Hanna POV
“Hanna, the customer on table 14 wants to talk to you.” Eden, one of my coworkers, informed me.
I ditched going to the bathroom to attend to my customer first.
I pressed my palms to my aching hips while I waddled the narrow hallway, meeting another coworker on the way.
“You look like your stomach is ready to pop, Hanna.”
I smiled, seeing the genuine concern on her face.
“I am okay. Don’t worry about me.”
I walked to the table indicated by my
Linda POVDisbelief registered on her face. It was as if she could not believe that Rowan and I were just friends. I wanted to chastise Rowan in my head. "Awww!" Hanna cried as another contraction hit her.I almost panicked in alarm when she doubled over in pain.I was torn. My emotions conflicted as I watched her struggle in ache. I don’t know what to do to ease her pain. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead. She was panting, too.My heart went out to her. She was in agony.Looking at her, a part of me wanted to disregard her request and call Rowan immediately. If there was someone she needed to be here, it was him. I don’t understand why she was withholding. Rowan loves her.Or maybe she didn’t know? Her outbursts earlier came to mind, and I realized how much she endured due to a misplaced sense of guilt. Another pain hit her. As if by reflex, she clutched at my hand desperately trying to hold on to me, and my heart went out to her. She should not be braving this ordeal a
Rowan POVI debated over myself on whether to answer Linda’s call. After I brought her father to the hospital and they talked, I already closed every channel of communication with her. I don’t think we have anything left to talk about. She also knew about my job and how our organization handled her case. Storm talked to her. They debriefed her about everything, and that was the end of that. I did not hear anything from her again or her father. I was under the belief that Linda went back to her country after the hospital gave her the clear go.Now, I don’t know what to do when, out of the blue, she called me seven months later. I was reluctant to establish contact with her. My last conversation with her father was still fresh in my mind. What if they will try to force me to marry her? I shook my head. I am my own person, and no one can force me to do something against my will. In the end, I decided to answer her call. It was a good thing, too. I have half a mind to reject
Hanna POVI had the most wonderful dream.In my dreams, Rowan was here.He assisted me in childbirth and was happy to see me.When the baby came out, the doctor placed her atop my chest. It was the perfect feeling. The first moment I was able to touch my child whom I carried in my womb.It was then that Rowan embraced me. He kissed me.“You did great, sweetie. I love you.”My eyes flew open, shattering the dream. Rowan said he loves me.
Hanna POV“Bye, baby Joy.” Riley, Brixx, and Mason waved their hands, bidding our baby goodbye. At first, they did not want to go. Riley insisted he wanted to stay with the baby. Briana reminded them that their baby brother was also waiting at the hotel with their father. “Let’s go, bro. Let’s not keep Elijah waiting for us.” Riley told his brothers. Briana hugged her brother and kissed me goodbye before she shut the door after them. “Peace at last,” Rowan commented and stretched on the bed. He stared softly at his daughter as if he could not get enough of her.“How did you find me?” I finally asked what was foremost on my mind. At first, I was shy, but later, I realized Rowan and I needed this talk to clarify the gray areas in our relationship.“Linda called me.” I nodded. So that’s why I haven’t seen Linda after Rowan’s appearance. “About Linda…” My voice trailed off. Rowan sat up in bed to face me. “Nothing is going on between us. I only dated Linda because Riley lik
Hanna POVRowan’s announcement came unexpectedly.You can't just put one and one together and come up with three.“Having a child is not reason enough to get married,” I told him, rejecting the idea outright.Getting married is joining two people together to become one heart, mind, soul, and body.It was such a big step. It is a commitment.I don’t want Rowan to marry me now and regret it later.I can’t take another heartbreak.
Hanna POV“Congratulations!” Rowan and I broke apart when I heard a collective greeting from the door. It was open wide with his family trailing in one by one. But, of course, the triplets tried to get in edgewise and arrived at the foot of the bed. They were jumping and giggling. “Aunt Hanna, we are back!” They said in a singsong voice. They stand together with their hands on their backs, their bodies swaying from side to side. They looked adorable. I wanted to pinch them.I smiled, seeing the naughty smiles on their faces. “Hello, Riley, Brixx and Mason.” I greeted them. “We wanted to show you our brother so Rohan Joy can have a playmate,” Riley told me. As if on cue, Briana emerged carrying Elijah, her nine-month-old baby boy. She was grinning widely at the confusion on my face. “I thought you had left.”“Not yet,” she replied enigmatically.Noah approached her and the baby. Upon seeing his father, Elijah reached out his hands to his father, silently asking to be carr
Hello, My loves, First off, I would like to thank each and everyone of you who has reached this far. At first, I didn’t think that you would still join me as I delved into the lives of the other characters after I concluded the main story. But boy! You all surprised me!Your comments, reviews, gems and rewards not only help the book, it also helped me organize my thoughts, and how I would have wanted the story to unfold. I make it a point to take note of your suggestions because this is as much your story as it is mine. I wanted to write what my readers wanted to read. Although, sometimes, I can’t grant your requests, I make concessions in some other way. Like in the case of Melani Mare-Botha. She so wanted a baby girl for Briana’s fourth child, but he turned out to be a boy. I'm sorry I had to disappoint her. I hope I was able to make it up in Rowan and Hanna’s story. Their baby’s gender is a girl. Again, thank you everyone.As I have said in my first author’s note, Marcus' st
Book three: Marcus StoryMarcus POVAfter putting my signature on the last folder on my desk, I began to stretch.Then, I picked up the office phone to ask my assistant if there were pending works I needed to review or sign.When she said none, I rose from my desk and headed to my sister's office next door."Hey sis, aren’t you leaving?”At the sound of my voice, Briana smiled and pulled her gaze away from the documents she was reading.It was after office hours, but my sister did not look li
Hello, my loves, As usual, when you see this page, it means you have reached the end of another installment of this story. And as usual, I wanted to thank all of you for walking with me up to this point. It was a marvelous journey, reading through all your comments, requests, and suggestions. After the high Flint’s story gave me, I didn’t realize that you would continue to receive Brent’s story with enthusiasm, but you did. So, thank you all. I am sorry, but I cannot accommodate all your requests because I have to align them to how the story should flow. I got a request for a Riley-Krizzie story, but I already told you earlier that Charles’ story will be the last installment of this book. I can not add more because I realized I have been writing non-stop since December 2023. I needed to take a breather, too.I hope you understand. Plotting a story is easy, but thinking of the scenes, and the dialogues and making all the chapters come up seamlessly was what makes it a bit diff
Beth POVIn the next few months, Brent and I quickly settled into married life.It was not always a bed of roses because he was stubborn, and so was I. We had arguments, but it was not something we resolved later.Besides, Krizzie always reminded us that life with each other may be crazy but it was wonderful.Brent worked at the hospital, overseeing its daily management and operations. At the same time, I remained in the ward, working as a NICU nurse.Most of the time, we sneak out during my break to have cuddles in his office. Sometimes, it gets hot because my husband can't get his hands off me, but that was alright. I love it. "Beth, you are looking pale. Are you alright?" One of the staff nurses asked. I just got back from a bathroom break because I feel nauseated. My stomach churned unexpectedly, and I had to rush to the bathroom to vomit. I still don’t feel fine. "I must have eaten something that upset my stomach," I told her and resumed working. I picked up the tray of m
Brent POVSomeone cleared his throat, and not long after, I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Dude, that is too much public display of affection.” It was Flint, the Prince consort of Arkadia, with his wife, the Queen. There was a hush in the hospital lobby, and I knew exactly how everyone felt right that moment. There was this reverence as they eyed the royal couple. I felt it, too, even though they are my friends.It also did not help that the rest of my friends trickled in. Noah and his wife Briana came in, followed by Rowan and Hanna. Then Charles and Jenna came next. Last to appear was Marcus and his wife Martina. This time, the people in the lobby began to get noisy. They gushed over Marcus, who looked like he stepped out of the page of a magazine cover. I could not deny it. The Fords and Hunters gathered so much attention. It was a rare event to see them all together in one setting.The who’s who of Redwood City gathered in one place, making it hard for everyone not to react
Beth POVThe romantic date set the tone for the rest of our one-week leave until it was time to return to our real lives.“Goodbye, baby!” Brent called out to Krizzie’s departing figure while we watched her walk toward her building. We waited and watched until we saw her figure disappear when she entered her classroom. “She is growing.” I can’t help but be teary-eyed.Last night, Krizzie surprised us when she decided to sleep on her own bed. Brent and I stared at each other when she kissed us both goodnight and then returned to her room. “Krizzie?” I called her, feeling weirded out. “What Mommy?” She walked back to the bed where I sat. “Aren’t you going to sleep with us?” A frown marred my face when I asked.I patted the middle of the bed, urging her to climb in, but Krizzie only shook her head and smiled at me. “The Hunter triplets said I am old enough to be sleeping with Mommy and Daddy. They don’t.” She informed me. I nodded, feeling a little stuffy inside. I knew that it
Brent POVJust like what Noah said the night before, they were not at the hotel to see us off, but he gave instructions to his people to assist us. We got ready very early because Krizzie had classes. “Are you free today?” I asked Beth after we sent Krizzie to school. “You were the one who talked to my supervisor about taking a leave. How long did you apply for my leave?”“A week. You still have two more days of rest. Don’t worry, you won’t be alone. I want to spend more time catching up. What do you think?” I wiggled my brows at her, grinning mischievously. Beth slapped my chest.“I don’t like that look, Brent. I want to rest.” She warned me. She looked so d*rn cute that I stepped forward, arms spread to encircle her in my arms, and hugged her tight. Beth struggled in my arms. “Brent, people are staring.” She warned me, but I don’t care. I am too happy to care about what other people would think.“Let them.” I urged her and held her in my arms for a while longer. When I got
Brent POVKrizzie got back into our room right after, halting our talks. She knocked repeatedly on the door, prodding me to rise to my feet and open the door for her. Behind Krizzie, I saw Noah. “Thank you, Uncle Noah.” She said, turning her back on me to wave at Noah, who patted Krizzie’s head before meeting my fist for a bump. “Will you be alright here?” He checked on me, and I nodded. “Okay then. I will go ahead.” He told me.“Thanks, man! We will be checking out tomorrow morning.” I informed him while looking at the bed, where I saw Krizzie climbing in and snuggling with Beth. “Okay. I will inform the concierge in case we are not here. We are going home tonight.” Noah informed me before sauntering away. I went back to my family to join them in bed. Krizzie was asking Beth where we had been, and Beth was showing her pictures of us in the resort. “You went to the beach?” Krizzie exclaimed.I could see the dismay on her face. Beth hugged her. “We went on our honeymoon.
Beth POVI looked down from the chopper that was going to bring us back to Redwood toward the beach resort that served as our honeymoon getaway for three days and two nights and felt all the good things filling my heart. Without hesitation, I gave the property a little wave as we embarked on the journey back home. “Are you tired?” Brent asked when I leaned back on my seat and closed my eyes. I smiled naughtily. “Who wouldn’t? You did not give me a rest, Mr. Anderson.”The reprimand had no sting which was what I intended.It was the truth anyway. Brent grinned. “Did I wear you out, Mrs. Anderson?” He asked softly, but I could see the warmth in his eyes.I lifted my hand to flick his nose playfully. “I love you, Brent. Thank you for not giving up on me.” I told him.It was the truth. If Brent gave up on me, I think that would be a point of no return for the two of us. If he did not fight for us, I don't know if I would have the strength to stay and be with him. Brent did all t
Brent POV“Welcome to paradise,” I murmured in Beth's ears when the chopper drew close to the beachfront property that Rowan gifted us and prepared for landing.I held Beth close and motioned for her to look out the window so she could see what I meant. Her involuntary gasp was the response I was expecting and much more. "This is so beautiful Brent." She told me, eyes shining bright in awe. I nodded. "Indeed. The most beautiful." I agreed. Though I was not referring to our honeymoon getaway but to the woman before me. Beth, without a doubt, is the most beautiful woman my eyes have ever laid on, I decided. At the same time, I took my fill of her beauty, most especially her expressive eyes. “Your friends are wonderful.” She said evasively. She pulled her gaze away from me to avoid meeting my hot gaze, but I knew exactly what she was feeling. Her body became rigid next to me, and I smiled. Beth was self-conscious about the attention I was giving her. I took pity on her and gav
Beth POV“Ouch!” Brent grumbled when I nudged him hard on the ribs.He turned while rubbing his side to meet my glare. “Who told you to make bets on me?” I sounded stern.Brent looked nervous, and I smiled inwardly at the worry that registered on his face. “He was drunk, frustrated, and full of remorse that night, Beth. It was the time he learned about you dating that doctor. Brent felt threatened and felt cowardly. We need to do that to spur him on.” I did not realize Noah had been listening to our conversation. I did not hear his approach until he butted in to explain Brent’s side. Doubts covered my features as I stared at Brent to confirm. “Who won?” “I did!” Brent replied arrogantly. I pursed my lips. “How much did you win?” I asked, curious.“Apart from the beachfront property, close to ten million.” My eyes widened in shock. “Ten million for a bet? Wow!” My eyes rounded.“It started as a dare, Beth. But Brent did not start it. We did. We had hoped that it would bec