Cayden looked impatiently at his watch, unaware that half of his attention was not on the person engaging him in small talk, but elsewhere, or more specifically, on the wife, who left his side a while ago without letting him know. Wyoming took advantage of his preoccupation with someone, and because it was impolite to cut their conversation abruptly, he stalled for a while. And now, he could not see her anywhere in the venue. David, an elderly gentleman, was an investor of the conglomerate and one of his grandfather’s associates who had known him since he was a small boy. “It was unfortunate that I came in late and missed Noah.” He saw the disappointment in the other man’s face. “He was discharged from the hospital today, but would still need time to recover. Maybe, I could entice you to visit him at home?” He suggested, wanting to get rid of the other man with subtle hints, but the other party was not taking any, to his dismay. He craned his neck, looking for Wyoming from the
Wyoming listened while Cayden talked to his mom.Alicia learned earlier from Kate and James that Cayden was looking for Wyoming and got worried.From what she could hear from Cayden's side of the conversation, Alicia was not satisfied with his assurances and wanted to see Wyoming for herself.“She is alright, though we can not go back to the party. Can you make excuses for us, mom?” Cayden said wearily.He brushed a hand to his hair, the tension slowly seeping out of his body and his breathing returning to normal.But what happened dampened his mood, and instead of continuing with the p
Wyoming woke up with a start and looked around her in disorientation.She asked Cayden on his side with his seat reclined, surprised when she caught him looking at her intently. “Did you watch me sleep?” She croaked. The idea of Cayden watching her sleep brought a blush to her face. He looked sheepish, nodding anyway.Wyoming averted her face, suddenly shy. How do you act around your husband after you agreed to make your relationship real?Until now, she still finds it hard to believe they were no longer in a fake arrangement, that they had come to this stage. Wyoming could not quite grapple with the fact that Cayden would want them to make this a more permanent thing. She expected they would part after a year, as their contract says, parting as strangers who had nothing to do with the other. But this unforeseen turnaround was quite welcome. She hopes for this, wishes for it even, but knows its impossibility. Wyoming could only sigh in contentment at this new development.
“Don’t call me that.” When John thundered those words, Cayden hung his head low, thinking John is giving him the cold shoulder.Cayden felt discouraged. He did not think that John’s show of rejection would affect him this much. He thought he had this whole thing down pat, realizing he had his work cut out from him when John spurned him outright. Then, John gave him the go-signal telling him to call him dad and welcomed him to his family.Cayden could not explain the euphoria knowing John accepted him into the family. So when John stated his conditions, he did not think twice about agreeing. It was a small matter that he could easily arrange. He has finally accepted Wyoming in his life, and so does Wyoming. The future seems to favor them as he envisions a life with her from this day forward. “Where are we going exactly?” Marcus asked when Cayden hauled and bundled his whole family in the family-owned Mercedes-Benz G-Class van.“We’re going on a family outing.” He teased, but in
Cayden did not know what the h*ll happened: one minute, John had been so accepting of him, and the next moment, he was throwing his family out of his house. He did not know what happened in a span of a day to bring out such a violent response from his father-in-law. But he could not just sit and let John take Wyoming away from him. If he has to leave John’s place, he has to take his wife with him.Surrounded by his confused family in the hallway outside The Wilson’s residence, he strode back to the apartment, barged in the door, and forced his way inside. What he did not expect was John's fist waiting for him when he stepped inside. It connected to his right cheek. Cayden saw stars. Even with a walking cane, John could still pack a wallop, reeling from the sudden attack. “Dad!”“Cayden!” “John!”Wyoming ran to Cayden’s side when he crashed to the floor.Marcus came to his son’s defense and was about to strike when Noah thundered. “Enough,” instructing Cohen and Connor to colle
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Marcus Ellish confronted his wife of seventeen years when everything gelled in his head. The tension in his arms told Alicia that he was trying hard to control his anger. Marcus may appear reserved most of the time, a workaholic even but it does not mean he wants to be kept in the dark, unaware of what is going on behind his back, especially if this concerns his children and wife. He was a person who rarely gets angry, but when he does, the world around him shakes and trembles. Marcus values honesty so much. It was what kept their marriage going for seventeen years. He and Alicia had never kept secrets between them. They started out as strangers in this marriage, which progressed into friendship, to later became the foundation of a beautiful relationship. To learn that she was keeping a secret this big - anger simmered inside him. Alicia bit her lip. She felt ashamed. She kept silent, not knowing what to say, looking helplessly at Noah. "I told h
Wyoming stirred in her sleep when she felt someone gently brush a wisp of hair that escaped her ponytail and fell into the side of her face, distracting her from her deep slumber. She groaned, annoyed at the disturbance. She heard a chuckle and her closed eyelids opened reluctantly to see Cayden’s dark orbs greet her hazel brown ones. “Good morning.” He uttered sweetly, putting an unconscious smile on her face. Wyoming jumped up from bending at the waist, her head resting on her father’s bed. “What time is it?” She yawned uncontrollably, unmindful of Cayden’s undivided attention. “It’s nearly dawn. The doctor came by while you were asleep and told me John would be awake anytime soon. I do not want him to wake up seeing me here, so I will just go to the nearest cafe for breakfast.”Wyoming looked at him in protest. If it were up to her, she would have preferred Cayden to stay here so they three could talk about her father’s problems. Cayden saw the conflict in her eyes, but
Cayden brought Wyoming to the cafe across the street from the hospital’s building. All this time, he never let her go, his arms wrapped around her waist protectively, baffling her. Wyoming felt self-conscious at the proprietary way Cayden held her. This felt different from his previous hold on her. Whereas before there was detachment - looking at his profile now, she only saw a gentle expression on his face. It felt to Wyoming like Cayden treats her with kid gloves, ready to break any moment. His expression baffled her as well. It seemed as if he was afraid to let her go because the moment he did so, she would flit away from him and never come back. She realized it may have something to do with her father’s orders to divorce him. She assumed that like her, Cayden did not want to separate. Hope spreads through her, assured of his growing feelings toward her. A surge of tenderness welled inside her. A tingly feeling coursed through her spine at the thought that as much as she
Cayden backed off, afraid to anger Wyoming in her delicate condition. After Wyoming climbed into the car, Alicia turned around to talk to him. “It’s best if we take her, Cayden.” He nodded. He did not want to argue with the elders or raise Wyoming’s hackles in her sensitive condition. He was right, it seemed, when Alicia added, “Her hormones are acting up making her blood boil every time she sees you. If she’s indeed pregnant I am sure the baby would take after you.” Alicia teased leaving him in a daze. “Mom!” Wyoming called out from inside the van, prompting Alicia to bestow an apologetic smile his way before closing the car door behind her. “Pregnant.” He murmured to himself while he tried to wrap his mind around the possibility. It wouldn’t be impossible since he and Wyoming spend most of their night doing the deed. Cayden watched in a daze as the van moved forward before blending into the morning traffic. It was a long time before he decided to get back to the house a
Wyoming woke up feeling at ease. She had no idea what woke him up, it was just that her nose had become sensitive. She smelled something that she found not to her liking. She sniffed the air, her nostrils scrunched up in distaste. “What is that awful smell?” She asked hoarsely, opening one eye to check if there was something wrong with their room only to see a semi-undress Cayden hovering above her. His hair dripped wet from the shower. She smiled warmly at him. In a daze, she propped herself on the bed, her hands stretching out to put them around Cayden’s neck. With eyes sparkling in delight at her warm reception, Cayden leaned forward to peck her lips. She meets his downward motion with an upward motion, sniffing at the same time. That was when her nostrils started to twitch scrunching up in distaste for she smelled something not suitable to her taste. “You smell disgusting!” She cried, covering her mouth with her palm to avoid smelling that awful smell. However, the stench s
Giggling sounds and laughter filled Wyoming’s ears. Surrounded by her family, her heart felt full. She blushed when she remembered Cayden and her were supposedly hiding from their families. Now, looking back toward the living room, she saw everyone looking at them, smiles wreathing their faces.Overwhelmed with shyness, she buried her face in Cayden’s chest, as if he could hide what they were doing previously from their onlookers. Cayden threw his head back at her natural display of shyness. His laughter started as a low rumble in the pit of his stomach crossing his lungs and finally coming out of his mouth. The sight of him looking so carefree and happy caught her in a daze, affecting her in ways she did not understand but could only feel.“Mommy! Daddy!” Connor’s shout distracted her from her intent perusal of Cayden’s face. She turned her head to the direction of the sound and saw Connor running toward them, his little feet creating a soft thud as his shoe collided with th
Wyoming got out of the bathroom, a large towel draped around her body, and another one wrapped like a turban around her head. She was about to pull the towel from her head to rub her hair with it when she stopped suddenly. She debated within herself whether to go back to the bathroom and wait for him to leave the room or feign nonchalance.Choosing the latter, she walked inside the room she shares with Connor and stopped a few paces before Cayden.Then she remembered if he was here. “Who is taking care of Connor?” The idea that Connor is playing by himself somewhere inside the house or maybe outside on the beach had her hurrying. She moved about the room, opening a closet to get a change of clothes. In her haste, the towel knot loosened, threatening to fall off her body. She clutched the front with her hand while her other hand held her change of clothes.The towel on her head fell off. Cayden saved it. He held the towel and gently pulled it off her head. “Thank you.” She mu
“Argh!” Wyoming’s fingers clenched, her teeth gritting in frustration while Connor and Cayden, the duo from h*ll did another trick that left her breathless, her body humming in unreleased tension. “Mommy, put some sunblock on my back and daddy’s,” Connor demanded, handing her a bottle of sunblock lotion and turning around, so his back was facing her.She opened the cap, applied some to her palms, and lathered her son’s small back with the lotion.“There, all done. You can now go swim in the water with your dad.” She told him while she placed the bottle of sunblock aside, careful that her eyes led her astray. She had been trying so hard to ignore the rippling muscles on Cayden’s exposed back which he also displayed alongside her son’s. Cayden previously followed Connor’s lead and presented her back to her as well. She smoothed sunblock on Connor but not on Cayden. However, her eyes betrayed her every time. She could not help but look at Cayden’s back, filled with ridges and cur
Contrary to what she initially thought, Cayden did not bring them back to New York, back to their old house surrounded by their family. When their plane landed and she got out, she was surprised to find out they were nowhere near JFK International Airport. In truth, she missed her father and would have wanted to bond with her mother. She braved the longing to be with her parents to protect herself and her son from Cayden. She had mistakenly thought that putting distance between them was enough for her and her son to get away from Cayden’s peripheral. Only to be corrected when he came barging in on her despite the distance. “Where is this place?” She asked, looking at the expanse of trees and dirt around them, totally opposite of the City that never sleeps. She was still miffed with him for trying to blackmail her into submission, but she could not totally ignore him. The man is huge and his presence was not one to be ignored. All through their flight, she was fully aware of t
Chest heaving from anger at the audacity of this man to lie to her through his teeth, Wyoming all but cried, “Liar!” The bitterness of five years ago came to her in full force, flaming the rage inside her. Gaining her memory has intensified the pain like it just happened a while back. She clenched her fist, struggling from her confinement. It was futile, though. With Cayden’s buffed body, he had her trapped very neatly. She did not know how he was able to become this muscled man and still evoke the same feelings from her. His body and her body might change. He became bigger and muscular, and she became softer and fuller due to childbirth, but when their skin connected, it was as if fire sizzled between them.Wyoming could feel the hardness of the wall digging into her back, yet she did not even flinch. The anger gnawing inside her was more powerful than the physical pain. “You can not win me over with all your lies. My son belongs to me. He is mine and you can not take h
“Where are we going, Collins?” “It’s a secret.” Wyoming fidgeted in her seat but did not press Collins for more information. She was surprised when he asked her tonight. They do not usually go out because their finances are tight. And the few times they did, it was always with Connor. “Relax. We’re not going far,” he told her, seeing her getting all worked up. “I’m just not used to leaving Connor at night with a sitter. You know how he wanted me to lull him to sleep. I’m worried that he’ll raise h*ll when we don’t come back at his bedtime hour. “Don’t worry about Connor. He knows Lizzie and he won’t make a fuss.” He assured her. Lizzie lives next door - a single mother of a four-year-old daughter, Samantha. “To ease your mind, why don’t you call them?” Collins suggested.Thinking it was a great idea, she took her phone from her purse and called Lizzie. “Wyoming? Did you forget something?” Lizzie’s soft voice permeated her ears causing her to feel a little self-con
“I am fine, mom.” Wyoming insisted and rolled her eyes for the second time during that phone call. Her mother has been deluging her with phone calls these days and it has become quite annoying. “Will call you back, mom. I have to fetch Connor from the kindergarten. The school notified me they will be released early today.” Wyoming paused, listening to what her mom said on the other line before responding to cut the overseas call. “Yes, mom, of course. Will call you some other time, bye.” She expelled air after she hung up. “Your mom’s pretty difficult today,” Collins commented after she dropped her phone. Wyoming did not like how it sounded coming off from him. He did not even know her. The only interaction they had was when she was at the hospital back in New York and there has been nothing significant about their conversations, mostly getting to know each other, etc. In an offhand manner, she shrugged her shoulders to make light of it. Her mom, she knew, could be a bit