“Of course.” Charleigh watched as they cut the ribbon, and then the crowd applauded. “He looks happy.”“Because he made your design come true. That’s his constant reminder of what he let go of. You are his motivating force, Charleigh. Trust me, if it wasn’t for Clary, he’d gone already crazy.”Her eyes widened. “What do you mean? What happened?”“He couldn’t contact you and find you even though he went to your firm. Mr. Braxton said you resigned, and your brother shoved it to his face what kind of person Bryce was. I must say my grandson deserved it.”“What?” she asked breathlessly, staring at the old man. ”When was this? How come I was not aware of it?” Why Tripp did not mention this to her?“Ask your brother. My grandson waited there at Kayden Braxton’s office. He thought Kayden might be lying to him when he said you resigned, but your brother confirmed it and said, he couldn’t give your information to him.”“Because I told him not to give it to anyone. After I got my promotion, I f
She always rendered him speechless, but seeing her again had Bryce completely dumbstruck and forgot how to talk. It seemed that his tongue was stuck in his mouth for good. If Ella hadn’t walked in, he was probably still staring at Charleigh as if he’d seen a celestial being for the first time.His heart, his pulse, and his body revved to life. For the last few months after his failure to reach her, he lost hope and lost half of his life. If it wasn’t for Clary and the constant nagging of his grandpa, he must have been crazy right now. He broke his heart once, he knew how it felt, but it never hurt like the way he let Charleigh go. Probably because he had regrets—huge damn regrets.Bryce never thought he would see her again when her brother told him she didn’t want to be contacted. Every night, he went to sleep wondering what was she doing, whether was she happy, had she found the man who would love and respect her. He even sobbed to sleep like a crazy brokenhearted teenager. Now th
“God, no.” He didn’t recognize his own voice. A lot of things flipped in his mind, and most of them made his stomach rock hard. His eyes started to sting. His throat burned. His chest ached.He squeezed his eyes shut and drew a deep long breath. When he got the strength to pick them up into his hands, he blinked rapidly as he tried to reread the labels on each bottle through blurry visions. “Pre-natal vitamins.”“What are you doing?” Bryce was startled by Charleigh’s angry voice. She was already glaring at him when he lifted his gaze.She was trying to snatch what was in his hand. Bryce was taller than her when he got on his feet. He stood straight and raised his arm so that she couldn’t snatch the bottle while still glaring at Charleigh in disbelief. He swallowed uncomfortably. If he had only one wish left, he wished he was right.“Give that to me,” she ordered. Her eyes narrowed back and blazed with anger.“How far are you?”“It’s none of your business.” She walked past him to grab
Bryce managed to convince Charleigh to sit on the stool for a while as he tried to process what he just learned today. The funny thing was, instead of feeling disturbed, he was relieved.On the other thought, it was still surreal for Charleigh that he would accept her situation easily. Sure, she would consider gambling her chance to be with him if not because of another issue that had been bugging her.“What do you crave for?” He placed down a tray of lemon with raspberry filling cupcakes and buttercream frosting. He seemed calm as if she didn’t just drop the bomb on his face. He was even smiling from ear to ear as he made her a lemonade.She was pregnant, for God’s sake. She had an unwanted pregnancy. Why was everything okay with him? Even Charleigh, who was never ready for this new situation she had on, cried the whole night and blamed herself for being so reckless and irresponsible that she thought fate was mocking her when her world just fell apart.“Not doing this with you.” Now
A soft laugh rumbled in his chest as he pulled her into his hard chest. “You are the light of my life, Charleigh. The only woman I wish to be with. No one could fill the space in my heart, only you, it had been reserved for a while now, and I want you to fill it again. You and Clary are my world.”“You’re not answering my question. You should try working on your honesty, Bryce.” “Believe it or not, I haven’t looked at any woman other than your picture in my head. I haven’t had sex either. I have no plan on sleeping or kissing another woman other than you, Charleigh. To answer your question, Ella and Eli are my second cousins. We don’t spend time a lot because they’re from another town. When I started planning out your incredible design, I approached them. And they literally built my shop for free, but I insisted on paying their contractors.”“I see.”“That’s all?” He cocked a brow. “Just I see? You know you can ask me anything. I will answer truthfully.”Charleigh shrugged. That was
Six months laterA week after Bryce’s proposal, which was two weeks after they got back together, they tied the knot in a solemn ceremony surrounded by the people close to them. Even her estranged father was present to send her to the aisle in their garden wedding. Tripp, Kayden, and Dax were closer than before. Cleighry was doing great, profits were twice as before. Grandpa Matt and Lotus were Charleigh’s constant companions at home when Bryce was at the shop. She even joined them in fishing many times.Charleigh landed a graphic design job at his father’s firm. She was also taking up a master’s degree online. Her condition to work at home got her father’s approval. She never thought her life would be perfect, and Bryce was nothing but loving, sweet, thoughtful, and sometimes could be an annoying and controlling husband. Still, they ended up spooning together in their bed. She couldn’t complain, though, because she saw at hand how he loved her and wanted to give her the life she tr
Charleigh shut her eyes closed and breathed deeply. “Bryce, get out!” She pointed at the door.“What? I’ll be staying with you no matter what. That’s a promise I can’t break, baby. I can’t leave you like this. Your pain is my pain. Suck it up because I am staying. We’re in this together. We promised that no matter what, through highs and lows—”“Shut the fuck up. I said get out!” Charleigh yelled at him, tears falling like streams. Her chin trembled. No matter how much strength Bryce had given her, she couldn’t watch him like he was about to fall apart in pain.“Bryce, I think you have to listen to your wife. You have to trust us. I promise we will take care of her.” The doctor looked apologetic, waiting for him to leave.Bryce nodded helplessly, his chin trembling. He then looked down at her sweaty and exhausted wife. “Stay strong, Charleigh, for our baby, for Clary, and me, please? I love you so much.” He kissed her pale lips. Tears fell from his eyes to Charleigh’s face. “You can d
Three years agoEyes wide, Tripp Wrylee jolted to sit on the bed, surveying the surroundings. He was in his hotel room, still wearing the same clothes he put on last night.After he and his best friend, Kayden Braxton closed a deal, he invited Dax Easton for a drink at the club, for old time’s sake, who happened to be there with his relatives.A surge of fear pushed his confusion back to the time he had left to prepare. It was his big day after all. Fuck. What time was it?He grabbed his phone from the nightstand to find the battery drained. He tossed his clothes on the bed and grabbed a new white shirt— He didn’t have much time to change his pants and rushed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth, ignoring his throbbing temples. He then grabbed his suit jacket draped on the chair before he headed out toward the elevator.He groaned softly when the elevator suddenly turned into like the slowest fucking thing ever invented. The fact that he didn’t know what time it was, h
Four months laterLater in that beautiful afternoon“By the power vested in me as the the city mayor of Hopes Spring, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.” Dax smiled at Tripp and Ari as they were about to kiss in front of their one hundred guests, in front of their newly renovated house.Everyone erupted as they applauded the bride and groom. “I love you, Ari. Always.” Tripp closed his eyes as his lips touched hers.The kiss lingered for a moment as he cherished the feeling that, for the second time, they officiated their marriage, and this woman still belonged to him as he belonged to her. The kiss was so incredibly romantic that their guests kept on applauding.This time, they kissed in front of the people they loved and cared about. No more secrecy.The reception was just in their cozy backyard— a moonlight garden theme. Instead of tents,Tripp designed a glass house with iron scaffolding for the reception dinner that fitted one hundred guests. It h
“Jesus! What’s wrong with getting pregnant? I can take care of you, of both of you, if in case. I can provide whatever our child may need. I can hire a nanny if you think you would get distracted in your study while taking care of our child. It’s our child, Ari.” He was pissed off. His chest heaved as he loosened his tie.“Tripp—”“I don’t believe in an unplanned pregnancy. Why would they fuck unprotected if they don’t want to get pregnant? And I won’t let you get distracted either, but if you happen to be pregnant right now, I would be the luckiest man on earth. And you won’t dare ask me to get rid of it because I won’t let you do that.”They didn’t talk about having their own family, but Tripp was getting there. He worked hard on it.Starting a family was something that didn’t come to his mind before he met Ari again, but the idea of having his wife and kids laughing in their home was the biggest fucking dream of his life. Who would have thought it would be easy for him to dream abo
The goodbyes were pretty emotional for Ari.Leaving her father, her best friend, her friends, and her home where she grew up was hard for her. But she also considered her husband and his work, and their future.It might be difficult in the beginning, but she could not take it away from the love of her life. She knew the moment she gave Tripp and their relationship a second chance, it came with a price, and it required sacrifices she’d be willing to take.“Oh, God. I’m so terrible.” She groaned and tried to open her eyes when she felt a soft kiss on her lips and the familiar smell of his perfume wafting in the air.“I should really start waking up early before school starts.” She was so drained, and the fact that she wasn’t used to taking the morning shift, she felt guilty for Tripp. “Get some more sleep, sleepyhead. See you later.” It was the voice of her hot husband before she felt a kiss on her forehead. Then she was back to her slumber.She woke up with a satisfied smile on her li
They were back to Hopes Spring on Teagan’s birthday. Surprisingly, Tripp was welcomed by the old man with open arms, calling him son.Again, Dax, Charleigh, and Bryce were around as the old man blew the candle on his cake from Clereigh Cakeshop.When everyone left, Teagan settled on the chair on the porch. Tripp was planning to corner him while Ari was busy in the kitchen.“So, are you really taking her away from me?”He sighed. Relief flooded in his system and finally, Teagan was being civilized with him.“I am not taking her away from you. She’s still your daughter, and nothing’s gonna change that. And I am sure Ari would not allow that if that was my plan. She still thinks about your well-being, Teagan. Everyday. And you are always welcome to come with us.”He stared at him. “And leave my home?”“Then you are welcome to visit us. Just let me know ahead of time so that I can arrange your flight.”“I would love to visit cities once in and while. Thank you.”“And I want to talk to you
Ari gasped, then sucked in a deep breath as she felt her being so full and stretched.Tripp stilled for a moment as if giving her time to adjust, but that wasn’t what she wanted.She loved this position, and so as Tripp. She was on four and felt so tight around his cock from behind that made her dizzy with needs.He groaned when she pushed her ass back, demanding him to move, giving him a squeeze on his thigh restlessly. He held her shoulder as he pulled it all out. His cock was coated with her wetness, causing Ari to groan from the sudden emptiness.Tripp slid his hands down her back, holding her hips, and then in one long thrust, he was inside her again.Her head lowered voluntarily while his hands tightened around her hips as he bucked forward, pushing deeper, and she took him in. He began pumping his hips forward and back harder, causing her walls to clamp around him, Tripp saw stars.“Ah! Don’t stop.” He liked the way she utterly lost when she was with him, not caring how greedy
Tripp’s anger filled his chest. His chest was heaving. “Or maybe you can give it to your mistresses instead.”“Careful, son.”“You better go and don’t come back. Let’s keep between us professionals or business rivals if we cross our paths again.” He was about to turn back when his father mentioned something that made his blood boil.“So you’re keeping tabs on me now? What about it?”“You’ve been married—”“My personal life is none of your fucking business.”“Watch your tone, son,” he said firmly.Tripp just got under his skin. “Or what? You look so desperate, father. Can’t say that I’m surprised. You should let the younger people handle the designs because it looks like you can’t keep up anymore.” He watched his father fidget for the first time. For him, it looked like a small victory to celebrate. “And my marriage is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”“It won’t work. Trust me.” He just showed how disgusted he was.“You know the problem is? I don’t care.” He shrugged. “Not
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” he asked Ari one more time before he looked out through the windshield. They parked in front of the Weine Cornwell School of Medicine. “You could use this.” He leaned down to kiss her on her lips. “Relax. I know you don’t need good luck. I’ll see you later?”Tripp could feel the nervousness vibrating under her skin, but he believed in her. She took a deep breath and smoothed her pants before she squeezed his thigh and climbed out of the car.“Wait.” She rounded to Tripp’s side and leaned over.Tripp rolled down the window. “Yeah?”She took something from her bag. Her notebook. “I think this belongs to you. I can’t see I’m surprised how good you are at what you do.”He took it from her with a smirk on his lips. “See? You were also snooping.”“That’s my notebook.” She rolled her eyes. “Those are great, Tripp. Don’t give up until you make that into a real yacht. I believe in you, husband.”“Thank you, baby. That means a lot. See you later.” He waved goodby
“I’m still working there until I pass in the interview in Weine Cornwell.”“Cornwell? As in medical school?” His mouth dropped. His eyes lit up with pride. “Jesus, baby. I couldn’t be prouder.” She was rewarded with a loud kiss on her lips. “You will nail it. Why did you not ever mention this to me?”She shrugged, feeling suddenly shy. “I’m not sure I would be selected out of six thousand applicants, but I wanna keep my head down. They only invited seven hundred fifty for this interview.”“Wow. I would have never doubted you. So if you will pass, you will resign from your job. That means you will be here with me permanently. How about your house? Is this okay with your dad?”She stood up from his lap, still fully naked. Tripp held her hand. “Let’s soak in the tub. Then we will talk more about your school.”Once the tub was full, he poured a good amount of his body wash. “We will go shopping for your stuff after your interview.”She joined him in the tub, settling between his thighs. “
*Flashback aheadWith one smooth thrust of his hips, he was all inside her. She screamed his name in shock at the feeling of being so full and stretched, and her womb shook. Tripp groaned against their mouths as he kept her unmoving, relishing the feeling of them fitting so perfectly.He broke the kiss, pressing his forehead against hers, his breathing was heavy against her face.Everything was overwhelming him, clogging in his throat. It felt unreal even though he knew and felt this was happening. He and Ari were one, and their souls were intertwined forever.“Christ, Ari. It feels fucking amazing.” Then he pulled his cock out completely. “Tripp.” Ari sighed at the loss of contact, wanting to feel him inside her and having to feel being stretched again. She bit her bottom lip, and it would almost draw blood against her teeth.Moments later, Tripp slammed into her again, hitting her clit. Her nails clawed into his flesh as she could not stop shaking.She moaned at the sensation. Her