Martina POV“We are going to sleep over here.” Riley declared when their father told them to pack up so they could retire to their house across the street.“Yeah, daddy. Uncle M is here with his babies with Aunt Martina.” Brixx seconded.“Daddy R is also here with Aunt Hanna and Rohan Joy. We can’t leave.” Mason declared.Noah could only scratch his head at times like this.“We are going to miss playing with our cousins,” Riley added, enough for their father to relent.“Okay, but Mommy and I will go home
Martina POVMarcus made love to me gently, and tears blurred my eyes. When we finished, he gathered me close to his chest while both our gaze shifted to our twins who lay peacefully in the cot Briana ordered for them. “Why are you crying?” He asked. He raised his torso a little higher to better check my reaction. “I am just overflowing with happiness.” “Me, too.” Sleep comes easily now that we don’t have anything to worry about.We are together and on our way to building the family we both wanted. The next morning, I was surprised to find the twins in bed with us. Their cot was connected to the bed, and they crawled between us.They were facing Marcus while their backs were to me. “Dada!”“Dada!”They kept hitting Marcus’ face when he did not wake up.Macy turned her head to look in my direction, and I quickly closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. “Mama. Mama.” She hit my face lightly with her palm, but I did not open my eyes, wanting to know what they would do next. Ma
Marcus POVI saw the hesitation on Martina’s face, and I realized I mishandled things.“Goldstone, can you please give us a minute.”I did not wait for Anthony’s reply. I pulled Martina to her feet and brought her back to our room.I made a signal to Marie, and she understood. She will take care of the twins while we are gone.“I am sorry.”I told Martina when the door to our room closed.She bit her lip.
Marcus POVMy eyes widened in surprise. Martina pre-empted me. That should have been me kneeling on the floor, proposing marriage to her, not the other way around. But instead of pulling her up, I kneeled before her.If I can’t beat her, then I must join her.Martina’s eyes widened when I pulled a box out of my pants pocket. “Since I have the ring, let me do this properly, love.” I opened the box to take out the diamond solitaire ring.“I bought this in Europe two years ago.” Martina’s eyes flared in wonder while she lapped up my words. She opened her mouth to comment, but I put my index finger to shut her up. “Yeah, we were divorced by then. But when I saw this ring, I could not help thinking that this should belong to you. I bought it with you in mind.” Martina teared up at my confession.She bit her lip, trying to choke back a sob, but failed miserably. She was openly crying now. Her face contorted in regret. Despite that, she was still the most beautiful woman I had ev
Marcus POVMy brothers started to make a racket. They kept chanting, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”Briana’s twins kept crying, “Gross!”They would try to cover their eyes with their fingers, but you could see that they were peeping from the gaps between their fingers, waiting for me to kiss Martina before groaning.“Ewww!”“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” My brothers continued to chant.Their hecklings put a frown on my son and daughter’s face, but after a while, with a lot of prodding from their older cousins, joined in the merriment.They abandoned their toys and stood from their playpen, hands on its padded fence for balance.They were jumping, more like bouncing on their feet in time to the claps made by my notoriously troublesome brothers.Martina shyly covered her face with her palms.She was blushi
Martina POVAfter our impromptu wedding at the mansion Marcus purchased from Briana, and the breakfast we shared with his family in the garden area, the Ford siblings started to split, claiming they had appointments or plans for the day.Briana was the last to leave.“We’ll go ahead. The triplets have school, and Elijah is getting fussy.” Brina explained.She kissed Marcus on the cheeks, then the twins. When she neared me, Briana gave me a warm hug.“Welcome to the family, Martina. One day, let’s have coffee and chat.” She patted my back.
Martina POVMarcus’ one-month leave flew by swiftly. Today was his first day back at the office. After a heated lovemaking, I sighed and rolled out of his embrace.“Why the long sigh? Do you want me to file another leave of absence?” Marcus abandoned the comforter when he turned to his side to face me.The appalling suggestion made me turn around and go face-to-face with his naked chest. I gulped. “Rosewood Hotel will go bankrupt if you skip another day. Go to work, Marcus!” I pressed my palms to his chest to push him away when he inched closer, snaking his arms around me. The heat of his body sent tingles up my spine. “We are rich. We won’t go poor just because I don’t want to work.” Marcus groaned when I evaded his grasp and sat up on the bed. But that was a wrong move. Now, my naked body was fully exposed to his lustful eyes. Immediately, my hands gripped the ends of the comforter to wrap it around my body. “Why so shy? I’ve seen your body countless times, love.” His com
Martina POVMarcus’ face contorted when he saw Macy struggling in my arms, her little arms stretched toward him, wanting to be held.“Daddy’s leaving. Say bye-bye.” I urged her, but my little girl was adamant.She was reaching out to her father like he was her lifeline.“Macy, Daddy will be back. He’s just going to work.”“No. Daddy. Don’t leave.” She cried.I had not realized that she had become more attached to Marcus.Yesterday, she was not this cl
Flint POVJust as I was about to seal Anna’s lips with my own, we heard Penelope cry. We broke apart and raced up the stairs. “Daddy!” Penelope’s tear-drenched face lifted up in our direction when we opened the door to our room. She was standing on her cot. Her arms were outstretched toward me, silently asking to be pulled up. I didn’t think twice about responding to my daughter’s distress call. In three strides, I was in front of her. I cupped her chin.“Did you miss Daddy?” I asked gently. Longing pierced me when I saw her face. It was unfathomable how the two of us had become quite attached when we only knew about each other’s existence a few days ago. The connection was so strong. “You reek of alcohol.” Anna reminded me when I bent down to pick Penelope in my arms. “Just a while, dear. Let me comfort our daughter for a while." Anna stood to the side, watching while I rocked Penelope. I swayed my body from side to side while my little girl clung to me. Then, her eyes ha
Anna/Linda POVFlint stared at me like I had grown another head or something.It was disconcerting.This is why I rarely tell people who I am."Flint," I called him, afraid he would change his mind about me."Sorry." Flint shook his head as if he was still trying to let the information sink in and was trying to absorb it."Any more secrets I should know?" Flint asked.Now it was my turn to look stunned."You didn't think it was
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