Becca.A week had passed since my grieving had begun. The moment that I had lost Tally, I thought the pain couldn't get worse, but later on, when I found out that I had also lost James, I completely shattered. Everything I once imagined was slowly fading away, and even though I had Neal by my side, I couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before I lost him.Staring at myself in the mirror, I contemplated how I would get through the day. The black dress that I wore hugged my figure, showing off my protruding bump. It reminded me of James, and with the black veil covering my red-rimmed eyes I tried to hide my emotions.To think that this was my life was not what I had expectedI still couldn't imagine the fact of James being gone. Yet, the reality didn't have to set in entirely in order for me to succumb to it. "I'll be strong for you," I whispered to myself as I rubbed a slow circle over my stomach. My child was my driving force to press forward.I was a hollow sh
James.What do you do when everything you have ever known has been taken from you?Do you shut yourself away, and pretend not to care? Is there a place that you can go mentally to help heal the internal heartache that makes you feel like you're on the verge of death? So many times I had watched others around me suffer, but never was able to understand the suffering because I had never been part of it. At least until now."Are you ready to go?" Greg called out from the open hospital room. The private room in one of their facilities had given me the time to heal while the rest of the world thought I was dead."Yeah," I replied as I shoved the last of my things into a duffel bag.Two weeks ago my daughter died, and from what Greg and the rest of his department told the world… I had died too. I wasn't going to have to go to jail due to everything that happened, but I wasn't going to have to go into protection. The way that Greg broke it down to me was that staying part o
Becca.When I arrived at James' company, I was on the verge of having an anxiety attack. Neal had been waiting for me outside the building, and as much as I wanted to find that happy moment, I didn't.Simply because I knew what was coming. "So the guy is willing to buy it from you without issues. He is an investor from Italy and actually knew James personally. He has importing and exporting businesses all over the world," Neal informed me as I stood in the elevator with him, watching the floors tick by."Okay." My shallow reply seemed to cause him to stop in his words as he gently grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him."Hey, if you're not ready for this—""It's okay," I quickly said, cutting him off. "It needs to be done, and I have to get through this. Afterward, I want to talk to you and Allegra about going somewhere.""Oh?" He smiled. "Where might that be?"Rolling my eyes with a soft smile, I shook my head at the same moment the doors of the elevator o
Becca.When I left James's office, millions of thoughts ran through my head about what was going to happen. But one thing was for sure, I needed to take my father's advice and change scenery. For too long, I had struggled and fought with everything that was going on, my emotions completely messed up and everything else in my life going a little haywire.I had to get myself together. I had to put my big girl panties on and take initiative for what was going on in my life. And I had to do it soon because before I knew it, a child would be born, and I would be responsible for that child.The soft knock at the front door let me know that Neal and Allegra had arrived, and as the door opened, I turned, looking over my shoulder to see their smiling faces enter through the doorway. "Hey, guys. I'm glad to see you could make it.""Well, of course, we would make it silly." Allegra laughed as she took off her coat and hung it on a nearby hook. Fluffing her blonde hair out, she stepped
James.The moment that my plane landed in Tokyo, Japan, I found my mind swirling with the differences of how their lives were in Japan compared to that in the states. The only way that I could actually describe them was as if they were ants meandering through a colony. Quick to know exactly where they were going and unable to be distracted.It was fascinating, and I found the city breathtaking.Moving forward from the airport, I headed towards the car pickup lanes and quickly saw a driver holding a sign with my name on it. The driver was to take me to my new location, a home that had been secured for me, along with various other things, my new life for the foreseeable future.My new life as Lester Johnson.Just saying that need made me internally groan. Out of all the names that he could have picked in the world, that was the one he had settled for.That was the name that he thought would benefit me the most.Stepping towards the driver I sighed pushing a smile on my f
Becca.After tons of planning and purchasing tickets, I found myself standing in the bedroom packing my suitcases, going through everything that I was going to need while we were away in New Zealand. Initially, when I told Neal and Allegra about what I wanted to do, I was almost certain that they would disagree. Yet again, they surprised me, as they always did, and agreed that the trip would be a wonderful idea. Of course, considering the fact that the doctor had cleared me for travel, that is.Slowly going through all the clothing I had placed on top of the bed, I packed it into the suitcase with careful precision and then proceeded to grab all of my toiletries that were in their individual bags and place them in as well.It wasn't until I had placed some documents that I needed just in case something were to happen over there that the small letter that Mr. Shavers had given me that had been left by James fell out onto the floor.With how hectic everything had been o
Neal.The moment that the plane finally landed in New Zealand, I couldn't help but give a very large sigh of relief. Never in my life had it felt like I was on a plan for so long, and I had been to Australia before. Even though those flights were just as long, there was something about this flight that was just exhausting.Perhaps it was the fact that sweet Becca decided that we would ride first class like regular people all the way to New Zealand.I could have gotten us on a better plane—a more private plane even. But no, she wanted to have an adventure. Not that I was complaining, but my sister sure as hell was, and her complaining made Becca laugh."Did you see the way that guy looked at me? It was as if I was at a buffet, and he wanted something all you can eat." Allegra's disgusted tone caused both Becca and I to snort with laughter."Oh my God. It wasn't even like that, and you know it."Allegra turned to Becca with a glare on her face as she used the fan in her h
Becca.As soon as I stepped outside with the lovely Miss Rogers, the lady who owned the cabana that I had rented, I noticed how Neal seemed very frustrated with whatever kind of conversation that he was having. I wasn't sure what was going on. Perhaps it was work, perhaps it was something else. As soon as his eyes landed on me, he quickly finished his conversation. I found it curious how he was acting, but as he slowly made his way towards me, this frown that was upon his face once before disappeared and was replaced with a smile."So, how do you like everything?" he asked me as he approached."It's beautiful. Miss Rogers has been absolutely wonderful. She showed me everything that the house has to offer, and she's hoping that we have a wonderful two weeks' vacation," I replied as my eyes drifted from Neal to the woman again.Her soft, pale blue eyes crinkled at the corners as she turned her small smile into one that was larger, her hands clasped in front of her as she
Becca.I didn't need to push much longer until the baby was born. I let out a sigh of relief as a lot of pressure was released as the doctor announced the head was out. I was almost done pushing. Out came the shoulders, and then the doctor was able to pull the baby out. She lifted the baby up and smiled, studying the baby for a moment. "It's a boy!" she said, causing the room to erupt into cheers. I gave a very quiet cheer of my own, my body completely exhausted. I closed my eyes, tears still spilling down my cheeks. I was still worried about how healthy he was, though, since he had come so early. "The baby is healthy, even if a bit underweight. He'll get meat on his bones in no time," the doctor assured me, reaching over to hand the baby to me. Putting a few clips into place, the doctor handed James a pair of scissors, and he cut the umbilical cord. Then, she began the process of helping me pass the afterbirth while the nurses prepared to clean our son up while
Becca.Several months had passed since our honeymoon, and things had been going wonderfully. The baby was developing very healthily, and they were going to be on the way soon. I was tired as I sat on the couch, reading up on some news. The progress with Guatemala went very well. I had made contact with locals who were going to make sure everything ran smoothly and children would be getting what they needed. The thought made me smile. Children deserved wonderful lives. The kids were just put to bed about an hour ago. 8:00 PM was too early for me to go to bed quite yet, but I was feeling tired. Still, I needed a snack, as my cravings were intensifying lately by quite a bit. I walked up to the fridge and rummaged through it, pulling out a jar of pickles and giving a satisfied sigh. I grabbed a plate, taking out several to munch on while I watched television. Maybe this would help me wake up a little bit. I wanted to wait until James got home. He was busy worki
Allegra."I have made a list of reputable centers that we can look into," I said to Layla, leaning on her as we stared at a laptop on the table. At the moment, we were looking into adopting, though not right this instant. We wanted to do a lot of research first. Not to mention, Layla wanted to get another cat so Onyx had a playmate, and they'd need to adapt to our apartment first. The idea of adoption was a prospect both of us adored. Giving a child a loving home would be a wonderful thing. Layla pointed to the screen, saying softly, "I've heard about that one. Good things, thankfully. I think we should be open-minded about teens." She frowned sadly, closing her eyes. "They are often overlooked.""I agree," I said. "They may be a large responsibility, as teenagers can be rowdy, but I'm confident we can handle it. Can't be worse than being captured by the Russian mob," I said with a chuckle. Layla winced but gave a half-smile. "You still think about that, huh
Becca."This place is beautiful," I said, looking around the fancy restaurant in Florence and letting out a happy sigh. Vines practically dripped from the ceiling, making it feel as though we were in a romantic movie. My life was similar enough to one, at this point! Mariano and Neal sat together across the table from James and I, all smiles and warm energy as well. They sipped wine and nodded, agreeing with my observation about the atmosphere. I took a sip of water myself, always mindful of the baby."This is the place where we met!" Mariano exclaimed with excitement. "When I first laid my eyes on Neal, I knew a prince had entered the establishment. A handsome one that made me swoon in my seat," he said. He winked at Neal, and the other man blushed. I giggled, gushing, "You two are so cute! I'm so happy for you. It really does look like you connected, which is wonderful. Just like a storybook!" Mariano nodded, his grin only widening at the idea. This place had a
James. "Look at how wonderful and huge they are, James!" Becca exclaimed, causing me to smile. It was the day after our first engagement on the beach, and I was happy to relax. At the moment, we were looking at some giant tortoises with a deep sense of awe.She was right; they were the size of side tables. A guide handed Becca some lettuce, which she held out to the tortoise. She squealed with delight as the animal took a leaf from her and began munching, causing my smile to widen even further. I was so happy to be able to relax. Security had reported nothing odd happening, and they seemed to be having a ball as well. I was relieved, though I shouldn't have expected anything bad to happen. Not like the Cartwrights tracked our every move. At least, I hoped not. I shook that thought out of my mind as Becca continued to give a ton of attention to the tortoises. One of the security men walked over with a camera in his hand, beaming at us. "Let's get some pictures of
Becca.This was it. The perfect honeymoon, the one where James and I would have the time of our lives. I was thrilled, my heart singing even as I looked out the window of the airplane we were taking. With the money I had, we were able to charter a private jet. Even after all these months, I'd never completely gotten used to always being able to afford the best of everything. The staff was very kind, including the flight attendants who catered to our every need. Our money came with a lot of advantages. I tried not to think about that too much, though. It made me feel guilty.Rather, when my worries became too heavy, I reminded myself of the charity that I was starting off. I realized I couldn't physically go to Guatemala, but with my wealth, I reached out to locals for the best ways to run a charity for kids there. The representative I spoke with had been wonderfully helpful, and it made me beyond happy that I could still help while not being there. I had decided I
James."This is going to be such a wonderful trip, James!" Becca exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me. I smiled, returning the hug and holding her close. When she pulled away, I gave her a tender kiss.At the moment, we were sitting in the living room of the compound with a laptop open on the table showing all the activities we could do in Seychelles. The pictures of beautiful, pristine beaches with shining sand and deep blue water got me excited, too."I think we should see the tortoises and dolphins," Becca said, giving a smile. "The kids are going to love those pictures. Someday, we need to take them with us, to a kid-friendly area." No doubt she would be paying attention to that during our honeymoon. "That is an excellent idea, my love," I said to her, giving her another squeeze. We exchanged another kiss as she continued to scroll through the pictures and destinations. Thankfully, the trip was taken care of flight-wise and hotel-wise. Having money was
Neal.A few weeks had passed since I met Mariano, and the strong sense of attraction I had to both his looks and personality had not faded. In fact, we were hitting it off even harder now, and I couldn't be happier. Thankfully, I was brave enough to call Becca and say I wanted to visit as a friend. I meant it this time. There was no ulterior motive, not that there had been one, to begin with. She may have been stuck in my head a little, but that wasn't an issue anymore. After some hesitation, she agreed to see me. Likely because I wanted to introduce her to Mariano, which put her at ease for me not actually being after her anymore. I accepted that she was with James. Mariano and I were sharing lunch before heading out. I gazed into his eyes, my own full of adoration for the man. "We're really hitting it off, aren't we?" I chuckled, breaking the silence that had formed between us as we ate sandwiches. Mariano winked, saying, "I think we are, yes. I am thrill
James.Still feeling beyond happy about the news of the baby still being healthy, I walked over to the fridge to get myself a quick snack before meeting with Giovani. Becca was dripping with joy, which made me relieved, to say the least. She had no idea what was going on in the background, and I didn't want her to, either. She shouldn't suffer the stress of anything anymore. My wife was looking forward to a wonderful life with our expanding family, and I wouldn't let worry settle in her mind. At least, despite the stress on my end, we were going to have our honeymoon soon. The kids were happy, and that's all I could ask for. Speaking of which, I stopped into the nursery for a visit before heading off to discuss things with my cousin. Alessandro was playing around with a few cars and stuffed animals. Dahlia sat in front of him, doing the same, making happy cooing noises threaded in with a few words. When they saw me, they let out squeals of happiness and hobbled o