"Something happened a couple of days ago, but Nicholas and I are going to tell you all later when we're all together.""Are you okay?" Lory asked."Yes, I'm okay." I grabbed their hands and squeezed. "I promise. Let's forget about it for now. We'll talk about it tonight."They looked uncertain but didn't push for information. We all put on bikinis and then added overalls so that we weren’t completely scandalous. My bikini was strapless with pink and white stripes. I found it in the bag along with a bunch of other things Nicholas had packed for me. He hadn't wanted me to lift a finger, and I went along with it. I figured he must have recruited Lory or Courtney to supply the luggage with clothes for me.Nicholas was right about the weather. It was bright, sunny, and quite warm when we stepped outside."This place is amazing," Courtney said as we made our way to the dock. "I know." I had a long way to get used to the treatment, but I still enjoyed being the princess.We eventually got o
"Do you think they're working together?" Francis asked, finally chiming in.Nicholas shook his head. "No, I don't think so. As far as I know, they no longer communicate. Their whole affair and sham marriage were done out of spite. I think they're both acting now because I'm happy with Willow."Everyone was silent for a few minutes, digesting all the information. I turned my head to give him a small kiss.Courtney broke the silence first. "But what now? When Hector realizes his plan didn't work, he may become even more desperate for revenge. What if he continues following you, Willow? I don't like the thought of you by yourself... with the baby." Her voice broke a little. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I think you can kick some ass, but maybe you should carry a weapon or something. I don't know."I gave her an understanding smile and Nicholas cleared his throat. "She won't be by herself. Virgil is going to be her new best friend."I shook my head. We were still debating this scenario. He
Midterms were coming up, but I felt comfortable with all the material. Even if I no longer had anybody to study with.The curious looks I had gotten at the beginning of the semester from other students were nothing compared to what I was going through now. All I received were stares and whispers. It wasn't surprising considering I was the only student with a bodyguard roaming around campus.Even Melody and Haven were ignoring me.It hurt my feelings, but there wasn't much I could do about it. This wasn't really the college experience I had been hoping for, but I wouldn't have changed anything about my life outside of school. I loved Nicholas completely, even if I was mad at him."You shouldn't be angry with him, you know." I narrowed my eyes. Was he reading my thoughts? "Why not?" "Because he's out of his mind worried about you. I guarantee he would be right here by your side, instead of me, if it wouldn't cause even more of a scene than I do." I snorted. He was right about that. I
Particularly in regards to my cleavage. I chuckled to myself as I put on a simple black skirt and tight-fitting button-down blouse. If I knew Nicholas at all—and I did—the blouse and skirt wouldn't last long. I finished with a pair of heels, adding at least three inches to my short stature. I was giddy with my plan, smiling and humming as I checked myself one last time in the mirror. I couldn't wait to have my Nicholas back. Though I missed the sex, I missed the intimacy even more. These two weeks had hurt me just as much as him. So much so that I was starting to regret my actions. I sighed and pushed those thoughts away, grabbing my purse before eagerly making my way downstairs, where I knew John would already be waiting. Laura shook her head, waving me off, knowing it would be futile to try and make me eat breakfast. My phone rang on the way, and I was surprised to find Virgil calling on one of his days off from babysitting. "Virgil?""I've got good news." He sounded almost
I gasped for breath when his lips left mine and landed on my neck. He grunted and cursed as he filled me. He was hitting places in me I didn't know existed. I cried out again and he stilled momentarily."Am I hurting you?" I tugged at his hair, filled with impatience. "Don't you dare stop." He chuckled, sliding his nose up my jawline. "God, I've missed you. I’ve missed this." He then proceeded to pound me into the door so hard that I was surprised we didn't break it down. Whatever wood he had used for it was definitely worth the buck.Maybe it was my already amped-up arousal from thinking about being with him all morning. Maybe it was the thrill of sex in a semi-public space. Maybe it was the two-week drought.Or maybe this was what make-up sex was all about. I wasn't sure the reason why, but it didn't take long at all before I was seeing stars and he was groaning his release. He kissed me hard, moaning into my mouth, his thrusts slowing as he came down. His kisses softened as he s
We went our merry way with my appearance clearly revealing what I had done inside his office. I was wearing his shirt and a jacket with the sleeves rolled up along with my heels. Nicholas had his arm draped over my shoulder as we walked to the elevator.I saw Julia sitting at her desk, a glare directed my way. I stopped right in front of her.Nicholas leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I was saving the honors for you, my lady."Was I a bad person for being happy at those words?I turned to Julia with a scathing glare to rival her own. “Pack up your things in the next five minutes or security will escort you out of the building. Why? Because you are fired.”Nicholas chuckled at how excited I was. He tucked me into his side and continued on to the elevator. I felt like I had all the power in the world, being able to fire someone.Sometimes revenge was sweet..The next day, I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Yeah, I still had Virgil the Babysitter on my tail, but Nicholas and I were
His brow furrowed in confusion. “If our son starts making ringing noises while I am fucking you, there are going to be bigger problems than not cumming.”I slapped his arm. "No, silly. I meant being interrupted. You better get used to having no private time."He leaned in and kissed my neck. "That's where you are entirely wrong, gorgeous. I'll hire a nanny.""You want to hire a nanny just so we can have sex?" "If necessary," he replied without a pause to think.I rolled my eyes. He was hopeless. I didn't know why I ever thought he would process information like a normal person."I did want to ask you something though." He pulled back, twirling my hair through his fingers. "What?" I asked.“Well, you being pregnant got me thinking about something. Remember when I told you about my wanting to semi-retire?”I nodded, wondering what in the world was going through his head."Did you have your heart set on QCU, or would other colleges work as well?" "What do you mean?" I asked, unable to
"Well, Hector is ignoring my calls and hasn't spoken to me in a couple of weeks. It hurt when he cut all communication and it just didn't make sense. Then you were... uh..." She blubbered as she glanced at Virgil. "You had him around you all the time. I guess I started to wonder if something bad happened. If you were in some kind of danger. I was scared to say anything, but I was feeling guilty. I told Russel everything a couple of days ago, and he convinced me to tell you everything. I just hope nothing I've done caused you any trouble.""Willis was playing you," Virgil said. "And your actions resulted in a lot of problems for many people." I cringed a little at how unsympathetic he was. But he was correct. "I'm sorry," she cried.Russel put his arm around her shoulders, and I sighed. It wasn't going to do any good to continue berating her. I frowned at Virgil and he rolled his eyes in response."There may be something you can do to make up for it though," Virgil finally conceded.
Nicholas POV:"What's the bad news?" Willow asked, squeezing my hand."We're going to keep you here. You're going to spend the rest of your pregnancy in this bed. I'm sorry. I know it's the holidays, but it's safer to keep you on complete bed rest and under observation. We're going to give you injections, which will help mature the babies' lungs. This blood pressure monitor will take measurements every ten minutes, and we'll continue taking daily blood and urine samples, along with daily ultrasounds."Willow and I were both quiet for a minute. "How long do you think I'll be here?" she finally asked."It's always best for the babies to mature as long as possible inside you, but at the first sign your health is being compromised, I'll deliver them." Dr. Whitney marked something off on Willow's chart before looking back over at us. "It could be hours, days, a week. It's difficult to give a firm timeline right now. But we want to keep you hear until the C-section is due."As soon as Dr. W
Nicholas POV:I'd always been a deconstructionist, breaking down complex issues into simpler parts to understand the whole better. I supposed the same could be said when I analyzed my life. It could be broken down into two basic parts: before Willow and after Willow.When I really looked at it, the truth was that I never lived much of a life before Willow. I was accomplished, admired, and even desired and envied by almost everyone around me. I'd once thought that was enough. But I was wrong. I'd never been more wrong.The last four and a half years had brought me so much more than I ever imagined possible. Much more than the decades preceding combined. More happiness. More fulfillment. More meaning. Before Willow, I was content with being successful in business, even at the expense of personal relationships. After Willow, my satisfaction was found nowhere near the billions of dollars at my fingertips.It was in her smile. Her laughter. The way her eyes lit up when I told her how beaut
Three Years Later:I glanced down, straightening my robe. My stomach was in knots as I waited for my name to be called. It was a big day not only for me but also for those I loved. My eyes drifted over the crowd, my heart stuttering at the glimpse of familiar faces. "Yo, Willow! Are you going to come out with us tonight for some celebratory drinks?" I turned to smile and shake my head at my fellow graduates. "Sorry, guys. I have plans with my family." My family. I wanted to wrap myself up with those two words. It was four years to the day that I'd crossed a similar stage and received another diploma. But my life couldn't have been more different than it was back in Atkins.This time there was no dread from wondering if I'd have anyone present to cheer for my success. This time I didn't have any longing in my heart for my own loved ones in the crowd. This time I didn't have the uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring. This time my family was there. All of them. After William's bi
Then another contraction hit, and I was cursing Nicholas and his sperm. He had me in his arms and inside the car in a flash, the others piling in behind us."Squeeze my hand if it hurts. Breathe with me." Nicholas was holding me close, murmuring in my ear while the car zoomed through traffic. "Where's your father?" Clara asked him. He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably in a cab somewhere. I ran and didn't wait for them to catch up." I giggled a little at Clara, who shook her head and pulled out her phone to call Jefferson. Then I remembered where he had been and turned to face him. "What happened? What did they say?" "She's out of our lives now." "What does that mean?" His eyes hardened and he frowned. "Let's concentrate on this now. I don't want you thinking about that nonsense." I huffed. "Just tell me."He looked around at everyone before meeting my gaze again. "Okay. They're pleading her out. Evidently, Simon talked her out of going to trial, wanting to avoid the media circ
Since my release from the hospital, we had weekly appointments with Dr. Whitney, our last one being the day before. I was already two centimeters dilated, and she suggested I could go into labor at any time. I had worried it was too early, but she assured both me and Nicholas that our son was full-term and healthy. It was a difficult decision, but I had agreed to have a C-section. It was scheduled to happen in another week and a half... if I didn't go into labor before that time. When she explained the intracranial pressure from bearing down and possible complications from my recent concussion and ensuing brain swelling, Nicholas pleaded with me to choose the surgery. I could actually feel the fear rolling off of him. The choice to go with the doctor's advice made sense on all fronts and calmed him down significantly, even if I was still a little nervous. "I'd rather stay here today."I kept brushing my teeth, my eyes meeting his in the mirror as I shook my head. I spit and rinsed,
I scanned around the room, noting each of those who were most important to me. Lory exchanged silent smiles with Francis. Courtney and Geoffrey laughed and tickled each other. Laura gushed over Virgil and John. Sarah chatted with Clara and Jefferson.Each of them was special to me in their own way, and my heart felt so full knowing they were here at this moment to celebrate with me and Nicholas. That they shared our sorrows and our joys. None of them were blood-related, but they were all my family.Clara was seated next to us and took my hand, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Before opening all the gifts, I did want to talk to you about your baby shower." I'd forgotten all about that. I cringed, remembering her wanting to give me a huge party. "I'm not really sure..." She stopped me. "I was thinking—considering everything—that maybe you'd prefer something small? Maybe we could even do it here? Just us girls?" I nodded. "That would be great." She grinned. "I have the perfect plan i
His lips were back at my ear again. "Relax, Willow. Here..." he broke off, massaging my thigh a little before lifting my leg and nudging his knee between mine. "Open up for me." It had been so long, and I was too tensed with excitement that I was inadvertently making it difficult for him to get it in. I focused on his chest rising and falling against my back, calming with each breath I took in time with his. With his caution and trying to be tender, it took longer than normal. But finally, he filled me, and I bit my lip, moaning from the feeling. One of his arms was nestled under my neck, his hand on my breast, while the other gripped my hip as he pumped slowly in and out of me. "Is this okay?" he asked. "Does your head hurt? Anything?" "No. It’s fine. This feels good." And it did. It felt great. Yet... something was off.I tried to twist around enough to kiss him, but it wasn't the easiest task. Twisting my body was the one thing that still hurt my ribs. His lips met mine briefl
“You got the short end of the stick as you were growing up, but you didn’t let that stop you. You weren’t bitter about it or trodden down. And I remember thinking how strong you were when I met you.” He leaned in and brushed my lips with his. "It's the same now. If I were you, I would be so angry. But you're smiling and beautiful and happy about the snow..." He broke off and shook his head.I threaded my fingers with his, not needing him to say another word. I knew what he was trying to say, and it meant the world to me that he felt that way. Suddenly the baby kicked hard, and both of our mouths fell open, our eyes widening in surprise. "You felt that, right?" I asked, knowing he hadn't been able to feel the baby move much at all up to this point.He nodded slowly, his eyes glancing down at our hands. "He's going to be a soccer player." I giggled when he bent over to place his head on my belly. "Kick for Daddy. Kick me." It took a few pleas for him to get his wish, but he sat back
Willow POV:He looked like he would explode if he didn’t get time to relax. Finally, his shoulders fell and his lips curved slightly into a smile of resignation. This was a sign that he was giving in.He stood up and hovered over me for a moment, surprising me when he buried his head in the crook of my neck, nuzzling and kissing. It bit back a gasp.Nicholas was far from shy when it came to public display of affection, but it was awkward for him to be so forward, even if it was only in front of Virgil."Maybe I should leave..." Virgil said slowly.Nicholas mumbled 'yes' as I said 'no' at the same time. I laughed and put my hands on his cheeks, to push his face away, taking pleasure in the sight of his small smile."I'll be right back," he said. "Please take a shower." I ran my fingers through his much longer-than-normal hair. "And maybe sneak in a trim."He laughed, and it was the first time I'd heard that sound since my fall. I liked his laugh. It was infectious. It made everything