(Xander)The next morning came rather quickly, and I decided to drive Rachael to work, a way of showing everyone there that we are together. I was also going to hold her hand as we entered the building, and if it goes well, I will also kiss her in front of everyone. I was excited that she agreed to go public with our relationship, I honestly don't know why she hadn't jumped at the opportunity the first time. I mean, anyone would want to be with me, but she's stubborn enough to make me wait for so long. The funny thing about this is that I wasn't acting like the cold bastard like I was before. I was trying to change and believe me, it was working. “So, are we really going to do this?” Rachael asked shortly after I drove off. “Yeah, I think it's time, too. We are adults here. No matter what others might say, we shouldn't be hiding our relationship. I don't have a rule that employees can't date within the workplace, so I don't see what the problem is.” I replied. I hope that I am righ
(Rachael)It's been a couple of weeks since Xander and I went public with our relationship, and I have been beating myself up ever since about being so hasty with this. I groaned when I realized the crisis I was in. Emily was also pacing since we were hanging out. We decided to go shopping for my upcoming date with Xander, but once I entered the store, paid for what I wanted, and was about to leave, I got trapped. Paparazzi lined up outside, waiting to get a glimpse of the famous Rachael Hale, who took Xander King off the market. At least, that's how they worded it in the papers, on the news, and all over social media. “You should have taken Xander's offer to drop you off. At least he would be here to protect us!” Emily shouted, and, which turned into an annoying groan when someone from inside the store tried to take our picture. “This has been going on for weeks, Em. I thought that it would have died down by now,” I replied, not knowing what to do. I checked my F******k page to se
(Xander's POV)After spending time with everyone, it was safe to say that I was a bit quick to judge Amy. It seems as if she truly loves Dad and cares for him, so I'll step aside for now. I can't believe that I'm even saying this, but I'm happy that he made the right choice. It's now 9 pm, and everyone was locked in their rooms. Rachael and I were in my room, and she's currently taking a shower when her phone went off. I took it up and was about to tell her that she had received a couple of messages when I noticed that it was John. I stopped to read them, which was easy since her phone wasn't locked. John wanted them to meet, but he did not say where. He also said the time, and I was shocked to find out that Rachael was keeping such a secret from me. But, I'm smarter than them.~~~~I did not mention anything to Rachael about those messages because if she wants to meet with John, I'll be damned if I'm not there, lurking in the shadows. If I see anything that I won't like, I'll make su
(Xander)I was mad. Why does it seem that Rachael always knows how to get me angry? I asked her not to come here alone, but she went behind my back and did the one thing I asked her not to do. Now, I'm standing here staring at her, not saying anything as I tried to figure out just what the fuck was going through her mind to pull such a reckless stunt. “Xander I…" I raised my hand, stopping her from what she was saying. “The one thing I asked you not to do and you did it! You're so fucking stubborn! Now is the time I wish that I could show you my Dom side because you won't be able to walk for ten years by the time I'm through with you.” Her eyes became wide from my threat and for the first time since I've been with her, I meant it. “Get in your car and drive to my house, I'll meet you there in a while.” She didn't hesitate and did what I asked her to do. I wanted to be able to calm down before I went home, I don't know what I would do if I had gone home in this state. I've never pu
(Xander)(One month later)Dad and I were having a family picnic since it was Saturday now, and the yard was packed with our family and friends. Rachael was here with Cole, but her parents weren't because they left for Australia two days ago. Dad walked up to me and smiled, looking happier than usual. “How are you feeling?” I asked him after a scare I had earlier. He said that he didn't feel well and fainted after that. Lucy was there with him to check and make sure that he was alright. Luckily for him, he regained consciousness and was able to walk around. “I need to talk to you in private,” Dad said, and I nodded my head and followed him. We were now in his room, and he started to pace shortly after I closed the door, which started to worry me. I've never seen him like this before. Something must be wrong for him to be getting worked up like this.“I don't know how to tell you this.” He started saying, but I decided to go with a little joke just to lighten the mood a bit. “You d
(Rachael)“I don't know, he's acting strange,” I said to Mariah after I took Cole back home with me. We spent the weekend at Xander's house, but it seemed as if something was wrong. “It could mean several things, he'll tell you whenever he's ready,” Mariah replied while sitting next to me on the couch. Cole was in his room, and I had just come home from work. “Today at work, he ignored me. I tried to talk to him to get his attention, but he snapped at me and told me that he had a lot of work to get done. I hadn't spoken to him after that.” I started shaking my legs while biting my nails. I did not want to jump to any conclusions, but I couldn't help it. Usually, Xander would be all over me, even at work. But something just seems off. “Do you think he wants to break up with me?” I asked in a worried tone, which only made Mariah laugh. “Break up with you? Oh, please. That man is head over heels in love with you. You two might not have started off on the right path, but you both gave
(Xander)I figured out what Rachael wanted to talk to me about, I know that I haven't been myself ever since I talked to Dad. I didn't want it to affect my relationship with Rachael, but it seemed as if that was precisely what was happening. The next day, when I woke up, I got ready and made my way downstairs where Cole and Mariah were chatting away. Cole saw me and ran towards me, with a bright smile on his face. “So, I was talking to mom about this, and I was also talking to Mariah. Do you think it would be ok for me to call you Dad?” He blushed and looked down while shuffling his feet. I chuckled at the way he was acting. “Are you certain that's what you want to do?” I asked. He nodded his head and smiled. “Yes, I'm positive. Is it ok, though?” he asked. “Of course it's ok. It would be an honor for me.” I picked him up and carried him towards the table. Rachael joined us shortly as Mariah was handing us our breakfast.“Hey, beautiful,” I said to Rachael, which had her looking d
(Rachael)Xander…" I started to say, but he cut me off and told me to come to his office for lunch, that he had some important calls to make. I groaned out of frustration because I knew that when he was like this, he became cold and distant. The car that was following us earlier was enough to push him over the edge. He was brooding by the time we got to work. I tried to talk to him to get him to calm down, but it was like he was in his own world, and I didn't know how to bring him back to reality. Michael saw me and walked up with a smile on his face. He's always so jovial. Whenever I'm around him, things appear to get better.“Hey, so I have a question,” Michael said. I nodded my head and told him to go on, just as Emily and Brady joined us. “What do you think about anal sex?” My eyes became wide because of his question, and even Emily started choking. Brady, on the other hand, was trying hard not to laugh. “Um, it's um.” I cleared my throat and tried again. “You're serious?” I wa
(Rachael's POV)(Six months later)As I stood there watching Cole and Xander playing, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Knowing that this day had come. I am now six months pregnant after Xander and I had tried for so long. It finally came true. We are having a boy, which doesn't matter to me, I will love my baby no matter the gender. Xander and I could always try for a girl and at the rate that we went when I was trying to get pregnant, I know that one day it will happen. We were talking about the number of kids that we wanted, and I was shocked when Xander said six. I wanted four, but he jumped the gun a bit when he said six. Everything worked out great for everyone else, though. Lawrence was moving around more now without the wheelchair, Lucy had stopped working for him because of some family crisis, and she had to go back home. He and Amy are getting married next month, I can't wait for that to happen;Emily, my dear friend, was happy with the way things turned out. She, Brady
(Xander)I knew that I messed up and shouldn't have said that to Rachael. Fuck, I've been messing up a lot lately. I just didn't know how to tell Rachael why Camille was coming into my office every day for so long. A year ago, I killed a man out of rage. I wanted to protect my family, so I did everything that I could just to make sure that they were okay. My police friend warned me that it would affect me, but I didn't listen to him. I've never listened to anyone when I have made my mind up about something. I went and killed the bastard who shot Rachael, but it had been affecting me a lot. Lately, I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, couldn't stand the sight or smell of certain things. My mind was a mess and because of that, I would always lose control and lash out at Rachael. I thought that I could take it all in without any problems because I'm a man and I shouldn't allow certain things to affect me. But, it was affecting me. It got to me so much that I started having nightmares. I cou
(Rachael)One year later“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Micah! Happy birthday to you!” We shouted at the top of our voices. Emily and Brady now have a one-year-old son named Micah. I was at their birthday party celebrating with them, which was a lot of fun. Emily ran up to me and pulled me in for a hug, I'd never seen her so happy before, and I was glad. She had been through a lot with her parents fighting her to work at their hotel, which she finally agreed to do. After Emily and Brady resigned, Xander had to hire two more people, and right now, I was mad at him. It's been six months now since we moved in together in the house that he bought, and five since we got married. Everything was going great, heck, he even caved and told me that he killed the bastard who was after me. I told him that I wasn't mad at him for doing it, I was just mad that he kept it a secret from me. Ok, I'm straying a bit. So, after Xander hired two women to replace Emily
Thank you all for reading my story, it's been a honor writing and having everyone give it a chance. now, I'm almost close to writing the epilogue, I hope that's ok. I think that this is a bit dragging and I don't want my readers to get bored, so a couple more chapters will be uploaded and then that's it. I have another story that I'm working on call Alpha Gabriel and his human mate. I will be posting those chapters soon, so be sure to look out for it. again, thank you all for your support I really appreciate it.
(Rachael)(Three weeks later)It's been three weeks since I've been in the hospital, and right now, I was dying to get out of here. I was already healed enough to start taking showers, which I had Xander help me with since I didn't trust anyone else. Cole was in school, so he would visit me in the evenings, so I didn't have my son here to keep me company. On days like this, I miss my family a lot. My parents had to go home so that they could help Mariah with Cole and Emily is pregnant, so she won't be able to be here with me all the time. I sighed when I tried to get into the movie that I was watching, but I just couldn't. Thank God, my bag was recovered on sight, and I was able to get my phone back. I took it up and looked at it, wondering why Xander hadn't texted me back yet. He said that he was on his way here and if I needed something to eat. I told him what I wanted and asked if he was okay, but haven't received any response from him. I sighed again, feeling extremely bored and
(Rachael)I woke up to blinding lights that had me closing my eyes instantly. My throat felt dry, because of a tube that was there. I was confused as to where I was. The beeping sound that was coming from somewhere in the room was also annoying. It took me a moment to realize where I was, and that's when I saw Dr. Hills and two nurses running into the room. After, Dr. Hills checked to make sure that I was alright. He left, saying that he was going to tell my family the good news. He removed the tube and one of the nurses gave me some water to drink, which k greedily accepted. They also gave me something for the pain that I was feeling, which had started to cool down a bit. “Do you remember anything that happened?” I looked at the nurse who spoke, she told me that her name was Anabelle. “I remember some things, but not all. Did Dr. Hills say that my family was here?” Anabelle nodded her head and smiled. “They have been here from the moment you were brought in, Miss. Hale, they have
(Xander)We stayed at Rachael's side for two weeks now and still no sign of her waking up. Dr. Hills told us that she was getting stronger and was expecting her to make a full recovery, but I couldn't wait. I didn't have the patience for that. Today, I got a call from a police friend of mine, saying that they found out who it was that shot Rachael. I asked him how he found out, and he told me that the fucker took his mask off in front of a store that had that surveillance camera on it. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that we were getting somewhere. This time, I told everyone where I was heading so that they wouldn't be worried about me. Cole wanted to come with me, but I had to trick him so that he would stop crying. I told him that I would bring back his favorite pizza, which had him smiling and nodding his head. (Time skip)After I left the station with every information that I needed about the bastard, I decided to figure out a way I could get to him before the cops did. My
(Xander)Aunt Claudia called me and asked me where I was, but I hung up without replying. I couldn't deal with that shit right now. I just didn't want to be there right now. With my father in the hospital and now Rachael, it was just too stressful for me. I still had to go to work and maintain the house, everything was getting to me and the only thing that I could think of was to drink. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. Seeing that it was Leon, I groaned. I don't have the time or the patience for anyone right now. I needed to de-stress and this was the only way to do it. “You were going to drive after this?” Leon asked, taking a seat next to me. “Yeah, I can hold my liquor,” I replied while drinking another shot of vodka. I got mad at Leon for telling the bartender not to give me anymore because I was driving, and then I got mad at the bartender for listening to Leon. I pulled a stupid move and took out my gun while pointing it at the bartender, who froze in fear. Leon
(Xander)The hospital was packed once again with everyone, including Leon and his girlfriend, waiting on hear some sort of good news from Dr. Hills. It wasn't the same hospital that my dad was in, I made sure he was at a more private one where he was comfortable enough. Shortly after, Dr. Hills made his way toward us with a look on his face that I could not understand. Cole started to cry while Mr. Hale tried to comfort him. “Rachael hasn't woken up yet but her surgery was successful, her vital signs are getting stronger by the minute, I can see her leaving here soon. But, she'll need a lot of support once she's out. If you want, you can all see her at the same time, I usually allow one person at a time, but I guess I can make an excuse for now.” I sighed in disappointment, knowing that my fiancé hadn't woken up yet. I walked up to Cole and picked him up, he held on to me as tight as he could while he was sobbing. I was trying my best to comfort him. We headed towards Rachael's room