“Jason, remember that day we were making out here, in my apartment, and I called Owen’s name?” His mood darkened, and he glared at Regina for reminding him of that day. “I’d rather not.” “Well, I saw him in my dreams when we first kissed. And when I was kissing you again, my mind kept showing me images—” “Enough! That guy disrespected you during your father’s award ceremony, yet you keep forgiving him.” “I know, but—” “He fucked you in the bathroom like a regular whore, and yet you choose him?” “I wanted it to happen, and I do not regret it. If I was uncomfortable about having sex in the bathroom with Owen, then I would have stopped it immediately.” “I doubt it. You’ve always been blinded whenever it came to Owen.” “I know it sounds stupid. But that’s what you do when you’re in love.” “Do you know he dumped you because you had a baby?” Her eyes narrowed as she wondered how Jason knew of their child when her diary said the knowledge about her pregnancy was between her, Raffy,
Regina awoke the next day and bolted upright on the sofa, afraid that something had happened between her and Jason last night.“Shit,” she panicked as she stood and found her computer neatly closed on the coffee table. The box from the pizza was gone, and so were the plates. It was as if she dreamt the whole thing.After placing her clothes in the last luggage, Regina made her way to the nursing home to say goodbye to the women who took her in, and she was surprised to see Jason there, holding her favorite chocolate cake.“It wouldn’t be a proper goodbye if we didn’t have your favorite cake.”Regina felt moved. Even after rejecting him, Jason still made her feel special.“Thanks, Jace. I will never forget this.” She kissed his cheek, and everyone clapped.“He organized this party, so he deserves a kiss on the lips.” Ruthie chided, but Regina declined. Kissing her on the lips instead, making everyone laugh.“Thank you so much, ladies. I had so much fun spending time with you while I wa
Caelan and Owen met at the bar where Regina’s friends held her going away party. The place was enormous enough for them to hide in plain sight while watching over her.Owen met Caelan when he studied in France. During the weekends, they would play soccer, and having just left the British Royal Army, he had no job prospects. It was the summer break, and Owen had not gone home, so he needed to earn money.They heard that the apartment Owen was occupying was hiring hands to renovate unusable units, so together with François, they applied and were immediately employed. They bonded over their crappy job during the day and beer after work hours.Seeing the potential of the building prompted Owen to buy the place later, when the owner sold it so he could retire. Owen appointed Caelan as the manager and caretaker of the property, making it easy for them to watch over Regina.“What’s the status, my friend?” Owen asked as he sat beside Caelan in a booth at the backmost area of the bar, in full
“I had a baby—”“I know.”Regina scrunched her brows in shock. “But I never told you. The diary said you didn’t know.”“The baby was ours,” he said, holding her gaze. If her mouth wasn’t hanging open before, it was now.“How—”“How did I know? I have the same tracker app you do, and they were synched together so I could watch your cycle. I wanted to know when it would be safe because we were having unprotected sex. We needed to take extra precautions to prevent having an accident.”“But we still did.”“It doesn’t make a difference. I still love you.” “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”“I was waiting for you to share your troubles, so I gave you the space you needed, but you just distanced yourself from me. I didn’t want to nag you because you’ve been through so much already. So I waited.”“The diary said I couldn’t tell you because I felt guilty.”“I know.”“But I didn’t tell you…”“You said it in the letter that you sent me.”“The letter that you keep talking about?”“Yes, do you w
The sun was peeking through the horizon by the time the couple fell asleep, satiated and full of love. Neither wanted to sleep lest everything was just a dream. Regina woke up first, staring at the sleeping man beside her, waiting for him to awaken. “What are you doing?” Owen asked, his voice husky from sleep.She blushed that she got caught running her finger down his chest, tracing the lines of his abdomen. “Waking you. Did it work?”“It did.” He grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. He hooked his legs around hers and kissed her neck. “I missed you so much that when you stopped sending me messages, it made me go crazy.”“I’m sorry. I was so ashamed about what happened that I did not know how to handle the situation. How could I not know anything about my body?”“There were a lot of things happening during that time. Stop blaming yourself. We’re here now, where we should be. Just don’t shut me out again.”“I promise I won’t.” Owen nibbled her neck, and her body came alive. “W
Regina asked how they all knew each other, and the three men regaled her with stories of when they met while re-constructing the apartment she was staying in.“So I have a question. If Owen owns the complex, then why do I have a small apartment?”Caelan and François both laughed and teased Owen.“Well, I didn’t want you to get suspicious about paying such a small price for an enormous apartment, so we gave you the smallest unit. It was Caelan’s place.”“Aww…” Regina looked at Caelan, “You gave it up for me? I’m sorry if I brought in mismatched furniture in there.”“Don’t feel sorry for him. He got a bigger apartment out of the deal, so he’s happy about that.” Owen butted in, and Regina laughed.“I don’t mind how you decorated the place. I like it and will keep most of the furniture,” Caelan replied.“So I heard Owen hired you to follow me around and disrupt my dates with Jason. Is that true?”“Well—I—He—Yes, it’s true,” Caelan could not defend himself, so he admitted the truth.“So th
News of Owen’s mystery woman spread throughout the nation as pictures of the couple were shared across every website on the internet. “Owen, what are we going to do? Can we hire someone to delete the pictures?” Regina asked as the car sped away. He smirked, “No.” “No? But your reputation?” “I’m a single man in a relationship with a beautiful woman, so I don’t care about the pictures.” “But the paparazzi, they’ll know.” “We’re not hiding our relationship, my love. Unless you want to.” “I don’t.” “I know you don’t want your face in the media, so we won’t tell them who you are. Let them find out on their own.” “I don’t care if they find out. I’m through hiding. It didn’t do me any good, anyway. I kept lying to people I really liked. I just hope they could forgive me,” she said, leaning back into the seat, more relaxed. “Well then, that’s settled,” Owen smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her ear. “You know they’ll be at my apartment waiting. What do you say we go to yours and lock
“What are you telling them?”“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I have everything in control.” He said confidently as they walked to his mother’s room.“Mom? Are you awake?” Owen asked. Myles was reading her a book Regina sent from France, and the scenes were getting steamy, so he was glad that his mother’s attention got diverted to the guests. “Look who’s here?”He stepped aside, and Regina softly exclaimed, “Surprise!”Mrs. Bennet stared at Regina, wondering who she was, and then it clicked. “Mandy? Oh, I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve missed you so.” She grew emotional as Regina sat on the bed and hugged her.“So did I Mrs. Bennet. I am glad to see that you are better.” Regina touched her forehead to get the temperature and her wrist to check how fast her pulse rate was.“Oh, it was nothing. They just worry too much. Now I’m in the hospital when all I want to do is see that dog.” Bella had been constant in her life, and like Regina, not having seen her for a few days, threw everything out o