Hanna POVShame filled me, especially when I noticed that there were people within earshot, and Hailey was not exactly discreet in venting out her dissatisfaction with the company. She was talking aloud as if she meant for everyone to hear what she had to say. I wanted the ground to gobble me whole. I wished to disappear and never come back to this earth forever.I really had a bad feeling about using Rowan’s car to work. And I was right, owing to this confrontation. People are bound to talk when they recognize that car. They would put two and two together, and like Hailey, they would come up with five. People are quick to judge without taking into consideration other people’s feelings. They see an image but not the whole picture. And they judge the picture without taking into consideration what goes with it. I wanted to blame Rowan, but should I take it against him when he only wanted to secure my convenience?Besides, can I stop people from talking, especially Hailey when
Rowan POVI wonder what she is doing right now.“Bro, you are spacing out,” Charles commented when he noticed my broodiness the whole time we were seated around the circular table in my basement study in Redwood.We are safe to discuss anything here because this place is heavily guarded.“Does it have anything to do with a girl you followed to Vegas?” Flint teased.I glared at Flint’s grinning face and straightened my back.We were in a secret meeting.Briana had no idea about this place or what took place here, and we intend to keep it that way.“Have you heard from Storm?” Marcus asked. He came in late because he was busy running Rosewood now that Noah guarded Briana like a hawk and forbade her from leaving the house.“Not yet. But Storm said they tracked down Britney. She is working for Bennett.”&l
Rowan POVI never got the chance to get back to Vegas because that same afternoon, Britney was arrested.It was unexpected.“Britney was under police custody after she almost hit Briana with her car,” Charles reported when I took his call.Briana’s safety drove me to a sense of urgency. Worry filled me.Instead of going to the airport as planned, I made a U-turn and changed lanes to go to Briana's house, wanting to ensure her safety.“How is Briana? Is our sister okay?" I don't want to think the worst.
Rowan POVThe next couple of days were a bit hectic.Noah charged Britney. He refused to leave Briana’s side unless we promised to watch over the children and her.“I wish we all lived in the same house,” Riley said when I was about to put him and his brothers to bed.I grinned. “Do you miss us when we are not around?”He nodded vigorously. “Of course. You are my favorite.” He told me.I hugged him and kissed the top of his head.“You are
Rowan POVI called Storm. Having Linda as the subject of my assignment is too much of a coincidence. “Why didn’t you tell me her name when we were discussing the job?” I asked when he answered my call. “You did not ask.” Came Storm’s calm reply.“Still, you should have told me!” I said indignantly. I wanted to wring Storm’s neck when he suddenly laughed at my expense.He may think this is funny, but not me. For me, it will only complicate my relationship.“You don’t know what you are asking me to do, man,” I said, seriously rethinking my decision-making capability. It was only now that I became hesitant about taking on a job. Nothing can faze me, but this one would seriously blow out of proportion.I can predict what is going to happen next. “You can’t back out now. Besides, the organization thinks you were the right man for the job, given that you dated her before. She won’t question your motives. Hanna already thinks that Linda is my girlfriend.“My girlfriend would kill
Hanna POVEyes closed, I swatted the mosquito that bit me with my bare hands and felt irritated that my sleep got disturbed.I am still sleepy.The mosquito changed course and bit the skin around my shoulder. This time, it stings, and I cried out in pain at the same time I bolted out of bed, but was prevented by a massive frame.“Rowan?” I asked.I could not be sure.The room was dark, but a whiff gave off that distinct smell that only Rowan had.Arms circled my waist to draw me close to a hard che
Hanna POVRowan lifted me, arms clamped securely around my waist, while his hands supported my bottom. He slowly walked to the nearest room, which in this case, was the room I was staying at. “Open the door.” He told me, pausing our kiss, but not our lips. He talked while his lips were pressed to mine, and I inhaled his minty breath, intoxicating my blood to a fever pitch. With my back to the door, I groped for the knob and twisted it open. Rowan kicked it with his feet, leaving it wide open so we could enter. He walked slowly and steadily toward the bed before he laid me gently on it with his body pressing heavily on me. “I miss you.” What he said sent strange vibrations to my chest, crawling my skin and resting on my toes. In response, I pulled his head back to continue our kiss. Rowan angled his head to deepen the kiss while he ground his lower body to mine, igniting another kind of tension within me. “Rowan!” I gasped. My mouth parted open to take in huge gulps of air.
Rowan POVThis is not good.I saw Hanna rise from the bed.“Where are you going?” I asked when she walked toward the closet. She looked so thin and solitary that a small gust of wind could tumble her.A fear I had never known crawled all over my skin as I watched her open the doors wide.Her actions tell me that something is off.“What are you doing?” I asked when I could not take it any longer.Her actions confused me.H
Speechless! This word best describes what I was feeling right now. Do you know that you were amazing readers? Yes, you who stayed with me until this page. When I first started writing this story, I had so many trepidations. I did not think I would be able to pull this through. First, it has a little similarity to my previous novel, Billionaire Ex Wants Me Back, but my editor believed so much in my draft that she encouraged me to consider doing this. (My heartfelt thanks to Lyra Pinter, who had been a constant source of support.)My feeling of uncertainty magnified when I received so many attacks when the story was first published. Too many detractors lashed out at my characters that I had a hard time concentrating.I know what I wanted to do, but the first people who were vocal about the story did not give me enough encouragement. They did not give my characters a chance to redeem themselves as the story progresses. Fear grips me everytime I face the blank screen of my computer
Briana’s POVThe soul always knows how to heal itself. I had often heard that phrase before but it was never more gratingly obvious til now. After I volunteered to be Charles and Jenna’s surrogate, I had not counted on the pain the act would invariably inflict on me. At the start, it was all too easy. For 40 weeks, I would be carrying their baby in my womb, and that was it. Jenna and Charles will have that baby they desperately wanted. Of course, Noah and I submitted to counseling before I did this, but I never expected that when the time came that I had to turn over baby Amira to her parents, it would hit me so hard. I had not counted on how my self-sacrifice would backfire on me. It hurts so much. I was so heartbroken when I realized that Amira would no longer be a part of my life. Noah took me to several sessions of counseling, and with his support, I was able to get past the hurt and accept that Amira was not mine.The rest of the family helped. My brothers hovered over me
Hello my loves, Jenna and Charles’ story was one of the most painful stories I had written so far. It was because I had to dig up long-forgotten events in my life.But I had to do it for you to be able to understand the motives behind Jenna and Charles’ actions and the pain they invariably inflicted on each other. Jenna and Charles were both non confrontational. They keep things in stride and hope for the best, but sometimes even with the best intentions, our pain could not lay hidden for too long. It needed to be addressed and voiced out, not because you wanted to lash out at your partner or give them the same pain they were giving you.Sometimes, our silence is our cry for help. Or it was a way to protect ourselves. We retreated into the inner recesses of our soul to find solace and comfort because the people we expected to comfort and provide solace for us could not hear our cry for help.But all’s well that ends well. Am glad for those people who had requested me to do a story
Charles POVOne year later…I was standing behind the french windows of the room I was occupying at the Rosewood Hotel, eyes looking outside toward my wife.This past year was a crazy one.Just as Briana predicted, Jenna and I barely had time for ourselves. The kids were growing, and they were beautiful to watch.Jenna’s laugh made its way to where I was.As I watched Jenna play with our children, I could not help comparing her to a rose in bloom.I could not help feeling proud of the changes in her.&nb
Charles POVWe placed our babies in a customized baby carrier that could fit the four of them, and Jenna and I walked out of the suite that had been our temporary home for the past month.At the lobby, we looked like we were on a parade with our nannies in tow and bodyguards, but that’s a small price to pay for the security and safety of my family.“Jenna! Charles!” Beth called out to us.We stopped when we neared her.“Where are your kids?” I asked after she and Jenna hugged each other.I learned this past month that Beth chose to be a stay-at-home m
Charles POVThe next day, our other two babies were born one after the other.Jenna and I were also there to witness everything and become part of our children’s birth.Jenna’s eyes were puffy when she held our two other newborns in her arms. She had been crying nonstop since yesterday because it still had not sunk in that she was a mom of four babies.When we visited Briana, she and Jenna had a long talk.Briana was smiling, but I could see that she was at a loss when it was time to take the baby away from her.I realized that this ordeal put a lot of strain on
Charles POVThe phone in the delivery room rang, and a nurse went to answer it.“Dr. Martin, it’s delivery room 2.” She said from across the room, allowing us to hear.Dr. Martin went to answer it. Her face was serious when she placed the phone back in its cradle.Then, she turned her head back to her medical team.“Are you still up for another delivery?” She asked her team.Their high spirits rubbed off on Jenna and me. We were smiling when they shouted, of course.
Charles POVIt was a crazy day.We were having a meeting when I heard that Briana had been rushed to the hospital.“Brie is having our baby,” I told my brothers and friend after I dropped the call.It was Jenna. She, Noah, and Biana were already in the hospital because Briana's water broke.My face contorted as emotions I could not name assailed.A mix of fear, excitement, nervousness, worry, and happiness barraged me.Briana, my baby sister, was going to deliver my and Jenna's baby right now. 
Jenna POVThe days quickly passed by.Though we did not talk about it, it seemed as if Charles and I were in tacit agreement to take things slow concerning our careers and concentrate more on each other.We go out of town and do things we had never done before as a couple.It was marvelous.“It’s good that you spend more time with each other because I tell you, once the four babies arrive, you won’t get even a wink of sleep,” Briana told me when I came to her house that afternoon to catch up and to check on her.It’s the baby’s