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71|What If-Part 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Save Him 72|What If-Part 2
At 5:00 AM, freshly showered and dressed, Natalie stood in front of the mirror, nodding her approval at her reflection. This was as professional as it would get in her black pencil skirt, white pussy-bow blouse and black heels, her hair pulled back in a low, chic bun. If it wasn't for a few unruly curls refusing to stay in place, she would have looked flawless. In the hallway, she grabbed her trusty coat, handbag and laptop and headed out.An hour later, she stood bewildered in front of her desk at work. Her steaming red latte wasn't there.Oddly disappointed and irritated at the inconsistency, Natalie turned on her laptop. If her mystery donor was going to do something, he shouldn't be half-assed about it, she thought crossly as she ran through her presentation.At 8:00 AM, Angela sent a change of venue notification to her inbox. The presentation had been moved to the fifth floor."Oh boy!" Natalie sighed, remembering the last time she was in that boardroom. On the bright side, it wa
Save Him 73|What If-Part 3
Smart Natalie screamed at her to abort the mission. The proposal was a very bad idea, and she shouldn't have taken Emily's suggestion about writing what she knew literally.But since she was leaving in three weeks, this was probably the only chance she'd ever get to be alone with Levi in a room, and she desperately wanted to clear up whatever misconceptions he had of her about Paul and their first meeting at The Empress.She knew he'd never want her, let alone love her back, but she wanted him to understand she didn't intentionally put herself in harm's way, and she didn't ask to be beaten up.If after this he still hated her, she was okay with that. But at least she'd tried to reach him.So she shut down her inner critic and paused in front of the window."Noelle has many sides to her, and they all actively influence her day and a large part of her choices. Depending on her choices, different meters will be affected," Natalie clicked through her meters slide.She'd listed three so fa
Save Him 74|Smiths Town-Part 1
They were speeding down a long stretch of lonely road, racing to an obscure coal mining town five hours away.Levi sat in the driver's seat, hunched over the steering wheel as he weaved and bobbed through the steady stream of cars, oblivious to the angry car honks he left in his wake.He was still fuming—no—enraged at Natalie's stunt earlier. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what had possessed her to skate close to the truth in her proposal.Was she trying to get his attention?To rile him up?Push him over the edge?She'd succeeded on all three.Sure he was dreading the long drive, anxious about what they'd find this time around. But maybe this trip was a blessing in disguise, to give him time to cool off and think things through about Natalie.Forcing his anger aside for the moment, Levi sighed and glared straight ahead, wondering what fresh hell awaited him at Crystal's hometown.She'd called last night in her raspy voice and booming laugh and announced she'd secured the
Save Him 75|Smiths Town-Part 2
Halfway through their trip, they topped up on petrol at a desolate fuel station and stopped for an early supper at a sleepy diner an hour away from Smiths Town.Their food was delivered by a bubbly waitress five minutes after placing their order.Martie chatted non stop while they ate. Her coffee tasted far better than the burger and fries special she'd practically bullied them into buying.She asked all sorts of things, happy to have guests from out of town. But her beady eyes narrowed with scepticism, and the smile she'd worn all along quickly vanished when she learned they were in the business of making games."Is that even a job?" she sneered as she shook her head. In her neck of the woods, men had to be out in the sweltering heat building roads and stuff with their hands or in the cold, shovelling snow and chopping wood.With their nice cushy jobs and fancy air-conditioned offices, Levi and Mark were not real men as far as Martie was concerned. She stormed off and poured all her
Save Him 76|Smiths Town-Part 3
They spent the next hour and a half canvassing the main street, hopping from one business to the next, flashing out Colleen's photo.The town didn't look so unnerving with the smattering of residents out and about now, rushing home after a long day of work. A few barely stopped, casting them suspicious looks as they scurried off, refusing to talk or even glance at the picture. Others paused long enough to give a cursory look at the photo before confirming they'd never seen Colleen.Their luck finally turned when they walked into the post office just before the 5:00 PM closing time. A clerk in the collections counter confirmed she'd picked Colleen up around the town square when she noticed she couldn't walk. She'd dropped her off at the bus station and sent her away with her uneaten lunch of peanut butter sandwich, or was it tuna?"Did she say where she was headed?" Levi asked, hoping for one more clue.But Martha crushed his heart when she shook her head. Colleen never spoke much. She
Save Him 77|Team Building-Part 1
"Are you kidding me?" Natalie rolled her eyes in exasperation when she drew the curtains, and bright sunlight flooded her room. The dark, heavy clouds that had blanketed the city over the past few days had disappeared overnight. The day was bright, the sky clear. This wasn't how her day was supposed to start.'On the bright side, you'll have a new partner for the three-legged race,' Hopeful Natalie was wide awake, ready to cheer her on as she turned to her closet.There was no way Levi would have kept her as his partner. Not after her disastrous presentation and their unpleasant phone call last night. She was pretty sure he swapped her with someone else as soon as he saw the roster.She spent a long time looking through her clothes, trying to find the right outfit. She had lots of cute dresses, perfect for picnic dates with her imaginary, hot boyfriend. None would work for the mud wading and wall climbing the Internal Comms team had in store for everyone. So she settled on short denim
Save Him 78|Team Building-Part 2
When the time for the three-legged race rolled around, Levi was anxious as fuck, convinced Natalie had ditched him, and they'd be disqualified from the race.She'd played far away from him after Jen's opening speech, choosing instead to spend all her time with the guys from her department when she wasn't participating in any activities.Of course, he'd spent the whole morning following her around with his eyes like a lovesick puppy until Mark took it upon himself to intervene and coax him into taking part in a 5-A-Side soccer tournament.Now, as Levi looked around him anxiously, he wished he hadn't given in to Mark's enthusiasm. He was sweaty and grimy, not at all the look he was going for, especially when he had to be up close and personal with Natalie in just a few minutes and woo the shit out of her.Where was she, he wondered as he roamed his eyes over the crowd.Hard as he tried to hide his smile when he saw Natalie stalk her way across the field, he couldn't. His lips seemed to
Save Him 79|Team Building-Part 3
"If you don't stop making those sounds—" Levi murmured as he pulled her even closer. "I won't be held responsible for what I'll do next.""No!" Natalie suddenly cried as she pushed away from him. "We can't.""We can't what?" Levi asked, a puzzled look in his eyes."This!" she said, waving her hands at the two of them."What's wrong with this?" he asked again, trying to reach for her, but she darted away and held herself away from him, firmly putting her walls back in place."Look, Natalie, we have to talk, and you have to tell me what's wrong.""Why would anything be wrong?" Natalie smiled even though there was a lot wrong, starting with how he broke her heart in his office and how she'd bled for him for thirty days and sent him text messages like a crazy person.She got angry all over again when she remembered how he'd ignored every one of her messages, and now he was smiling at her, like nothing ever happened, like he didn't leave her wounded and almost out of her mind with sorrow.S
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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
