After what felt like forever, they got to the hospital. Adam got down from the back passenger seat, then proceeded into the building. A couple of staff there recognized him so they greeted him. Adam responded by nodding.
Central Hospital was his family’s hospital and also one of the best in the United States. Adam hated hospitals and heaven knew he could count how many times he had been here.
Asking for directions made no sense since Adam had an idea of where Thelma Sleeves would be.
Coming out of the elevator that led to the 4th floor, Adam made his way to where the VIP wards were.
&n
Adam arrived in Berlin, Germany at about 4 pm. From the airport, he went straight to the serviced apartment he would be staying in. After resting for a couple of minutes, he joined a very important zoom meeting which lasted for almost an hour. Then he took a long nap when the meeting was over.Sleeves eventually opened his eyes, reached for his phone that was beside him, he saw that it was way past midnight. A little over 1:30 am.Adam went through all pending notifications on his phone, then he decided to call Kara. She picked up almost immediately as though She had been expecting his call.“Hi,” Adam said to the other side, not
Knowing that his best friend would be anxious about hearing from him, Adam decided to call him.Oliver finally picked after a couple of minutes. “I gave up on you calling me today since it’s midnight over there. How’s everything? You’re just coming back from the club?”“Club? No, I just woke up from a long nap.”“Now that you mentioned it, I’m just realizing that it’s been a while since I've been to that place,” Adam said, referring to the club. The clubhouse was his safe haven. It became his second home overtime because he was there almost every day of the week.
Helen just finished tucking Calvin to bed. Stepping out of his room and gently shutting the door, She bumped into the last person she wanted to see. Tessie Sleeves.Helen wanted to roll her eyes badly but she was able to stop herself.“Where are your manners? Even if my husband told you not to receive any orders from me, does that mean that I don’t deserve to be greeted in my own house?” She spat, giving Helen an ugly glare.“Good evening, Mrs Sleeves,” Helen greeted with a small bow, then proceeded to take her leave.
THREE DAYS LATERAdam Sleeves did his possible best to ensure that he got to Chicago earlier than they all expected but that was impossible because there were a lot of things that needed his attention in Germany.But he was very glad when the three days trip came to an end. For the first time in like forever, Adam found himself very eager to return home.Whenever Adam Sleeves traveled out of the country on business trips, he was known to spend extra days or even weeks, to enjoy himself. Literally anything to keep him away from Tessie Sleeves. But it was different this time around. He couldn’t wait to get home to his kids and Kara.
“Whatever is on my body is none of your business, Mr Sleeves. You’re invading my privacy. This is not how a gentleman behaves. Please quit staring at my boobs and help yourself out of my room! The last thing I want is you being here or your wife walking in on us.”Adam didn’t seem to listen to all that came out of Helen’s mouth and neither was he affected by the glare she was giving him. He brought up his right hand and ran a finger over the small tattoo, indirectly touching her boob.Helen slapped her Boss’s hand away from her chest area and tried to escape from his hold but Adam wasn’t having it.&l
THE NEXT DAYAdam literally spent the whole day in his room. He woke up late, and on the bad side of the bed. He poured himself a glass of alcoholic drink, went over to the desk area in his room and did some work on his laptop for hours. He took a nap in between, after which he continued working.When it was almost 5 pm, Sleeves reached for his phone and decided to leave Kara a text message. He told her to get the kids ready as he would be leaving with them at 6 for Ollie’s party.Adam wasn’t one that spent so much time in the shower so he only went into the bathroom at fifteen minutes to 6 pm. He was out in no time, then started getting read
“Nervous?” Adam asked the moment he started the car engine, taking a glance at Kara who was seated beside him in the front passenger’s seat. She had desperately wanted to sit at the back with the kids but the car Adam was taking out this evening wasn’t that spacious. The back could only fit in two car seats so she had no choice but to unwillingly sit in front with him.“You could have taken one of the other cars.” She mumbled as he drove out of the mansion.“I could, but I didn’t.”“Why?” She asked immediately.
“Language, mister! My goddaughter is here.” Jessica warned her husband, knowing the reason for his reaction.For the first few seconds, Oliver didn’t know what to say. The atmosphere was getting kind of awkward so Adam came to the rescue. “I see Philip is here. We have something important to discuss with him, remember?”“Please take good care of her,” Adam said to Jessica who nodded immediately.Then Adam and Oliver took their leave.“I’m so sorry about that. My husband can be crazy at times.
Kara sighed, slightly giving up because she knew she was also at fault.“Forgive me too for keeping something important away from you. I should have let you know my view about us having a baby too soon.” “Come over here!” Adam gestured for her to come closer to him and she did just that. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, caressing her cheek. “Please let’s forget about the past. I promise not to hide anything from you again or give you any form of silent treatment.” “Me too.” “The baby, thank you.” He smiled, looking down at her belly.Katherine chuckled, “It takes two to make a baby.” “I know. It’s just amazing to know we are going to have a child together again. It’s something I’ve secretly wished for. I was not there when you were pregnant with Annie, I wasn’t on good terms with Tessie so I didn’t experience much during Calvin’s pregnancy, we had Anna through surrogacy so this is going to be like my first time, experiencing everything step by step with the woman I love most in
Once Seth drove away with Annie in the car, Adam made his way to his car where Zane was waiting for him. He occupied himself with his thoughts as Zane drove.Everything had been perfect. So perfect that Adam couldn't believe life could be this sweet and fulfilling. Kara and his kids were no doubt the best thing to ever happen to him. Tessie got a well deserved judgment of three years imprisonment with a permanent restraining order to stay away from Adam and his family. Adam's Sisters and parents never troubled anymore because of the court's order and Annie's adopted parents had their own fair share of punishment by the court. He won every lawsuit against Tessie's parents and his father with regards to the company which he still successfully runs. Soon enough, they arrived at their little mansion, their home. It took three months for the Sleeves to get their present residence but Adam couldn’t help but think that it was worth it. They didn’t want a place that was too big or too sm
As promised, Annie helped Katherine in getting Anna ready after which she went to get ready. Soon enough they were all downstairs, ready for school and having breakfast. Annie did her best in making lively conversations to ease her mother’s mood which she actually achieved. She also assisted in feeding her baby sister. Once the children were done with their food, Kara packed their lunch bag. “Zane took your Dad to work. Unfortunately, I’m not in the mood to drive so I guess we will all be leaving with Seth.”“Seth will drive. We will drop Anna and Calvin first, then drop you at school after which he will bring me back home.” “You look so tired. I’m sure you didn’t have any sleep last night. Why don’t you stay at home and rest? I’ll take care of my siblings. We will drop Anna and Calvin first, then Seth will drop me off at school.” “Are you sure? My head pounds like crazy but this is something I can manage to do.” “It’s fine, Mom. I’ll take care of today.” Annie assured. Once re
Epilogue 12 months later Katherine slowly opened her eyes, coming face to face with the cold and empty space beside her. Despite how heavy her head was, She knew she needed to get up and start her day. She eventually had the strength to get out of bed after staring at the ceiling for a couple of minutes. Before going into the bathroom, Kara reached for her phone on the nightstand. She unlocked it, then went to her message app. Staring at the receiver’s space, being unsure as to whether to send the message or not, She finally found the courage to do so with shaky hands. “Good morning, baby. What do you want for breakfast?” Seeing that the message had been delivered, Kara placed her phone back on the nightstand, then went to the bathroom to do her morning ritual. She dried her body, changed into a brown sundress, then brushed her hair.Returning to the bedroom, Kara proceeded to the nightstand where her phone was. Her heart fell when she didn’t see notifications of any replied mes
Just as promised, Adam ensured they all went out for breakfast. They did some grocery shopping before coming back home. Once home, Calvin suggested they all went for a swim. That was when they realized Annie couldn’t swim. She mostly watched the others have fun but Kara made her come into the water too, teaching her a few strokes. Adam made a mental note to register her for swimming lessons. Shortly after The Sleeves had lots of food, snacks, and drinks delivered at their doorstep, their guests arrived. “Uncle Adam!” Evan ran towards his godfather the moment the door was opened. Adam chuckled, picking up the little boy, showering his face with kisses, making him giggle. “I missed you, Uncle Adam.” “I missed you too, buddy.” “Where’s Calvin?” “In the living room. You wanna go meet him.” Evan nodded eagerly. Adam kissed his forehead, then placed him on his feet after which Evan ran into the living room. “Holy shit, Jess.” Adam’s lips curved into a genuine smile when he saw her
Adam sleeves woke up feeling really pumped. Just like how he had been for the past few days. He couldn’t believe it was possible to experience ease, happiness, peace of mind and so much joy after living a life filled with nothing but sadness.Waking up every day to his family was the sweetest part of Adam’s life. He couldn’t get enough of Kara and those little humans God blessed him with. Unconsciously, he found himself looking forward to spending every hour of the day with them. Adam knew he had to return to work eventually but he knew it wasn’t going to be anytime soon. For now, the feeling of missing a thing that goes on with his family doesn’t sit well with him. Sleeves chuckled quietly as he watched Katherine snuggle closer to him. They were both naked under the sheets. He couldn’t help but think that there was nothing more fulfilling than falling asleep together and waking up in each other’s arms. He couldn’t believe this was the feeling he had been deprived of for years. Car
Adam sleeves wasn’t someone that was into Shopping. He said would rather have people do them for him. But seeing the gorgeous smile on his beautiful daughter's face while buying stuff for her was so fulfilling. He bought everything She needed and a lot more. They got stuff for Kara too, as well as Calvin and Anna. The last stop was the apple shop. Annie wanted just one device but Adam made sure she got multiple. An iPhone, iPad, a MacBook as well as necessary accessories. Kara got an iPad too. They had lunch at a very reputable restaurant not far from the mall after which they went home. Adam was able to avoid being recognized by using his disguised shades. It was only at the point of payment that every cashier knew it was him. Once they got home and put everything they brought away, Adam and Annie left to pick up Calvin. “Having a good time?” Adam said to his daughter the moment he drove out of the mansion. “Yes.”“Thank you.” “For the stuff I got you?” He asked, taking a glan
“I’ll be right back,” Adam said, excusing himself.Stepping into the living room, he answered the call. “Good day, Mr sleeves.” The not-so-familiar feminine voice came through. “Good day, Alicia. How may I help you?” He asked, politely. “Actually, Sir, I apologize for wanting to have this discussion over the phone when it should be done face to face.Adam ran a hand over his face, already having an idea of what was going to come out of Alicia’s mouth. “We are deeply sorry about Helen’s behavior. I’m quite shocked too because she’s our best staff and never have we had any bad report about her. We are deeply sorry, Mr. Sleeves. We can issue a refund if you want. But please don’t let this go public. It will ruin the Agency’s reputation and the employment of other employees.” Adam exhaled. “Tessie came to you, Didn’t she?” “She reached out to us on the phone.” “So what did she say?” “She said Helen has been nothing but a disaster since she came into your home. She never takes goo
Pulling away from the hug, Adam and Katherine noticed that their daughter’s eyes were filled with tears. Before they could both say anything, a tear rolled down Annie’s cheek which She wiped away immediately with the back of her palm. “What’s wrong, love?” Kara voiced out, moving closer to her daughter. “Did I do anything to hurt you?” Adam whispered, wondering what went wrong. Annie sniffled, shaking her head. “I never got the chance to call you 'Daddy' or know you better and I saw that lady almost kill you.” “My love,” He raised Annie’s chin so she could meet his gaze. “I’m not going anywhere. Not now or ever. This is where I belong. With you, your mom, and your siblings.” “You have nothing to be afraid of. No one is going to take your Daddy away from you. That lady will definitely be jailed. She won’t come back into our lives. I promise you.” “Please, be careful, Daddy.” She whispered, looking at him with pleading eyes. Adam smiled. It felt so good hearing his almost teenage