RONNELL POVNathan had conked out as soon as we hit the road, so we pulled over at a food truck for lunch. We ended up eating our tuna sandwiches in the car, with the window cracked open for some fresh winter air.“I bet you’ve never had tuna sandwiches in a car before,” Blair teased.“Nope, never even considered it,” I replied, taking a huge bite of my tuna, which was packed with egg, chicken, salad, and cheese. The flavors were exploding in my mouth. “I’m questioning a lot of my life choices right now.”She snorted, hiding her laughter behind a napkin. “It’s okay to be human and messy sometimes.”“Messy, I can handle it. It’s the human part that’s throwing me.”“Oh, come on. You can’t be serious.”“No, I mean, I really like order. It helps me stay sane.” I finished my sandwich, leaned back, and closed my eyes for a moment.“I don't think there's anything wrong with that, as long as it doesn't take over your life.” My need for 'order' had most definitely taken over my life by now. T
RONNELL POV“Uhmm… looking back, I think she was probably worried about me too. I might have thought that was a bad decision on her part, but I was becoming something else entirely. Turns out, kicking me out of the family was the best thing she could have done for me. I might still harbor a bit of anger, but working through manual labor and experiencing the real world outside my spoiled upbringing has given me a new perspective.” She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.I had spent countless hours consumed by fury, but rarely had my rage been so intense towards people I didn’t even know.And Blair seemed completely unaffected by it all.“Why don’t you seem upset about all of this?”Another bitter laugh escaped her lips. “I never said I wasn’t angry; I was furious. But it’s been so many years, and while I’m still working through abandonment issues, I recognize that she ultimately did me a huge favor. If I had stayed, things could have ended much worse. I might have ended up in an ab
I stared at Blair, who was running her hands through her hair in frustration. "It's not about that, Elliot," she said. "What you bought me is too expensive. I saw the price tags, and it's way too much."I scoffed. "I completely disagree. As your boss, it's my responsibility to make sure you have everything to do your job well. That includes professional attire. I wanted you to have all the clothes you tried on today...""And then you decided to buy even more stuff I didn't even see," she interrupted. "There were definitely clothes in there I've never seen before."“And then what?” I took the stubborn pad of her chin between my fingers. “Did you like everything there?” I asked, gently cupping her chin more. She filled her cheeks with air, then slowly released it, with her eyes narrowed on me. “You know that I did, Hana had impeccable taste.” “Yeah, she does, which is why she also shops for me as well.” “But it's too much,” she gently whispered this time. “No, it's not.” I gave her
BLAIR POVI sat on the bed, my wardrobe gaping open. Nathan was curled up in his blanket, lost in a world of baby babble. The room was a chaotic explosion of clothes, bags, and shoes.Racks of clothing stretched as far as the eye could see, and shelves groaned under the weight of designer bags and shoes. Every piece was undeniably my style but elevated to a whole new level. Even the pants had been magically hemmed to perfection overnight.It was mind-boggling. Ronnell was clearly the mastermind behind this wardrobe transformation. He had an uncanny ability to anticipate every detail."Hey, darling. Can you believe all this stuff belong to me? Isn't it wrong for Mommy to accept so much?" Nathan kicked his feet and stared up at the chandelier, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was absolutely smitten with that little chandelier. I couldn't blame him; it was pretty adorable.“Uhmm, I know that I told you about not hitting the rock with my body, but what about kissing a hard rock? Bec
BLAIR POVWhat the hell was wrong with me? I had hit the rock so hard. Making out with my boss without regard to the fact I was only wearing a nursing tank. No bra, and no pads was a very foolish move. “I'm wet.” I almost said in a whisper.Another rumble came from his chest. “That's a good thing. I don't understand why you look like you're a second away from passing out.”I closed my eyes, wishing I could have honestly just passed out. “Not wet there. Well, I was wet there too, but__God, Ronnell. I'm so fucking embarrassed right now. Could you just not look at me so I can run out of here with at least some shred of dignity left.”Still holding me, he leaned back, and I refused to look away like I had begged. I already knew what he was seeing: Damp fabric clinging to my traitorous nipples. “Is that breast milk?”“Yes,” I cringed. All of this was natural and beautiful when it came to feeding my child, but having a grown man like Ronnell witness this catastrophe had me feeling undesirab
BLAIR POVRonnell held my hands while he led me upstairs bypassing my room to enter his. The only time I had been inside his room was the first time I had come in to get my injury checked but this time around, he guided me to his bed, and nerves clawed through my belly.My breath hitched and my heart raced non-stop. “Ronnell, I don't think I'm ready for this.” I clutched his hands tightly like a lifeline. “I don't think I can—” he gently tapped my lips with his finger. “Shuuush__i’m not going to fuck you. We would just take things slowly but right now, I want you to lay down and let me make you c-m as many times as it takes to switch off your whirling dervish mind. Can you at least do that for me, please, princess? Can you be a good girl for Daddy and let me lick you?” Oh Goodness. My toes curled into the thick rug that I stood on, and I had to stop my eyes from rolling back to my head. Who the hell was this man to talk dirty to me so light-headed and still make me wet?His stares w
BLAIR POVI watched as Ronnell climbed over me, staring at my wet and clingy top. At this point, sweet butterflies had traveled all the way to my belly button. I was a mess, and I honestly didn't care, and he either didn't seem to care.With a soft groan that seemed wild, untamed, and sexy escaped his lips, he drove down to my chest and sucked the cotton into his mouth. Another moan escaped my own lips, then he tugged my tank down enough for him to lap at my damp flesh. If I had been more aware of anything other than how good he was making me feel, I might have paused to worry that he would end up running in disgust and irritation, but there was no room for that in my pleasure-drenched mind. Ronnell buried his face between my breasts, his tongue dragging over my milky skin. His breathing was heavy, panting heavily over me. His erection prodded my inner thigh through his sweatpants, but he made no move to find relief in me. And that was good. I wasn't ready, and he had turned me on,
BLAIR POV“HELLO!”Four capital letters and an exclamation point. That’s all it took to ruin my day. Ronnell and I didn’t even get to work until ten-thirty, but by noon, I was already drowning my sorrows in overpriced iced coffee with Samuel and Rosa. Smith had the audacity to text me.I couldn’t believe he actually had the nerve.“Wait, that’s all he said?” Samuel feigned shock, his exaggerated reaction providing a much-needed laugh. “That asshole—I mean, screw him.”Rosa pushed my phone back. “Listen to me, sweetheart. Do not reply.”"Oh, I wasn't planning on it," I groaned, rubbing my temples. A blissful night of uninterrupted sleep had felt like a distant dream. "I'd just started to forgive him, you know? Like, it wasn't even worth being mad anymore."Sam waved a fry in my direction. "Maybe he sensed your peace and decided to remind you he exists. Just to keep things interesting."Rosa chimed in, "Or he's really bored."I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my coffee. “Most likely tha
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