Of all the months and days Elijah had been sitting in the courtroom for, today, he felt more nervous and impatient than he had ever felt before. His fingers drummed against his leg and he bit his lip nervously as he looked around the room while they waited on the reading of the verdict. For the most part, his nervousness was due to leaving Peach when she was now eight pregnant, and he just wanted this entire trial to be over so he can go back to her. “We all have sat in this courtroom for days, listening to witnesses and going through the pieces of evidence presented by both the defense team and the prosecution. After hours of deliberation by the jury, the verdict is in.” The judge announced, darting her gaze from Ryan and Elijah to Jewel. A slight look of disgust passed over the judge’s face when she locked eyes with Jewel and then declared, “The jury has found you, Jewel Hayes guilty on all accounts and not mentally deranged... For first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit second
“Because of how risky her pregnancy and delivery were, Peach will have to stay in the hospital for two days just for us to monitor her.” Doctor Harry said to Elijah.Still shaken by Peach's labor experience yesterday and what happened in the courthouse, Elijah darted his gaze between his wife and then daughter, feeling stressed and overwhelmed before looking back at Dr. Harry, and then he said, “There’s no issue with both of them, right?”Smiling, Dr. Harry replied, “No, there shouldn't be one. I'm confident that Peach is healthy, but we can't take any chances.”“You are sure... Because the last time you gave me an assurance you almost delivered my child behind my back,” Elijah said, a hint of bitterness lingering in his voice.An awkward tension settled in the room, and then Peach softly uttered, “Babe, it was not Dr. Harry's fault-”“I know,” Elijah said, looking over at Peach and meeting her eyes with a disappointed look in his.Sighing, Dr. Harry hung his head in shame and said, “
Early that morning, Madam Maxwell was a bit on the edge as she walked around the kitchen, tasting and giving instructions for every meal the maids were preparing. Her eyes would occasionally flicker from stove to pots and pans, her lips pursed in concentration. Finally, the sound of Miss Grace's voice drew her attention to the kitchen doorway when she heard, “Elijah, Peach, and the baby are home.”A look of raw excitement came over Lisa's face and she smiled widely as she rushed out of the kitchen with Miss Grace following closely behind.When they got into the living room, both their eyes were wet with tears to see little Piki in the car seat that Elijah was hoping for, and suddenly, the two days of waiting felt worth it for both grandmothers.Not wasting a second, Miss Grace ran to Elijah while Mrs. Maxwell rushed for Peach and they pulled the couple into a tight hug.“Thank you, Elijah. Thank you.” Miss Grace cried at her son-in-law.Even though Elijah was trying to keep up the t
The sound of Piki screaming made Peach feel for Elijah, her fingers poking his nose and eyes as her palm rubbed against his face, and she whispered, “Babe, the baby is crying.”Sleepily, Elijah opened his eyes and then closed them, moaning out a breath as he mumbled, “I am up.”Yet, he was still laying with his eyes closed, but another scream from Piki made him jump from his sleep, shouting, “I am up, baby! Daddy is up!”Then he jumped from the bed, rushing to her crib, and reached into it, scooping her up and cradling her, singing nonsense words at her that made Peach giggle sleepily.Even though the two weeks of taking care of a newborn were challenging, Elijah refused a nursery for the baby, allowing her to sleep in his room, and denied the offer of a nanny. His heart won't let him trust a soul other than his internal family around his daughter, after everything that he and Peach had gone through.“Shush,” Elijah murmured quietly at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Is your p
With a smile on his face, Elijah held Piki with one hand, and in his other hand, his phone as he walked around the garden.It took a moment for his call to get answered, and when Bryan's face appeared in the video call, he blurted out, “I can not believe I am saying this, but congratulations, Senator Checks on winning the election.”It grew silent for a second, and then both men burst into laughter, excitement clear in each of their voices. “Thanks, Bro,” Bryan said after they had caught their breath. “For everything. I mean it from the depths of my heart. Today wouldn't have been possible without your help.”“I was just paying my debt to you.” Elijah teased, and then said with a bit of remorse in his voice. “I am just sad that I couldn't be there in person today to watch you speak to the public. But all of my men are going to be there to show my support.”“I appreciate that. Also, you got Piki and Peach to be there for, so I understand.” “Yeah,”The call went silent for a split sec
Like a madman, Deacon opened fire on the SUV, bullets flying everywhere as he screamed, “Go to hell!”As the sound of bullets hitting the car from every angle, Matt, Dice, and Rookie kept their head down, and Matt could hear Elijah screaming from the other end of the call, “Matt, say something! Please! Are you guys okay?! Is anyone Hurt? Fucking tell me something, anything!”“We are okay, boss!” Matt shouted back, because of the deafening sound of the fires.Finally, silence ceased the atmosphere, and immediately, Dice raised his head, feeling glad that he was working for Elijah because of how built their vehicles were, and even though the car took a lot of hits, a single bullet didn't penetrate the car.Staring at Deacon, Dice immediately guess that he was out of bullets, and with a fifty-fifty chance that that was true, he jumped out of the car, causing Rookie to scream, “Dice, no!”When Deacon saw him coming toward him, he turned to run for his car, but like a wild cat, Dice lunged
“Three months! She's three freaking months,” Elijah mumbled, looking down at his baby and smiling at her in her crib. “Can she stop growing?”A laugh escaped Peach’s lips as she stared at her husband standing over their daughter's crib and then she walked over to him wrapping her arms around his waist, saying, “She is not going to stop growing. You have to prepare your heart to watch her become a woman.”“I don't want her to...” Elijah said as Piki grabbed his hand, trying to pull it into her mouth. “There’s nothing we can do about that, honey. All we can do is be there for her and record her growth, so we can have something to look back on. That's why today is important.”“I know, babe… Honestly, I can't wait for them to meet her.”A knock on the couple made Peach let go of Elijah and walked over to the door, and when she opened it, Miss Grace was standing there with a smile on her face.“Matt and the others are here.” Miss Grace said, causing Elijah to raise his head and gaze at th
The breathtaking garden in the back of the Maxwells mansion was extremely decorated with white tents with a makeshift ceiling designed with floral chandeliers.The altar was framed with a few oversized floral arrangements. It was simple but extremely elegant, and even the weather seemed to be in a good mood that day.“Da-Da!” Piki shouted in Mrs. Maxwell's arms when she saw Elijah approaching them from the opposite direction. “Dada! Dada!“There’s my Princess,” Elijah said when he reached them, grabbing her from in his mother's arms and kissing her cheeks repeatedly as her wild laughter filled the air. Then he looked at his mother and said, “I can't believe I am doing this for the third time again.”“You know what they say. Third time is the charm,” Mrs. Maxwell replied, smiling. “This time you and Peach are in a better place in your life. Piki is one year old, and you guys have given yourself a long time to heal from the past. Now, you two can seal your future again and start a new