Becca.The moment I took my last exam was the moment I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I couldn't believe after all the hard work I had put into getting my degree, I was one step closer to finally being done with everything. A smile filled my face as I walked out of those doors for the very last time and made my way towards my apartment.I would move in just two days down to Neal's apartment to live with him while I did my internship with his company, something that, after much thought and consideration, I had accepted without hesitation because I felt it was the best move for me.It was strange making those choices for me. For so long, I had followed in Tally's footsteps, but only because I had been so blinded by the truth of everything. For once in my life, I was doing something for me. Not to mention being around Neal made me smile. Made me forget about… someone else."Hey there, gorgeous," a voice said from behind me, causing me to jump as I spun around
BeccaI wasn't sure what I had expected when I took Neal up on his offer and leave that night. However, it definitely wasn't riding in his private plane all the way back to New York City, only to have a sleek black limousine pick us up from the airport. Nor did I expect him to proceed in taking me to a fancy dining restaurant I was completely underdressed for.The moment we pulled up outside of Fratelli's, I completely lost it. I had wanted to go to this place for quite some time, and when I was back in New York visiting during fall break, we couldn't get any availability, even with Neal's social status. Yet, here we were outside of a very high-class restaurant, and I was wearing leggings with a cute, flowy top and my hair pulled into a ponytail."Neal, are you serious…? We're eating here?" There was excitement and shock in my voice as I stared wide-eyed out the window."Yeah, last time we were here you were looking slightly disappointed that we didn't get to visit it, so
JamesI wasn't sure what to think about the meeting that I ended up having with Katrine. Yes, I had f*cked her senseless, made her scream for me multiple times, and every single bit of it was out of hatred. However, it had to be done. I had to make her and her father believe that I was on their side, and now with Sergie happy, he was adamant about another meeting.A meeting that, honestly, I didn't want to have.But it was exactly the response that I needed to help Greg be able to bring Sergie down. The problem was that all I could think about was that I had betrayed Becca by sleeping with Katrine, even though we weren't together.The photo of her with Neal in New York, happy, smiling and kissing, had just torn my heart apart. She was happier than she had been in a while, and it wasn't because of me that she was happy.No, all I did was upset her. I was a f*cking fool in so many ways.I didn't understand why it was that I felt the way that I did. But under the circumstan
Becca."What are you doing today?" Neal asked from the bed. We had spent another glorious night wrapped in each other's arms, and as much as he wanted me to stay there… I had shit to do."I told you yesterday…" I laughed as I peeked my head around the corner of the bathroom to look at him. His cool eyes stared back at me with his arms resting behind his head. "I have shopping to get done. Christmas is right around the corner, and if we're going to be leaving, I'm not going to leave people empty-handed.""I'm not telling you that you have to leave people empty-handed. All I'm merely asking is, why do you have to do it today? Come back to bed."Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes and continued finishing up the rest of my makeup. If I was going to beat the masses, which I highly doubt I was going to do, then I needed to hurry up and get my ass out there so I could get my shopping done.Looking down, I stared at the small bump protruding from beneath my shirt. I was closing in o
Becca.I was frozen in place, unsure what to do or think as I stood staring at Katrine. She watched me with a smirk on her face as if she had me right where she wanted me.The last thing I ever expected was to run into her while I was shopping in New York. However, here she was, as if seeing me was the expected. Which it wasn't.New York was so big that you could meet someone once and never see them again. So for her to find me or run into me like this… meant she was following me. Which also didn't sit well.Glancing around, I took in my surroundings to find she was not alone. Two other men were standing nearby, trying to remain hidden, but as their eyes connected with mine, I knew.Son of a bitch, I knew."What is it that you want, Katrine, and why are you following me?"Her eyes shot up as the smile spread even wider across her face. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you even remembered me. I only met you once. Maybe twice, and that was in passing.""Well, I make it
Becca.As soon as I got back to the apartment, Neal waited. His eyes looked at me with nothing but concern, and I knew right away things were not okay. It was obvious he knew something I didn't, and because of that, I was wary of what he would say."Are you going to start telling me the truth about what is going on? We promised each other that we would never hide secrets." I said softly, staring at him.Neal's eyes cast from me down to the ground as he fiddled with his hands, trying his hardest to find answers that I obviously wanted. "It isn't that easy, Becca. I'm not trying to hide anything from you. James came to me not long ago asking if anything should happen to him to protect you. That's what I'm doing.""He told you to protect me, and you didn't think that was something I needed to know?" Guilt filled his expression as he sighed. "It was a conversation between James and me. It wasn't anything that you needed to know. He asked me to take care of you, and of course,
Time seemed to travel fast as I prepared for my journey down to Miami. When Saturday morning came, I was packed; the gifts were wrapped, and everything was ready to go. The only problem was, I wasn't sure now if I was ready to face him.Taking my time, I wandered around the apartment, making sure that I had everything that I needed while Neal was downstairs loading the bags into the vehicle. The driver assured him that he'd be able to take care of everything without his help, but Neal knew how important it was that the gifts were placed safely in the car, considering some of them were fragile.It wasn't that he didn't think that his driver could handle it. Neal was just trying to be sweet and knew how hard I had slaved away to make sure that they were wrapped perfectly.After one last check around the apartment, I grabbed my purse and made my way towards the door. "Are you ready to go?" Neal said with a small smile across his lips as he appeared in the doorway."Yeah, I just di
The flight went by quicker than I thought it was going to, and by the time the wheels of the plane touched the tarmac in Miami, I was ready to see everyone. I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around Allegra and spend much-needed time with her."If you wait here a moment, sweetie, I'll make sure they load everything into the car, and then I'll come back for you," Neal said as he stood and kissed my cheek.Casting my gaze up to him, I smiled with a nod. "Sounds good."Since the moment we took off from New York City, Neal had been wrapped in a fury of emotions. I wasn't quite sure what was bothering him, but I had a feeling it had to do with our trip to Miami in general. I understood he was concerned about the issues revolving around James, but he couldn't let that ruin our trip.These plans were made long before he had told me about the issues with the Russians, and it was my job to show him that we didn't have anything to fear.After all, we didn't do anything wrong.It was Jam
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