LOGINShare
149|I'm Here Now-Part 2
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Related chapters
Save Him 150|Good Foundation
Levi left Natalie in her bed early on Saturday morning to grab his stuff from the B&B.She wasn't in her room when he came back, and her house was oddly silent, lonely almost."Natalie?" he called out as he moved through the place, checking the rooms."I'm in here."He followed the sound of her voice and found her in what he assumed was the master bedroom, her face a splotchy mess of tears as she looked through her family photos.He sat beside her and took a few of the pictures she'd spread out in front of her. All were of a stunning Cape Malay woman with the same eyes and shy smile as Natalie’s. In all the shots, she either had all the Taylor kids around her or had one of them in her arms or on her hip."So this is my mom-in-law," he teased her, smiling with relief when Natalie laughed tearfully.She bumped her head lightly on his shoulder, and he held it in place. "Who said I want to marry you?""You will!" he told her as he gently patted her bedhead."I've signed too many papers whe
Save Him 151|Enough Tears To Fill The Ocean
They set off for the hospital shortly after their shower and a quick cup of coffee. Natalie chose to ride with Emily, and Levi headed to the B&B where Mark and Seth were waiting for him.They were all over him as soon as he slid into the back seat."How's the honeymoon going?" Seth smirked in the passenger seat."Did you christen all the rooms in Natalie's house with all your makeup sex?" Mark asked, roaring with laughter."Shut up!""Anyway, we have a lead on Vivienne," Mark announced as he pulled away from the curb.Seth added, "Emily said Natalie has an invoice from a boutique in Rock Castle with their other boss' details. They'll send it to us when we get back.""What about the surveillance footage from that Heat place?" Levi asked, but he really wasn't holding his breath. He knew the tapes got wiped every so often."Apparently, they keep backups on an external drive," Mark announced, igniting his hope. "They'll get back to us in a day or two.""Where are we on the car? Anything?"
Save Him 152|Working Towards Something
They didn't have a plan after leaving the hospital. So they all ended up at Natalie's house and spent a large part of their Saturday evening going over Colleen's case.Natalie thought it would be better if they all worked backwards and tried to piece together everything about Colleen's disappearance from there."Okay, so November 5th is her last known sighting," Emily said from her place on the floor at Natalie's feet as she rapidly ran her hands on the keys of her MacBook.Levi didn't like the idea that she and Natalie were already so heavily invested in searching for his twin, especially with their close ties to Dreams. The last thing he wanted was to put them in danger. But he didn't have the heart to tell them they were not on the case. So he watched the two of them plot out a neat timeline on a PowerPoint presentation."Before that, it was October 28th, at Smiths Town," Natalie said. She seemed utterly absorbed with their slide. It was almost as if he, Mark and Seth weren't even
Save Him 153|Crazy Stupid Ways
They had a long journey ahead of them on Sunday, so they woke up early, took a quick shower and raced off to the hospital to see Natalie's siblings one last time before they drove back to Rock Union.Their first stop was the cemetery. Natalie wanted to see her parents and place flowers on their graves before leaving Sparrow Beach.So they walked to the chapel Levi had seen when they drove through town on Friday.He stood a respectable distance from her to give her some privacy while she spoke with her mom, but she waved him over.He knelt beside her and took her hand."Mom, this is the man I told you about the last time. He's a good man. Most of the time. But he does crazy stupid things, like picking fights with random strangers," she smiled tearfully, and Levi laughed.Yeah, crazy and stupid summed him up well, especially where she was concerned."But because of his crazy stupid ways, Jamie's going to be okay. And I wanted you two to meet, at least once," she openly wept, and Levi hug
Save Him 154|End Badly For Someone
Ten minutes before they were supposed to leave, everyone excused themselves to give Natalie some alone time with her siblings, and she spent the whole time crying over their shoulders while she hugged them.The weekend had flown by too quickly, and she wished she could stay longer. But she had work tomorrow."Nat," Amber said sternly. "You can't keep crying every time you come home. We'll be fine.""I know," Natalie said as she brushed away her tears. "But I should be here, looking after you guys.""That's what the nurses are for," Jamie said reasonably, barely looking up from his laptop. He was still fixated on the issues Levi had pointed out in his code."Besides, we'll have a caregiver when we leave here in a few days," Amber reminded her.Knowing they'd be in good hands throughout their recovery was the only reason Natalie was able to return to Rock Union somewhat relieved.She kissed them on their foreheads, and before she could slip out of the ward, Amber stopped her."He's a go
Save Him 155|The List-Part 1
By the time Emily dragged herself out of bed Monday morning, Natalie was almost done packing her clothes and boxing up her cutlery and the few pieces of decor she owned. She still had her flea market books to contend with. But she'd make them tonight's problem.Her phone went off on the end table.Emily grabbed it, mumbling when she handed it over, "it's a text from Aunty Viv."A sinking feeling settled in Natalie's tummy as she read the snippy message."She wants to meet tonight."She didn't realise she'd said the words out loud until Emily cursed."Fuck Nat! This is not good. Do you think she knows about the list?""I doubt it. She probably wants to check how the girlfriend contract's going," Natalie said, trying to keep the panic from her voice. But she was pretty sure Emily was right on the money about the list. There was no way Aunty Viv wanted to meet for a friendly dinner considering their last confrontation had left a bitter taste in both their mouths."Do you want me to come
Save Him 156|The List-Part 2
"Yes, she's alive, living an unassuming life," Aunt Viv replied at last."That's great. I'm so relieved," Natalie nodded and released a shaky sigh, her eyes shimmering brightly with tears.Aunty Viv clutched her hand tightly. "Promise me you'll stop looking into Jewel. Some roads lead to nowhere good, Noelle. Jewel is one of those roads.""But—" Natalie tried to say.Aunty Viv quickly cut her off, though. "No buts, Noelle! Drop this business about Jewel and leave the fucking client list alone. I won't have this chat with you again. The backers wanted you to know they've allowed you to keep your life because there are no names on that list. But if you do anything crazy again, no one can stop them from coming after you."Aunty Viv stood up, threw on her infamous leopard print coat and picked up her clutch before she drained her martini and sashayed out of the room.Terrified out of her head, Natalie ran to the bathroom and locked herself in one of the stalls.She quickly pulled out her
Save Him 157|My Person-Part 1
It was late, and they were both tired when they made it back to Green Point.Natalie ran straight to the guest room, but Levi was only too happy to dash her plans."Our room is over there!" He pointed at the master bedroom and promptly took her suitcase there. Her books and TV were still in the car. Mr Ackerman, his butler, would take care of them during the week.Like he knew she would, Natalie tried to argue with him. "But that's my room.""No, that's Colleen's room." Levi smiled and pushed her inside the walk-in closet. Mrs Ackerman had cleared some space, and the outfits he'd bought Natalie were already on the hangers and the shoes and handbags on the shelves."Don't you think things are moving too fast?" she asked, stepping deeper into the closet.Levi thought they were moving too damn slow. He wanted to fast forward to the parts where they were happy and without a care in the world. But there were still too many issues between them, like the upcoming visit to his folks' ranch an
Latest chapter
Save Him 214|Follow The Sun
"Something's different," Natalie murmured as she flicked her gaze through the room.Levi gave her a back hug and kissed the top of her head. "I installed shutters.""Why?""This is our second home, Nat, and I wanted you to feel safe and comfortable.""Thank you," she turned around and hugged him, resting her head on his chest. "The windows don't look as scary and frightening as they did when I first stayed over.""That was the plan. To make them look less frightening." He tapped her nose and asked, "are you hungry?""For something else.""I was hoping you'd say that!" he replied and promptly threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he carried her to their bedroom."You sexy brute!" Natalie scolded him. "Put me down. The housekeepers will see us!"But he paid her no mind and only set her down once they were in their room."Say it again," he commanded as he moved over her on the bed and nibbled her lower lip. "Tell me all the filthy things you want me to do to you."Natalie
Save Him 213|Precious Love
Natalie had to blink a few times at the picturesque scene before her. It was hard to believe this place, decorated splendidly in ivory and silver motifs, was the same town hall used by Sparrow Beach's residence association to host their weekly meetings."This is amazing," she whispered as she swept her gaze through the room, at all the tiny details, the little things she would never have thought of if she was left to her own devices. Cynthia and the wedding planners had done an incredible job transforming it into a venue fit for a grand wedding reception. Natalie couldn't pry her eyes away from string fairy lights draping the ceiling. But the smell of white lilies permeating the room transported her back to her balcony at The Empress the night Levi proposed to her, and she turned him down. It felt like a lifetime ago, and as she gave him a sidelong glance and caught him looking at her, she couldn't help but be glad he never gave up on her, and she had the sense to say yes on his sixth
Save Him 212|Runaway Bride
At the altar, Seth and Mark seemed to be way more nervous than Levi."Are you sure about this?" Mark asked for the hundredth time, and Levi gritted his teeth for the hundredth time."How many times should I tell you? I love Nat, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.""Well, I'm just saying marriage is forever, you know." Mark dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief."Why are you sweating? It's not even your wedding," Seth said as he pulled out his own handkerchief and patted his face."Can I have some water?" Liam asked. "God, I need some water. What did that crazy Russian do to me last night?""You fell for his dare again," Mark tried to fill in the blanks for him. "He made you a Russian fuck bomb—that's what he called it. Still don't know what was in it. But you were a goner after you drank that shit, and we had to help Eden carry you back to your room at the B&B.""No wonder she's mad as fuck at me," Liam whispered. "Is she looking at me right now? Guys, I can feel he
Save Him 211|Heart Is At Ease
The weatherman had predicted strong winds and heavy rain. But Natalie's big day dawned bright and sunny. The sky was as blue as the ocean behind her house, with no cloud in sight. Amber and Colleen thought it was a good omen, and Emily, not a believer of anything really, agreed with them."You are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen," Amber said for what felt like the hundredth time since Natalie had stepped into her wedding dress.They were in one of the smaller administration rooms on the chapel's grounds, and the stylists had turned it into a makeshift dressing room."What are you talking about? I'm the only bride you've ever seen!" Natalie teased, but she really was overwhelmed by all the love her sister and friends had shown her, and she was trying so hard not to cry and ruin her makeup."Just accept the compliment already," Colleen scolded her as she fussed over the hem of Natalie's dress."Yeah, Nat, you need to learn to work on accepting compliments graciously," Emily agre
Save Him 210|Cold Feet
"Is everything okay with you two?" Colleen approached him. "I'm sensing a weird vibe. Are you guys getting cold feet?""I don't know about Nat, but I'm not," Levi replied and pushed his hands in his pockets. "How was she today? I don't know…These last two weeks, she's been so calm.""And how is that a bad thing?""Because I know Nat. A wedding is a huge, life-altering event, and she doesn't do life-altering events well. Her knee-jerk reaction is to run. I'm just scared that—Never mind.""No," Colleen refused to let him leave her with half the info. "You're scared of what?""She's too calm, Leeny. The last time she was this way was when she threw you the welcome party. The very next day, she made a run for it without telling me about the twins.""That was months ago!" Colleen reminded him. "You're overthinking this. I've seen the way Nat looks at you. She's crazy about you and your babies. She won't leave you in the lurch! Besides, where would she run to? This is her home town."Right,
Save Him 209|Midnight Rendezvous
Julian and Andrei took it upon themselves to throw Levi the biggest and craziest bachelor party Sparrow Beach had ever seen.And Levi was only happy to blame Mark for everything."What did I do? I followed your 'no bachelor party' rule to the T." His best friend held up his hands as they watched Liam, Jaxon and Matthew try to outdrink each other over a beer pong game."That's exactly why it's your fault. You didn't enforce the rule hard enough," Levi replied, his attention stolen away briefly by Julian and Andrei sipping champagne from the navel of one of the three models-slash-strippers they'd flown in for the occasion.The said model was laid out on the pool table, her half-naked body out on display for everyone to see, and Levi wondered just how Joe had allowed this debauchery to carry on at his family-friendly establishment."Seriously, Mark, as my best man, how do you think Natalie will feel about all this crap?"Ten—maybe even two years ago—this was totally his scene. But now, a
Save Him 208|One Thing Right At Least
In theory, the idea of having twins had sounded fun and appealing. But the reality was far from it, as Natalie and Levi soon learned over the next few weeks.Indeed, it was double the blessing, double the fun, and double the joy. But it was also double the work, and it didn't help that the first week after they brought them home, Juno and Mars decided to go on different sleep schedules.If she and Levi didn't have a strong support system to rely on, Natalie knew they would have lost their minds in those first few weeks.Mrs Ackerman semi-moved in with them, splitting her time between the Blue Mountains and Green Point. It was nice having her around; she was a pro at the never-ending laundry of tiny-sized human clothes and the general upkeep of the house.Levi suggested hiring a nanny full time, but Natalie wasn't sold on the idea. She wanted to be hands-on and involved in the twins' upbringing."Love, it's not working," he said after one particularly difficult night. They were running
Save Him 207|Life's Little Moments
Natalie received a clean bill of health five days after the twins' arrival, and two days later, they were all finally allowed to leave the hospital.After months of being cooped up in bed and eating terrible hospital food, she couldn't get home fast enough.She couldn't stop raving about all the stuff she'd do when they got home, like taking an actual shower and sleeping in her own bed—all the things she used to take for granted before her bed rest.Zachary and Carlos picked them up, and they spent a few minutes gazing at the twins in their double infant stroller, trying to decide who they resembled the most."I really can't tell who they look like," Carlos admitted at last."Neither can we," Levi said with a smile as he covered the twins with a light blanket and turned to Natalie. "Ready to go?"She took one last look around the ward, ensuring they had all their stuff. Satisfied everything was packed away, she nodded. "Yep, let's go home."She hooked her arm around Levi's, and he pus
Save Him 206|Juno and Mars
Levi called his assistant on his way back to the hospital and cancelled all his meetings for the week."Sir," Angela said before they could hang up. "We are all thinking of you. Norah and Natalie's team are beside themselves with worry. But she's a fighter. She'll be out of the hospital in no time.""Thank you," he smiled into the phone, praying with all his heart she was right. He'd lose his mind if anything had to happen to Natalie and their twins. They'd come too far for him to lose her now, especially after everything they'd been through.After he hung up from Angela, he called Amber. She was hysterical, and it took him a long time to calm her down and assure her Natalie, and their babies were fine, and there was no need for them to drive down to Rock Union.He was immensely relieved when he found Natalie sitting up, chatting with his folks and her bestie.Now that he was back, his parents and Emily excused themselves, promising to return later to relieve him."See, I told you I'l
