I setup my laptop on the dining room table and pull out some of my documents from my bag. I don’t even want to look at my emails. I’m sure my inbox is full.
I just ran out of my office and left everything behind. Luckily, I remembered to pack my laptop and stuff I had at home in the morning. I was hoping the meetings would get over quickly and I could sneak away at some point to come see Deanna. However, I didn’t expect things going down like they did. If I had, I would have made sure I had to put more things in the car in the morning.
I sigh as I turn the laptop on and sit down. I need to first run through what files I have and see if I can get access to the office. Only then will I be able to tell what I need to have my assistant forward to me.
I turn and glance out the sliding door to the backyard. I know Deanna is out there somewhere, but I don’t know where.
She didn’t e
Thanks for everyone reading. I couldn't be happier. It brightens my day when I see the numbers.
I slide on my gardening gloves and lay the mat down on the ground.As I look at the rose bed, my mind isn’t here. Instead, it is still stuck on last night and the kiss. I still can’t believe I didn’t stop him, but who am I kidding. When it comes to him, all I have to do is look into his eyes and I lose all will to fight him while my body wants him to relive that night in Vegas.There has only been one other person in my life who somehow has had the same ability to make me bend to his will. I only met him that one day on the school business trip. We kept in touch for a while through our phones, but when I accidentally broke my phone, it was so badly damaged that I couldn’t get into it to retrieve his number and I couldn’t remember his number. I didn’t have money right away to get a new one.Our short, little relationship ended as fast as it started.I glance up toward
I shift in my seat and glance down to the end of the table at Cliff, who smiles back at me. My lip twitches and tries to raise into a snarl, but I quickly stop it.I don’t understand why I can’t go back upstairs and eat my meal in my room by myself. Instead, he orders me to sit with everyone at the table.Just my luck that Cliff places me right next to Connor.I don’t dare protest, though. The stern look he gave me earlier tells me he won’t listen to it.I shift again, trying to slide to the edge of the seat as far away from Connor as possible. Even with a little distance, his body heat radiates off him and seeps into me, making goosebumps explode across that side of my body.I take a drink of water. However, the water seems to evaporate before it can quench my sudden dry throat.Can we get this dinner over soon, so I can go back upstairs to my room?D
I watch helplessly as Connor carries Deanna upstairs. My heart aches every time I see her like this. Ryan nudges my arm. “Is she like this all the time?” With my eyes still on Connor’s retreating back, I shake my head. “No. But it was the two-year anniversary of the babies’ death recently. She gets like this around this time of year.” From the end of the table, my mother sighs. “We don’t want it to get too bad this year. We didn’t think she would be that bad last year, and we waited, but we almost lost her in the process. We will not let that happen this year.” From beside me, Cliff adds, “The sessions would have already begun if Dr. Davis didn’t have something else already scheduled. To make it easier on Deanna, he has agreed to come to the house and do the sessions here.” When Connor disappears around the corner, I turn my focus to Ryan. “I’m hoping Connor’s presence will also
I lay Deanna down on the bed. Her tear-stained cheeks make my heart ache. I wish could have been here when she was going through all this. However, I’m glad I’m here now.I sit down on the side of the bed and stare at her beautiful face. Even with her puffy eyes and stained cheeks, she is still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.I brush her bangs off to the side and place a tender kiss on her forehead.I want to climb into bed with her, but I don’t want to upset her when she wakes up.Ring…ring…ring…I quickly pull my phone out of my pocket.I hesitate when I see my mother’s name flashing across the screen. However, it might be important.I stand up and walk across the room to the window. “Hello, mother. Is there something you need?”“Ah, son. You finally answer your phone.&nbs
Chet POVI look at my wife. She has her back facing me as she stands at the edge of the balcony and looks out towards the back of our property. She still has the phone to her ear, but she has said nothing for a few minutes now, nor has she moved.I walk across our bedroom and stop at the door. “Honey, what did he say? Did you convince him?”She takes a deep breath and pulls the phone away from her ear. “He said he would think about it. It appears he is still a little soft and emotional when I mentioned the fact we can’t even pay for our utilities.”A smile erupts onto my face.Yes. I knew he would come through for me. How could I ever doubt my son?I launch forward and rush towards my wife. With a huge grin on my face, I hug her from behind. “Thanks for talking to him, honey. I knew you could get him to agree.&nb
I bite my lip and subtly glance up from my end of the dining room table towards Connor and Ryan, who are working diligently at the other end.Did he really sleep next to me last night?I must admit last night is the first time I’ve been able to sleep soundly this time of year. I usually get better at other times throughout the year, but not now. Not when it is so close to my babies’ date of death.Connor’s eyes look up from his laptop, and instantly our eyes lock. My breath hitches as my eyes widen, but I can’t seem to break the connection between us.Luckily, Dotty rushes into the room, holding her laptop against her chest, and crashes against me before she slides into the chair beside me. Her laughter fills the room.I immediately whip my head around towards her and growl, “What the heck was that for? Or are you trying to be silly?”Her laughter fades
I hesitantly look back over my shoulder at Connor and Ryan, who are walking behind Dotty and me.This past weekend suddenly flashes through my mind as my eyes land on the Connor in his dark business suit. His styled blonde hair makes me want to run my fingers through his smooth strands and mess it up. No one should see him looking this good.Wait. He looks good with messy hair, too.Dotty elbows my side. “Deanna, are you going to have Connor and Ryan work in your office?”I pull my attention forward as we walk into the building. “Yes. Is there a problem with that?”She smiles and shakes her head. “No. I doubt you could put Connor anywhere else, though. He definitely wants to be near you all the time.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “If he has his way, he will become a permanent fixture in your office.”Heat rushes
Steam rolls off me while I glare at Nathan.Who does he think he is? Deanna is my wife. I don’t care whether or not she has a ring on her finger. She is still my legal wife, and no one can have her.Ryan’s tight grip on my shoulder snaps me out of my silent attack. “Con, you need to keep your cool. You need to win her over instead of trying to trample your competition. You might push her away if you come off too strong. Remember what Dotty told you. Keep your cool and stand beside her. Don’t try to bulldoze anyone over, especially not the employees.” He pauses for a moment and then whispers, “Unless they deserve it.”I pause for a moment while I let his words sink in.After a few seconds, I sigh and tear my eyes away from Nathan just as he asks, “So, did you hear anything from our potential new customer from Friday?”I
Dotty and her mom walk into my bedroom as I stand in front of the mirror, making sure I look perfect. My off-white silk wedding dress shimmers in the afternoon light as I shift from side to side, looking at it from every angle. A smile dances around on my face while my eyes sparkle. My attention soon drifts down to my stomach, and my smile widens. The silky material falls loosely across my large baby bump. I gently caress my stomach and whisper, “This is it, babies. I’m finally getting the wedding I’ve always wanted.” Dotty smiles and wraps her arm around my shoulders as she looks down at my stomach. “Kiddos, your mommy is finally getting everything she deserves. Not only is your daddy giving her the gorgeous wedding she deserves, but he has agreed to stay here with us.” Her mother lightly slaps her shoulder. “Stop hugging her. You are going to wrinkle her wedding dress.” She then looks at me throu
My palms glisten and my stomach twists as the nurse leads us back to the exam room. With each step, my mind goes wild with the various reasons for why I’m tired lately. However, none of them really makes any sense. I quickly wipe my hands against my pants as I take a deep breath. Connor wraps his arm around my waist and kisses the side of my head. “Don’t worry too much, love. We are here to take some simple tests and then we will hopefully have some answers soon. Okay.” I glance at him out of the corner of my eye as I tentatively nod my head. He kisses the side of my head again and whispers, “I’m going to be right here next to you. Don’t worry. I’m sure it isn’t anything serious.” I take another deep breath. I wish I could be that confident, but my history reminds of what could go wrong. The nurse stops in front of an open door. “You will be in here. Please have a
My gut tells me something is wrong with Deanna. I don’t know what, but I’m not taking any chances.I work like a madman trying to get everything done in a short period of time, so we can go back to the Midwest.I completely ignore my father and mother. I did the only thing I could, and that is I got him his lawyer. However, his lawyer wouldn’t even take the case until I gave him a hefty retainer. I didn’t want to ask how much my father owed him, but I figure I gave him enough money to cover everything.Unfortunately, it hasn’t stopped my mother from trying to bug me, but I let my security handle it, both at the office and at my apartment. In addition, I have removed her name from the approved list of people who can visit me.I have also let Dotty and her parents know what is going on. So, if I need to have backup, I have it when we get back there. With Deanna’s
Dotty’s voice booms from my phone. “If you don’t come back here right now, I’m going there. How can you let yourself get so run down that you nearly faint at work? Is Connor not taking good enough care of you?”I shake my head and stare out the bedroom window. “It isn’t like that, and you know it. Connor has been taking good care of me. We have been under a lot of stress lately. You know that full well. I’m sure it has finally caught up to me. There is nothing to worry about, though.”I glance around the room. “Connor has me resting in bed right now. He said he wasn’t going to take no, so I gave in. Everything will be fine. Now, stop worrying.”She sighs. “I’m just concerned, especially after what you went through before. I don’t want a repeat of it.”I slide under t
Connor and I walk into his office building. What little smile we can muster is barely visible as we walk through the lobby. The bags under our eyes show everyone exactly what we have been going through. Even though we should be going back to the Midwest and to my job there, we are still in the city and dealing with his issues here. A slight yawn escapes my mouth as I try to acknowledge the receptionist as we walk by. She smiles back at us, but it doesn’t reach her eyes as her eyebrows knot together. I need a hot cup of herbal tea. I’ll be good then. Connor places his hand on my back and whispers, “Do you need to take a nap? You can sleep in my office if you can’t stay awake.” I sigh and shake my head. “No. I have too much to do. If for some reason I get too tired, I’ll just lay down on your couch and take a small cat nap.” “Uhm. Okay. I’m assuming you nee
Why did I let my mother talk me into this? I keep telling Deanna to not let her parents affect her, and here I am letting my mother talk me into leaving with her for a private talk. However, this isn’t really a private talk at all.I glance around the table and politely smile at Mr. Gold while I ignore my father. I then turn my attention back to my mother. “What is this all about? I have work to do, and I need to get back to the office.”She flashes me a sweet smile and reaches across the table to pat my hands. However, I yank my hands away before she can touch me.Her smile falters a bit as she stares at me. “Son, we need to have a very important conversation with you. This is the best way to do it without having any interruptions.”Interruptions. She is worried about interruptions.Anger rushes through my veins. I grit my teeth and growl, &
I stare down at my herbal tea as I sigh. What am I going to do now? Dotty’s voice booms from my phone, and I instantly pull it away from my ear. “Stop doing that! You have talked about this before. Shoot, even you and I have talked about this. Neither of your parents deserves to be called your parents. Your parents have abandoned you and even when given the chance, they still ignore you like the plague. While Connor’s parents seem to only want to use him for whatever stupid scheme, his father is cooking up. So, stop giving them the benefit of the doubt.” I slowly put the phone back to my ears as I nod. “I know we have talked about it, but it isn’t quite the same thing as when you see it with your own eyes. I don’t want to be the reason Connor has a strained relationship with his mother.” “Ugh… Girl, you are really trying my patience here. Stop treating them special because s
The look of defeat on Brett’s face still floats around in my mind. I have never seen him look like that, even when he was dealing with his family. However, this particular blow seems to have been a little too close to home. I sigh and stare out the window and across the city’s horizon. For once, I’m alone in Connor’s office while he has another meeting with a few department heads on another project. However, I’m not in the mood to sit there while everyone looks at me with either envy or disgust. As my focus drifts to the sky and some wispy few clouds floating along, my thoughts go back to Connor’s father and the board’s decision. Will his luck finally run out? However, I think the bigger question is will the board actually follow through with their threat this time. Connor has given me a complete history of his father and the things he has done. In addition, he has explained how he became the CEO at
My stomach sinks as my assistant explains what the board has decided to do.A part of me knows this is the right thing, but another part of me still wants to protect my father. However, I don’t think he deserves any protection right now, especially after some things he has done lately.I can also breathe a sigh of relief since the board isn’t holding me accountable for anything my father does. Most of them remember what he did in the past. Plus, his recent slips of judgement have sealed his own fate.As my smile fades and turns into a deep frown, I turn so Deanna can’t see my expression. However, I know it is already too late.I run my hand through my hair as everything slowly sinks into my brain.Deanna’s concerned voice keeps me from turning my back around completely to her. “Connor, did something bad happen? Is the board going to go after your father