"I've been thinking," I set a bookmark between the pages and place the book down.We both turn to each other, "about?""The land that you bought for me, I've finally figured out what I want to do with it." A look of intrigue washes over his face as he rolls his chair closer to the bed and looks at me expectantly."An institute of some sort. No, actually, it is an institute, almost like Oprah Winfrey's." I proceed to go into detail about the entire goal even pitching in some ideas of his own.By the end of the talk, he's already set up meetings with his architects, developers, and inspectors for the moment we land back in Los Angeles."I know you wanted to cut this trip short because you miss the children, and my work is piling up, but I wanted to make sure that you are certain about this?" He asks.It's true. God knows I've enjoyed the last two weeks, but I can't stand being this far from my family nor the jetlag that comes with traveling.I know I'll probably regret this decision, bu
The constant beep of the heart monitor is silent.The bed is empty.The entire room is silent.My mind doesn't bother to find any reasoning, and my heart beats achingly.He's gone.There's no going back, and I have to accept it.Of course I cried, he's my father. Whether or not he's alive, he will always be, and he left with a piece of my heart; all of our hearts.A week after we came back to L.A., he left us, and a week later, we buried him next to our mother's grave.I broke down, became sick, grieved, and then I pulled myself together for my sisters.That was over two months ago. My heart still aches for my father, but it's dulled. It was time. He got his last wish, I got married.Lucia has gotten better, I'm happy that it didn't take that much of a toll on her as compared to mom's death.We've moved into the new house, the kids love it. Xander and I love it.Being back though has separated us for a while, he's been stuck in piles of work and complications with his father.Despite
His body stiffens for a minute but he continues to walk around like it doesn't affect him, it does."Yes, I guess you've missed out on a lot haven't you? While you were slowly killing a defenseless woman, I was trying to pay for our father's chemo and trying to save our brother from rotting in prison for something he never did." I let the words settle in."Well didn't you do a great job at that?" He chuckles dryly, anger bubbles in me.I walk up to him and stare him down, he doesn't shy away. "What happened to you? The James I know would have never hit a woman or abandoned his family," He chuckles again, "You mean the family that is slowly dying one by one?""That is no excuse James! I thought I could rely on you, even if you disappeared occasionally you would always pull through, but I guess you were too busy weren't you?" "What I do with my life does not concern you," disgust flows through every vein in my body.I ca
The next couple of months pass by in a blur, a week after the Logan topic we spent a couple of days in New Zealand for Xander's birthday.In June we finally got to building the institute, it's still a working progress as we speak.In the same month, I don't know what strings Xander pulled but Shane Grey signed over the rights of the company over to Xander with no argument. We celebrated just the two of us together.Ever since that day, Logan and Sophia never got in contact, she finally decided to go see the psychiatrist I recommended her. She was broken when he'd cut contact but as time passed she started to seem more like herself as Xander said.We celebrated Lucia's birthday at Disneyland late June.July fourth we finally took Rosander on a joyride if you can call it that, I think we all enjoyed the night. Xander and Julio put their differences aside for that day and even chatted among themselves, including Nic, as they all sa
Despite my wishes to keep my birthday small and at home, Xander thought otherwise, and by otherwise, I mean:He bought a private island near the Maldives, we didn't stay at it because it was barren, but we did go to it and suggested that we name it and soon talk to designers, for a beach house.A virtual meeting with a Hermès designer for a custom Kelly bag, I don't know how he did it, but he did. To say I was lost would be an understatement, Xander just laughed at me when i didn't know what to answer when it came to the leather types.He took me shopping, obviously, skiing, and I tried surfing but failed profusely. Xander, on the other hand, looked like Gabriel Medina at his best.There's nothing this man can't do.We spent a day at the villa and gave each other massages and watched movies.I loved those three days, but when we came back to the United States, I realized that I love being home rather than being away, or maybe it just has something to do with being around the girls.I
"I think it's a girl. Only she can allow you to eat something like that," I freeze, my wrap just about to dip into my McShake.Ice cream turned into more cravings.I give him a deadly look, which has him laughing out loud. "She'll be an exact replica of you. She'll have your smile, your hair, your eyes, and your laugh. She's going to break many hearts because she won't be allowed to date until we're the same age." He smiles, I giggle."So, never?" He kisses my forehead."She'll have your smarts too," I finish my shake and turn to him."Well I for one, know it's going to be a boy. He'll have my hair color with your teenage curls. Everything else about him will be yours, his facial features; his voice, his eyes. Maybe he'll be lean," I shrug.His eyes hold suspicion in them, "So Jeremiah Fisher is out of the picture?"Shocked, I playfully slap his arm. "Firstly, that was one time. Secondly, that wouldn't be a bad idea either. Either way I—"Everything I ate in the last hour comes up my
After the heart to heart, if I can call it that, Xander took the pills and fell asleep. I, on the other hand, could not.I sat for hours just staring at him, so many times his face morphed from peace to anguish and from anguish to peace. It hurt me.My heart was broken. It still is.When dawn started to settle in, I spent my time on his laptop till full sunrise. I read up on the email he'd been reading, and a part of me felt guilty for not wanting to take the chemo.The other part of me was still insistent on not taking it. It would be a miserable play for all parties, I know from experience.I felt horrible for being happy and recalling all my favorite memories to my dad when all he could do was lay in his bed, hooked on machines. I ended up getting emotional and stressed, so I shut the laptop and began the day. To get my mind off everything, I had a virtual tour of the institute, then had an interior designer meet me at the house to discuss.After that, I spent time with Noelle as
*Two hours later*"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Grey, it's a healthy baby girl."No words can explain the feeling that is spreading throughout my body. My heart feels so... I just don't know how to describe it.Rosie and I connect eyes, I can see the pure bliss going on behind them like a storm of some sorts, tears stream down her face, and I lean over to wipe them off."You did it, mariposa." I kiss her forehead. Our baby girl's cries fill the entire room, I throw my shirt off and accept her small frame. "8 pounds and 10 ounces," he tells me.Her face is reddened as she cries out, I sit beside Rosie and hand her over. Rosie starts to hiccup as silent tears stream down her face. She runs her finger over our baby's face."Shh-shh baby, mommy and daddy are here." she whispers, looking up at me. She cries even more when she sees me. She reaches out with one hand and wipes away the tears I didn't know I was shedding."We did it," I smile.We hold her for a while longer until the docto