ADLEYI tried to wrap my head around the fact that he figured out just like that. Well, he was smart and managed to put two and two together. And couldn’t I be any more obvious? I froze in his lap.My mind was puzzled. I lay flat in the bed, staring at the ceiling while Mykel was asking me too many questions at a time. I got it, and he was curious and excited while I was dizzy and confused.I was still in my robe, naked beneath. His hand was on my tummy, dreaming of my little peanut’s future.“When can we find out our baby’s gender?” The last question made me groan.I squeezed my eyes shut. “Stop. Stop. I’m gonna throw up if you keep asking.”He was on his elbows, stiffened all of a sudden. “I’m sorry. I’m just terribly happy. We’re gonna be parents, baby. And I promise to be with you every step of the way. We can do this.”“We didn’t even plan for this.”He let go a long sigh. “Here you go again.”“Don’t talk to me about spontaneity. That put me in a lot of trouble, by the way.”“Who
MYKEL I was still over the moon celebrating being a father again. The feeling of watching the monitor with the image of my child growing inside my wife was fucking extraordinaire—we made this baby, and I couldn’t wait to hold my child in my arms. Then it was only a matter of a split second that my triumph and delirious bliss were gone in an instant. My world stopped and faded around me. I was quick to rush toward my wife to drag her away from the motherfucker, shielding her and my child from the perilous exploit, but I wasn’t fast enough. I was supposed to be there to protect her, yet I failed her as a husband. Again. It sickened me. It fucking pissed me off. “Babe.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my chest. “Get that motherfucker out of my face before I fucking break his skull!” I ordered Sax and Kye. If I let my rage consume me, and if I was that man before I met Adley, I would have done what made me feel better. I would have punched that son of bi
ADLEY I woke up in an unfamiliar room. Then it registered to me that I was still in the hospital. When I looked at the chair, it wasn’t my husband sitting there. I was surprised and glad to see a familiar face I longed to see. “Mom, what are you doing here?” She came to me and hugged me tightly. “Darling, congratulations.” “Thank you.” I adjusted the bed so I could sit while resting my back. “He called you, didn’t he?” “I honestly didn’t understand what he said. He was rumbling, but I decided to come. He’s so happy and terrified, darling. I could see it in his eyes when he met me earlier.” I smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. I need your advice. I was planning on calling you after Mykel found it out.” “Just two nights ago.” “Yes, it’s a kinda long story.” “I know, darling. How are you handling that? I cried a river after I found out what he did.” I licked my lips nervously. “Honestly, at first, it was hard. Then at the same time, I found out I’m pregnant and alone. It was a diff
MYKEL Life had seemed back to normal. Adley and I talked a lot about kids—Jax and our little peanut, as she called it. Peanut didn’t seem fit to call our kid, but who was to fight about it if she found peanut cute. I still had her spread wide in bed and ate her without mercy. She tasted amazing, the sweetest thing I’d ever put my mouth on. Her body became oversensitive against my touch, and I just loved to watch her as she desperately and helplessly asked for her orgasm. God, I didn’t know how I loved someone so much I couldn’t breathe. Adley became the center of my life—she became my world—my everything. Since I found out she was pregnant with our first child, I took pictures of her every day, and sometimes, I had stolen shots of her even in her sleep. I was grinning as I scrolled through our photos on my phone. She was going to hate me for doing this, but she would thank me later. A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. I lifted my gaze from my phone. I was surprised to see Lyra
MYKEL“You should have protected your dick if you don’t want to deal with the consequences. She just lost her family because of your dick, asshole. Say something like that again to anyone, I swear to you. You won’t only get a slap. I will make sure you won’t be able to talk again.”“What’s your deal with—”“Lyra. Her name is Lyra, dickhead. Let me tell you, Lyra is under Hartford and Creed’s protection now. From today onward, you and your face won’t ever look or talk to her ever again. The kid she’s carrying is hers alone. If I ever hear or even hear a rumor that you want to claim the kid as yours, I will make sure to tie you in any heinous crime in the city. Do you fucking understand me?”“Yes.” He cowered down.“Good.” I pulled the envelope from my jacket. I took the folded paper and gave it to him. “I want you to sign this agreement that you understand anything in this paper and don’t want anything to do with Lyra’s baby.”“What if I change my mind that I wanna see the kid?”“I will
ADLEY “Babe, are you sure Lyra is giving birth already? I thought her due is in a week.” I was still wearing a white floor-length evening gown for my party thrown to me as the new CEO. Yes, finally, I was the new CEO of Kross Corp., and of course, Grandpa was there as he introduced me to board members, representatives from the corporation worldwide, employees, and our guests. “Yes, baby. Dad just left. He wasn’t able to say goodbye. You were busy with the guests.” My husband was just jaw-dropping in a black tux. He finally shaved clean, making his jawline more prominent. “I’m going with you.” “This is your party. You can’t leave.” He shook his head. I knew he would disagree, but I could be persistent if I wanted to get something I wanted. “Well, I’m done meeting some guests. Besides, Grandpa is still here. I can reason out that they can’t say no to me. Watch me.” I walked away from Mykel. “Baby, what are you doing?” “Hi. Do you mind if I borrow my grandfather for a minute?” I h
ADLEY “Hey, babe.” I sat on the massage chair I purchased last week. It felt good. I was lucky to be one of those women who got pampered during pregnancy, but the work was time-consuming for someone like me who used to be hands-on on everything. I was still in the process of adapting to the new environment and position, and it still felt fulfilling despite the daily demand of my work. Besides, I had the best consultant at my speed dial. Dru had been a great help. “Busy?” I’d been busy for the past weeks. I’d visited some ongoing projects from my predecessor, Grandpa. I’d attended meetings for collaboration projects of the world’s top corporations and scientists. The hopes for the future were aspiring—to be able to build a commercial space station outer space. The plan was incredibly ambitious for 2050. “Not anymore. Grandpa left me tons of work, but it’s over now. All I need is good cuddling.” “We can cuddle all night. Besides, it’s the weekend, and baby?” “Yes?” “No more work
MYKEL“Jade, it’s nice of you to call.” I FaceTimed with my son almost every day. He barely talked, but I was happy to see him so often. I knew it was not a good idea to expose a three-year-old kid to gadgets, but I was taking my chances of getting close to his heart. “What is he up this time?”Jade chuckled. “Oh, my God, Mykel. You put me in a difficult position. He keeps reminding me of going on an airplane. So yesterday, I brought him to a toy store and bought a toy jet just to make him forget, but he did not.”I laughed out loud. My voice echoed in the office. “I’m sorry, Jade. Adley and I have already planned everything for the weekend. You and Jax will come to New York, and then we will fly to one of Adley’s residences.”“I’m also sorry. I know how busy you both are. Jax just gets too excited about his first trip.”“Well, we were kids once. I know how it feels. And I’m also sorry that I have to move the trip. You know Adley is terrified of flying, and she’s also pregnant. She ha
MYKEL Four years later “Mykel, are you still here?” My wife stopped in her track when she saw me sitting on my desk with a glass of whiskey in my hand. “Hey, baby.” She stepped closer at a sultry pace as she took off her coat. “Are you ready to go?” “Wearing that?” I emptied the glass and put down the desk. My skin started burning in anticipation of what could possibly happen tonight. I never fucked someone or even Adley in this office, but tonight, I would break that rule. I pressed a button on the screen—our privacy was secured. “It depends.” She stopped right in front of me, looking at the huge framed cover copy of herself for the business magazine as the most influential woman of the year. I spread my thighs apart, slid my hands on her hips, and pulled her closer to me. “What are you up to accomplish tonight, baby?” She bit her bottom lip before she spoke, “The kids are with their grandma, so I thought we could have fun.” “And this is your way of fun, huh?” I stared down
ADLEY The private island Mykel and I bought was beautiful. As we promised my grandfather, we got married as soon as I lost my baby weight—it was spectacular, just as the old man wanted it, with five hundred guests at my beach house. Then we had our honeymoon in Monaco, then on this same island where we would spend a week. This was our second time visiting this property after our wedding. I promised Mykel to spend more time with the kids and him. I prioritized my family over my work, and he did the same. I lost track of time when I was in a beautiful place like this with a white sand beach and a clear blue sky above the breathtaking ocean. I watched Jax play his castle set with the sand when my husband called me. It was our daughter’s feeding time. Amelie was too tiny in his arms as he carried her securely. Despite our kids having nannies, Mykel was a hands-on dad. Who would have thought he would become this remarkable man? “Time flies by so fast when you’re enjoying watching
MYKEL Ten months ago, I would have laughed my fucking ass off if someone came to me and guessed my future of being married, let alone having two kids at this moment. I would have said, you’re fucking insane, man. But life happened, fates collided, stars aligned, and all those shits. “Babe, please hurry up!” Adley was literally screaming as I tried to scramble, picking things into my hands. “Babe, relax. We practiced this a thousand times!” I dropped things down and closed my eyes for a moment so I could focus. “Those are shits, Adley! When it’s the time, I can’t focus when you’re in so much pain.” Just by looking at her, it hurt like fucking shit. She had contractions, sweating, and her face contorted in pain. She did a breathing exercise just like we practiced so I would not panic. She was the one who was so calm when she was about to pop our baby out. She was relaxed despite the pain all over her tummy. “Calm down. Give me my phone.” She gestured. “Now it’s not the time to cal
ADLEY “You know you can always talk to me about everything, right?” Mykel was talking to his son in the study. They did that a lot after Mykel read him stories. We spent most of our time in the backyard during weekends, and sometimes, we decided to go to the park. Last week, we visited Madelyn in her home, and the grandma was delighted to see her grandson again. It was hard at first having a three-year-old boy at home that I did not raise, and I didn’t know what he wanted because he barely opened up. I tried to find out the food he loved, what he liked to play with, or even his favorite tv shows. After some time with Jax, he was not choosy. He liked blue and green, monster cookies, and blueberry smoothies. Jade did a great job raising the kid into a beautiful human being. Jax liked Knox a lot. His uncle allowed him to play with colors and tempera paints in his studio. “I mean, Daddy will buy it for you if you want anything. Adley and I are always here for you, buddy. You can tel
MYKEL My move was deliberate as I took off the last thing on her body. I tossed her panties over my shoulder. My fingers caressed her collarbone, tracing down to the mound of her breast. I leaned down, taking the peak of her nipple into my mouth, sucking harder. Her breathing became heavy. Her chest rose and fell with every deep breath. I paid attention to her tit, sucking, nipping, and pulling it between my teeth. “Babe, I want you now.” “Always impatient.” Raking my fingers through her hair, I brought her lips into mine, kissing her passionately and deep as my silent approval. I slipped the tip of my tongue along the seam of her lips. She moaned and granted me entry. Deepening the kiss, I pressed my body into hers, and her hips bucked against mine. My hand slipped along the line of her hip, down to her thigh, bringing and pulling her knees up. As if on cue, she wrapped her legs around me. I ground my cock into her. She was always bare and already ready for me. “Mykel, please?”
ADLEY “Are you sure you wanna do this?” Grandpa asked me over the phone one more time. “For God’s sake, Grandpa, I’ve done this before? Are you more concerned about me, or is it because I’m taking the jet?” “You’re pregnant, young woman, and you’re terrified of flying.” “I’ll be fine. I can do this. Now hang up the phone so that I can go.” “Call me when you land, Adley.” “I will.” I hung up the call. I was already strapped in, and my heart started hammering. I drew deep breaths when the jet started moving the runaway, and it began to shake. “I’m here, Mrs. C if you need me.” “I should get used to it without help.” I didn’t even look at Romare. I kept my eyes shut all the time. Even if I wanted some wine to calm my nerves, I couldn’t drink alcohol. It sucked, but I needed to let go of this irrational fear once and for all. “Oh, God! I’m gonna be labor in no time!” I gripped the armrest as hard as possible when the jet started to ascend. Then another terrifying moment when it
MYKEL I shut my eyes close, waiting for him to reply. “No, sir. She’s alone.” “Which hospital?” Cracking my eyes open, I let go of a shuddering breath as I sagged against the backseat. I felt terrible that somehow I was relieved that my son was not with her when it happened. I hung up the call after the officer gave me the hospital’s name. “Turn around, arrange the flight to LA.” I couldn’t take my mind off Jade. I just talked to her over the phone, and now she was rushed to the hospital fighting for her life. I tried to wrap around it and rationalized, hoping this was just a nightmare, but the more I thought about it, the more I was sucked into the reality that Jade might not make it, and my son would be losing his mother. How was I going to tell a three-year-old kid? How was I going to raise him alone? “Jesus Christ.” “I’m so sorry, boss,” Sax said. “I was just talking to her. This could not be real.” I shook my head, voicing out my denial. “How did this happen?” “Is your
MYKEL“Jade, it’s nice of you to call.” I FaceTimed with my son almost every day. He barely talked, but I was happy to see him so often. I knew it was not a good idea to expose a three-year-old kid to gadgets, but I was taking my chances of getting close to his heart. “What is he up this time?”Jade chuckled. “Oh, my God, Mykel. You put me in a difficult position. He keeps reminding me of going on an airplane. So yesterday, I brought him to a toy store and bought a toy jet just to make him forget, but he did not.”I laughed out loud. My voice echoed in the office. “I’m sorry, Jade. Adley and I have already planned everything for the weekend. You and Jax will come to New York, and then we will fly to one of Adley’s residences.”“I’m also sorry. I know how busy you both are. Jax just gets too excited about his first trip.”“Well, we were kids once. I know how it feels. And I’m also sorry that I have to move the trip. You know Adley is terrified of flying, and she’s also pregnant. She ha
ADLEY “Hey, babe.” I sat on the massage chair I purchased last week. It felt good. I was lucky to be one of those women who got pampered during pregnancy, but the work was time-consuming for someone like me who used to be hands-on on everything. I was still in the process of adapting to the new environment and position, and it still felt fulfilling despite the daily demand of my work. Besides, I had the best consultant at my speed dial. Dru had been a great help. “Busy?” I’d been busy for the past weeks. I’d visited some ongoing projects from my predecessor, Grandpa. I’d attended meetings for collaboration projects of the world’s top corporations and scientists. The hopes for the future were aspiring—to be able to build a commercial space station outer space. The plan was incredibly ambitious for 2050. “Not anymore. Grandpa left me tons of work, but it’s over now. All I need is good cuddling.” “We can cuddle all night. Besides, it’s the weekend, and baby?” “Yes?” “No more work