Ronnell POVI stared at Blair who looked worried and distressed, I gently wrapped my arm around her shoulder, I dipped my head down to whisper some reassurance in her ear. “You don't need to panic, you did nothing wrong, Princess.”Then I turned to address the rest of the table. “Blair and Nathan are staying with me and have been for a couple of months.”Blair's eyes peeked around before her voice boomed through the room. “Ronnell caught me at my worst. It was so embarrassing and a really long story. Unfortunately, Nathaniel's dad left me in a major lurch. My house was in a big mess, and I…well, let's just say it was a bad situation. Ronnell refused to let us stay there, so we're living at his place, temporarily.”Silence followed for several moments. Sarah was the first to break the silence. “Well, of course he did. Ronnell would take his shirt off his back for people who are clearly important to him.” Sarah patted Mathew's arm, no doubt sending a silent message to keep his mouth sh
Ronnell POVHad I not left Nathan's pants in the bag on the table, I wouldn't have returned to retrieve them after using the restroom. Consequently, I wouldn't have discovered the convenient side exit door, instead of having to navigate through the crowded dining area to the front door.If I hadn't left through the patio, I never would have heard William call me a Mother Crises. If I had been able to move my feet and open my mouth, I could have freely announced my presence and wouldn't have heard Ronnell's friends question why in the world he would be with me if not to save me from the same fate his mother must have also suffered. If only…I had heard everything, and even though I had tried to play it cool by rushing back inside and exiting out of the front door instead, I couldn't pretend well enough for Ronnell not to have figured it out that something was off. The moment we got back home and I had put Nathan in bed for the evening, Ronnell took me by the shoulders and led me into
BLAIR POVI wandered through the home improvement store, aimlessly, my mind a blank slate for home renovation ideas. Nathan, strapped securely to my chest, seemed more interested in the colorful displays than I did. As I browsed my way through the store, a spark of inspiration ignited, a vision of my revitalized home taking shape in my mind.“Maybe paint should be the first plan. What do you think, Nathy?” He kicked his feet, which I took instantly as an agreement, so I stopped in front of the swatches. “Now, what color should we pick? We can't paint the whole house blue like your room, even though I love it. Do you even know that I picked it for you before we even met, and it suits you? The thing is, not everyone loves it as much as we do, so we have to go neutral if we eventually sell the house. Mama wants a pretty neutral environment though, not boring white.”A throat cleared next to me, followed by a low chuckle. I had been so entranced by all the colors that I hadn't noticed Nat
BLAIR POVWilliam extended his hand, his throat clearing as he did so. Ronnell hesitated to release me, but eventually did, his arm still resting protectively around my shoulders.William held my hand between both of his. “Let me start by saying that I went out of line. I know you heard what Mathew and I said, and I'm horrified. I apologize for hurting you. That was not my intention, but it doesn't matter because I know I did. So, I'm sorry Blair.”I slightly nodded my head, while swallowing hard. It was clear he meant it, but Ronnell was stiff beside me. Maybe he wasn't as forgiving, but I didn't have any ill will towards William…or Mathew, for that matter.“You were looking out for Ronnell.” I knocked my head against Ronnell's arm. “I can't fight you for that.”Mathew cleared his own throat as he made his way towards the living room. “Go ahead and fight us for it. We were assholes, underestimating both you and Ronnell.”I would have shrugged, but Ronnell was holding me tight enough
BLAIR POVThings were finally looking up. For the first time in ages, I felt like I had my life under control. Just when I thought I was finally out of the woods. Boom, Smith decided to rear his ugly head.Christ, I hated him.Hated. Smith.He had texted me once last week, and I had just rolled my eyes at the text. SMITH: hello, Blair! I know that it has been a long time since we had talked, but we need to catch up as soon as you have a minute. I want to know how the baby is, and how you are. We have a lot to discuss.We obviously have nothing to discuss. Not over text, and we were never going to see when he had been an asshole with no intention of stepping up when I relaid the news to him at first. He just didn't get the chance to jump in whenever he liked without any concern for the waves he had made.This week was even harder to ignore.SMITH: hey love, I get it that you're angry, but you can't keep my baby from me. I want to meet him. I keep emailing you messages and plans so we
BLAIR POVI woke up in Ronnell's arms the following morning. He had one leg thrown over mine, locking me against him, and his fingers were stroking my hair gently.Seeing him watching me in the dim, early morning light, I smiled, my lids still heavy with sleep. “I don't remember falling asleep like this.”“You rolled into my arms as soon as your eyes closed.”Despite Smith's message hanging over our heads, we had a wonderful night out, just the two of us. Outside of work lunches, we had never gone on a date. Kind of crazy, considering we were basically cohabiting, even temporarily.We had good food, had delicious drinks, laughed, flirted, and then came back home at eleven p.m. exhausted–with absolutely no shame about it.“Hmmm.” I kissed his bare chest and sighed. “That sounds like something I would do.”“I would have pulled you onto me if you hadn't.”I laughed softly. “That sounds like something you would do.”Since the first night he shared my bed, he hadn't left it. With Nathan in
RONNELL POVMy original one-week trip plan was extended to two weeks due to unforeseen commitments that couldn't be postponed.Upon my return to my hotel room, I sought solace in the most comforting part of my day: bedtime with Blair and Nathan. As Blair nursed our little champ, I chatted with them both, watching Nathan grow drowsy.“He looks bigger, Princess.”Blair grinned widely. “That sounded like an accusation.”“It was. I told Nathan not to change while I was gone. He promised.”“You and I know that two weeks is a long time in the grand scheme of his short little life, you know. But I will be stern and forbid him from growing even more.” she wagged her finger at Nathan. “Did you hear that, no more growing up until Ronnell is back home, Nathy?”Nathan coo-shot me in the gut. A few more days, and I would be back with them. Blair finished nursing Nathan before putting him in his bassinet for the night. He was sincerely becoming bigger. Soon, he would need a crib. We would have to
RONNELL POVSmith cleared his throat before speaking. “I'm sorry Ronnell but I don't know what Blair has been telling you, that is not exactly how things went down. I had to come back to the Netherlands to—-”I raised a brow. “To what? What possible reason could you have for abandoning Blair with a damn house you knew damn well that you had placed on collateral? You knew that she would be left with nothing but you still did what you wanted, didn't you?”He held up his hand. “Not everything is as simple as that. I know that I made a few mistakes, but if you speak to Blair, you will know that I'm trying very hard to make things right. Blair and the baby would be coming here—-”“What is his name?”“His mouth fell open. “what?”“The baby. What's his name?”He stared at me, and I practically saw his brain trying to shake off a thick coating of dust so he could use it. But it was of no use. “I… don't know. But that isn't the point.”“You're right. The point is, you are a deadbeat, and if y