“Mom.” Those were her first words as soon as the door opened, and she saw her mother emerge from behind it.“Anna!” Lane exclaimed happily before moving forward to hug her. They shared warmth and longing after a long absence. “I miss you.”“I miss you too, mom and our family.”Lane then tightened her embrace for a moment and, a second later, let it go. She still had happiness in her eyes. “Why didn’t you say you were coming?”“It won’t be a surprise if I tell you first,” Anna grinned. She was honest, even though there was a reason behind it.“Come in, honey. Your dad and Sidney will be happy to see you.”And she spent the next minutes releasing longing with her family. They shared news and some stories while they were away.“I’ll warm the chicken. You must be hungry to skip dinner.”Yes, Anna left after lunch, which brought her to Ohio past dinner. Then, if her mother said it, they must have had dinner before she arrived.“Thanks, Mom.” She couldn’t possibly refuse, right?“How long w
Anna didn't know whether to swear or anything under this circumstance. She wished she didn't have it, at least not while at home.It was her morning sickness, and she had it from the moment she opened her eyes."Anna. Are you still inside? What happened?" Sidney asked after knocking on the door because Anna locked it from the inside.Anna didn't vomit all the time, but the urge to vomit was so strong that she still locked herself in the bathroom. And despite her efforts to cover it up by turning on the sink, the sound of her throwing up kept seeping outside. Especially after she had been there for half an hour. They must have wondered what was going on with her."Yeah. I'm not feeling well now. I'm sorry, you need to use another bathroom," Anna lied.Would Sidney believe it? She wouldn't think about it now."Are you sure? You've spent a lot of time inside. And you throw up. It must be something.""I think it's from a whole day of skipping meals." She gave another lie, even though it w
"How?"And that left Anna with no choice. She had to tell the truth.Thus, that was what she did for the next few minutes. Starting from the first encounter with Dave, the incident that triggered the wedding, the wedding day, and Dave's family acceptance. It then continued to recent events such as the fight with Rebecca, morning sickness, and the problem with her pregnancy.She told her mother everything and felt a huge rock lift from her shoulders."Oh, dear," Lane called, stroking her back in a hug. "You shouldn't keep them to yourself. We'll always have your back.""I know, and I'm sorry. I was careless back then and was still not ready to see your reaction to this. And I don't know how to explain."They stayed in that position for a few moments before Lane let go to look her in the eyes. "How about now? Do you have any regrets?"Anna shook her head. "No, mom. I never regret marrying him. We promise to make it work.""Do you love him?"The question got her lips locked. Did she love
Anna immediately rose from her seat as soon as his figure appeared. He was really Dave. It was Dave.She could hear Sidney gasping next to her. Maybe from surprise as she saw someone her sister just showed her. Sidney might not have been this surprised if Anna had told her through a regular picture. But Anna browsed someone through the internet, and as she read fast, he was a tycoon."What are you doing here?" The question escaped Anna's lips. But she regretted it soon after seeing the pain flitting in his eyes. She must have sounded not welcomed him, and that hurt him."You're not returning your calls and messages." Dave smiled while saying it, though she also found pain there."So you're here because you didn't hear from her?" That was Sidney responding to him."Yeah. It seems so. I need to make sure she's okay.""Wow."Was that what the pain was for?Yeah, Anna might be wrong for not contacting him even though the tools were available. She still put her ego first.But since Dave w
She felt Dave's hand squeeze hers slightly as if channeling support for what she was about to do. Facing her family.He offered to take on the role of explaining everything to them. But Anna refused right away. It had to be her, and they had to hear from her first and directly.So he could only give her his support while preparing himself to be her backup whenever she needed him."So this is the guy I told you about before. It's Dave, I mean David Byrne. He's more than a boyfriend to me." She deliberately used particular words to describe her relationship with Dave before moving on to the real one. She took time to look at them, waiting for their response. "What do you mean by more than a boyfriend? Are you engaged?"Her lips curved into a smile when she heard Sidney's question. It was what she hoped for. Someone asked her, so she had reason to proceed with her explanation. "More than that. Actually, we're married."Sidney's eyes widened as her lips rounded from the shock she gave.
“So you live in Los Angeles now?” Sidney asked after dinner had just begun.Yes, after some drama this afternoon, they could finally sit nicely at the same table to enjoy dinner.“Yes. I decided to move to Los Angeles after knowing her pregnant. I couldn’t possibly let her live alone in her apartment in that state.”A smile tugged on Anna’s lips upon hearing that. His answer made her wonder. How would her life be if they still lived separately? And her pregnancy? Could she live it alone?No, it wouldn’t happen. Even if Dave wasn’t present physically by her side, she would always have him.“How is her pregnancy going? Is she doing well?” It was her mother asking, and Anna found it amusing. Instead of directing the question at her, she asked Dave.“I can’t say she’s okay, as she has some symptoms. Her morning sickness is bad, and she has trouble eating.”“I’ve spotted them too. She has only taken a little since she arrived. And she threw up this morning.”Dave’s head snapped to the side
"What?""My parents will come here. They're excited to meet your family."It was the second time he had said those words. But it seemed it couldn't sink into her well."Stop overthinking." His finger already went to her forehead to caress her frown."I'm not." She pouted her lips, making her look more seductive, so he inched his face forward to kiss her.It should be a quick kiss. But Dave made it longer, long enough to drive their lust before her hands on his chest gently pushed him away."We can't have sex now." Not only Dave had to suppress his needs, but also hers. She wanted him and, at the same time, knew that it was impossible for now."Yeah. We can't have sex while your parents are outside. Moreover, in this small bed." Dave chuckled at the idea of them rolling over this small bed.Yes, they were in Anna's room, with only a single bed. But if they were only cuddling, it was perfect everywhere."It's not for that."His brows furrowed as confusion flashed into his mind.Anna bit
"Well, I was in love with Matt, and I've tried my best to move on because, as you said, I wouldn't have a chance. I've known that for a long time but refused to let him out of my heart. I was still grabbing him inside when we made our promise."But you know something strange? When you suddenly asked me that day on the way to their house, my feelings had already changed. I can't describe it well, but I didn't feel pain every time I called his name in my mind. And I knew right away that I didn't see Matt the same as before."Maybe I just needed something to fully drift my attention away from him, so I didn't think about the move on from my feelings for him."Dave couldn't help but tug a smile recalling her words last night. It was probably the longest sentence she had in one go as she tried her best to explain everything to him. And he, too, strived his brain to take them all and understand her every word.He did, and it caused him to smile when he woke up. He was happy to finally hear
Anna peered through the common bathroom door on the first floor before stepping out casually as if nothing had happened. She walked past Dave, who was sitting on the couch in their living room and reading a report on his tablet, with Zach crawling on the floor."Zach, baby, come here." She called for Zach's attention, which was never hard to get. "Let's play outside."And his reaction was predictable. He was running toward his mother excitedly. His smile was so big that it was going to explode.Being a child seemed fun, didn't it?She followed him, running out of the house to their yard barefoot. She couldn't help her own smile from forming on her face at seeing him and another happiness she had just found out about today.She was pregnant with their second child.But be quiet. Anna wanted to make a surprise for her husband.Oh, she couldn't wait to see his reaction!"Zach, come here. Mommy wants to say something to you."Zach halted his running to look at his mother with an indescrib
Three years later.She watched everything. Their every move, laugh, giggle, scream, and more. She couldn't help but grace a wide smile over that. It was too good to be true. But it was what that was as it was the reality.Baby Zach was now three years old and in his active days. He had run on every corner of the house and was always excited to run outside.Although it tired their body from following him around, she didn't complain, especially Dave. He always had the energy to play with him and never ran out of ideas. He raised their child with all his heart.She shook her head to force herself back to her place. She couldn't only observe them all the time, as she needed to finish the cookie dough.Zach had the exact liking as hers for sweets. So she tried to be the best mom by baking them instead of buying them outside or ordering chefs to make them. It was cheaper and could adjust to her family preferences, which she wanted, not too much sugar.As Dave said, sugar was a killer.She
"Hi, baby boy. I'm happy you're awake, and I can hold you. Your mother must feel the same way. But she's resting now, so let's not disturb her and play with me instead." His voice was laced with happiness as his eyes flitted the same feeling. There was nothing happier than this moment when he finally held baby Zach. And the fact that he was born healthy was wonderful. It could be perfect if his wife's recovery went well.Baby Zach wriggled his tiny hands and managed to capture Dave's finger. He gripped it though his eyes were still closed. Baby Zach might sense familiar and safe, so baby Zach didn't cry, which made Dave's heart swell with pride and warmth. Only his touch could do that, and he couldn't be more proud of that."What do you think about this world? It's amazing, isn't it? You have me, your mother, and your entire family by your side. And in the future, you will find your own friends."Baby Zach was just quiet, and if his grip was not still on his finger, Dave might have th
A few months later.Anna was closing drawers after checking what was inside was still inside.It might be confusing. The point was Anna had just finished looking at their baby’s needs, such as clothes, diapers, socks, blanket, and more. She wanted to make sure everything was ready when the time came, which was soon. Her due date should be this week, and she couldn’t be more excited to finally welcome their baby.She moved to the only bed in the room. It was big and had four wooden walls on four sides to protect the baby from falling. And it was the one Dave said could accommodate her body while breastfeeding their baby. She even could sleep on it too.Her hand touched the doll on the nearby side and placed it neatly between another doll and the pillow. She had some, mainly cute animal characters, to accompany him while he was sleeping.Yes, him. Their baby was a boy.“Do you like it, honey? It’s nice, right? Your father prepared them for you.” She spoke as her hand caressed her so big
"I saw everything, Anna. I know what you hide behind your back." His eyebrows raised as if waiting for her to reveal it by herself. There was no point in hiding it anyway since it was why he approached her. He already saw her enjoying the ice cream!"What do you mean?"So she was going to play with him. Unfortunately, he didn't want to pretend that he did not see that. "The bowl. Ice cream."And she could only force a grin."Come here." His hand reached out to invite her to come near him."No. You will scold me.""That means you know you were doing wrong. How many bowls have you had?""Hmm. Five?""Count it correctly, honey.""Okay. Okay. Nine." She raised both her hands in the air and surrendered herself."No, honey. The bowl in your back is the eleventh."He actually didn't have a problem with her enjoying the ice cream. But Anna liked overeating, and she might have more if he didn't watch her."Good job Dave. She needs to be more careful with her health." Rebecca, standing beside h
Finally, the day they had been waiting for came. It was hectic but also fun. Their friends and families gathered together to celebrate the happy day. What was more pleasing than that?The vow went well. Although Anna felt more nervous, everything was perfect this time compared to the real one. Her father led her to the altar and handed her to Dave, which generally did at a wedding ceremony. And she and his husband stated their vow again and became husband and wife one more time.And to make it perfect, he sealed their vow with a kiss on her lips. Then cheers and applauses filled the hall.It was indeed a favorable moment. And it lasted until night."It's a pleasure to finally meet the newest Mrs. Byrne." Alexander greeted Anna and took her hand to land a quick kiss, like how a gentleman met a lady for the first time. "My name is Alexander Green.""Oh!" Anna couldn't help but show her surprise. She heard a lot about him from Dave, but this was the first time they met in person."Based
She felt warm on her skin. Also, a soft and warm breeze brushed over her neck, bringing a shiver to her body. A second later, she sensed warmth moving on her swollen belly, rubbing it so gently as if fearing to wake her up."Hmm." She stirred from her sleep, the result of those doings. Only then did she realize hands wrapped around her, and she knew whose those were. "Dave." Her voice came throatily from sleep."I'm sorry I woke you up." He mumbled against the nook of her neck.She heard it but didn't want to answer him as her voice was stuck in her throat. But she couldn't do it anymore when her eyes fluttered open and dark welcomed her through a glass wall which gave a view of the dark sky. "It's still dark.""Yes.""What time is it?""It's past midnight.""Why aren't you sleeping?"Instead of replying, he tightened his arms and dug his face deeper into her neck. His hand slipped inside her nightdress and caressed her tummy. "I can't sleep.""Why?" She wriggled her body to turn arou
"The preparation is doing good, right?" Dave asked Eddie, General Manager of The Byrne Hotel in Los Angeles, as they took a look at the hall designated for his event to take place. It was still filled with other decorations, as it would be occupied for someone's event for tonight."Yes. We have everything that we need ready. Gifts also have arrived, and we're working to put them into goodie bags."Dave nodded his head in understanding. "Pack them nicely and make sure those are right for each occasion. Don't get confused." He gave further orders.As planned, they would split the event into two, the vow and the party. And because of that, they would use a separate hall, decorations, gifts for guests, food, and more. They had different preparation for each occasion."Sure. We have a lot of experience with these things. I assure you everything will be in expert hands. You can enjoy your time with your bride.""Okay. I trust you with this.""Yes."Then they walked together for a few minute
"I'm like a dolphin already!" Her voice echoed throughout the room. She was standing in front of the mirror, checking her appearance from the reflection. She wore an A-line midi dress in black, which fell nicely on her body. But it also made her baby bump visible."Says who?" Dave was walking toward her while buttoning his shirt."Me." She still focused on her own reflection, as if looking for something to satisfy her."Then you're wrong. You don't look like one at all." He slipped his arms around her waist. "Instead, you look sexier." He landed a kiss on her neck and began to stroke her stomach gently. It was almost six months, and the bump was pretty big."Don't lie to me, Dave. Look at me. Everything in my body is swollen now. Even my cheeks are full.""That's what makes you sexy, honey. I like how your body changes."She narrowed her eyes at his reflection. "Liar.""I'm not. I'm being honest with you.""I don't believe you."There was a sound of a sigh before he planted the last k