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Eighty-seven
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2021-11-23 15:54:00I wake before El. My fingers trace the curve of her lips, she whines in her sleep but stays asleep. I reach for my phone, the alarm bells in my head trip off when I peep the time. Shit. The girls will be fucking late.
“El.” I shake her gently. I can’t move with her on top of me and I don’t want to ruin her sleep. I love our position but the girls need to get to school. “Elna. Baby,” I murmur into her hair. She moans. “Wake up.”
Her eyes open, she holds my gaze for about five seconds and falls right back to sleep.
Chuckling, I lower her to the bed as gently as I can. She doesn’t wake. I pause to observe her, is she fine? She doesn’t sleep this much. I plant a kiss on her forehead. She moans, I push a pillow towards her and my lips spread in a smile when she cuddles it. Good to know I wasn’t the only one who missed cuddling.
After throwing on some clothes, I rush downstairs to check on the twins. There’s barely enough time for them to bathe
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Brianna gets off in fifty minutes. Until then, I have no idea what to do with myself. I should return home to my wife but there’s no guarantee I’ll be willing to leave when it’s time to pick Brianna for the meetup. Thinking of the devil, my phone vibrates on my desk. Vincent’s name appears on my screen and a text pops in. He wants to be sure we are still up for today. I mean, I don’t want it but it has to happen. Not for his sake but Brianna’s. She’s aware El isn’t her mother, I think she is because I mentioned it a few times. Elbows propped on the desk, I clasp my hands behind my neck. My eyes water from staring hard at my screen, the words blur and I hit send on the short text before I change my mind. My stomach growls. I haven’t had anything to eat all day. For someone who complained about his wife’s feeding, I am doing a terrible job of taking care of myself. A peek at my wristwatch and my intestines knot. It’s past twelve. I am starving. I ma
Last Updated : 2021-11-24Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Eighty-nine
I watch through the window as Brianna takes her first steps without help. She has a hand on the railing and the other stretched out for balance. Her instructor sticks close to her, murmuring what I hope are words of encouragement. They reach one end of the wall and grin at each other, then Brianna resumes.They look up at the same time I enter inside, Brianna waves. I wave back. Hand deep in my pocket, I cross my legs at the ankle and lean on the wall. I give her a thumbs up. She is making so much progress.The hall is like a ballet room with silver railings attached to the white walls for stretching. The duo stop at the end of the room, Brianna turns and I cross the distance. My princess beams at me. I take her hand so she can lean on me for support while her instructor goes to get her Rollator. Her palms are clammy.“Hey.” She looks up. “You did good today.”Her brown eyes remain on my face a minute longer like she do
Last Updated : 2021-11-25Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Ninety
Vincent’s message snaps the little restrain I have on my temper. I don’t bother with a reply. Holding his gaze, I place my phone face down so he knows not to send another text. The wanker thinks we are best friends now. Not in this life. I only brought Brianna here. I don’t give a rat ass what he wants to tell me.“Brandon,” he says when my gaze redirects to Brianna. I help her up and my arm slides down her back. He palms his glass of water, his food untouched. No idea why he ordered it. “Please. It’s important.”Brianna tugs on my sleeve, I believe that’s the main reason I pause. I sigh. “What is it, Vincent?”His jittery gaze scrolls over Brianna’s face, he picks his phone and mine pings again. I stare out the window. I can walk out right now and nothing will happen. Brianna groans. I finally pick my phone.Vincent: I’ll only be a minute. It’s important and we need
Last Updated : 2021-11-26Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Ninety-one
Brianna insists on using her Rollator to get inside the house. It relieves me because the last thing I need is any form of body contact. Numb, I help her to her room and rush past El but barely get past the twins.“Daddy,” they scream and jump on me, forcing me to stop.El stares at me worriedly but I don’t offer her an explanation. I barely remember hugging and kissing my babies, everything is a blur as El ushers them away.I jog up the stairs to my room and stop in front of the wardrobe. A second, two second, I’m not sure how many seconds pass. Vincent’s confession plays in my head like a broken record and my breath hitches.Oh, God.I grip the door of the wardrobe.I didn’t do it.His words soak my being. It can’t be. The death certificate stated the accident as the cause of death. My hands run through my hair, I should have put my fingers in his mouth th
Last Updated : 2021-11-29Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Ninety-two
“I’m sorry I ruined us,” I say instead. El smiles, a half-smile that lifts only a corner of her lips. “You didn’t do it alone. I broke my promise to you.” Retracting her hand to hide them inside her—my shirt, she adds, “Do you want to talk about it?” “No. I want to talk about us,” I reply. I shift towards her, she inches away from me until her side hits the headboard. I grin evilly, she pouts and hugs herself, batting her lashes like a puppy. “You’re too cute, El.” Dragging her to my laps, her squirming ends when I trail a finger on her inner thigh. El sucks in a breath, her gaze lowers to my lips and everything slows to a stop as we wait for the first person to make a move. Desire blankets her eyes, same as it does mine. I don’t make a move, neither does she. “I want to fix this, Elna.” Her silence spurs me on. “I can fix this.” Her lips part, she remains speechless. “I am not taking no for an answer.” Her lips t
Last Updated : 2021-11-30Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Ninety-three
Once the door to Brianna’s rehab centre closes, I change gears and start for Sophia’s clinic. El asked me to wait but I can’t keep still. I need answers lest I do something crazy. I send Sophia a text to hurry out. Moments later, she walks out of the back door and slides into the passenger seat. We sit in silence until her fingers drumming on the dashboard breaks the quietude. Sophia cocks her head so she can size me up. “It’s possible but I won’t advise it,” she says in response to the text I sent before coming. My nails dig into my knees. “Why not?” This is the last thing I will do behind my family. After this, I can move on with my life knowing I didn’t kill Brendan. Sophia is aware I am thinking of exhuming somebody, she just doesn’t know who. Well, I didn’t tell her but I believe she must have figured it out. The timeframe must have given me away. “Eleven years is a long time.” It is. A lot can happen durin
Last Updated : 2021-12-01Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Ninety-four
El will be mad. I know it. I feel it in my bones as I tiptoe up the stairs. The house is quiet, everyone has gone to bed. It was a long drive, the traffic made it worse. I open the door to our bedroom and pause. It’s empty. No fucking way am I sleeping alone. I want to cuddle. Until last night, I had never been spooned from behind. I like it very much. I spin on my heels and cross over to her room. It’s locked. I knock. I get no response at first, then the shuffling of someone behind the door and the handle finally twists open. El yawns. She stands in the way so I can’t get in or even hug her. I pout. I want my wife. “Baby.” She slaps my hands. “I’m not your baby.” Laughter trickles out of my lips. She’s cute with her bonnet and scowl. I rest one hand on the door while the other tries to draw her in for a hug. She slaps my chest, once, twice till she’s raining punches on me. “I told you not to go anywhere and you le
Last Updated : 2021-12-02Mrs Reluctant Billionaire Ninety-five
“Baby.”A smile curves my lips. I roll to the side without opening my eyes to reach for my wife.“Good morning, baby,” I mumble through the haze in my head, giving up on the search for El.I wait for the kisses, the hugs, her warm body pressing to mine but nothing happens. I touch something soft, one eye opens and I sit up once I see the twins. Her side of the bed is still warm but El is missing.Someone said baby. I’m sure of that. Squinting at them, I ask, “What did you call me?”“Baby,” Wyn answers.She is sporting the same gown as Bren. It has been months since they matched outfits and my heart warms at the sight. I inch closer to pull them in for a hug, they break away from it fast with a frown.Bren sits on one side of me, Wyn takes the other side. I am blessed among girls. “Why does Mummy call you baby?” Bren looks so serious asking
Last Updated : 2021-12-03
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The girls are dancing in a circle. Wyn is in the middle of the circle trying to perform a break dance. I laugh at her failed attempts, holding El closer to me as we sway gently to a rhythm in my head. El wrinkles her nose in disappointment, her fingers intertwine with mine and I spin her in a lazy circle.“You’re not supposed to be laughing at them,” she says as their mother dearest. “You cheer them up.”True. But it was funny. Wyn waves, Bren does the same. Brianna does not spare us a glance. Like me and El, she has two left legs. She can’t dance but she is better than us. I wrap my arms around El from behind, tucking my head into her shoulder. She smells delicious. I can’t wait to have her alone.The music filters into my ears, I close my eyes and the lyrics wrap around my heart.“What’s Josh doing?”My eyes fly open. Josh is at one of the two canopies with Joy. Most of the g
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Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and ten
The cries of our newborn babies snap me out of my sleep. I jerk up and check the time on the alarm clock. 7 pm. I groan into my hands.My life has changed since their arrival. My sleeping pattern has worsened and my knowledge about babies has increased.Babies poop a lot. They cry too damn much. They don’t need a reason to cry, just existing is enough reason for them to cry. It is exhausting.Brandon Langalethu Stark is the louder one. Brendan Lelethu Stark is quieter. Annika gave them their middle names with approval from their godfather, Joshua. Lelethu means ours while Langalethu, short for Langa means our sunshine. I must admit, he hasn’t been a ray of sunshine for a while. He’s a big ball of noisy energy. El rouses from her sleep at the incessant sound of her crying babies. I love my sons but they cry too goddamn much. Their cries are coordinated. Once one of them starts crying, the other twin is bound to join in.
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and nine
Chaos breaks out. Everyone is all over me and El, saying so many things at once. The smile sitting on her face disappears. Tears fill her eyes, her nails dig into my shoulders so hard I’m sure it will leave a mark.She is hurting.Annika is speaking so fast, asking about the baby things. Mother is telling everyone to calm down. El is crying, she doesn’t want to go to the clinic with a wet dress. I don’t know what to do. I wasn’t present for the first pregnancy. Mother pushes me aside and helps El to her feet. I almost scream. Is she allowed to stand? What if our kids fall out?I rush to El’s side. Mother guides her through a breathing exercise as what she calls a contraction hits El. It must have really hurt. She balls my shirt and makes a pained sound that stops everyone in their tracks. More than six pairs of worried eyes pin her in a stare but she focuses on only me. My baby.“I’m okay,”
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and eight
Choruses of happy birthday fill the air. I am dragged away from El before I can kiss her back or utter a reply. I was so worried she would forget about today I forgot it myself. Mother nudges me with her hip and grins. Well played. Even the girls were in on it.Joshua claps my arm. “Happy birthday, brother.” This idiot. He called me during the day and didn’t wish me anything. “Many happy returns.”We cheers to my new age and Bren pulls me to the living room where the real party is happening. The place has been redecorated. There are balloons tied to the wall, a table with a bigger cake on it and the words, “Happy Birthday, my love” written on it.There’s another cake. Well, there are three more cakes. Instead of my love, one has son, the other has brother and the last one has Daddy written on it. A cake from each of the most important people in my lives. My wife. My kids. My brother and my parents
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El sneaks an arm around my waist. Her belly is bigger now. Our babies will be showing up soon. She leans on me for support while we wait for the private elevator. It was her idea to get out of my office to buy crackers. A little fun fact: We have boxes of crackers at home. If she wasn’t pregnant, her attitude would have been suspicious but with pregnancy, anything goes. Rule number 123432444: Never argue with a heavily pregnant woman. It will end in chaos. We enter the elevator with my hand on her lower back. Our reflections on the metallic wall smiles at us and El laughs. I set my suitcase on the ground and palm her face for a proper kiss. With the pregnancy due, her office has become mine. She spends more time with me than anyone else. I love it. Her lips taste like donuts. We ordered some an hour after she arrived to “pick” me. I will never let her drive in her state but she enjoys using that term even if she was brought here by a driver. She r
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and six
El won’t stop staring at her ring.We are in the backseat of the car heading to the hotel for dinner when she reaches up to give me a kiss. Leaning on me, she smiles at her ring again. I think I did right by her. Her mother will be happy. We had a long, loud, argument about this. About the vow renewals too but that will be after El delivers.“I have two rings,” El says, hand stretched out in front of her. She rolls Mother’s ring on her middle finger. “Does that make me Lord of the rings?”“Lady of the rings, maybe.”My phone vibrates with a text from Joshua. He wants to know if I did it. I facepalm at his request of a picture. It’s one more thing I have to get better at. Capturing the memories on camera. I nudge El with my elbow to show her the text. Her hand eventually lowers, she nods eagerly and strikes a pose, flashing her teeth in all the selfies. She knows she is pretty.
Mrs Reluctant Billionaire One hundred and five
I tilt the laptop and the girls’ faces occupy the screen. Wyn is on top of Bren but her twin doesn’t seem to mind. Brianna is on one side of the bed, smiling at the camera. They are all lying on their stomachs. El settles down beside me, I prop the laptop on my knees and slip my hand into her shirt from behind. She shoots me a warning look. I bat my lashes like the cute baby daddy I am.“I miss Mummy,” Wyn says.My back meets the headboard and El rests her head on my shoulder. “What about me?”Again, she and Bren are rocking the same gowns. Wyn frowns. “I miss you too, I guess.”El bellows out a laugh. Evil girls. In a few months, I’ll have my boys. She wraps an arm around my waist to soothe me. It works for only a second before my attention returns to the laptop. Bren is grinning.“How are you?” El asks.“Fine,” three of them chorus.&
