The day ran faster than I had expected or maybe it was so because we barely had time to catch our breaths. We were racing from one activity to another and I was surprised to see that the kids still had the energy to fish at the lake inside the park. I felt like I had been run over by a truck although I think that had more to do with the tug of war game we played.
Needless to say, Abby, Aiden, and I lost to Lucas with our faces to the ground. My argument would be that it was a completely bias match. I would not put it past Lucas to be able to lift all three of us at the same time. But at least we had a lot of fun.
It was probably the best day I had had since I became the kid's nanny. I got to see Lucas in a different light. He was a good father, I had not a single doubt, but seeing the way he lost himself to the kids today, devoting his time and energy into making them enjoy their day, was just the most adorable sight to witness.
Lucas and I also go
"You just sound like one big happy family," Celine squealed happily as I sat on my bed talking to her after finishing up for the day. She went on about her usual excitement as I told her about the picnic. "Of course," I said flatly, "except we are not a family and we have only been dating one week.". "What if you propose to him," she said as her tone shifted into seriousness. "That's your worst joke yet," I said drily as I shifted on my bed. "and I've seen you try stand up comedy." "Shut up," she laughed, "I'm serious, since we came here, I've seen more couples proposing than on valentine's day." "You hate valentine's—and proposals." I cried through the phone. "Well, that was before I made this trip to Ibiza, god they are so f-ing adorable girl." "What is Alexander turning my best friend into?" "Haha, very funny," she mocked, "but it would be so cute. I can even help you shop for rings and I have some really amazing proposal ideas in mind." "Good night Celine," I threatened.
The kids screamed for sixty seconds straight when I informed them Mia would be coming back soon, as I drove them to school. Their happy squeals were followed by a lot of questions and I spent the rest of the drive trying to answer them all until it was time to drop them off. "Bye little angels," I said to them after fixing Abby's bag on her shoulder. She was slowly growing into hers because at first, it was oversized for her. Aiden though still had to hunch his shoulders to carry it, he might have been older but Abby was taller. I made a mental note to get them both new bag packs the next time I went to the mall. "Bye Chris," they echoed together and took each other's arms as they always did when I dropped them off every morning. It was always heartwarming to see how much they depended and cared for each other even so young. "You'll come to get us right?' Aiden turned to me and asked. "Always, little genius," I told him with a smile. I leaned lower to brush their hair and gave them
Lucas had his hand looped in mine as we walked into the conference room. My eyes scanned the room quickly in search of a familiar face to make me feel a little less nervous. I sighed in relief as I saw the familiar blonde-haired younger brother of Lucas. He sat next to the chair I assumed to be Lucas's with a boyish grin that made my lip curl into a smile too. I attempted to release my hand from Lucas's but he held me tighter as he moved to the head of the conference room. "I can just observe from the back of the hall," I whispered. Everyone had their eyes on us, and I could only imagine what must be going through their brains as they watched us. "Nope," he said and pulled out a seat for me next to his. I gave a small smile and sat facing Robin. His encouraging smile did a lot to boost my confidence. Lucas took his seat at the head of the board and assumed his work demeanor again. "Good morning all." They all chorused a greeting back and Robin got up to pull up the video call from
The rest of lunch seemed to go on slowly or maybe it was because I could not keep my mind off Lucas's promise to show me his work basement. Well, it was not exactly the fact that he would be showing me his basement, it was more of what he was going to show me down there. If I were to put it in the right words, I was going to be used as a test run for his experiment, but I would not even pretend to be offended in the least. Not when I felt like I would explode from all the anticipation building inside me any second. And from the way Lucas slurped down his food hurriedly and exchanged suggestive looks at me, I could tell he could not wait any more than I could. After the never-ending lunch, Lucas took me down to the basement. Earlier when I walked through the doors of this billion-dollar company, I thought it was the most exciting sight I would witness today, but the three-story basement left my mouth hanging. Each floor was specially built to host labs for experiments that were not rea
Needless to say, Lucas won the challenge, and I left Binarid shaking and trembling and trying to hold back my screams. Lucas though looked like he was having the time of his life, torturing me right in front of his employees and if I was correct there were a few investors too. In my defense, he neither took it easy on me nor played fair.After picking up the kids, I got home limp as a noodle, unable to move my trembling legs. With an evil and smug grin of satisfaction, Lucas carried me in his arms upstairs, that itself was more than enough consolation even though I still wanted to kick him.The kids were more than understanding when Lucas told them I was not feeling well and I would have to take the ev
"What the fuck is going on here?" Mia asked as she stalked towards Lucas and me slowly."I missed you, little sister," Lucas said, with his hand wrapped firmly around me. I thought of pulling back, but from the look she gave me, I knew my safest haven was right here in his arms."Save that for later," she raised a hand to stop him."Mia, please calm down," I said as she walked closer."Calm down?" She barked a peal of laughter, "Do not fucking ask me to calm down, I trusted you with my family and I come back to see you have snatched them away from me,""Watch yourself, Mia," Lucas growled with a frown."Mia," I said in
After cleaning for only two hours, I realized how much work Emma had to do and I made a mental note to give her some much-needed commendation. By noon, I had only cleaned half of the house and I was going at a really fast pace in my opinion. Thankfully, I found out early enough that most of the rooms in the house were guest rooms and only had to be cleaned once a month, so I had much less work to do, laundry, shopping, and cleaning. I was already done with laundry and most of the cleaning and intended to go shopping after picking the kids up from school.Just as I decided to take a break, my phone rang in my apron, and I felt some relief to see my best friend's name flashing on the screen."What's popping bess," I asked, grinning as I wiped the hallway windows on the third floor. I had never ventured this far
Lilian and Mia were already waiting for me at the mall on Friday morning after I dropped the kids off at school. I had chosen this mall because it was close to the kid's school and I could easily go and get them when we were done. My mind had been working a thousand miles per hour after my encounter with that room. Every muscle in my body wanted me to take the lift upstairs to the third floor and find out what secrets my boyfriend was hiding behind those closed doors. And Lucas's words when he got back that afternoon did nothing to soothe me. "It's an old storeroom," he said simply, managing to avoid my eyes as he spoke. I did not need more to know he was either not telling me the truth or giving me a half version of it. I spent most of the week finishing up with the sweaters I was making for the kids. At
Mia got married at the Terranea Resort. It was one of those places in California I had heard of but never so much as dreamt of being in. The ceremony took place by the beach cove overlooking the rolling mountains that gave way to a panoramic view of the sea. I was even more awed to see how they had turned it into the fairytale every girl dreamed of.The four pillar altar was decorated in red roses all around the roof—a befitting color for the month—with green branches curling around each pillar to the root. Red rose petals arranged in large cursive hearts littered the aisle leading to the altar, and golden candle lanterns were lit on either side. Even the seats were dressed in pink fabrics and red bows attached behind. It was like an early valentine's day, only more magical.The day became even more magical when Mia arrived in a carriage, yes a frigging carriage. As I got to my feet along with everyone else in attendance, I watched with the same awe and fascination with which I had wa
Christmas had never been anything special for me. I had spent my last two Christmas' before this working an all-day shift at work, wiping vomit off tables and getting yelled at by unhappy customers taking their anger and frustrations on me. Afterward, C and I would spend the morning drinking on a rooftop and dancing to Fuck Christmas by Eric Idle. It was not exactly like I was the grinch or that I forbade the holiday spirit, there really was just nothing to celebrate or be happy for. After spending most of my childhood holidays hoping I would escape some beating or screaming from the matron on duty at the foster care that day who would rather be drinking her guts out on her day off, it was not exactly my favorite time of the year, so I said a big fuck you to it every year.This year though, it was a whole different story. Like I had stepped into this perfect, in your dreams life belonging to someone else. And for the first time in my life, the reality was the more preferable option. T
Where do I begin? From our awkward first meeting to having bad guys and crazy exes thrown in jail, Lucas and I had been through one hell of a journey. The longest one I had ever been through my adulthood, I would dare to say. It was amazing to think how much my life had changed in the months I had known Lucas and the twins. I had gone from independent and never needing anyone besides my best friend to this woman who could not even do so much as breathe without them."Are you okay?" Celine asked, tilting her face to meet mine in the mirror."Nervous," I said, going for honesty as I tugged on the hem of the white fitted dress clinging to my body."'Oh bess," she cooed, adjusting my veil, "you have every right to be, it's your big day."I smiled sheepishly at the thought, staring down at the ring on my finger that would be joined by another in a few minutes, "It is my big day. Oh my God, I'm getting married bess." The words slammed a fresh dose of unrestrained happiness against my heart
Every story I'd hard about the afterlife was a big fat lie. There were no angels in white robes, no opera waiting to usher me into the gates of heaven but then again who said I was going to heaven. The pain shooting up my body felt everything like hell, or at least I knew the one coming would. I clamp my eyes closed tighter as I lay on the floor in what I know is my pool of blood, waiting for the pain I hope to come. She succeeded and I let her win, I let Sarah shoot me. There was no longer going to be the amazing sex with Lucas, no spending afternoons with the kids, no harmless gossips disguised as Sunday lunch dates with my best friend. No more of Lucas's family, all of that was now simply gone, just gone.The thought left a hot burning scar on my throat and I gasped, fighting to take in the air that was not coming. This really was it, I had lost and she had won. But the arms suddenly wrapping me in a warm embrace felt too familiar to be related to the icy feeling of dying."Chris?!
You know that feeling when you wake up to a day that just feels off right from the moment you open your eyes? It could be the harsh rays of the sun nearly blinding and forcing you to wake up early on a Saturday morning or the annoying sound of your alarm reminding you that it's a Monday Morning again after you spent Sunday evening drinking your guts out. That small, seemingly unimportant detail in your morning that makes sure you have a bad rest of your day. I was having one of those mornings, but unlike most, I knew exactly why it was going to be a bad day.After laying motionless in the same spot for what felt like an eternity, body unwilling to move and mind refusing to come alive, I finally found a reason to get up, thanks to my pressing bladder. I walked back into the room after finishing my business and realized for the first time this morning, that Lucas was not here and the kids had not come to barge down my door in search of me.I knew Lucas would leave early for what he had
It was sweet effing relief. After almost two months here, we were finally making the trip back home. While there were less than relieving reasons involved, it still brought a wide grin to my face when the sound of the wheels scraping the runway of Lindbergh field reached my ears.Martha and Calvin were the first to welcome us home, with Calvin giving the usual manly hugs and pats on the back to his two sons and Martha going through a long streak of teary hugs and sobbing her thanks that her grandbabies were okay. She had insisted all three of them rode in their car with them as we came home from the airport. I realized it had probably been a wise choice to keep them oblivious to my pregnancy. Martha, for one, would have thrown a fit if her hopes of having a new grandchild were suddenly crushed by my miscarriage.After almost two months away, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to be normal. My usual routine, the one I had when my life was still a simple cycle of getting Abby and
What happened to the curious cat again? Ah yes, she got her neck snapped by her fiance's supposed best friend because she would not simply stay out of trouble. I was fairly sure, no most certainly positive that was what Adrian would do to me as his eyes bored into me with something that looked rather far from the friendliness I had seen when we first met. Maybe my body would be found in a nearby dumpster in a week or more.And then it hit me. Lucas had told me he was coming here to check on security hours ago and as I stood there scanning the room briefly, he was absolutely nowhere in sight. Oh, my God! Maybe he hurt Lucas and was now taking out whatever anger was left in him on Baron. I thought they were supposed to be best friends.The thought had not completely settled in my mind when a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows, wiping his hand on a towel stained in crimson. It was Lucas. He halted in his steps as his eyes landed on me, shock and a slightly less version of anger f
It was hard to tell how long we lay there, with me half-naked and asleep in Lucas' arms. But when I woke up to the light scruff of grass against my knee, the red-orange of the sky told me we had been there in that position for quite a while."I'm sorry," Lucas rasped, and I realized we had shifted from the position we were in when I fell asleep. Lucas sat with his back against the wall of the maze, holding me to himself. It was the closest we had been to each other, with the obvious exemption of how intimate we had been before I drifted asleep. "I didn't mean to wake you up,""How long did I sleep?" I asked, with quite an idea in mind."Not long enough, you needed the rest." he stroked my head as he spoke."You should have woken me," I gave a brief chuckle, followed by a wince at the numbness in my hands as I attempted to pull myself away from him and sit up.Lucas held on to me tighter though, tutting and shaking his head as he did. "I don't want you to leave just yet, stay here in m
I had not realized just how much I needed to breathe fresh air that was not sullied by a mixture of stale air, pills from the doctor, and a large dose of my sadness. For what first like the first time in forever, the sight of food did not make my stomach churn, or at least it did in the right way. The scent of freshly made orange juice and blueberry danishes set out on the picnic table only made my mouth water and my empty stomach growl. I turned to my best friend the closest thing I had to a sister with a smile. "You planned this?" Of course, she did. I had to be the luckiest human on the planet to have everyone I had in my life now. She rounded the table, taking her seat with a knowing smile. "I was hopeful that today would be a good day." I tilted my head, a fresh wave of guilt pulling at my chest. I had been so drowned in my sadness that I had completely neglected everyone, myself included. "I'm so sorry for shutting you out too, Bess." She shook her head tersely, "Nope, we ar