RONNELL POVThe rain drummed a relentless pace on the windowpane, mimicking the frantic beat of my heart. Blair's email echoed in my mind, a constant loop of brief sentences. Every second Blair's response lingered in my inbox felt like a drip of ice down my spine. My desk drawer, a neat stack of her handwritten schedules mocked me with their perfect clarity. Each word, each number, a testament to her carefulness. It wasn't until Roy's schedule, a scrawled mess of crossed-out lines and incomprehensible numbers, landed on my desk that I truly noticed Blair's perfect handwriting. Now, counting Roy's mistakes felt like a crime.His words were written roughly and I could hardly understand. I had a feeling of wrongness I hadn't able to shake. And Blair had been no help at all. She had taken far too long to respond to a simple email, and when she finally did, it had been to back Roy up. So, I was either going insane or Roy was definitely not competent with his work. If this was some sort
RONNELL POV"This is what happened," I began, launching into a detailed account of hiring Blair and her initial attainment. "Ella had recommended her, and let me tell you, Blair was impressive. She brought in new clients, kept my schedule running like clockwork..." My voice trailed off as I picked up one of the notes, the white a contrast to the unrest brewing inside me. "I don't know why you still do that," he finally interjected, his voice low and serious. "The schedule thing. It's a crutch, a way to control everything. You need to let go of some of that power,”"I don't think I can because it works for me," I snapped, a touch of defensiveness creeping into my voice. "Everything runs smoothly, efficiently. And that isn't the entire point of this discussion, William."There was a beat of silence, then a sigh from the other end of the line. "Look," William said, his voice calm but firm. "I understand you have your system. But can you please just get to the point? What did you find?”
RONNELL POVI pulled up in front of Blair's house and parked at the driveway. I had never been here before. From the background check I had done on her, I had known that she owned a home, but I hadn't let myself look any further into her. Nor had I come up with a reason to drop by on an evening or weekend despite repeated temptation. Blair lived in a two-story craftsman. Its modest exterior provided little hint from the outside. There wasn't a landscape, a crumbling porch, painting chopping off the rails and trim. The windows couldn't have done much to regulate the temperature. They had to be at least forty years old, and only half had a screen on them. This surprised me because I had never thought of Blair in this way but her house was a bit of a wreck.The neighborhood was all right. At least she wasn't in imminent danger of being shot or mugged when she stepped outside. There were no cars in the driveway, so I wasn't certain that she was home.I reached for the doorbell but hesi
BLAIR POVConfined to my tiny room – or sometimes Nathan's – cabin fever had finally set in. Today, desperate for a change of room, I'd dragged some blankets downstairs to pad the rough concrete floor. Nathan's play mat bestowed a small comfort amidst the wreckage of the apartment.Of course, today of all days, Ronnell decides to show up. He crouched beside my son, his large frame dwarfing Nathan's tiny one while peering at him as he windmilled his arms and kicked his feet happily. He hadn't said anything, so maybe the sight of my precious son had blinded him to the wreckage surrounding him. “Hello big guy,” he rumbles softly. “I'm glad that we get to see,” I moved around them so I could see what he was doing. But instead, Nathan clutched his index finger in his little fist, and he didn't seem in a hurry to rip his hands away from him. Nathan was a curious little creature, but he was gazing up at Ronnell, his eyes wider than I had ever seen them before. “He doesn't usually put up w
RONNELL POVMy hands wrapped around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as my grip tightened. I'd intended to pull away from Blair's… well, it was hard to call that place a house. But here I was, still parked in the driveway. Anyone else in this situation, I'd have bounced. Her living conditions weren't my concern.As long as she showed up for work on time and churned out perfect reports, that was all that mattered. I didn't need to know the details of her life.But Blair… Blair was different. Seeing her like that, with Nathan in that trashed apartment… it stirred something in me, something I couldn't quite define. Maybe it was the vulnerability in her eyes, so different from the steely professionalism she wore at work.The image of Nathan, his chubby hand clutching my finger, flashed in my mind. A surprising warmth bloomed in my chest. It was ridiculous. Kids weren't part of the plan. Yet, there he was, a tiny human who, for some inexplicable reason, had made me happy. A sigh
BLAIR POVCrisp wind nips at my fingers, but I won't give in just yet. I knew that I didn't have to live with Ronnell. Then again, I also don't need to have a baby or go bankrupt. Yet, boom---here I was. My life was full of surprises, even for me. Just a few months ago, I couldn't have imagined this. I would have laughed at Ronnell's demand to move in with him. But those few months have been a nightmare of worry, sleepless nights, racing thoughts, and chewed-down fingernails.I was exhausted. Tired of fighting a battle I already knew that I couldn't win. Tired of being the only one in my town. Just fucking tired of everything. I had never known what it was like to feel this much exhaustion to my bones until now. This entire weariness had started seeping in when Smith had shoved all responsibility to me and I understood that he had never shown up, not even for Nathan.The thing was, I had known I shouldn't have been living in that house under those conditions, but I had been so heavy
BLAIR POV“Hey, are you okay?” Ronnell asked patting on my shoulder, but his hands right there on my shoulder didn't seem to help matters as I choked on my cough even more. He strolled towards the fridge in a hurry still clutching Nathan in his hands, and soon, he was back with a bottle of water which he handed over to me. “Forgive my bad manners!” He said while Nathan kicked his legs and stared up at him like he had just seen the best friend of his life. His big blue eyes were fascinated, locked on Ronnell and hardly even blinking. I took another bite from my beef dumplings and wiped my mouth. “You're good at holding babies. Have you been around many?”He shook his head before speaking. “Nope, this is the first one.” He dragged his fingertips along Nathan's cheek. “And I did some reading on that subject.”From anyone else, that would have honestly sounded very silly but I knew this man. Ronnell Roman didn't do anything unless he knew every damn angle before going in. When I thought
BLAIR POVWhen Nathan and I finally made our way downstairs the following morning, the house was eerily quiet. As usual, Ronnell had left early, but he’d also left me pancakes on a plate on the kitchen counter, along with a note and a card.I gently picked the note off, before reading the contents.°°°°°Blair, There's youghut, milk and juice in the freezer and groceries will be delivered at 12 p.m. I had no idea about what you would love to have, so I ordered almost everything you might need. You can make a list for I had made a mistake of not asking what you might really need. I have a dinner to attend tonight, so unfortunately I won't be back early before dinner to eat with you. I left a list of restaurants where I have a tab if you like to order. The card pin is 4233.You are welcome to stay here as long as you want.Yours, Ronnell°°°°°°°I walked towards the fridge, and not only was there yoghurt, milk, and juice but right beside it was an iced cocoa from my favourite cafe. H
EPILOGUETWO YEARS LATER“Ronnell, I’m fine___you don't need to follow me everywhere.” Blair muttered in frustration. “I’m sorry if I'm worried about the both of you like a husband and a father should…” Ronnell responded with a cute pout. Even after two years of being together, he still wasn't fed up of his wife, rather he even craved more of her as the day went by.“I know but I need to be free, not caged.” She joked, walking into the kitchen to grab herself more snacks. “The doctor said you will be ready to pop any day now and I want to make sure you don't wonder around and have a baby somewhere unpleasant.”“Pop? You make it sound like I'm carrying a balloon and I know what the doctor said, and I know where I'm going to go but you won't even let me outside the house.” Blair grumbled, grabbing herself some pickles , cheese, tuna, peanut butter and some fresh grilled meat . Ronnell looked at her with an arched eyebrow. “It's not me. It's your child who's making me eat these weird
BLAIR POVWilliam stumbled out of Daniel's hospital room, looking more like a ghost than a man. "Can you believe it?" he muttered, rubbing his face. "Shot in the butt, and still acting like he's on cloud nine. They're taking him in for surgery, but he told them to leave the scar big and bold. He said, and I quote, ' Chicks dig scars.' That guy, he's... unbelievable____."He broke off, and Ronnell didn't hesitate to pull his oldest friend into a tight hug. Sarah stationed herself to the side, rubbing them both up and down their backs. Daniel was going to live. He had been fine. A gunshot to the ass wouldn't stop him for long. But there had been long, harrowing minutes of silence where none of us had known where he had been hit. Okay, firstly we thought it was his chest that got shot because all we saw was blood. So much blood. Daniel had passed out from the pain and blood loss, and I had watched William and Mia crumble. They had fallen to his knees and cried over Daniel's body. Mathe
RONNELL POVBlair’s body shook like a leaf, her teeth clacking against each other as she tried to mask her terror with a forced smile, I grabbed her hands and pulled her close to me.The reason for her panic was clear as day.Tyler, the asshole whose lease I had terminated, had crashed the party, and he had brought with him Blair's mother, the woman who had abandoned her daughter years ago. I knew something was off when she didn't show, but this was a whole new level of wrong. I didn't see this coming, and I didn't like it one bit. A no-show at the bar was bad enough, but this? This was a total shock. I didn't expect this twist, and I definitely wasn't prepared."Don't worry, Princess. I've got this." I pressed a reassuring kiss to her temple. "No one is going to hurt you."I gave her to Mia and Sarah, who enfolded her between them without me having to say a single word. Then I stepped forward to intercept the two unwanted guests, Weston and Mathew, on one side of me, security guard
BLAIR POVI had been more of a wreck than I had suspected. It had taken me several minutes to clean up the black tear tracks from my cheeks. Once I was good as new and there was no chance of more tears, I left the restroom, eager to find Ronnell. Hopefully, he was finished with the security. I didn't think I had properly thanked him for the name of the building. Then again, the way I wanted to thank him was better left behind doors. My dress swished around my legs as I strode down the hall. The clinking of glasses and din of conversation swirling with the music from the string quartet grew louder with each step, but as soon as I reached the mouth of the hallway, a man stepped in front of me, stopping me dead in my tracks.“Hey, Blair.”The last time I saw Tyler, he had been making a scene in front of Ronnell's company. We hadn't heard from him since, so I had assumed he had slinked back into the slimy hole he had come from. Apparently not,“Tyler, you shouldn't be here. Ronnell told
BLAIR POVI walked back into the kitchen to find Daniel holding the monitor, and the others were gathered around, intently watching the live feed from the nursery.“Are you spying on my baby?” I teased. “Yes,” Daniel responded unabashedly. “This is cool as hell. You can just watch your kid whenever you want to?”“Of course, I can. I’m not as neurotic about watching him as I used to be, though.”Mia laughed. “Let me guess, Ronnell is?”I grinned. “Uhmmm, he finds it soothing having the monitor really close by.”William shook his head. “Yeah, I can see Ronnell as a total hover father.” When he realized what he had said, that he called Ronnell a father, he clamped his mouth shut. “Hey, it's fine,” I assured him. “He is absolutely a hover father, but I like it. It makes me feel not so crazy.” Daniel turned the sound up to listen in on Ronnell and Emmanuella talking. “Can I be aunt Emmanuella already?” “Yeah, that would be alright with me and Blair.” Emmanuella sighed. “I think you s
RONNELL POVDinner was easy and totally stress free. Frankie was babysitting Nathan upstairs, and as much as I loved my son very much, I had to admit having adult time was a very nice change.After we ate, Blair went upstairs to feed Nathan before we left for the party while the rest of us cleaned up. There wasn't much to clean up since we had ordered in, but there were a few dishes and utensils.Emmanuella held up a plastic container. “Do you recycle or do you keep these for spare storage?”“You can recycle.” I opened a cabinet to show her the stack of take out containers we had kept. “we have tons of collections.”Her eyes flared. “Oh my God. Ronnell! Don't tell me you do not cook for my best girl? Don't you know that you are suppose to cook for your girlfriend. I and my Fiancee are terrible cooks, but he's marginally better, so he insists on doing most of the cooking. Blair deserve that amount of treatment too.”“She does deserve it, you are right.” I lifted a shoulder, unbothered.
BLAIR POVThe day of reckoning finally arrived. Smith was due in town, and we had to confront him with the truth: Ronnell, not him, was Nathan's father. We'd exchanged a few text messages over the past week, but each day had brought a growing unease. Something about this whole situation felt... off.Perhaps, I was nervous because I had left him believing that he was the father of Nathan. Ronnell came into the room carrying Nathan. He had learned to blow raspberries recently and hadn't honestly stopped showing off his new skill. Anyone who came within arms reach of him instantly became drenched in his saliva, but nothing dettered Ronnell. When he saw his new trick, he proclaimed him a super genius and didn't even blink when he drenched his shoulder with his drool. “He hasn't replied yet?” Ronnell questioned patting Nathan softly on the back. “No.” I held up my phone. “I guess he is busy saving the world to reply but he's a notoriously bad texter, so…”I hadn't heard from Smith for a
BLAIR POVRonnell offered me my job back, and I happily accepted. I was relieved to learn he hadn't let go of his new assistant; instead, he transferred her to another department. I sat down at my desk, unable to keep the satisfied smile off my face. Being in love and being loved back made my mundane, everyday tasks feel a lot less tedious.I was so excited to be back to the office and my desk. As I pulled my belongings from the neatly stacked box, I noticed a small tear in the cardboard. To my surprise, the tampon inside had been jostled loose and was now upside down and facing the wrong way.My palms were sweaty as I picked up the envelope. The papers inside were scattered and rumpled, and a cold dread washed over me. Someone had been searching through my things. The only person who had been in the office and could go through my stuff was Ronnell. Had he found my papers?But…but… he hadn't even mentioned it to me, and we had barely even spent a second apart from each other yesterda
RONNELL POV I didn't want to miss more of this so I wrapped my arms around her middle as my shoulders shook, I clung to her with a franticness that didn't make sense but felt real nonetheless. “Fuck, Ronnell,” she whispered. “You don't need to feel bad because everything is okay. We understand each other now.” Lowering herself to the bench, her knees on the outside of my hips, she held my face in her hands gently. I should have been mortified by the tears I had let loose, but she pressed her lips to each one, never asking where they had come from or why they were even there. She kissed them away. Just like that.My Blair. My princess.Her fingers stroked through my wet hair, and her lips slid along my cheeks, soothing me, caring for me in the way only she could.“I love you, Ronnell.” She murmured. “I have cared for you for a long time, even when you drove me mad, but I think it started to turn into love when I walked into my bedroom after you let me sleep all night and there you