Looks who's back. But why was he there though?
Max pulled outside the mansion noting that Preston's car was also parked there. He would have wondered why his friend was there but Emilia's behavior was freaking him out. One second she was laughing at him and the next she was bundling Gaby up and running away from the park. What had made her so scared? Her skin was pale, blood having drained from it and she kept looking back as if expecting someone to follow them. Stopping beside Preston's car, he got out and opened her door, blocking her way out. "Tell me what's wrong. Why did we suddenly leave the park?" "I said I'll tell you once we get home. Can you please hurry up?" "Will you at least going to come in?" "No Max. I want to go home" "Okay, I'll get Mel then we can..." his ringing phone interrupted him. Taking it out of his pocket, he looked at the number. Unknown. Max silenced it "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere Em" "If you don't hurry up I'll leave without you" "I wish you would tell... Dammit," he cursed when
"How do I look?" "Handsome as always. Are you nervous?" "Not really. I've prepared for this day for a long time. And I have you here Mom. There's nothing to be scared of" "You're right. I know you're going to be great honey. You've always succeeded in everything you set your mind out to do. What's left now is to be a father" "Mom..." "I have nothing to say about your wife today. I just hope that when you're finally a parent you'll realize why I'm so overprotective of you and your siblings" "You should give Em a chance Mom. She's great and I really love her. She's the only one I want to kids with" "I only want you to be happy my son. If one day I see that she's making you happy then I'll step aside and leave you alone" "Promise?" "I promise. Anything for you Max" "Okay, then I'll just have to get her pregnant. With a grandchild, you won't even have time to be on her case" "Silly boy" she swat his arm "I would like to be a grandmother too. I hope I'll live long enou
"No way I'll let you beat me. I am the king of games" "Prince you mean? Because the king is sitting right next to you. Let your old man teach you a thing or two" "Old men shouldn't even be competing. Isn't your back hurting? Do you need Mom to get a walking cane for you?" Max gaped at him, forgetting about the game "Excuse you, I'm not that old" "No, but you're old enough to be distracted long enough for me to beat you. Bow down for the winner Dad" he dropped his controller pumping fists in the air. Damn, it was his fault for falling into that hole. "This is unacceptable. You cheated" "I won Dad. Accept it and leave the throne because you are not fit to rule anymore" Smirking he got up "I might not be fit to rule but I still have my queen. Emilia?" "No" "Yes, Emilia?" "What's up?" "Nothing Mom. Dad wanted to know if you'd like to join us. We're going to the beach" "You are?" "We are?" Max echoed her question "I thought you said surfing was boring" "I changed
He was covered in sweat and his heart was beating wildly. He concentrated on calming himself down while wondering where he was. The room was white, too bright if anyone asked him. The beeping noise from beside the bed was too loud and he turned his head towards it, ready to turn whatever it was off but froze when he realized he was in a hospital. Why? They'd gone out to the park and Emilia had been freaked out about something so they'd left in a hurry. Then... His mother had called. Sitting up, he pushed aside the covers, ripping off the needle in his arm. The action caused the machine to beep louder and then a nurse was rushing into his room. "Sir, how are you feeling?" "How did I get here?" he asked instead "Do you feel any discomfort? Does your chest hurt?" "Where are my things? I need my phone" "Sir, if you would..." "My phone, where is it? And my mother?" The nurse sighed "I'll go get the doctor" she left. He knew he was making things hard for her by not answering
"Have you seen Max?" Silence "I'm talking to you Mel. Have you seen Max?" "Why do you expect me to answer your questions even after I've made my feelings about you crystal clear?" She rolled her eyes. Give that old witch some power and she'd turn the entire Carter household upside down "You know that bitch isn't going to come back. Right? Sooner or later you're going to have to respect me. Because eventually, I will be the one beside Max and not her. I am the next Mrs Carter" "Move aside Lisandra, I don't have the time to stand here and indulge you in your silly delusions" "Just you wait, Mel. Once he marries me, I will kick you out of this house in a flash. Just you wait" Snickering, Mel pushed her aside saying "For Max to marry you, he has to divorce Emilia first. Do you think you'll have a chance once he sees her again?" Lisandra curled her hands into fists. How she hated that woman. They'd never gotten along ever since the first time they met. It's not something that bothere
"Hey girlfriend, mind if I join you?" someone asked interrupting her. She looked up to see Daisy, a kiss ass who's loyalty was fleeting. She was always on the lookout for new friends every day. Anyone who could help her with anything was her friend. Once she was done though, she didn't look back. "Fuck off" Lisandra spat out. "Oh come on, you can't be grumpy forever. Sooner or later you have to let go of your petty grudge and make a few friends" "Friends? Now that I have someone powerful protecting me you want to be friends?" she got up, having already lost her appetite "Let's keep living the way we have for the past two years. I don't want any trouble" "Feeling high and mighty already?" Daisy asked sneering. "No, I don't feel high and mighty. I've always been high and mighty Daisy. So do yourself a favor and fuck off or I'll get them to put you in solitary for a week. Yeah, bitch, I can do that now" flipping her hair behind her back, she left. Heading back to her cell. The
"You're really good at this. Are you sure you've never handled guns before?" "I've never been interested in anything that wasn't girly. I only learned how to drive because Max forced me to" "Really? I wouldn't have guessed. If you ever need a change in career, come see me, Gwen" She snorted in that ladylike way she always did and the sound did what it normally did. Slid all the way down to his groin. Lately, it was getting harder and harder to keep a clear head whenever he was near her. TC realized that it was easier to ignore the attraction between them when they were in different countries. Now that they were living in the same house, spending most of the days together, he found that he couldn't keep his feelings in check. His skills weren't helping either. He'd already memorized all her facial expressions, and her behavior whenever she was nervous, anxious, happy, or angry. He picked up on little things about her that normal people wouldn't and it was slowly driving him mad. Th
TC spun around and went after her. He got to the door in time to see her disappearing down the corner. She must have memorized the way there because her gait had a purpose as if she knew where she was going. Shaking his head he followed her, easily catching up to her thanks to his long legs. She took another corner making him smile because he knew where she was going. Apparently, she really had a good memory if she remembered that bar. Although she might change her mind after she saw the condition of the place. "Give me a whiskey or a scotch or something stronger," she told the bartender who gave her a once-over. That earned him a retort "What? You think I can't handle it?" "No ma'am. I'm actually thinking why a beautiful lady like you would need a drink this early" "That would be my fault" he stepped in, partly to warn off the bartender and partly to make his presence known. He wasn't about to let the men in that place think they even had a chance with her. "He's also paying
EMILIA & MAX He didn't have to worry about the kids. They loved staying with the Jennings, especially now that they'd adopted a little girl. Zander was fascinated by Blossom while Gabby treated her as her doll. Soon Max was sure they were going to have sleepovers and joint parties. He had an hour before his flight so he called Darren. Gwen's outburst had reminded him how he'd neglected them over the years compared to when they were young. He thought they were grown-ups and didn't need him anymore but they were still his siblings. Even when he was grieving, he still had to remember he wasn't the only one who'd lost a mother. They both had. Now three of them only had each other. There was also the fact that his girlfriend had lied about who she was and her actions had led to their mother's death. He couldn't imagine the kind of pain Darren was going through. "Hey, what's up?" "I brought the kids to the Jennings for the weekend and I have an hour. Wanna have a drink?" "No thanks. I
HENDRIX & SAWYER "Hey, have you seen..." "Shut it" Hendrix whispered "I finally managed to put her down for a nap. If you wake her up with your big mouth I will push you off the balcony" Sawyer bit back a laugh "My watch, I'm looking for my watch" "You have more than twenty watches, babe. Why do you bother looking for one?" "The one Em and Zander gave me when he was two. Remember?" "You lost it?" He screeched in a whisper. "I misplaced it. That's why I'm asking if you have seen it" "Why are you so careless? Have Cosima help you find it. I'm going to catch some sleep before that little devil wakes up" Sawyer watched him head to their bedroom thinking that he was thriving as a parent. It suited him. He loved being a dad and every time Blossom made a sound, he'd rush to see what their daughter wanted. The adoption process had been hard but it was worth it. He couldn't ask for anything more out of life. Well, except for having his friend back. No one could have expected t
THEA & PRESTON Thea looked around sighing. While newly married women were on their honeymoon, she was busy at the office trying to solve the latest crime which just happened to be a breaking and entering case. Because she'd held her wedding out of the blue, her boss had told her to first tie up some loose ends before taking her vacation days. She'd never wanted to punch the man so bad. It wasn't as if she was the only cop in the building and she was only taking two weeks off. At one point she'd even thought of resigning but she loved being a cop. So she was busy debating whether to ask for a transfer to another division. Could she be better at something else? Say traffic police or... The thought of it had her shivering. She would rather quit than join another division and start all over again. But as much as she loved her job, it wasn't fair to Preston. He was the one who had convinced her to get married hastily in an attempt to cheer up their friends. They'd only been engaged for a
DARREN Even though he knew the streets of New York like the back of his hand, Darren felt lost. Every time he looked up, it took him a moment to remember where he was and why he was there. Sometimes he'd find himself in a place but not recall how he got there. If he'd listened to Preston and not rushed to fall in love, he wouldn't be in that situation. A few days after his mother's death, Nadia, no, Oksana had gone to him and confessed everything. She thought he needed to know who she was and why she'd approached him. As if knowing she was the one who got Lisandra out of prison would make him feel better. If he had known what she was going to say, he would have chosen not to listen. He would have decided to only know his Nadia and not the woman she claimed to be. He didn't want to believe she was capable of lying and killing. Or that she had family ties to a Russian criminal organization. He'd fallen in love with her because she was different from the women he'd known. Innocent, c
GWEN & TC "Am I allowed to ask where you're coming from?" "I would tell you but then I'd have to kill you" TC replied. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her, a light peck on the mouth, and then deciding it wasn't enough, he pried her lips open with his tongue. Gwen sighed, opening up to him. He needed to come up with new ways to distract her from asking about his job. Although she wasn't complaining. He had a way of making her forget everything with only a simple touch. She tried to remember if anyone had ever made her feel that way. Was there anyone before him? She couldn't recall. No one could compare to the way he made her feel. "How long until we can go on that vacation? I want to be able to do this all day without worrying about..." Her phone rang. He jerked his head back smiling but she knew he was annoyed. "Damn phone calls" "What happened to being a supportive partner?" He drew his lower lip between his teeth. A sign that his patience was thinning. She answ
It was easy to picture them having a girls' day out together with Gwen and Thea. Gabby too. They would go to spas, have their hair and nails done, and do all the girly things she'd missed out on doing with her mother. Her mind conjured the perfect family gathering. With all her friends and family. Wouldn't that be something? "I felt the same way about Max. He looks so much like his father. I couldn't believe it" "Honestly I always feel proud whenever people tell me how much Gaby resembles me. It's so satisfying to know she at least takes after me and not her father" "She does. Down to the shape of your nose. She will break a lot of hearts when she grows up" "Hush, don't let Max hear that. He's embraced this Texan lifestyle. Next thing you know he's going to buy a shotgun to keep boys away from his daughter" Emilia had no doubt he would do that in a few years. The thought of him fighting with teenagers over his daughter excited her. She couldn't wait to see who would win. "I don
Seeing that man had made her feel uneasy. All throughout yesterday she was nervous and kept jumping at the smallest sound. Sleep evaded her because she couldn't stop worrying about her children. What if someone broke in and hurt them? She just got Zander back. Losing him would destroy her. Max must have noticed how on edge she was because he took the kids and Mel out, telling her to relax. It was his way of giving her a day off. But all it did was give her more nerves. Instead of resting, she went around the house, looking for something out of the ordinary. A broken window or door. Anything to indicate she wasn't overreacting. Her search stopped outside Genevieve's door. Since Gwen went off on her, she hadn't left her room. Emilia wondered if the woman was repenting. That was if she was capable of repenting. She wasn't a saint but she knew she couldn't ignore her child, especially if he was in the hospital. How had she done it? Genevieve sure was one of a kind. Emilia couldn't believ
Lisandra's heart skipped a beat just as realization dawned on her. She wasn't free. Those guards had known the police were on their way and they had left after getting rid of any evidence that could point to any of them being there. That was why the house was so clean. They'd scrubbed down every inch of it, probably getting rid of evidence like fingerprints and stray hairs. Son of a bitch, her benefactor had really called the police on her. But why? Their deal was to distract the Carters while she took her revenge. Had she had a change of mind? Damn that bitch to hell. Spinning around, she ran the other way, swearing she would rather die than go back to prison. When she got to the road, her legs quickened, hoping the police cars wouldn't catch up with her. The second they realized the house was empty, they would know she had escaped and start chasing her. As she speed walked, she tried to think of reasons why her benefactor had cast her aside. Had she done something to change her min
The guards were acting strangely. Lisandra had been keeping an eye on them and that's how she knew something was up. Ever since she stepped foot in that house, they hadn't let her out of their sight. Everywhere she went they followed. Kitchen, living room, bedroom, and even the bathroom. Their excuse? Her benefactor had told them to keep an eye on her so she wouldn't escape. It didn't make sense that she'd want to escape when she had nowhere to go but that bitch had insisted on having her men there. But before going to bed she noticed how they all sat in the living room watching TV. She had never seen them all together in one place so she thought maybe they were celebrating something or they had come to trust her. However, before she could get to her room, one of them got up and made it there ahead of her. He checked the windows to make sure they were locked then stood outside her door, telling her to hurry up. Normally they just let her do whatever she wanted. Lisandra dragged her