A short while later, the doctors exited the operating room with Haley in tow. I jumped up from the seat and walked over to the gurney she was laying on. I reached for her hand, holding it tight as we walked back to her room. The doctors got her set up and checked over the machines before leaving the room. They closed the door on their way out, leaving just Haley and me alone. I stood up and ran my hand through her hair. I carefully sat on the bed and snuggled close to her, just needing to be near her. I wrapped my arms around her, careful not to move any of the wires that connected her to the machines. I shifted my head towards her, burying my nose in her neck. I kissed her cheek and placed soft kisses along her forehead as I prayed to all the gods and deities out there to bring her back to me. Zane enters the room a short while later, letting me know that the doctors gave the green light so that we could see Sienna. I nodded my head and placed another kiss on Haley's cheek as I got
I wasn't that hungry. I couldn't remember the last time I ate something substantial. But I still wasn't hungry. My nerves were getting the best of me. I think I'll just go back to Haley's room, and have something ordered there. I needed to see her. I couldn't explain it, it was like an unrooted fear that was deep inside me. I didn't want to be away from her at all, almost as if I expected her to only get better if I was in the room. I knew it was flawed thinking, but at least if I was with her, I could make sure nothing bad happened. I needed to make sure she was safe. Even though we had no reason to be afraid anymore, I still couldn't get myself from being on edge. It was as if I was waiting for something else to happen. Something that in my mind wouldn't happen, so long as I was with her.I walked back to Haley's room, hoping that there would be a change in her progress. I so badly needed her to wake up. For the first time in a long time, I started to feel optimistic. I think part o
Doctor Matthews entered the room later on, and began disconnecting the cords from around her. I got out of the bed, standing against the back of the wall as I watched Dr Matthews carefully remove everything from around her. Nurses came in and removed the pieces of equipment one by one. Once they were done, I stepped back towards the bed, and sat in the chair next to her bed. I reached for her hand, holding it in mine as I leaned against the bed.I wanted to remember everything I could about her. I wasn't going to have any more moments with her, so I needed to make sure Haley was fully engrained in my mind before I let her go. I counted the freckles on her arms and remembered the softness of her skin as my thumb traced over the back of her hand.I kissed the back of her hand and stood up to place a final kiss on her forehead. I took one last look at her before making my way over to the door.I held my breath and reached for the door handle when something startled me."Damian." A faint
...Haley POV...I was so confused. It felt as though I was living through a fog. It's hard to explain, but nothing seemed to make sense around me. Zan and Jessica had already left the room to give Damian and I some privacy. I think that they were worried about me being overstimulated. I was already confused enough. I didn't need everyone's pity on top of everything.I heard the machine beside begin to sound an alarm as my heart began to race. Damian immediately came to my side and pulled me into his embrace.I couldn't talk nor communicate how I felt, so instead all I did was cry. Damian however, didn't seem the least bit phased. Rather he continued to hold onto me, placing my head into the crook of his neck. I could hear a scuffle by the entrance of the room and felt Damian shift slightly. He placed his hand on the back of my head, keeping me close to him, but not before I saw a bunch of nurses looking at us worriedly.Damian simply shook his head and waved them out of the room. "S
...Damian POV...I didn't know what was happening. What did I do wrong? Everything was going ok, then suddenly everything changed. I had gotten out of bed to get her some water. I could tell her throat was really dry, and thought the water would help. However, the moment I got out of the bed with her, it was as if an entirely different Haley had been replaced with the one I just had. Instead of leaning into me, she looked as though she was repulsed by me. But worst of all, it looked as though she was afraid of me.What did I do? I began to ask myself, looking back on every detail, wondering if I had unintentionally made her fear me.Seeing her heart monitor react the way it did just by getting closer to her, was like a stab to the heart. I hated that I was making her feel like that. It was more than enough for me to know that I needed to leave. As much as I didn't want to, I knew I had to do it for her. There wasn't anything I wouldn't do for her. So if she wanted her distance, then i
...Jessica POV...After Damian and Zane left, I stayed in the room watching from the side to see what was going on. I didn't know what had changed. Before her heart monitor had gone off, but once Damian was at her side, she began to calm down. So what changed? How could she be calm in his presence to wishing he was far away from her. As much as I had disliked Damian in the beginning, he had shown how loyal he was to Haley. I could tell he loved her with everything inside him. He never once looked at another woman, even though he had the opportunity. After he realized his mistake, he could've gone back to his manwhore ways. However, he didn't even look at another woman. Rather he continued to stay loyal to her, regardless of all the advances other women gave him. As much as I wanted to, I knew I couldn't fault him. So whatever the reason for Haley's reaction, I knew it couldn't have been because of Damian. This must be something deeper.I watched as the nurses attempted to calm her dow
...Damian POV...Zane clapped me on the back before leaving the NICU. I looked over to see Jessica standing on the other side of the window. I realized that Zane must've seen her as well, which is why he left. I watched as he made his way out, and held her in a tight embrace. They began to kiss passionately. I smiled, but looked away. It was a bit more passionate than I would care to see. But I couldn't fault them. We've all been through so much already. I hadn't even once thought of how this was affecting Zane or Jessica. I was simply focused on one thing, and one thing only. Haley. I felt Maverick begin to fall asleep in my arms, and held him close to me. I kissed the top of his head, and looked back to Sienna. Wishing I could hold her in my arms as well. I called one of the nurses over and asked about Sienna's condition."How's Sienna?""She's doing well. But would like to monitor her for a few more weeks to make sure there are no issues. Premature babies are prone to the risk of
...Zane POV...It's been a week since Haley woke up. Her progression has been improving. She speaks to a therapist for a few hours every day. She's also been instructed to write in a journal. The therapist asked her to write down all the memories she has, and together with Jess, myself, and the therapist would sit down to explain what parts were true, and what parts were made up.It didn't really feel like we were making any progress. Haley seemed terrified of my brother, for reasons we couldn't really understand. But from what the therapist could gather, she believes that for months Haley was suffering mental trauma from her own mind. Her mind was creating these delusions as a protective measure. The therapist explained that it had something to do with both a coping mechanism and a way for the patient to help deal with their traumatic experience. It didn't make a lot of sense to me. How could an illusion help a person get over a trauma? Frustrated after a week of what felt like no p
...Fifteen Years Later......Haley POV...It's hard to believe that Damian and I have been married for fifteen years already. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. We experienced so many firsts together. First the birth of the twins, their first steps, as well as Sienna's first steps. Then there was preschool, middle school, high school, along with so many more precious memories. I couldn't believe how fast time had gone by. It seemed as though we were just saying our vows, but as I look at our kids playing in the backyard, a smile creeps on my face.I still remember that day as if it was yesterday. After our impromptu wedding, Damian took me aside to explain what had happened. He was just amazed that I had pulled it off without a hitch. Little did he realize how much help I received. After his initial shock wore off, I decided to explain to him why I had chosen that particular venue for our wedding. When he realized that the home we were at was ours, he was over the mo
I felt on edge. Was I seeing properly? When I had taken the turn around the house, I had face to face with a large crowd. They all immediately jumped to their chairs and clapped. My eyes went wide in astonishment. What in the sam's blazes was going on right now?My eyes scanned the crowd which is when I noticed a bunch of familiar faces. I saw Haley's parents holding Sienna, Luca, Jace, Zach, as well as a bunch of Haley's relatives. I recognized a bunch of our friends faces before turning to see what looked like a stage. The entire location looked like it was decorated for a wedding. But what on earth was going on?Zane passed Maverick over to Zach before he made his way over to me. "Are you ready?" He asks, clapping me on the back."For what? What's going on?" I ask."Why don't you coo and find out?" Zane remarks, pulling me with him down the aisle towards the stage. He pushes me into place as I stand frozen, unable to move. My mind is spinning a million miles a minute. It's as if
...Two Weeks Later...Two weeks have passed from one of the worst emotional rollercoasters of my life. Just when I thought I was at the lowest point in my life, Haley surprised me with two incredible miracles. We were set to have twin boys. I couldn't be happier. Haley didn't mind either way. She was a proud mama regardless of their genders. The odd part of our story, was that we were about to have child three and four, and yet neither of us had been present for every birth. I missed the first one. Haley missed the second. So neither of us really knew what to expect. We decided not to dwell on it, and treat as it should be. Our first pregnancy together.I was looking forward to experiencing everything with her. I so desperately wanted it to be perfect. Regardless, as long as we had each other, I knew it would be."So, are you ever going to tell me where you were that day?" I ask."How about tomorrow?" She says, making me turn towards her surprised. I hadn't expected her to give in so
By the time we got to the hospital, I was an absolute mess. I was terrified from the lack of the unknown. Was Haley ok? What about Sienna? The moment we arrived at the hospital, Sienna was taken away deeper into the hospital so they could run some tests. They had me go to a waiting area where they bring Sienna once they discovered what was wrong with her. I held Maverick in my arms, using him as a life support. If it wasn't for him right now, I doubt I would be standing up. They would need to put me in a bed as well, as my nerves were all over the place. My worry over both Sienna and Haley had gone to extremes. My mind was swirling with all the what-ifs. Was Haley in trouble? Did the Cobras go after her? Has she been kidnapped? Worse? "Mr. Stone?" As if that wasn't enough, my mind continued to plague me with fears over Sienna. What if I got to her too late? What will happen to her? Will she survive? Will she grow up to have a normal life? What did I do wrong? Was it something I di
...A Few Months Later...The construction on our new house was coming along swimmingly. With my connections, I had managed to secure some of the best people for this project. I worked well with Taylor, our project manager. He had so many great ideas that I could incorporate into my design. I was like a kid in a candy store. We made a great team. I would constantly bounce ideas off of him, and he would give me his input. Sometimes coming up with an even better solution. I was so happy to have him. With his insight, we had designed several hidden rooms, such as a play room, a room for the kids to hang out when they're older, even a butlers pantry. Taylor even came up with a secret passageway between the kids rooms. So that they could sneak into each others rooms. I was so thrilled with how well everything was coming along. It wouldn't be long for the house to completed at this rate. I couldn't wait to show Damian. I knew he was growing suspicious, as I was leaving the house more freque
My conversation with Damian from last night was ringing through my mind. I knew he was stressed, but he is good at hiding it from me. I wanted to help him, but when it came to his work, there wasn't much I could do. My strengths weren't in the tech industry. I was an architect.Wait... I'm an architect. I say to myself, as if reminding myself of my talent. Which is when it hit me. I wanted to take something off of Damian's plate. If I couldn't help him at the office, then I would help him with our home. I quickly got dressed then grabbed my cell phone. I called Colton to come pick me up then had him take me to our realtors office. I had our realtor look into various locations, and then once we came up with a list, we toured each and every one of them.Just before noon, I found the one I'd been searching for. It was a secluded location not far from the main city centre. It was situated right on the lake, and boasted a stunning private sand beach. I knew the moment y eyes landed on it,
…Haley POV…I woke up during the night to find Damian not in bed. I walked to the bathroom figuring he must be in there, only to find it empty. Realizing that he wasn’t in our room, I went to check on Maverick and Sienna, wondering if Damian had gone to check on them, however, both were sleeping soundly. I was about to head to the kitchen, when I saw a glow coming from the office. I walked inside, to see Damian fast asleep at his desk, his head buried in a mound of paperwork.“Dame.” I whisper while silently shaking him. However, to my surprise he doesn’t wake up.“Dame?” I question, a little louder this time, however, yet again, still no movement. I get on my knees before him, and run my hand through his hair. I feel him shift slightly, until he begins to stir.“Hmm?” He moans, as he turns to look at me.“Why don’t you come to bed?” I suggest, standing up to crawl onto his lap.I continue to stroke his head as his hands wrap around my waist. He buried his head in my neck, as he’s
Damian's phone ringing woke us up the next morning. It seemed as though a critical file that needed to be sent to finalize a deal had gone missing, meaning that Damian would have to go to the office to investigate it.Damian sighed, then kissed me on the forehead before heading to the bathroom. I couldn't help myself. I turned around in the bed to watch him as he walked towards the shower."I can feel you staring." He says, without looking at me."What are you going to do about it?" I remark. I can't help it. I love looking at his ass. It's so perfect, talk about eye candy."I can't do anything right now. But just know that when I get back, I expect you naked and willing on this bed for me." Damian shouts from the bathroom. I get out of bed and follow him into the bathroom. He's already in the shower as I enter, so he's unable to hear my silent footsteps as I approach.I walk into the shower behind him, and wrap my arms around his waist, reaching down for his member. "And what if I'm
I looked up to see Damian hover above me. I crawl backwards further into our King mattress. Damian mimics my moves as he comes closer to me. He tosses his shirt to the ground, as he hovers above me. I feel his bulge against my core, making my head tilt back in anticipation."Please." I whisper, reaching for the waistband of his pants in hopes of sliding them off."Please what?" He responds back, as he places kisses along my chest. He squeezes one of my nipples with his hand as he moves higher to kiss my neck. I can feel him sucking on it, making me wet down below. I tilt my head back further into the pillow as I give into his assault."Damian. Please." I find myself begging as I claw at his pants, trying to remove them from his waist. In one fluid motion, Damian manages to not only drop his pants but also remove his boxers, freeing his member. He traces his member along my core, teasingly.I reach for it, to push it inside me when Damian's hands reach for my wrist, pulling my hand aw