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 wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got up early the next morning, sliding from the bed with the full intention to go see James. Neal had been sleeping when I walked out of the room, but before I could make it to the door, I heard his voice behind me."You're going to see him, aren't you?" he said softly, his eyes narrowing at me. Turning slowly, I stared at his pleading eyes and sighed."Yes, I am," I replied slowly, nodding my head. "He has a right to know, and the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can be free with you."Shaking his head from side to side he licked his top lip. His eyes cast off into the distance as if he wanted to keep me here but knew that it would only cause an argument. "I don't like this, Becca. I mean, I should have known that you would do this, but still.""Neal, I'm sorry," I whispered. "This is just something that I have to do.""I know," he replied with a sigh. "I just don't like you going alone, unprotected. What if some
Becca.I wasn't sure what to expect when I pulled up outside of the Valentino mansion. Tally was waiting for me inside, but even though I had told her I was coming it didn't stop me from second-guessing what I was doing.Everything that had happened with James kept rattling through my mind. He had acted like a complete asshole, and I should have seen it coming. There was no way he would believe that the child was his when I'd waited this long to tell him.Not to mention I was with Neal.Still, I had hoped he would at least let me speak.Stepping out of the car, I made my way towards the front door. Before I could knock, the door swung open, and Tally stood staring at me with a grin spread from ear to ear."Becca? Oh, my God! It's so good to see you."I was shocked. The woman who stood before me did not look like the Tally I knew. Instead, she looked like a soccer mom. She was no longer adorned in the designer clothing she had loved so much. Instead, she was in simpl
Becca.A whirlwind of emotions ran through me as chaos consumed James's home. The wood shattering echoed around me in slow motion as glass broke and screaming consumed the home. Men in black clothing came through every entryway, and it was obvious that they weren't friendly by the way they pointed their guns at us.I wasn't sure what was going on, but as I gained focus, I realized I was in trouble. Tally was screaming, yelling, fighting, and doing everything that she could. However, I was tossed aside quickly. My shoulder hit the counter before I slid to the floor, wincing in pain. The voices that were speaking and shouting were in another language and my mind just couldn't wrap around what was going on.I had not the slightest clue what would was happening, but as I slowly regained my focus, I watched as a large, burly man had his arms wrapped around Tally, who was fighting as she kicked off the floor, screaming and jumping up and down like a wild caged animal trying
Neal.The moment James called me, I wasn't quite sure what it was that he wanted after the conversation we had previously had about Becca. However, my heart absolutely shattered when he told me that Becca had gone to his house and people had broken. She was once again implicated in something because of James, and my hatred for him grew even more. I understood very well that she might have been carrying his child, but it didn't excuse the things that he had done and the shit that he had gotten himself into.Now, because of him, there was a chance that she could be hurt or even killed. Pacing around the living room, I grabbed my keys, ready to go after her to go to James's house to save her if I had to. The problem was, I didn't expect Allegra to come home like she did. As soon as she stepped through the door and saw me, she dropped her bags on the floor and stared at me with hesitation. "Why are you crying? What happened?" I hadn't even realized tears had been falling do
Becca.The moment I screamed out, the man who had come up behind James hit him in the back of the head with the ass end of the gun he was carrying. James collapsed to his knees, his gun dropping to the floor as Sergei began to laugh."Was that honestly your poor, pathetic excuse of trying to save them?" Sergei asked as he stepped closer to where James was. "You're f*cking pathetic."He kicked James across the face. James' body fell to the floor completely as I cried out again. I couldn't watch this. Tally was begging for Sergei to stop, but it was as if nobody could get through to him."Please, please, just leave him alone. Don't hurt him!" I begged Sergei, who slowly looked over his shoulder at me with a smile on his face."Why do you even care what this man does, considering how he treated you? You are nothing to him. A piece of ass he happened to get f*cking pregnant."When Sergei said that, James's eyes connected with mine, and I saw the guilt lurking beneath. Just
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