“Not always, but his babysitter had to travel for a couple of weeks, and I don’t see the need to get another one for the duration of time that she’s away. We’ll just have to wing it.” “Okay. Just so you know, you can always ask for help before your babysitter comes back, and I’ll come pick him up,
Austin and Jimmy spent quite some time away, so much so that they had not yet returned from their shopping spree by the time Nora was ready to go home, but she was not worried. Jimmy was perfectly safe with Austin. She knew that as surely as she knew her own name. They had probably gotten caught up
“Really? You think so? You know, we were having a moment … sort of … earlier, and right after that, he told me that we needed to talk about something very important when he got back with Jimmy. I was very sure that I could feel the sparks flying between us then. What if he wants to tell me that he t
Austin arrived at Nora’s house about thirty minutes after she and Sally got home. He was carrying Jimmy, who was fast asleep with his head resting on his father's shoulders. In Austin's hand was a larger package which she knew contained the stuff that they had gone shopping for. Knowing Austin, he h
“I don’t want you to care about me, Austin. I want you to love me back the way I love you and I want you to be the one to make the first move because I will curl up into a ball and die if I make the first move and it turns out that you don’t feel the same way about me.” Nora wanted to say but didn’t
Everything was just exactly as she remembered … the velvety feel of his lips against hers … his heady scent … the passionate and electrifying way in which he kissed her, and the oh-so-pleasurable feelings that coursed through her whole being as he put his hand on her neck to draw her closer. All th
Christina reclined on the sofa in the living room, feeling very pleased with herself as she spoke to her grandfather on the phone. She had been right about the fact that finally getting married to Austin would soften her grandfather's stony heart towards her. Since she broke the news of their whirlw
“What on earth are you talking about?” Christina asked anyway. “I didn’t get you pregnant, and you know this as well as I do. Of course, at first, I believed that I was responsible for the pregnancy, and wracked my brain thinking of the best solution. You’re a master planner and good at deceiving p
“You’re here again.” She states, rolling her eyes without so much as a good morning when she opens the door and sees me standing there. “Good morning to you too. Yes, I’m indeed here again. How are you doing?” I ask her, resolving not to let her hostility get to me. She has every reason to be hosti
I have not been to Nora's apartment for several months since Sally disappeared. In the first month of Sally's disappearance, I used to come here a lot, so much so that I’m sure that I must have begun to look like a desperate creep to Nora. Each time I came here back then, I would plead and plead wi
“No! I want to go with you and Aunt Sally!” He protests angrily when he sees the nanny and realizes that I’m about to leave him with her. “Honey, you must be very tired from running up and down with me these past few days. That is why I want your nanny to take you home so you can rest. Besides, you
SEAN Somehow, Sally allows herself to be convinced to come back home with me, which as even her doctor agrees, is the best decision for her right now because she needs all the help that she can get. We’ve finally been able to reach Nora and Austin, who have arrived at their honeymoon destination a
SALLY I can tell that Sean is surprised at my blunt tone and sharp words, but I couldn’t care less. I vaguely remember how I had pleaded with my boss to get in touch with him after she told me that she could not reach Nora and Austin no matter how many times she tried to reach them. I had been ter
The small bundle feels incredibly light as the nurse places it in my arms. Every single iota of sleep flees from my eyes as I hold and look down at my daughter. The nurse helps me adjust the baby in my arms while smiling at me in approval. Immense love for this tiny human floods my entire being and
I smile unsurely at the doctor, certain that I must have misheard what she just said. She doesn't smile back but instead continues to stare back at me with a measured look that says that she's not messing around. “I'm sorry but I'm not sure what you're talking about. What do you mean by expectant f
SEAN I have to admit that I am not thinking straight, but I'll blame that on the lack of sleep and the thought of seeing sadly again after all these months. Sally is lying on a bed in a very tiny room and she's being placed on oxygen. She looks so small and defenseless in the hospital bed. I appr
“There has been an emergency involving Sally and she's requesting for you.” A female voice had said over the phone mere seconds ago. “Is she OK? What's wrong with her? Where is she?” I ask in quick succession without waiting for an answer to each question. Taking deep breaths, I remind myself to be