I glance next to me at Connor, who is putting food onto my plate. This is the second morning in a row where he has done this. I still can’t quite believe it myself, but I’m going to savor these moments together, which also includes him sleeping beside me these past few nights.
I must admit this is the first time I’ve been able to sleep sound through the night without waking up at some point from one of my terrible nightmares.
A faint smile dances onto my face as I continue to silently watch him put my favorite things on my plate.
A warmth spreads through my heart.
Can I finally let myself trust him? He has proven himself several times, and each time he has stood beside me.
Cliff clears his throat at the end of the end. “Connor, how long are you and Ryan planning on staying with us? I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I kind of want to know. If you are
I still can’t believe I’m going back home.I don’t know how I got talked into doing this. Wait. Yes, I do.All Connor has to do is look at me with his crystal-blue eyes, and I agree to anything he wants. It doesn’t even shock me knowing that I’m going to be staying with him at his penthouse, while Dotty and her parents stay at a nearby hotel.However, that isn’t my biggest concern right now.No. It is everything else this town represents that has my stomach in knots and beads of sweat lining my forehead.I glance out the private airplane’s window as I take a shaky breath. I mentally chant to myself that I can do this.Connor leans over and kisses the top of my head.I can’t fight back the small smile that bubbles out. However, I won’t admit it, but I’m getting used to him doing this all the time and
I turn my focus to Ryan, who is beside me, and discuss a few last-minute things. As we turn the corner, Deanna suddenly stops next to me. Her body tenses against my hand and her breath hitches.My feet stop right along with hers, but before I can ask what is wrong, I spot the reason standing outside the conference room.I quickly bite back my anger.I turn towards my frightened wife and gently caress her back as I whisper, “Don’t worry, love. I won’t let him do anything to you.”With her eyes focused on the group in front of us, she nods her head. Even though she tries to appear strong, the slight tremble now running through her body tells me she is anything but that right now.I ignore everyone and gently kiss the top of her head.A gasp fills the air, but I don’t care.I don’t want to force her, but this isn’t the time to back down,
I shift in my seat and look across the table at Dotty, who seems to be keeping her eyes on my hands. However, the longer she looks, the bigger her frown gets.I guess I don’t have to ask whether they were in on my surprise.A slight pain tugs at my heart when I remember Connor’s sad face last night when I told him I wouldn’t wear the engagement ring. I didn’t answer his question about marrying him again because I don’t know whether I would. Plus, we are already married. So, how can we get married again?Connor sits down beside me and kisses my forehead.I must commend him. Even though he didn’t get the answer he was clearly hoping for, he didn’t let it affect our night alone together. We still had a nice evening watching movies and drinking wine. I might even call it romantic.He glances across the table at Dotty. “If you are wondering
A cold shiver runs down my spine as Connor’s grip tightens on my shoulder.Across the table, Dotty grinds her teeth and glares at the couple.She slides to the edge of her seat as if she is waiting for them to do just one more thing before she springs into action.The air becomes think with tension as the hair on the back of my neck stands up straight.Even though I don’t want to look at them, I slowly turn and look at the uninvited guests.Brett’s nostrils flare with each breath he takes, while Tiffany clings onto his arm as if she were going to fall down any minute.I don’t have time to think before Connor takes a few strides forward and hisses, “Make. An. Appointment.”The two men glare at each other as the area falls into silence.Cough. Cough.I turn towards the other end of the table as Barbara and Cliff set their plates
A gasp fills the air and my mind locks on one word. Darling.I shove Connor off me and pull my skirt back down while he groans and flops on the couch next to me.My eyes nearly pop out when I spot the large bulge in his pants, which he isn’t trying to hide. I grab the pillow next to me and drop it on crotch. However, he doesn’t pay any attention to it. Instead, he whips his attention to the door and the intruder.The woman shifts slightly on her feet before she shakes her head. “Con, I didn’t know you had someone in here. I would have knocked first. I’m so sorry.”As if she suddenly realizes something, she stops and looks at Connor and then at me. She narrows her eyes and frowns as she points her finger at him. “How could you, Con? You have been holding out for your wife all these years and suddenly you are rubbing up against
My breath hitches as Deanna looks at me. Her gorgeous eyes plead with me as she whispers, “Ryan?”I still don’t know why I gave her my friend’s name. I was going to fix everything when we finally met face to face again, but I never got the chance. Now, I’m kicking myself for not correcting it sooner. Maybe she would have recognized me in Vegas if she had known my real name, and I wouldn’t have had to chase after her for so many years.I take a deep breath.Ryan and along with Dotty and her parents walk into my office. Reluctantly, I pull my attention away from her. Ryan glances between my wife and me before he smiles and walks up next to me. “Did someone call my name?”I shake my head. “No. We were just…”He cuts me off. “Good. Because everything is ready for our meeting, and we are going to be late.
I thought I would never meet him again, and I had lost him forever.However, he has been right in front of me, and I didn’t even know it.No wonder I find his warmth and his embraces comforting. He is the man I’ve been yearning for all these years.If only I had known, things would hopefully have been different.I take a deep breath as my heartbeat quickens. I say the words that I didn’t think I would ever say to him. “I have a confession too.”Every fiber in my body wants to wrap him in my arms and tell him he doesn’t need to worry any more.I lick my lips and look up into those sexy blue eyes. The same ones which have always made me lose myself within his gaze.“I was hoping to find you one day, but I thought I had lost you. You were in my dreams for years, until I came to terms with the fact, I would never see you
My stomach flutters as I glance down at the sparkling diamond engagement ring nestled up against my gold wedding band.It is amazing how things change in a short period.I move slightly in bed and wince as pain shoots through my entire body. I don’t remember us being this wild our first night back in Vegas. However, I won’t complain. If my memory is correct, I think I egged him on several times too.A smile spreads across my face as images from last night flash through my mind. Along with them comes a lingering question of when can we do this again.Ring…ring…ring…I glance around the bedroom, but I don’t see a phone anywhere. However, I remember us bringing them in. Maybe one of our rough rounds of sex sent them flying somewhere.I glance down beside me at my sleeping husband. His calm face is a harsh difference from the lust
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