I feel a streak of embarrassment flush my face. God—the things these kids know and notice these days are crazy. And coming from the mouth of a toddler! I never would have imagined Tris knows what breasts are, let alone that her father was looking at mine. “It’s just an adult versus child misunders
Guilt begins to engulf me as I watch Natalie approach me. I know I’ve done nothing wrong, yet here I am, with red cheeks and an alarm going off in my head. Why do I feel as if I’ve been caught red-handed, like a child’s hand in the cookie jar? “What?” I question her. “Oh, I k
I can hear Derek’s voice next to my ear, but it’s very difficult to focus on it. The world around me is glassy, and I find my head swimming—no pun intended. It’s not until a few seconds have passed that I notice what Derek is shouting. It’s my name. “Esme! Can you hear me?” H
My eyes eventually widen as I realize I’m kissing my boss. This is not what I thought I’d be doing this weekend, let alone ten minutes ago. But I can’t help it. I’m enchanted by this kiss. It’s so romantic and soft, and the way he protects me feels good. Derek’s masculine scent engul
So, without arguing or even saying a thing, I take Derek’s hand to bring me to my feet, and he walks us straight back to the elevator. Standing in Derek’s wet robe while waiting for the elevator to return us to our floors is painstakingly awkward. We just stand next to one another, refusing
Derek sees the panic overtaking me and rests a hand on my shoulder to help calm me. “Esme, breathe, it’s okay.” I look at him like he suddenly grew two more heads. How can he possibly be telling me to remain calm at a time like this? I’m so screwed! “I can’t believe it! I can’t belie
My prayers go unanswered. As I stand in my apartment's bathroom, I stare down at the pregnancy test stick. The plus sign stares back at me. As if to taunt me that the things I’ve wanted were only achievable in this manner. “He walks away from our marriage because I can’t give birth.
Do I want to put a child through all of this? Spending the next several years fighting against Ryan over material things is one thing. But the life of a baby? This is all he’s wanted. Even before marriage, we’d talked about having kids and growing a family together. “I don’t care if