Noah POVI still feel guilty after hanging up the phone.“Why look so glum?” Brent asked.“Briana sounded upset that I broke my promise to the children.”He clapped my back.“Consider this. Briana will be happier when you pop your surprise later.”I nodded, hoping Briana would say yes.&n
Noah POV“We’re doing so much PDA, Noah.”Briana grumbled when I pulled back from kissing her.
Noah POVBriana walked ahead of us while the four of us walked behind her. Conspicuously, the children were behaved. They did not make a fuss or anything.“Is Hanna in her office?” Briana turned her head around to ask.I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I told her, fingers crossed.Earlier, I instructed Hanna’s boss to assign out-of-office work for her so she wouldn’t get wind of my plans. I knew that if Hanna learned about it, there was a possibility that she might spill the beans with my wife, maybe not intentionally, but I didn’t want to take a chance.I wanted everything to be perfect later when I popped the question.“I hope she’ll be here by the time we leave.” She told me and continued walking until she arrived at the entrance of the revolving restaurant.The children squealed when the maître opened the door for them.“Hello, Uncle Rio. We are here!!” They greeted the tall man at the door before they ran inside to choose a spot.Riley’s eyes started to wander as if he was looki
Briana POV The happiness in Noah’s eyes had been my undoing.When he hugged me, I returned his embrace and put my arms around him.I had not intended to blurt it out like that, but I was so worried about my brother and Martina that the words came out unnoticed.“Noah…” I protested when he hugged me tighter. I was worried that we were going to squish the baby in my tummy.“Did you see a doctor?” He asked when I pulled back, grinning happily.There were sparks in his eyes, but I realized later that it was tears because they fell and ran down his cheeks.My husband is crying.I reached out a hand to wipe his tears.“Hey. Are you unhappy with this new addition to our family?” I asked, suddenly feeling unsure.Noah was quick to dispel the fear that burgeoned inside me. He forcefully shook his head to deny my claim.“Of course not. These are happy tears. You have no idea how I desperately wanted us to have another baby. I wanted to experience what first-time fathers experienced. I was d
Briana POVThe children run to the hallway that serves as the waiting area for the elevator. They stopped before the control panel and reached the up and down button.“Are we going up or down?” Mason asked with his finger pressed on the down button while Brixx pressed the up button. While I shook my head at them, Noah, on the other hand, kept pressing his palms to his pockets. It appears as if he was searching for something.I had a hunch, and so I asked innocently.“What are you looking for?”“My key.”Impatience spread all over Noah's face. He gave up when his search yielded no result.Seeing the frustration in Noah’s expression, I discreetly nudged Riley.My son turned his head up to look at me. At first, he was slow on the uptake. He did not know why I was getting his attention.I widened my eyes at him, pointed to his dad, and gestured for him to produce the key.While Riley and I were busy communicating silently, Noah was already calling Chris.“I seemed to have lost my key.
Noah POVI took my family to my office first while Chris made an appointment with an OB-Gynecologist.Surprisingly, Riley, Brixx, and Mason were quiet while they watched their favorite cartoon series.Briana, on the other hand, looked tired.I made a mental note to buy a recliner Briana can use when she stays in my office.“Are you sleepy?” I asked.She nodded and looked at the children sitting comfortably on the three-seater couch, which meant she had nowhere to lie and rest.“I’ll have the Penthouse ready,” I told her.The Penthouse used to be my residence. It was convenient since I did not have anyone to go home to before.When I learned about the children, I bought a house directly across from Briana’s home to be near them. The Penthouse has remained unoccupied since then.“I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.” She told me.I shook my head.“Don’t worry about it. It’s no big deal.” I assured her.Briana shook her head and leaned back on the headrest of the single-seater couch
Noah POVI watched Briana’s back, heaving a sigh of relief.It was close.At least, she did not think anything about it.The car parked in front of Briana. The driver got out, but I beat him to the door and opened it for my wife while the triplets ducked from under my arms to get in.They found their slots, and I strapped them in. “If you are tired, you can rest,” I told them, seeing that one of them was already yawning.They had a full afternoon, and I don’t think the kids will be resting anytime soon because of the party tonight.I sat down beside my wife and ordered the driver to go.“If you are tired, you can take a nap,” I told Briana and pulled her toward me.She rested her head on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her.“You smell nice.” She commented and continued to sniff me until she found my neck. She even raised her body a little to be able to reach the crook of my neck and took a deep breath.“Briana.” I protested because her nearness was doing things to my body that
Noah POVIf anything, my admission added to my wife’s nervousness.When the car stopped, I got busy waking up and unstrapping the triplets from their seats.Riley saw Briana march out of the car.She went ahead of us without looking back.“What happened to Mommy? Did she forget about us?” He asked.I shrugged because I didn’t know what was going on inside Briana’s head.I took Riley’s hand on my right and Mason’s on my left. Brixx held hands with Mason.At the hospital lobby, people stopped and stared at us.“Why are they looking at us?? Riley’s voice echoed in the hall.Briana walked back to us. She took Brixx’s hand and walked to the information section to inquire about her doctor’s clinic.The receptionist gave us the information and smiled.“Thank you.” Briana muttered, and again, she took Brixx"s hand in hers. When he saw what happened, Mason wiggled out of my hold and took his Mommy’s free hand, leaving Riley with me.At the doctor’s clinic, Briana and the triplets sat in the
Flint POV“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I admitted to Brent while drinking vodka in a private room inside the Blue Canyon, a country club in Redwood where we both enjoyed VIP memberships.“Why don’t you ask her? Instead of overthinking and suspecting your brother, go to your wife and seek the answers to all the questions crowding your head.”“I really love talking to you, Brent. You are like a cold bath - scary but necessary.” I told him bluntly.Brent chuckled.“You needed it.”I clapped Brent on the back.“Thanks.”“Let’s go. It’s two in the morning, and the manager had been giving us deadly looks already. I think this club is closing for the day.”After Brent settled the bill, we rose from our seats and ambled back to his car.I left my c
Briana POVAfter the police officers took my three brothers, I got back on my desk and sat morosely there.“Where are your brothers? I thought you had an emergency meeting?” Noah asked, disrupting my solitude.I looked at him sharply. “They were at the police station.”Noah opened the door wider and walked in.He loosened his tie and slumped on the couch. He looked tired, but he was looking at me with love in his eyes.It had been four years since I took a chance on him, and his love never wavered. In truth, it had intensified through the years.
Flint POVI could not believe it.Brinaa had us arrested! The f*ck!After the police handcuffed the three of us, Briana took our phones.“Why are you confiscating our phones? I need that!” Marcus cried.Between the three of us, he was the most uncooperative and talkative.Briana ignored him. “You will get your phones later. For now, I am going to keep it.” She promised before the police officers led us out of her study.Downstairs, I saw the household staff gathered in
Flint POVRowan’s question, asking me about fathering Anna’s baby, hangs in the air.It wrapped around us like an elephant in the room.I took in my brothers’ look, feeling like the odd man out.Can’t I be man enough to take on my responsibility? Can I not be trusted to care for my own family?The dam inside me burst, and I lashed out at my brother, Rowan.“Yes, so don’t cross my line and stop meddling in my wife’s life. They don’t need you.”Rowan stared m
Flint POV“I am not talking to you, Flint. You embarrassed me in front of Linda, and that was unforgivable.”I winced, feeling guilty.In my eagerness to defend my family, I had forgotten that Briana was never an enemy.She was my sister.“I am sorry.”“I am just looking out for you. Haven’t you forgotten how hard women tried to trap you into marriage, not because they loved you but because they loved what you represented?” She lashed out at me.I chuckled. &ldqu
Anna/Linda POV“Hey, sis! ” Flint walked toward his sister with a wriggling Penelope in his arms.When he reached her, he stooped to kiss her cheeks.Penelope saw what he did and did the same. She kissed Briana’s cheek.Briana was left stunned, especially when Penelope showed her natural cuteness.She bounced in Flint’s arms, raising her hands to clap."Yay! Kwin ver gud!" Penelope said in a stilted manner.On the other hand, Flint looked like he was ready to burst into pride. He puffed
Anna/Linda POVWe spent three days secluded in the exclusive villa Flint rented for us. It was nothing short of idyllic. Penelope had a wonderful time. “Dad-dy!” She squealed and jumped on her little feet to evade the coming waves. “Bubbles!” She would cry in gibberish, pointing at the sea foam that crowded her feet and ankles. Then she would run to Flint, and Flint would swoop down to capture her and put her to dry sand. Then, she would stroll toward the waves again, repeating the same actions until Flint rescues her.“You are silent,” Flint said when he deposited Penelope beside me. I was sitting on the sand with my legs stretched out in front of me. He quickly worked on the sand, digging with his hands and throwing them to cover my legs. It attracted Penelope, and she mimicked her father. She took clumps of sand in her hands and threw them to my legs. “You need a spade, my little Queen,” Flint said.He looked around our surroundings before his eyes focused on something no
Flint POVAfter dinner, I was excited to put Penelope to sleep, but to my chagrin, she wouldn’t sleep however hard I coaxed her.She was too busy playing with the rose petals. She kept stepping on them while she walked around our rented villa.“Maybe she loved the downy feel of the rose petals on her soles.” Anna offered a likely explanation for our daughter’s seeming propensity for the flowers.She even pulled her shoes off before she jumped, skipped, and kicked on the petals covering the floor.I dropped my head playfully in response, but inside, I was dying for Penelope to lay her head on the bed so t
Flint POVI saw a myriad of emotions playing on Anna’s face and it made me want to crush her to my chest to offer assurance. I am a Ford.I have everything, but when it comes to Anna, I felt lacking as a man. Of course, it was different with our daughter.Would it be selfish of me if I wanted to be the only man for her, not just the father of her daughter? I wanted to be the best man for them both. “One day, I will make you fall in love with me,” I told her and saw her taken aback. I wanted to add that I will erase every feeling she has for my brother.I will be the only man she would need. The wedding ended. “Congratulations.” The priest held out his hand to send us his best wishes. He even patted Penelope’s head, making her giggle. “You have a lovely daughter.” He told us.Anna and I exchanged a look. She smiled, feeling proud of our daughter. I was, too. We did not linger. Our group left the church and ended up in the parking lot, where we went in separate directions.