James.I'd gotten home late after Sasha's testimony, and I had to admit, that woman had a bite to her bark. She'd faced off against a really dangerous family, one who threw money around to get what they wanted on the regular. Everything was against her, and yet she took the risk. Not only would this put a stain on Chad Cartwright, but perhaps their whole twisted family. More importantly, Alessandro would now have more of a chance to live a good life with Becca and me.Becca was a wonderful mother. She put her all into caring for both Alessandro and Dahlia. Two beautiful children that deserved her love and care.I wanted to be there for them too, but so many problems kept on dragging me down, and consequently, her as well. She was growing wary, no doubt. I could tell by the way she looked at me sometimes that she questioned the validity of our relationship. I did my best to show her I was worthy of her time, of the kids, as well. I had my flaws, I
Becca.James could tell me everything would work out all he wanted, but that wouldn't be the case if we had more days like today. I paced in the living room of our home, clenching my fists. Anger billowed from my gut as the scene from the courtroom played in my head over and over. Of course, he had to lose it. He couldn't stay calm under pressure for us, and that meant we were probably going to lose Alessandro. Why couldn't he keep his mind straight under pressure?Once again, his past was coming up, something that followed us like a starving dog scrounging through the garbage behind a busy restaurant. I wrinkled my nose as if I smelled something disgusting. The Cartwrights weren't right for Alessandro. They only wanted him because Chad was stupid enough to shoot himself on that ship through a dangerous game. Alessandro deserved a family that would love him, and I intended on us being just that. Tally had given him to me for a reason. When we got back to our
Becca.The next day, I was well rested. My mind was clear from the argument I had with James followed by the intense sex we'd had to make up. I had a few hours to kill before we'd head back to court, and in that time, I wanted to give Alessandro some attention.I entered the nursery, walking up to the crib and smiling down at him. At the moment, he was asleep, peaceful, and with the hint of a smile. Some of his toys were snuggled in there next to him, and I found my heart fluttering at the sight of a happy baby. Only a minute later, however, his eyes opened and fixed on me. When he smiled, my world lit up. The small child giggled and reached toward me, making grabby hands. "F*ck! F*ck!" he said, causing me to furrow my brow, smirk, and shake my head. I leaned down and took the baby into my arms, pressing my index finger gently against the tip of his nose. He only giggled harder, in quite the cheerful mood. My smile widened. I changed his diaper a
Janet.Sitting at a restaurant near the courtroom, I went over all that had happened over the past few days through my head. James had a terrible testimony, and I knew it sank the case farther from victory at the end of that day. Things really hadn't been looking good. After all, him reacting to his past being brought up showed the child was in a very dangerous situation. Or, at least, had the potential to be in one. I knew that the past was in the past and could be left behind under the right conditions.That wouldn't be the case for either the judge or jury. So much was on the line here, and no matter how headstrong I tried to be, I couldn't bully my way into the hearts of people through a situation like this. Not easily. Those weasels were scheming, I knew it. I thought we were done for when the cuss word was brought up, but somehow, Becca pulled through. Smart woman. My hand encircled a glass of red wine, and I took a sip. A plate of steaming steak was p
Allegra."You can't be serious," my agent, Kimberly, said to me as we sat in a little cafe in Rome overlooking the Colosseum. She sipped a cappuccino and stared over the top of the tiny little cup at me with wide, incredulous eyes."You didn't think I'd stay out of work forever," I scoffed, sipping my own cappuccino. "I'm a model. I model. That's what I do. That's how I make money.""I thought assassins made pretty good money?" Kimberly snarled. It was one of the many reasons I disliked her.But, she was the best agent in the business, and she'd actually agreed to take the meeting, so I couldn't really complain. "I'm not an assassin.""The U.S. Government begs to differ," Kimberly said."The U.S. Government can sit on it and spin," I grumbled. "I was trained as an assassin, yes, but I don't WORK as one. I WORK as a model.""Not in the United States, you don't," Kimberly replied. "You've been barred from using that as your home base, and word of mouth
James.All alone and with a cavern in my heart, I sat there with my head against the wall. This house wasn't the most luxurious, mostly because it was rather barren, but that's because it wasn't meant to be. I'd rented it when I first came into town. We'd brought most of our things to the other house, and I'd kept this one just in case something like this came up. I was hoping that would not be the case, but despite that, here I was. I let out a disparaged sigh, putting my face in my hands and letting out a groan. Becca's speech had taken my breath away, and I was starting to have some real hope I'd be able to stay with Alessandro. After the discussion with Janet, and the decision of the court to keep me away from the kids for now, I felt the dagger of anxiety twist in my stomach. Over and over, I ran through the mistakes I made in my head. There were far too many to count. Not to mention, my mood was brought down further at the thought of Tally.She was
Allegra."You're serious?" I asked, my voice dripping with excitement. My phone was pressed up against my ear as I lounged on the couch, a genuine smile playing on my lips."Yes," Kimberly said, giving a sigh. "They're interested. Do you know how many hoops I had to jump through? I should have asked for more than three percent.""Mhm, thank you, your highness," I muttered sarcastically. Maybe Kimberly had some use after all. I couldn't help but feel relieved. After our conversation last time, I'd been worried she wouldn't be able to pull strings properly. Now, I had my chance despite having that relatively inconvenient past. Kimberly replied, "You're welcome. I've got things to do. A little less whining on your end, going forward, would be appreciated." Then, she hung up. Nope, still an annoying bitch. But one who would get me what I wanted, so I allowed myself to feel a little bit grateful. I wandered through my living room, reaching up to rub my eyes.
Becca.I paced back and forth, my eyes narrowed in thought, and adrenaline rushing through my veins. I ran my fingers through my hair and took several deep breaths, trying to compose myself so that I could focus and not let stress take over everything. Today was the day. We were heading to court in an hour, and I was trying to gather my bearings. I hoped this would work out in favor of Alessandro. There was no way the court would allow Chad to gain rights over that child. Right? Otherwise, he wouldn't be with me right now. However, James wasn't here either. Though he assured me this wouldn't be forever, I still felt my heart clench upon thinking about all of this. These kids needed a family, I wanted to give that to them. Not only that, but I loved James, I was sure, even through this mess. Putting a hand on my forehead, I moved into the kids' room, poking my head through the door and fixing my eyes on Alessandro. Currently, he was awake and playing arou