RONNELL POVNathan had been sobbing for nearly a minute before I could bring myself to pick him up. In all my years, I had never imagined my heart could shatter so completely or that such a tiny creature could have such a profound effect on me.But as quickly as he had broken my heart, he gave me a new life. Pulling back, my baby boy gazed at me, little teardrops clinging to his long lashes, his beautiful eyes. Then, without warning, he dove into my neck, squirming his tiny body closer and closer.Holy Christ, I had almost broken down in my own tears. Blair's thoughtful welcome home gesture melted my heart. She had decorated the living room with festive balloons, twinkling lights, and a banner that read, 'Welcome home, Ronnell.' As if that wasn't enough, she had also baked a delicious cake with the same message.Never had I received such a welcome from someone.No one…Only her.The three of us kept each other close for the remainder of the day. Even while Blair was nursing, Nathan
RONNELL POVThe paper, still trembling in my grasp, held a revelation that shattered my whole world. I'd been duped, played for a fool. I never saw this coming. My mind raced as I stared at the words yet again, a cold dread settling in my gut. How could I have been so blind? Had I been stupid all along?What happened to smart, collected, and intelligent Ronnell?I gaped at the test results all over again.PATERNITY PROBABILITY: 99%Blair burst through the doorway, her phone gripped tightly, her face a mask of horror. “I was going to tell you.” She hesitated, her voice barely a whisper, as she stepped into the room. 'I was going to tell you…” She repeated while she strode towards me but I backed away.“You were going to tell me what?” I demanded, my voice rising. “When did you find out? Why haven't you said anything until now? Wait, if I hadn't found this, you wouldn't have said anything right?”"I'm very disappointed that you were still upset about me meeting Smith when he wasn't even
RONNELL POVThe dim, amber glow of my office lamp cast long shadows across my face, a stark contrast to the swirling storm outside. I watched the rain streak down the windowpane, each droplet a reminder of the storm brewing within me.I was foolish, utterly foolish, to believe that Blair and I could be something. What had I been thinking, inviting another woman into my life, especially after everything that had happened? I'd learned my lesson, hadn't I? Or was I doomed to repeat the same relationship mistakes?With a bitter laugh, I lifted my glass of wine, the liquid sloshing against the sides. The taste was sharp and bitter, a fitting reflection of my mood. I took a long, contemplative sip, the warmth spreading through my body. It was a temporary respite from the cold, bleak reality that had settled over me.I slumped back into the soft leather couch, my gaze wandering aimlessly around the room. The once-familiar surroundings felt alien, cold, and empty. I ran a hand through my hair
BLAIR POVFuck____I felt utterly heartbroken as I left Ronnell's home under such hostile circumstances. My mistake had been a colossal one, but the coldness in his eyes and the deliberate distance he maintained cut deeper than any wounds could. Tears welled up, threatening to spill over, but I fought to hold them back. My attempts at conversation were met with silence, and the security guards' efficient removal of my belongings made it painfully clear that he wanted nothing to do with me.I stepped inside my home, my mind still swirling from last night's confrontation. Despite my efforts to talk to him after he returned, he seemed completely uninterested in engaging. Frustrated and exhausted, I slammed the door shut, placed Nathan in his rocker, and headed to bed. I hoped for a few hours of uninterrupted rest before the demands of my day began.After a few hours of deep sleep, Nathan’s cries jolted me awake. A glance at the clock showed it was 11 AM. Hurrying downstairs, I spotted a
BLAIR POVAs I stepped out of the elevator, I was greeted by my assistant's cheerful smile. Her gaze flickered towards my closed office door before returning to me. “There's a woman here to see you, sir” she announced. "She said you told her she could drop by this morning.'""Did she happen to mention her name?"She shook her head, her lips pressed together tightly. "I apologize, sir. I assumed that if you were aware of her presence, you'd prefer me to simply send her in. I can easily ask her to leave."As much as it annoys me that she let a random woman into my office without gathering more information about her, I'm trying my best not to be a hard ass today. I give her a strained smile and nod my head. “That's not necessary, I will handle it, thank you.” While I walk straight ahead, she turns to the right and takes a seat at her large desk, fidgeting on the computer chair slightly.Who on earth could be meeting me this early?" I pondered, racking my brain for any hint of a scheduled
BLAIR POVWith only two hours until my flight, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by my packed luggage. But now that I've gotten everything sorted, I'm starting to relax. Since leaving Ronnell's company, I've been making a conscious effort to prioritize my health and fitness. For now, though, I'm going to focus on enjoying the flight and letting go of any remaining stress.The thought cheered me up, and I hurried over to Nathan’s bassinet to pick him up. He was crying again, his tooth obviously bothering him. I felt so sorry for the little guy."Hey there, my little buddy. Want to go for a ride?" I asked, but his tears only intensified. I smiled softly and pressed a kiss to the bridge of his nose. A chuckle escaped my lips as he began to suck on my open neck, seeking comfort for his aching tooth. There's nothing quite like Nathan to soothe my worries.As I fastened the baby carrier to my chest, I quickly gathered a few bags, knowing Samuel would be here in just three minutes. As I swung
RONNELL POVBlair trembles against me. The noises that leave her mouth are ones that I could listen to on repeat for the rest of my life and never for once get sick of. I suck her clit into my mouth, then push her legs back until they are close to touching her own head.God, she looked like a goddess in such a position. Open up completely for me, spread widely and that's every man's dream. My dick was aching inside my pants, and I knew that I was going to end up releasing him at some point, but this was about Blair right now, not me.I'm apologizing to her.What better way to apologize than letting her come all over my tongue with so much satisfaction? Women always want to feel important, and that's exactly what I will do because I won't let her take care of me. She will try, I'm sure, but I'm not going to let that happen. Not after what she had said to me.The words she spewed at me before we rushed into the house are running on repeat through my head. She confessed her feelings for
BLAIR POVEverything seemed so pointless and honestly made no sense at all.I honestly liked this house before but not anymore. After going through some renovation and all, I found it cute and all, and I would always be proud of the work I had put into it but it just didn't feel like home.I had gotten Nathan down for the night, but it hadn't been easy. Rosa and Samuel had stopped by right after bedtime with a bottle of wine and of course, moral support. We were seated in my pretty living room, a glass of wine into our evening. Sam and Rosa on the gross couch, me channelling Nathan by the lounging blanket on the floor. “You're being smart,” Rosa said, her glass perched at her lips.“I know.” I buried my face in the blankets, careful not to knock my wingless over. I was limiting myself to two and I didn't want to spill a drop. "Hey there, smarty pants," Samuel teased, a playful grin spreading across his face. "You shouldn't look so stressed out about being intelligent." He playfully
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