Jack. After the bath she took, she styled her hair with a cream she found in the bathroom cabinet; it made her hair shiny. Her natural, soft locks were on a good way to recover from the years of neglect. They looked decent now, so she decided to leave her hair free down her back. She removed a few strands from her face with some pins and added a little bit of mascara and eyeliner on her eyes that made her deep blue eyes stand out even more. A blood-red lipstick added to the look, and upon checking herself in the vanity mirror, she was satisfied with what she saw. Maggie never wore too much makeup. She hated the feeling of having a mask on her face, but she did like to accentuate her features a bit, so she found the middle ground.One thing she had to admit… there was a good side to this arrangement she made with Jack. She finally had time for her
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 17
Most of her days in the villa, Maggie spent in her room, and she went out only when she was hungry. She was enjoying the time she spent alone just resting, reading books she had found downstairs on one of the shelves in the living room. They were there for decoration and were obviously never touched. She talked with her mother every day, and each day she lied to her about how she lived here. They were both looking forward to the transfer and the day they will be able to see each other again.Weird phone calls stopped for a couple of days, long enough for Maggie to brush it off as someone's mistake, but on Tuesday they started again, and it was becoming disturbing since now there was not just silence on the other side but the sound of someone's loud and heavy breathing. She decided to report it if they continue to happen.But after a couple of days, she was starting to get bored. She wasn't the person to sit around and do nothing; she needed something to keep he
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 18
“I used to come here with my friends from school so often that late papa Joey threatened to throw us out forever,” Jack chuckled at the memory, “but he never did. I continued coming here with my friends from college too. When you see the joint from the outside, you would never guess that they make the best pizza in the city.”Maggie was sitting across from him, and she was looking around, careful not to miss a word he said. The restaurant was indeed small and had only a couple of tables all covered with plaid tablecloths, but the atmosphere was perfect, homey and cozy, and the smells coming from the back… they were probably the most delicious and inviting smells she has encountered.They were both dressed casually, and this was the first time for Maggie to see him not wearing his usual white dress-shirt, but dark jeans and simple tee-shirt. She was in a cute, fluttery summer dress that reached just above her knees and strappy sandals.The waiter came a few minutes
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 19
Maggie woke up early. The sun was not up yet, so she made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast for her and the other adult resident of the house, Jack. Mary will not be coming today, and she was the one to prepare breakfast for them in the past days. Maggie and Jack never had breakfast together, except for her first morning here. She was avoiding him quite literally, but since she discovered he wasn't actually as 'bad' as she thought initially, she decided that she could afford to walk around the house more freely.She made a fresh pot of coffee and a plate filled with her favorite French toast, and she also cut some fruit she found in the fridge. She was just about to sit at the table and start eating when Jack entered. His hair was neatly combed, and he was dressed perfectly, not a single wrinkle on his smart suit. Well, he indeed was a sight to see, and Maggie just realized how much she started to enjoy it.Jack woke up today earlier than usual. He inten
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Meant to be Chapter 20
Jack was about to leave his office when the phone on his desk rang."Hello, son. It's your father speaking. Your mother is very disappointed with you. Did we have to hear from someone else that you got married?" 'And here it goes…' Jack thought."Well, hello to you too, father. What you heard is right…" he was cut off by his father's strict voice."I am disappointed too, boy. Is this how we taught you?" 'It's exactly what you taught me,' Jack thought but said nothing, "We expect you for lunch this Sunday. Bring that girl so we can meet her." he never waited for Jack's reply, he cut the call when he said what he had to say.Jack sighed. The good mood that held him since early morning was now gone. His father, like always, managed to make him feel like a failure with just a couple of words. It was always like that, ever since he was a kid. Nothing he ever did was good enough in his father's eyes. When he was a child playing around the house, when he was a strai
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
Latest chapter
Meant to be Epilogue
A week after Maggie came back to Chicago, her parents organized a modest wedding with only a dozen people present, including themselves and the minister. Maggie was ecstatic for them. How many grown-up women had a chance to attend their parents' wedding… She loved them so much and wanted nothing but happiness for them. A small reception was held in their manor, and the present guests enjoyed the celebration with discreet music, food, drinks, and a lot of laughter. That day, Maggie met one of her uncles and his wife, one of Wade's brothers. He was a nice man, and he was genuinely glad to meet her. His wife seemed decent too. The rest of the family she was yet to meet, and Denis had plans for family dinner so that everyone could gather and get to know what a wonderful daughter he has. Why did he wait for so long? Simply, he didn't want to overwhelm Maggie before she accepted him as her father. And it looked like she did. She would come by his house every so often for dinner, a
Meant to be Chapter 53
"Hi." Jack's voice trembled while he was taking in the sight in front of him.Maggie was standing there in the middle of the kitchen, holding Eric on her hip, supporting him with one arm and mashing the carrots with the other.Maggie raised her gaze from the bowl and looked at him. Their eyes met, and they told what they needed to tell, a story of love and anticipation, need and desire."Hi," Maggie said back quietly.Jack made a few steps towards them, but he didn't get close enough to touch her, afraid that he had finally crossed the line of missing her, and he was hallucinating at full speed. And if that was the case… if he touched her, and she disappeared again… burst like the soap bubble… no, he better not risk it. He needed her here, even as a wraith, she was here…When his eyes slipped from her face, the face he loved so much, he saw his son clinging to Maggie like she was his lifebelt. He didn't even raise his he
Meant to be Chapter 52
It's been a crazy few months in Jack's life since Maggie left. He did his best to not let it affect him much, but he couldn't help it. Her leaving him reflected on every single aspect of his life. It was easy for him to get irritated and to snap at anyone in close vicinity, so much that his subordinates started to avoid him.It didn't help that Eric was much more irritable than ever, he cried more and smiled less. He missed her, it was obvious. Just like Jack did. It was his fault, it was all his fault… if he didn't have that stupid idea that he needed her, that he wanted her… maybe if he had stuck to his original plan and paid her off to sign the divorce papers when he first met her… maybe, just maybe, he and his son wouldn't be brokenhearted now.On the other hand, he got to know love and the feeling of belonging to a family, something his own always busy and overachieving parents failed to give him even when he was a child.Jack tri
Meant to be Chapter 51
It's been a whole month since Maggie left Chicago and returned to her home town. That day, when she took off, she managed to get a ticket for a midnight flight, and she was back home before the sun was up. For a couple of days, she didn't even leave the house except for the short trip to the nearest supermarket to stock up on food and other necessities. She also started ordering in food, something she never did before here in Charleston, but now she had no desire to cook at all.At first, Maggie spent her days crying and missing Jack like crazy, so much that she contemplated with herself to go back to him and beg him to never manipulate her like that again and to promise her to always be like he was for the last 6 months, but she managed to hold herself back and stay where she was.She needed to try, she needed to give herself a chance to live without him, to try to move on and go back to her life… or to get over what he had done and forgive him.Maggie wasn't
Meant to be Chapter 50
"I've been meaning to tell you…" Jack came into the living room to see Maggie sitting in an armchair with papers spread in front of her.As he saw her, Jack broke into a cold sweat. He knew exactly what she was looking at. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He forgot that he left the folder right on the desk when he called her earlier to get the one he needed and sent for. He should have destroyed them long ago, but nooo, he was too stupid for something like that. He enjoyed torturing himself with those…"Tell me what?" her voice was cold like he never heard it before. She was capable of sounding like this?"Everything.""Everything... like why there are dates from July on the divorce forms or those for full custody? From before we even met..." Maggie finally rose her head looked at him."Yes." Jack didn't move from where he was standing, at the entrance to the living room."So, you want to explain how I ended up here, with you, instead of you giving
Meant to be Chapter 49
"You know, when we first met Denis Wade at that Gala, I thought he was scary. But now I think he's actually quite decent." Emma commented while standing in Maggie's new kitchen. Maggie came in to get some refreshments for the guests, and Emma followed.Jack and Maggie moved into their new home a week ago, and on the first following Saturday, they organized a small party to celebrate the event with their closest friends and family. Robert and Emma came with Aurora, and now both babies were sleeping upstairs in Eric's nursery, while their parents were downstairs catching up.Mary came to congratulate them, happy about how things turned out between the two of them, but she almost had a stroke when they told her about everything that happened since the last time she visited.Jack's friends from college and their better halves were invited too. Maggie met them at Evans' couple of months ago, right after she came to Chicago, and she actually liked them. She felt like
Meant to be Chapter 48
The next day Maggie was forced to spend in bed, even though there was no particular need for that. She did have a couple of stitches on her waist, and it could get uncomfortable if she tired herself too much, but other than that, she felt good. More than good if she was honest… Jack was pampering her like never before. He brought her breakfast to bed the first morning when she woke up in her father's house, he didn't let her walk around and insisted on carrying her around in his arms even when she needed to go to the bathroom.Even though Maggie enjoyed all the things Jack was doing for her by the evening, it started to annoy her, so she snapped at him and ordered him to stop because she wasn't invalid, and she didn't like to act like one.The good thing about the whole arrangement of the three of them living at Wade's was she could enjoy her mother's cooking after so long. Rebecca tried to compensate for all the years she was absent with excessive cooking and b
Meant to be Chapter 47
A note for those that are reading this story as I upload it: I made a mistake in uploading the previous chapter, 46. I uploaded only half of it and additionally added the rest. Please, delete this book from your library, clear your cache memory and then add it again, so that the glitch that is caused by me being stupidly clumsy is fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for understanding. Sending you my love <3"Can you talk now? I am seriously starting to lose my patience," Rebecca said in a threatening way. Jack and Maggie sat on the sofa in the living room in Wade's home with Rebecca and Wade sitting opposite of them. Eric was in the room that their hosts equipped as a nursery before they came, and there was a room upstairs prepared for the two of them too.It was so like Rebecca to take care of every possible need of her guests, and the fact that she already prepared everything for her daughter told Maggie that her mother already felt com
Meant to be Chapter 46
A couple of hours earlierAfter the loud shot echoed through the room, Maggie froze. She felt like the time stopped and the space around her ceased to exist. The gun she was trying to get a hold of was now burning hot, and she had to release it. The smell of burning gunpowder filled the room.Maggie gulped once and raised her gaze to meet Kevin's, but what she saw there was the sight she will never be able to forget… it will haunt her for the rest of her life. For a moment that seemed like an eternity, Maggie watched the light of Kevin's life diminishing until it was no more. Kevin, too let the gun from his hands, and it fell on th
