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Tough Decisions
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Stay the Night Good For Him
AstonSlowly but surely, my perception of the world and the people who lived in it was already changing. When Blake first told me about his mom, I thought what she did was terrible. I never thought I would be able to see her side of things.Having met her and trying to imagine giving up my own baby, even if it wasn’t here yet, I realized how excruciating the decision must have been for her. Walking away already seemed impossible to me.“You’ll see one day when you have children of your own. You only want what’s best for them. It doesn’t matter what it costs you, not just in money but in everything, you want to be able to give it to them.”“Hmm,” I agreed vaguely. It felt like I was lying to her by not telling her I was pregnant, but it wasn’t my place to have that conversation with her.Cluing her in would also mean that Blake’s father would find out, or I would put her in the position to have to lie to her husband. Given how new their rekindled romance was, it wouldn’t be right to as
Stay the Night Not About Me
BLAKEI woke up with Aston lying in my arms. I was on my side, lying with my arm draped over her stomach as she slept peacefully on her back. She was the best sight to wake up to.Her auburn air was spread out to the side of the pillow, dark strands contrasting sharply with the stark white bedding. Her long lashes curled up towards the roof as her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. Deciding not to risk waking her from her sound sleep, I burrowed into the bed and just watched her as I finally let my mind drift to the realities we were facing. It was still early. The sun was only just beginning to rise. The room was lit with soft early morning sunlight, almost like an orange glow. In a few short months, these peaceful mornings with her would most likely be a remnant of the past. By all accounts, mornings with babies around were not peaceful.My hand ventured to her lower abdomen, the spot where my baby was growing. Though I knew it was still too early to feel anything, I let my ha
Stay the Night Take Me in the Shower
BlakeWe had a clear path to the bathroom. I knew this suite like the back of my hand, so it was no problem to navigate our way as I walked us into the bathroom without breaking the kiss.Aston was so soft in my arms. She felt so damn good. Clinging to me, she twisted her fingers into my hair and tugged at the strands. It was a move I was a sucker for and she knew it.I groaned deeply, devouring her mouth with renewed vigor. When I finally set her down on the counter, her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing deeply. “Okay, you’ve convinced me. You can shower with me.”"“Gee,” I said with a grin, giving her a nip on the collarbone. “Thanks.” Aston laughed and hopped off the counter, turning her back to me as she pulled off her tank top and shimmied out of the shorts. Giving me a coy look over her shoulder, she crooked her finger at me and walked into the shower.A second later, I heard the water starting to run and her lacy panties were flung over the top metal rail of the stone
Stay the Night Waiting
ASTON“Mommy! Look at that.” An excited toddler pointed to a picture of a newborn baby printed on a canvas in the doctor’s waiting room. “It’s a baby. Is that my little sister?”The mom smiled, ruffling his light blonde hair as she shook her head and pointed to her protruding belly. “No honey. Your sister is still inside Mommy’s tummy, do you remember? You saw her picture last week on the doctor’s machine.”His little face crumpled in thought. “How did she get into Mommy’s tummy again? I want to draw a picture for her. Can I draw Mommy? Now?”The women reached into a gigantic diaper bag open on the floor. With what looked like great effort, she managed to reach a coloring book and some crayons. Plopping down on the floor, the boy kept chatting as he took the book and the crayons from her and proceeded to scribble all over the page.Blake and I exchanged a glance. We were waiting for our appointment along with three other women, two of whom had very active toddlers with them. All of th
Stay the Night Meeting The Doctor
AstonA middle aged, greying man walked into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. He glanced down at the tablet he was carrying. “Aston Brier, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Evans.”He walked over to the side of the bed and smiled first at me, then at Blake who extended his hand to the doctor. “Blake McAllen.”“It’s nice to meet you too, Blake.” I liked how he immediately started using our first names. The interaction between that woman and the nurse out in the waiting room, as well as the way she had treated me during the preliminary tests, I got the distinct feeling that these people became like your family during the pregnancy.The ease with which the doctor was treating us was adding to that feeling. “Right, let’s get started. I have the results for the blood test you had earlier this morning. You’re definitely pregnant. Congratulations.”“Thanks,” I blushed. Blake’s grip on my hand tightened.The doctor started gently pushing on my abdomen, fixing me with a
Stay the Night Plenty More
BLAKEOn the way to my father’s house to meet with our lawyer after the doctor appointment, my heart kept racing. “That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”It had to be the tenth time I’d said it, or some variation, within as many minutes, but I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t get over it.As soon as the doctor pointed at that grainy, weirdly shaped blob with the flashing light that was the heartbeat, everything changed. I had expected it probably would, but I hadn't known how.It was like someone had finally given me glasses when I hadn’t even realized I couldn’t see properly before. In a heartbeat—a literal, actual heartbeat—my view of just about everything I knew and believed in had been altered.When I looked at the pregnant woman and their children in the waiting room before we went into the exam room, I saw red, swollen women I felt sorry for. The incessant chattering of their toddlers had annoyed me, and a part of me wanted nothing more than to bolt with Aston in tow.Walk
Stay the Night Legally Speaking
Blake“Legally,” David said, “as soon as both you and your father have signed those documents, you are in control.”“Wow.” That was fast. This was really happening. “Good. Dad needs to stop worrying about this so he can focus on his recovery.”“I agree,” David nodded. “Full control of the company will rest with you, though your father remains as part of the board of directors. All of your duties and responsibilities are outlined in the memo I included in the envelope. Read through it, let me know if you have any questions.” “David’s firm is on retainer any time you need them,” Dad added. “Their advice has been invaluable to me. I hope you’ll find them helpful, too. You can contact them about anything. They know things even I don’t.”David chuckled, snapping his briefcase shut and rising from his chair. “That’s about the size of it, gents.”“That’s all you came here to say?” I asked, incredulously. It was a super short meeting considering the enormity of the consequences.He nodded,
Stay the Night Friction, Baby
ASTONBlake did a double take and froze as he watched me shimmy out of my jeans. It was a risk to try and seduce him after the day we had, but I needed to feel that connection to him. I thought he was on the same page as I was after today, that we were in this for the long haul together.To be sure, I needed the physical connection along with the emotional one. I would be able to tell whether or not he felt the same.Blake’s eyes zeroed in on mine. Shit, as sensitive as I was, I was pretty sure he would be able to make me come with nothing but a look. That look, in particular, was likely to make me combust spontaneously.A tingle of pleasure shot through me as his eyes widened and his pupils dilated. I loved that I still affected him the way I did, and hoped it wouldn’t change once I started showing.Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that the sexiest, most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on would look at me the way he did. Especially not such a short time after I dro
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Stay the Night Epilogue Part 2
AstonEverything further away than what could be reached in two or three hours by plane, he let Danny handle. Blake had been my rock, my constant. With him as the dad, I could see myself having a lot more children. He certainly seemed to be on board.A nurse came in to check on us, as they did every so often. This was one who must have just started her shift, since I hadn’t seen her around earlier. She was an older woman with bright red hair and a kind smile. “Is everything okay in here? I need to take the baby for observation, it won’t be more than a few minutes before she’s back.”Blake’s eyes widened comically. “You’re taking her away?”“Just for a few minutes, sir.” The nurse smiled sympathetically. “I won’t take my eyes off of her for a second, you have my word. I know it’s hard for you to let go of her right now.”“She has to go?” Blake asked, not looking like he was inclined to hand her over at all.The nurse nodded. “A few minutes, sir. She’ll be back before you know it.”Relu
Stay the Night Epilogue Part 1
ASTONOn a rainy Saturday morning, Blake and I welcomed baby Emma Rose McAllen into the world. She was a pink, healthy little angel that had both of us wrapped around her little finger the very first second we laid eyes on her.The hospital was busy. I could hear people milling around outside, some running to take care of patients and others here to visit friends and family, and to meet the new arrivals. Emma was only three hours old, but I was sure Blake’s family and Tiffany would get here soon.Both Tiffany and Blake’s mom had wanted to be in the waiting room when she was born, but I went into labor in the early hours of Saturday morning and in our rush to get to the hospital, we hadn’t wanted to disturb them in the middle of the night.For now it was just us and our little cherub in our bubble of the most perfect, serene happiness I’d ever known. With Emma’s tummy full for the first time, she was dozing in her daddy’s arms and the scene in front of me was as precious as I’d known i
Stay the Night Catching Up
BlakeTiffany led us into the smaller of the conference rooms at ground level, one where Aston and I had shared dinner not so long ago, yet it seemed like a different lifetime now. Aston walked over to the window, releasing a happy sigh to be looking out over the ocean. “It feels like I haven’t been here in forever.”“For you and me both, girl.” Tiffany sighed. “Welcome back.”“Thanks,” Aston replied softly. “You should come visit us in Florida sometime. We’ll be happy to have you.”“Once the baby is born, try keeping me away,” she said, reaching out to pat Aston’s belly again.The two friends shared a moment. I hung back, getting settled at the table. When they sat down, Aston joked, “Oh, you’ll only visit once the baby is born? That’s still months away.”“Good point,” Tiffany said. “Maybe I’ll come out there sooner. Is your nursery set up yet? I can come help with that.”“We’ve been settling into the house,” Aston told her. “We haven’t gotten to the nursery quite yet. It would be gr
Stay the Night Not A Vacation
BLAKEThree months after the last time Aston and I walked out of the hotel in California, we were back for a visit. It had been a long three months. We had meant to pop in for a visit weeks ago, but we never got around to it.As it was, we’d almost had to cancel again. Aston managed to dodge the bullets flying her way, with Danny’s help, and we’d hopped on the jet as soon as our meetings let out. We were like kids fleeing from school on the last day, excited to be getting away from the head office that took so much of our time.Our visit to California wasn’t a vacation though. Soon, I would whisk Aston away for a break before the baby was born, but for now, we were working.It didn’t make Aston any less excited to be headed back to her hometown. She missed her friends and had been looking forward to spending time with them, even if we would have to get some work done at the same time.Dressed in a soft, flowing red dress that clung to her newly rounded stomach, she looked more beautif
Stay the Night Stroking Her
ASTONBefore I knew what was happening, Blake flipped us over and was rolling my pants down my legs. My panties followed quickly.He yanked both items over my bare feet and dropped them to the floor. Heat spread through me as his bright blue eyes drank in every inch of me.He sat between my legs, spread open so there would be space for him. Completely on display for him, I was surprised by how much it turned me on. The raw lust in his eyes told me he felt the same. “I was an ass. I’m sorry I didn’t see how much I was upsetting you, can I make it up to you?”“Please,” I breathed, reaching for his shirt.Catching my hands in one of his, he used the other to reach behind him in a fist and pulled it off in a smooth slide. As his body came into view, I wished he wasn’t sitting between them so I could clench my thighs together to ease the need building there. Seeing me squirm, his hands went for my bare legs, running up and down my thighs.“You’re gorgeous, Aston. And the best thing that ha
Stay the Night No Buts
Blake“No buts. If that’s what you want, I’ll go. I understand that you need someone there and that logistically, it can’t be Aston. I can be a team player again and if that’s what this team needs, I’ll take one for the team and go.”Taking a deep breath, his eyes darted up to the ceiling like he was slightly embarrassed by what he had to say. “But if you’d consider keeping me on in Florida though, I could work under Aston.”Shocked, my eyes widened. “You’d be her subordinate?”“Yeah.” His eyes drifted to Dad before he nodded and looked back at me. “It’s not easy for me to face, but I know I brought this on myself. If I stay, I’ll work as her second. Help her, learn from her, whatever.”“You would do that?” To say I was surprised was an understatement. My brother, or at least the brother he’d become, lacked the astonishing maturity it took to come up with a plan like this. “You realize it wouldn’t be temporary.”“I do.” He held onto my gaze, sincere in what he was saying. “I’ve been a
Stay the Night Sobered Up
BLAKEWalking out of Dad’s study, I bumped into my mom in the hall. For a guy who spent years seeing only one family member, two at most, once every couple of weeks, I was surrounded by them now. I didn’t know how much I liked it yet.“Have you seen Aston? I asked Mom, who smiled as she jerked her head in the direction of the front door.“She left in a cab a few minutes ago,” Mom told me. “I saw her out there from the kitchen window, but it looked like she could use a couple of minutes alone. Next thing I knew, there was a cab and she was getting into it.”My heart sank to my shoes. “What?”I knew Aston was upset by my offering her Danny’s job, but I never thought she would leave. Panic crept in and gripped my heart. She didn’t know anyone in Florida as far as I knew. I didn’t even know where to start looking for her.“Fuck,” I mumbled, ignoring my mom’s chastising look. It was a little fucking late for her to try have any say about my language. I was getting used to having her around
Stay the Night Space
Aston“I’m against it because I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I exclaimed, rolling my eyes. “Danny’s position isn’t some random spot. It’s a very important position in the company.”“Exactly,” Blake snapped. “It’s not good enough to put some random person into that position, don’t you think I get that? That’s one of the reasons why I need you, Aston. You’re all I’ve got. I don’t have any other options that are good enough.”“I’m a last resort?” My head reared back like he’d slapped me. I didn’t know what was going on with me, but my emotions were all over the place. Maybe it was the pregnancy after all, but knowing he only wanted me because there was no one else was somehow more hurtful than people thinking he’d only put me into that spot because he was sleeping with me.Staring at me like I’d grown a unicorn horn or turned green, Blake shook his head. “You’re not a last resort. It’s not like that at all. Think about it this way, my dad supports me in this decision. About Danny going
Stay the Night The Offer
ASTON“Excuse me.” I pushed my chair back from the kitchen counter and glanced at Blake’s family before letting my eyes come to rest on him. “Could I talk to you outside for a minute please?”“Sure.” Exchanging a look with his father who nodded encouragingly, Blake followed me outside. I didn’t stop walking when we hit the deck, heading over it and onto the expansive green lawn.The sparkling swimming pool was blue and inviting. I briefly considered stripping off my clothes and taking refuge in the silence of its depths, but I doubted very much that Blake’s father would appreciate a half-naked pregnant girl sitting at the bottom of his pool.When I hit a patch of trees at the back of the property, I paced in the shade beneath them. Without having to look, I knew Blake was standing there watching me. He let me blow off steam for a few more seconds before planting his hands on his hips. “Before you say anything, hear me out.”“I told you I didn’t want that spot, Blake.”Walking toward m
