“B, it’s been a week, and you still haven’t called me back. I miss you. Papi misses you too. I still don’t get what you see in Papi, but I want to understand. And I know I’ve apologized a couple of times, but I hope you know I’m sorry. I haven’t been much of a friend to you these past couple of months, maybe ever. I plan to change and make it up to you, so you have to come back. Please B, call me back.” I sigh and end the call as Carlos walks through the door. He's finally made me realize that this was never about me. And even though I'm not entirely happy they are dating, Irecognize their happiness is more important than any mild discomfort. “Nothing?” Carlos asks, pulling me back to the present. I shake my head and sigh. “No. My messages are still unread, and she hasn't returned any of my calls.” “Keep trying.” He says as he hands me a stack of mail. “I know, but I’m worried. She made Amber the managing partner of her company before she
Brandi “Are you sure it’s okay for me to come over?” I whisper again. “I already told you it’s fine. Mom loves company, and Papi doesn’t care what I do, as long as you’re not a boy.” She replies with a big grin. I smile shyly and nod. It’s only been a week since we became friends, but when I’m with her, I can push everything that’s happening with Colin out of my head. “Is that your house?!” she exclaims as the gate opens. My chest sinks from just looking at it. I wish I didn’t have to come here. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, preparing myself to enter that house. But today I'm not that sad because I'll be with Gianna for the next two days, where Colin can’t touch me. I will pick up some clothes and get out of here before he gets home from practice. “It’s bigger than mine; wow.” She says as the car comes to a stop. “I’ll be right back. I’ll grab some clothes and tell my aunt I’m staying with you and your family for
“Nadia Smith.”I lift my head to the name that has become familiar with these last couple of months. One of Cole’s connections issued me a passport in that name, and I have been using it ever since. Cole used to go undercover for his work and used one of his old aliases. We address each other by those names in public, but when we are alone or with Shanna, we call each other by our real names.'Ms.Smith?" The nurse calls again.“Yes,” I answer as I pull myself to my feet.“Dr. Noan will see you now. You can head to the room at the end of the hallway.” She says before walking away.I have been here many times, so I know my way around the office. I make my way down the hallway, enter the exam room, and sit by the window. A minute later, Shanna joins me.“Hey, you’re looking stunning.”I frown as I stand. “I’m a pregnant mess."“You look beautiful.
GioI stand, pull my gun from my waist, and make my way over to him, grabbing him by the collar.“Woah, Woah, calm down. I thought you would be happy to see me.”He says.“Where is she?” I growl as I press the gun on his temple.“Right now?” He tilts his head to the side.“She’s probably taking a swim.”“I'm not joking. Your brains will be on my carpet if you don’t tell me where the fuck Fenice is?”“If you kill me, how will you find her?”I close my eyes and think about it for a moment. I have searched for months and turned up nothing. The best detectives couldn’t find her. Not even calling in favors from my government buddies turned up anything fruitful. So Cole is my best bet on finding her since he knows where she is.I take a deep breath, release his collar, and pull the gun from his head. I make my way behind my desk, put
I sit parked before the house, my engine running. She should be inside, juston the other side of those walls with my baby.I take a deep breath to steady my pounding heart, but nothing will calm the steady beating, not until I see her and she is back in my arms. I've waited three months for this, and I don't want to wait a moment longer. So I turn the engine off and step out of the car.The cool night air tickles me as I walk with heavy steps towards her door.I raise my hands to knock and pause. What if she isn’t here? What if he just lied to me to get my help? No, she has to be here; this is the house in the video with the red shutters and white fence. She’s inside. All I have to do is ring the doorbell. I reach out and press it. It rings in the house for a second before I hear footsteps coming to the door.“Shanna, I told you to take the back entrance.” Her sweet voice permeates the air.&ldquo
GioHolding her in my arms after so long feels surreal. After months of looking, I started to think that I would never find her, or it would be when my child had grown. Well, children, since she’s having twins. I smileOne child with her is a dream come true, creating life with the woman I love. I never expected she would be having twins. I am so happy I could burst. Not only do I have my woman back in my arms, but we're having not one but two babies, and Gianna is finally onboard. That part matters less to me, but I know how important it is to Fenice.I pull away and look at her as she sits before me, her belly still exposed. My heart is so whole.“Can we be together? She’s okay with it?” She whispers.“You heard her yourself, or do I need to call her back?”She shakes her head as her eyes water.“Stop crying. I am yours, and y
Cole. I watch my father's car from a distance as he pulls off the room onto a dirt path. My men, who have been following him for the last four months, said he usually comes to this place twice a month. It’s an hour's drive from Dallas, in a scarcely populated woodland area often used for hunting. Nothing suspicious about that, except he changes his car at least twice on the trip before he arrives. If he were only hunting, he would have no reason to change his car. So that must mean he’s hiding something up here. William discovered it was purchased a couple of months after the fire and was bought by a shell company and not owned outright, which makes it even more suspicious. So far, we have been watching from afar, but I’ve grown impatient with how slow this process is going, so I plan to do a little more digging today and find out what he's hiding. I pull off to the side of the road to park my car, planning
GioRing, ring, ringI groan at the sound of the phone ringing. I open my eyes and glance at the clock. It’s nine in the morning. It’s probably Jillian calling. I took the month off work after we arrived two days ago. I've missed the last three months taking care of her and bonding with the twins, so I want to do that over the next couple of months. I left Jillian a message to that effect, and I'm sure she's calling to chew me out now. Unfortunately for her, I'm not in the mood to get cursed at. I grab my phone about to end the call when I see Gia’s name. She rarely calls this early, so something must be up.“Hey sweetie, is something wrong?”“Everything is great. I’m getting married. My best friend is home, and I have siblings on the way. I'm so excited!"“That’s great, sweetie, but why are you calling this early?”“Oh,
BrandiI sit in the chair waiting for the make-up artist to finish her work as my heart thunders in my chest. This is it. I’m getting married—I glance at the clock. Twenty minutes. I have been prodded, plunked, and tucked all morning, and now all I have to do is put on my dress and walk down the aisle to the man I love.“You’re still doing her make-up?” G asks as the door opens with a bang and she comes rushing in. She has been in a frenzy since this morning.“Hey, G. You look amazing,” I say as I admire the champagne, maid of honor dress she’s wearing. She stops and grins, then twirls to give me the full picture.“Don’t I—-wait. Don’t change the subject. Why is she still doing your make-up? It’s almost time.”“I asked her to change the eye shadow to something lighter,” I explain.“Oh, but we only have eighteen minutes.”“I’m almost done.” The make-up artist states.G paces back and forth. “How soon is almost? We only have seventeen minutes, and we need to get her dress on and do last
Meanwhile Brandi I pull the covers tight and reach for a handful of popcorn as I focus on the TV. After cleaning yesterday, I have been flipping between crying and watching movies and TV shows. Except for two hours today, G convinced to me get my hair done because the wedding is tomorrow. I hope it is tomorrow, but I’m still uncertain what will happen because I haven’t spoken to Tes since I told him he has until Sunday to figure it out. I don’t know what he’s thinking, even suggesting postponing the wedding. How could he think I need more time? I’m so angry and hurt, I want to hate him. I should hate him right now for putting me through this, but I can’t. I miss him. I ache for his arms holding me. I miss his smile in the morning. I miss our family. I sniff as tears stain my cheeks. “Are you okay? Do you need anything? Ice Cream?” Gia asks, pushing the tub of butter pecan to me. I sigh and grab the spoon and take a big bite. “Better?” I nod before taking another bite. “Your father
GiannaI pull in through the gate and look around, stunned at the lawn covered in furniture. What is all this? I wonder as I park the car. Are they moving? Neither Dad nor B said anything before this. I slip out of the car and grab my purse before heading to the door when I see Martha approaching.“Ms. Gia.” She says, smiling when she sees me.“Hey, Martha. Are Papi and B moving?”She shakes her head. “Mrs. Caputo woke up this morning, asked us to move the furniture outside, and started cleaning.” She explains.Mrs. Who? I furrow my brows when I realize she is talking about B. I guess she will be Mrs. Caputo in a couple of days. It feels so strange for her to marry Papi, but now I’m okay with it. Happy even, since he makes her happy, and they gave me two of the cutest brothers in the world. I smile, thinking of their chubby cheeks.“Ms. Gia?” Martha calls, pulling me from my thoughts.“Oh, B asked you to move them out?” She nods.“She was in a frenzy this morning about getting the hou
Brandi Twenty minutes ago I examine the sample of Birch wood on my desk. I like it, but I’m not in love with it like I am with the soft maple. I sigh. Why did the supplier have a shortage of the only wood I like? Well, it doesn’t matter. I have to choose one of these before the call. Shannon likes the ash, but ash is not durable enough and I want people to pass these on to their kids, not throw them out. I need another opinion. Maybe I should have had Tes stop by with dinner and help me decide. I pick up my phone to call him but hesitate when I remember how tired he was today. Tes is already stretched thin with taking care of the boys, last-minute wedding prep, and getting his company ready for his absence during our honeymoon. Although he never complains, I’m sure he is exhausted. His only being able to have sex once last night is proof. That man never falls asleep before going at it at least twice. It’s a good thing this project is almost complete. Once we’re done with picking th
I need to find a doctor, but how do I do it on such short notice? I pull out my phone to call Jorge my assistant.“Good Morning Boss. Are you coming into the office today?”“No. Jorge, I need a doctor.”“Oh, for what? Is Mrs, okay? My nephews?” He says, reacting as his usual dramatic self.“Fenice is fine, and so are the boys. I pulled my back last night and need to get it checked out. Can you find me a doctor? I need it today.”“I will be right on it.”“Thank you.”“You know. I had a problem once. I was in Colorado when my boyfriend at the time got a little rough. He was hitting it from the back. He can be a little rough.”“Jorge, is there a point to this story?”“oh right. So my back gave out. We were snowed in so I couldn’t see a doctor. I did yoga for two days. My back felt brand new by the time we left.”“So you’re saying I should try yoga?”“Exactly. I bet it will have you feeling brand new or you can go see those pill pushers who’ll pump you full of drugs and overcharge you.” I
GiovanniWilliam pulls into the driveway and sighs. We chased her as far as the traffic cameras could track, but we eventually reached a dead end when she took a back road with no cameras. She’s smart. I give her that and she is also striking to look at. I can see why William is enamored with her beauty, even though she is a thief.“What did she say to you?”“Huh?” I furrow my brows.“Brandi said she found you two together. Did she try to sleep with you?” He asks through clenched teeth. I can tell the thought of that pisses him off.“She walked in and pretended to be lost, then she fainted so I would catch her. I told her to drop the act and Fenice walked in. I don’t know if she would have tried.” My voice trails off as I see him getting noticeably angrier.“Don’t worry. You’ll find her.”“How many men will she have fucked and used by then?” His eyes flash angrily.“What does it matter?”“They are touching something that’s mine—” His voice trails off when he realizes what he’s saying.
I push the stroller towards the store about to go meet Amber and G, who invited herself last minute when she called this morning. “B.” I hear her call from behind. I turn slightly and see her coming fast, waving. “You brought them!” She squeals after seeing the stroller. “You wanted to see them. Here you go.” I push the stroller towards her and hand her their bag. “What’s all this?” “You asked me to bring them, so you’re going to look after them. I’m here to shop. Boys, your big sister will take care of you. Be nice.” I say, blowing each a kiss and then heading through the door of Hermes. “Wait. I don’t know.” I hear her behind me. “B, you can’t do this.” I sigh as she struggles to open the door while pushing the stroller. I roll my eyes and walk back to the door and hold it open while she pushes it inside. “Why didn’t you bring one of the nannies?” “They are off on weekends when Tes and I are free. You wanted me to bring them, so you’re the nanny today.” “What? All I wanted t
Brandi“Tes come on.” I fold my arms as I wait for him to exit the car. We went shopping, and he agreed we would each pick an outfit we wanted the other to wear and we get to choose the occasion it would be worn. He picked out a white dress and a matching lingerie set. The dress is to be worn to his birthday dinner next Tuesday and the lingerie for tonight. I picked an outfit for our date in the park. Dark washed jeans, a tight-fitting t-shirt with a black leader jacket, and combat boots. He has been complaining since he stepped out of the dressing room, but a deal is a deal. “Tes, come on,” I call again, growing impatient.“I don’t think is a good idea. I should go home and change.” He says, still sitting in the car.“We made a deal. You picked my dress and that string you want me wearing tonight. If you want to see me wear that tonight, come out of the car.” He frowns as he steps. I smile as I look at him. He does not know how good he looks, but I’m sure he’ll turn a few heads.“I
Brandi I take a sip of the shot, trying to pace myself because I already feel a little too good, and I know I’m on my way to being drunk for the first time in my life. I look at the shot and then watch as Gianna downs another one. Tonight reminds me of high school when she would get wasted, so I would have to take care of her. I guess some things never change. I put the glass down on the bar top. “No, no, no. What are you doing?” “I have already had five. You’re on your seventh.” “Eight. I brought you here to get drunk and party our asses off.” “One of us needs to stay sober and make sure nothing happens.” “We’re in Uncle Williams’ club surrounded by security. Nothing will happen.” “You never know-” “B, he’s gone. You can relax.” She says as she picks up and hands me the shot. She doesn’t say another word, instead; she turns back to the bar and orders more shots. I look at the shot in my hand as her words play in my head. I know she is talking about Colin. It’s true that in th