Julius sighed as he sipped his fourth whiskey. He tried to chase away memories too dangerous to linger over, but failed. Why did his father always choose this place for his public birthday celebration? The worst night of his life had been here. He had avoided Katherine, so he counted himself lucky. Even so, it wasn’t enough to raise his mood. If only he could have found her. If only he hadn’t been such an idiot to begin with. Turning and leaning on the bar, he allowed his gaze to drift over the crowd. As he brought his drink to his lips, he suddenly froze. A familiar figure with a mane of red curls tamed in a large clip flitted through the crowd. He blinked, rubbing his eyes. It couldn’t be. Julius suddenly lurched to his feet and pushed through the crowd, looking for the stunning vision only to find she had disappeared. He stood, wondering if he had hallucinated it. Were all his years of failure finally catching up to him? “Julius. Hey, Julius.”
Everyone froze. Idle chatter fell silent. The crowd parted, making way for the formidable DaLair patriarch. His gray eyes were a storm of rage. Harming his grandkids was a dangerous gamble. The entire crowd felt the unbearable tension, unsure of what was happening. No one knew what to expect until the little girl suddenly exclaimed, “Grand-père Gus!” Without hesitation, the pair ran up to the ruthless business mogul. Augustus’s scowl instantly disappeared. He dropped to his knees to catch the exuberant pair, wrapping them in a bear hug. “There are my little rascals!” he laughed, much to the crowd’s surprise. “We missed you grand-père!” the little girl said. “Why weren’t you waiting for us?” “I’m sorry sweetie. I got caught up with some business.” “That’s okay. We forgive you,” Aria said, her tone almost patronizing. Augustus chuckled, “Where’s your mother?” “Looking for you. Maman
“Did you know!” March demanded. “Tell me you didn’t know!” “I—I didn’t…” Julius stuttered before taking a breath. “I didn’t find out until after she left. I found the pregnancy test in the trash.” March stood, stunned by the news. The only thing holding back his rage was his brother’s obvious distress. Over the years, Julius’s depression and desperation to locate Macey had only grown. At first, March thought Julius had finally realized his feelings for her, but now it was beginning to make more sense. It was not just Macey he was frantic to find. He was also desperate to find his child. “Shit!” March cursed. “Julius…” “I know I messed up,” Julius said before he could say anything. “Why do you think I’ve been so desperate to find her? Just the thought of her out there, alone, without me to support her…” “Funny you should say that,” March said as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “What do you mean?”
“How long!” Julius demanded, throwing open the door to his father’s office. “How long have you known?” March followed a step behind, closing the door. This probably wasn’t the best conversation to have when everyone could listen to it. Augustus glanced up from the paperwork he was about to sign. His gray eyes were calm and appraising. Without a word, he returned to the paperwork in front of him, signing and handing it to Stephen. With a wave, he dismissed his steadfast assistant before turning his attention back to his sons. “Dad,” March prompted when he still didn’t speak. “How long have you known about Macey…and the twins?” Without a word, Augustus reached into the bottom drawer of his desk and removed a small photo album. He set it on the desk and shoved it toward them. Julius remained riveted where he stood. His hands were balled into fists as if fighting the urge to attack his own father, so March stepped forward to take the album. He s
“She stayed three weeks under a doctor’s care,” Augustus said, earning pained looks from his son. “The situation put stress on the pregnancy. It was touch and go for a while.” Julius grimaced, bowing his head in shame. It was his fault. Because of him, she almost lost the babies, their babies. What would have happened if his father hadn’t intervened? He was both angry and grateful to the man who kept it all secret. “When she was finally stable, I told her you were looking for her. She told me about the divorce papers,” Augustus gave his son a disapproving scowl. “I asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to leave. She couldn’t stay. It was too painful. She wanted a fresh start, to go back to school and finish her studies. I told her to pick a city. She said she always wanted to visit Paris.” Vaguely, Julius remembered Macey talked about seeing Paris. She stopped short of asking him to take her. Instead, she treated it like
Macey set the kettle on the stove to boil. The villa was filled with Bach’s Minuet in G. She glanced into the living room to see Aria quietly coloring while her brother played. This was a common activity for both. The scene was so relaxing and familiar she was almost able to forget the tension of the night before. Macey knew returning was not going to be easy and she still wasn’t certain how she was going to face Julius. She didn’t know if she should count herself lucky she didn’t see him at the party or not. On one hand, it gave her more time, but on the other, sometimes it was better to get unpleasant tasks over with and be done. Not surprisingly, Augustus monopolized their time as soon as he saw them. His evident delight in spending time with his grandchildren warmed her heart and eased her worries. Even if Julius didn’t want anything to do with them, at least Aria and Caden would always have the love of their grandfather. The kettle
The constant sound of Bach ceased as Rose stepped inside. Making her way to the living room, she saw Aria kneeling at the coffee table while Caden sat on the piano bench, swinging his legs. Rose blinked. She was certain she heard piano playing, but there was no way a five-year-old could be responsible for it. Perhaps it was a recording. “Come here and say hello you two,” Macey encouraged. Aria stood and skipped forward to stand in front of the stranger. Caden was slower to comply. He studied their guest carefully. One could almost see the wheels turning. In contrast to their party clothes, their casual clothes were simple. Aria wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with rainbow sleeves matching her skirt. Caden wore a black t-shirt featuring the Batman symbol and jeans. “This is your Aunt Rose,” Macey introduced. “Rose, this is Aria and Caden.” Rose smiled, not sure how to greet the niece and nephew she had never known. The kids’ re
“How is Jude?” Macey asked. “He’s growing up. He’s nineteen now, you know, and in college.” “Oh my god, that old now?” Macey chuckled. She still remembered him as a rather saucy thirteen-year-old, always pushing his parents’ buttons. “Spring break was a couple of weeks ago, but when I tell him he has cousins he might just skip classes to come back and see them.” “Tante, why don’t you take our picture?” Aria said, giving her back her phone, “that way he can see us right away.” “Would that be okay?” Rose looked at Macey, who smiled and nodded. Aria scooted closer to her brother as Rose raised her phone. While Aria smiled brightly, Caden managed a grin, but his green eyes betrayed his joy. Rose snapped the picture quickly before glancing at the time. “Oh my! Is it that late?” Rose stood. “I should get going.” Macey showed her to the door disappointed they couldn’t spend more time together, but Rose w
“Mom and I were planning to play later,” Alexis said. “You can too if you want.” “Really? Thanks,” Caden immediately brightened. “…So you based the décor on the diner you used to work in,” Macey said after listening to Ava’s brief retelling of her past. “Were you thinki
Silas’s embrace tightened. He hated thinking about the trials she went through without him. Ava leaned against him relishing his comfort and support. Their past was not as important as their future. “You two aren’t going to go all kissy-face, right?” Theo asked. “We’re in public and
Two Months Later The restaurant was lively. Guests had been arriving for the past two hours eager for a unique dining experience. The staff was well-trained providing exceptional service despite the rush. They had been drilled in their duties by the restaurant’s manager, a tyrant the
She nodded. “Going down?” Silas repeated. “Just what have you three planned now?” “It was more like a hunch,” Lexi said. “Sean found something real interesting when he deep-dived Ryker Holdings. So we asked Duncan to keep an eye on someone, just in case.” “D
“Late? A test for what?” Silas asked not following. “Are you serious?” Tracy snorted a laugh. “Ava, you’re going to have to be a little clearer,” Opal chuckled. “Remember, it’s his first time.” Silas glanced from one to the other even more confused. Looking
“There you three are,” Tracy said as the trio returned to the party. “We were just about to send the search party to find you.” “Auntie Tracy, you’re so silly,” Alexis giggled. “How are you feeling mom?” Ava hugged her tight but Alexis didn’t feel any tension or strain in
Finding no support anywhere Jenna finally fled. No one paid her further mind as they watched the kids swarm around their parents comforting their mother. It was a sweet and tender scene and many began to see Silas in a completely different light. * * * Jenna screamed as she storme
Jenna stepped forward intentionally shoving her shoulder and made Ava stumble back. “W-What is—” Jenna stuttered as the video paused. “Who was calling who shameless?” Alexis demanded standing next to her mother arms crossed in front of her chest. “So playing with people’s
The music started slowly with just a few notes announcing the beginning of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The simple melody became more complex as notes overlapped and weaved a new organic pattern but always maintaining the integrity of the piece. Conversation lulled as everyone turned their