Somehow I had to make Lee’s birthday this year even better than the one last year.But last year I had the wonderful element of surprise. This year I feel like I’m expected to throw a party, since I’m having his baby. I wanted him to feel just as loved and important as he did last year. I sat in front of my computer at work hopelessly. There was nothing much to do and I wanted to start planning Lee’s party, but I had no clue where to start. “Scarlett, are you okay?” Rex asked. “Um, sorry, pregnancy brain, yeah I’m okay.”“You don’t have any work to be done, why don’t you head out early. You look completely out of it.”“Thank you, sir. I’m sorry.”“Don’t be. I cannot even imagine what’s going on with you right now. How are the babies? Growing well?”I nodded. “They are. My doctor said they’re really healthy and everything is going wonderfully. It’s amazing.”“I’m so glad, Scarlett,” He smiled genuinely. “Well, call your ride and get outta here.”“Thank you.”It was the middle of the
“So, how did the first day with EJ go?” I asked Lee.“Really great, actually. That kid is really smart,” Lee admitted. “He’s really eager to learn too.”“Yeah, he’s eager about everything,” I chuckled. “Dad thinks he’s the second coming of Christ or something, though. ‘Oh if only Brantley was this eager when he was your age’. ‘You sure you don’t come from a business family, you’re so brilliant’. I swear he wishes EJ was his son instead of me.”“Are you…jealous of EJ?” I asked. “Not jealous but…he’s clearly in love with you and my dad is fawning all over him, it’s a little annoying. But I can’t even be mad at him because he’s a nice guy.” Lee frowned. “In love with me?” I asked as though this was new information to me.“Come on, who wants to hang out with a pregnant woman that much?” “I’m a very interesting pregnant woman.”“Of course, but you’re deeply involved with two guys on top of that. There is literally no room for him in your romantic life. He has to know that.”“What are w
I always knew something was missing. My whole life I felt slightly out of place and odd. I wasn’t that similar to my family, especially my parents. We didn’t have the same eyes or nose and I didn’t have any of the traits I should have. However I always pushed it aside.I thought Scarlett was what was missing. She made me feel completely whole and secure. She saw me in a way no one else did. She fell in love with me when I thought she wouldn’t. But it’s more than that.I’m fucking adopted. I was shaking as I sat down across my parents with Scarlett. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Tell me everything, “ I said quietly. “Grayson just before we do, you have to understand-”“Mom, just tell me!” I snapped. “If you don’t I’m going to walk out and I’ll never come back.”I didn’t exactly mean it, only because I wanted answers. Dad sighed. “We found out pretty early on that your mom probably couldn’t have children. No reason for it, she was just…we still tried so much. We did everyth
Scarlett and Lee stared at me without saying anything.“Bad idea?” I asked. “No, babe, just…are you ready for that Gray?” Scarlett asked. “I mean you just found out about this.”“I’m on limited time, Scar. Our baby is going to be here in a few months, I can’t…I can’t be a father like this. Not a good one.”“I guess I understand that,” She murmured. “But Grayson, what if they’re not who you want them to be?”“Then I’ll deal with that. I just have to at least know who they are.”“Then I support you, like I said.” Scarlett forced a smile. “I just…I don’t want you to rush this, Grayson, it’s very delicate.”“Our daughter will also be delicate and I want to handle her the right way.” I said firmly. “I think that’s admirable,” Lee offered.“Um, thanks. I’ve had a really long day,” I muttered. “And I gotta talk to my parents in the morning. I think I’ll go to bed.”“Me too,” Scarlett said. “I’m quite exhausted.”We all headed upstairs to our room. I waited until I was sure Lee wouldn’t com
Grayson had been weird. Of course I totally understood. I still couldn't really wrap my mind around the fact that he was adopted, so I imagine he couldn’t either. How had his entire life leading up to now been kind of a lie?Sure it could be worse. This lie allowed him to have a very luxurious life and get pretty much everything he ever wanted, but still to think you’re one person for your whole life and find out you’re not is pretty jarring.I’d say Grayson was still handling it pretty well. He slept in my bed every night because he didn’t want to feel lonely. I knew it bothered Lee, but he wouldn’t say it out loud. Life once again felt complicated and we still had a decent amount of time before the babies arrived.“Girl, have you ever led a simple life?” Skyler asked. “No…no I have not.” I sighed. “This is insane! Poor Grayson.”“I know and to make matters worse these babies are always kicking like they’re mad at me,” I rubbed my stomach. “I wish I knew who was kicking when. Som
I almost fainted.What the hell was wrong with my mother? Why did she think one of my boyfriend’s birthday parties was the place to announce that she was having a baby, with my old babysitter no less!“Well thank you for that announcement…Mom!” I said through gritted teeth. “Um, why don’t you all…mingle and we’ll get the cake ready!”I grabbed Mom’s arm and pulled her into the kitchen. “What is wrong with you?” I demanded.“What do you mean?” “Why would you do that? Today is not about you, it’s about Grayson!”“But I gave him a gift! You could at least say congratulations, you know?” Mom huffed. “You’re getting a new sibling!”“Yeah, congrats, why did you hijack Grayson’s birthday party? Why would you do that?!”“I tried to talk to you about it all week!”“So you should have still waited! Not announce it like that. Mom, how are you so oblivious to everything all the time? How don’t you realize that what you just did was selfish and insane?” I asked. “Do you think of anyone but yours
We all went and got lunch.Grayson was squeezing my hand tightly, I could tell he was so nervous. When we first sat down, once again they just stared at each other. I think they were both taking each other in and seeing their similarities. “You have the same eyes,” I commented.“I noticed that when I first gave birth to Grayson,” Faye smiled. “He was just the perfect baby.”“I can imagine,” I smiled.“I um…I remember that day we had together,” Grayson spoke finally. “It was one of the best days of my life.”“Me too, Grayson. Until they came and took you.” She sighed. “I had hoped they would tell you so much sooner than this.”“I actually accidentally found out. I saw my adoption papers.”“You have to know that it wasn’t that I didn’t want you, I just…I was seventeen and I wasn’t ready for something like that. And my boyfriend wasn't either. We broke up before you were even born. I told him you were getting adopted, just not by who. The Wrenfords wanted you so much and I felt like I
Jack had a very nice home. As we walked through it, I saw pictures of him and a woman I assumed was his wife and also noticed two kids, a boy and a girl. “I’m sorry, gorgeous, I didn’t get your name,” Jack turned to me when we reached the living room. “Oh, Scarlett,” I shook his hand. "And you're married, dating?" "Um, it's a little complicated but we are together in a way." Grayson laughed nervously.“Do either of you want a drink?”“Water please,” I smiled. “I’ll have one too please.” Grayson spoke up. “Take a seat, I’ll be right back.”“He has other kids,” Grayson whispered to me. “I have siblings, Scar.”“That’s really exciting right?” I asked. "I mean sure I wasn't thrilled about Gerald at first, but having siblings is so wonderful. And hey we could have even more baby sitters now too, how cool is that?"“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet them too.”Jack returned and handed us water bottles before sitting down across from us. “I can imagine you have a lot of questions…Graden was
“Lee, I will never forgive you!” “Don’t be like this Scarlett.” “You are completely out of line!” “He’s my son!” Lee exclaimed. “He’s mine too!” I shot back. “You had no right to do this!” “Oh get over it!” “Hey, what’s going on?” Grayson asked, entering the room. “Look what he did to my son!” I whined. Grayson looked into the playpen and saw that Julian had a mohawk. Grayson laughed. “Woah buddy, you look great!” I gasped. “No, he looks crazy!” “I told you, Scar, he looks good.” Lee said smugly. “He really wanted it too.” “He’s three years old, he doesn’t know what he wants!” “You told me to get him a haircut. You said it was a father and son thing and I did it!” “I didn't know you were going to bring me back a punk rock child!” I groaned. “What happened to my prince?” “Mommy!” Julian smiled. “Look my hair!” “See, he loves it, Scarlett. It’s gonna grow back anyways.” Lee said. I sighed as I picked Julian up. “I guess you’re so handsome, you can pull it off.” “Do
I held onto my decision for two weeks. I know that sounds horrible, but I had to make sure that I was certain in my decision. I didn’t have sex with the guys, becuase that felt horrible knowing I was going to break up with one of them. I had also done something kind of big without telling the guys. I just thought it was the best decision. No one knew I had made a real decision. I didn’t want to jinx it like last time. I just kept going about my life, making sure that who I chose was who I really wanted. Every single night I went to sleep, my choice was confirmed. I knew who I wanted and it was time to tell everyone else too.The babies were asleep and we were having lunch. “Can I talk to you guys about something?” I asked. “Of course,” Grayson put his phone down. “What’s up?” Lee questioned. “So…I did something. Um…I had the house across the street bought.” I announced. “What? Why?” “How?” Grayson asked. “Both of your parents, actually.”“So…why did you do that babe?” “So,
“Are you ready to meet your new best friend?” Lee asked Julian as he got him dressed. “You’re gonna meet Auntie Skyler and Uncle Avery’s new baby. Are you excited?”Julian merely laughed in response and kicked his legs. “I’m so excited to meet this little guy!” I sighed. “I still don’t even know his name.”“Well, Skyler didn’t get to do a baby shower or gender reveal, so this is like a big reveal for her.”“I can’t believe she’s a mom now! I’m so excited for her!” I looked at the clock. “Shit we’re late!”“Scarlett, language!” Lee scolded. “We are in the presence of innocent ears.”“Julian cannot understand me when I say ‘shit’.”“You don’t know that. Children understand lots of things.”“You’re right. Sorry Julian. Darn it all to heck, we are late.” I kissed them both. “Gray? Are you and Joy ready?”“Almost,” Grayson called back. “And now we are!”I went to his room and saw him showing Joy herself in the mirror. She looked quite perplexed with her reflection. “Where did she get tha
“What’s going on now?” Lee asked. “Sophia is also in labor right now. My siblings have started their rivalry very early!”“Oh this is going to be insane.” “I know right? Why don’t you just drop me off and then take Julian home?”“Are you sure?”“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Robbie and my dad will be there. Julian has had an eventful enough day, I think.”“Wait, they're having their babies at the same hospital too?” Lee questioned. “Do they want that hospital to still be standing after they’re done?”“Hopefully they’ll be so busy pushing children out they won’t have a chance to yell at each other. You and Grayson can handle the kids right?”“Of course we can. It’ll be fine.” Lee assured me. “Don’t worry about anything except for your new siblings, okay?”“Alright. Just don’t burn down the house.” I chuckled. We arrived at the hospital and I turned around to look at Julian. “You be a good boy for Daddy, okay? Mommy loves you.”“He loves you too,” Lee smiled. “And so do I.” He kissed me. “I l
Lee or Grayson?Grayson or Lee?Windsor or Wrenford?Super hot billionaire who was the father of my baby or…super hot billionaire who was the father of my baby. No wonder this was so goddamn hard. I was comparing perfection with perfection.Only they weren't perfect right? They had flaws. Everyone did. But I loved their flaws too. I loved their differences and the way they were the same and how much they loved me. I could see two timelines unfolding every time I looked at them. But that was nothing new. None of this was. This was the same old song and dance I’d been doing for over a year.Wasn’t I tired yet?“You sound like a broken record,” Skyler shook her head. “I cannot believe after all this time you haven't chosen.”“That’s easy for you to say. You met your soulmate at a party and there was only one of him. I fell in love with two amazing men who impregnated me at the same time!”“So if only one of them got you pregnant, would you have really been happy with that guy?”“Of cou
I walked over to Grayson quickly. “Can I talk to you?” I asked.“Um, sure. Lee’s got the babies. What’s up?”“No, I need to talk to you alone.”I pulled Grayson out of the ballroom, down the hall to where Faye had gotten ready. I made sure to lock the door before turning to him. “What’s wrong?” Grayson asked. I smiled. “Nothing.”Before Grayson could speak again, I had reached out and pulled him to me for a kiss. He gave in easily as he always did. I pulled off his suit jacket as quickly as I could. “Woah, Scar…are we about to have sex?” Grayson mumbled against my lips. “You catch on fast.”“Here? Oh I missed this side of you.”Grayson lifted me off my feet and I wrapped my legs around his torso as he backed into the couch. By the time he sat down, I had his shirt completely open. I didn’t plan on taking it off, but I wanted to feel his abs. I moved my lips to Grayson’s neck. Hearing him whimper was making me even hotter. I had missed his sounds of pleasure and his eager hands o
Dressing a baby in nice clothes is extremely hard. They move too much and clearly don’t like the restriction of their clothes, so they lash out by screaming. “Joy, sweetie, please,” Grayson sighed. “It’s a really nice dress, why are you so upset?”“I don’t think she likes the socks.” I stated. “But they’re frilly and cute.”“Scar, can you do the clasps on Julian’s shirt?” Lee questioned. “I’m sorry, but his crying is making me feel like I’m hurting him.”“Yeah, one second,” I mumbled. There was just too much going on! I was only half dressed and all I could hear was screaming.I rushed over to Julian who was squirming and crying loudly. “Okay, honey, let’s get you dressed.”I quickly clasped up shirt, trying to ignore how miserable he looked. I knew he was tired, but it was better if he was asleep during the actual wedding. I feel bad keeping the babies awake, but it would be worth it. Then after their little nap during the ceremony, they could be awake and doted on during the r
Lee was smiling like crazy. After he won the coin toss he was giddy and had a pep in his step. Sex really can change someone’s mood, even if they hadn’t had it yet. “I would like to have sex before Faye’s wedding,” Lee informed me. “Why?” I asked. “Because I know how you get about romance and weddings, it makes you horny. But then you’ll feel like doing it with Grayson and not me, since it will have been his mom’s wedding.”“You think Grayson’s birth mother getting married is going to make me horny?” “Yes, I’m sure of it.”I laughed. “Um okay, what about tonight?”“Tonight sounds perfect.” He wrapped his arms around my waist. “Grayson will watch the kids and you’ll watch me rock your world.”I kissed him. “And I’ll be on my back the whole time.”“Just the way I like you.” Lee kissed me again. “What are we doing tonight?” Grayson walked in the living room, causing me and Lee to break apart. “Um, Lee and I are gonna hang out.” I stated. “Ah. So I’m on kid duty tonight?” “Sounds
A year ago I was miserable.I had just checked into rehab and I didn’t want to be there. I was sick and shaky and dying for just one pill. I thought I was going to die. But I didn’t. Now I was a mom of two beautiful children who were my entire life. For the first time in many years, drugs were the furthest thing from my mind. I didn’t crave lines and pills and endless parties. I just wanted to take care of my babies. “Scarlett!” Grayson called. “Come quick!”My eyes shot open. I quickly realized the guys had let me sleep in. Something must be wrong now!I jumped out of bed and hurried down to the living room. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”“She laughed, babe,” Grayson smiled. “Joy laughed at me.”“But you’re not funny.”“She thinks I am.”I bent over her crib and nearly fainted. She was smiling as she babbled. “Hi princess. You’re laughing now?” I asked. Tears came to my eyes as she giggled, looking up at me. “Am I funny to you? Do I make you laugh?”“Our baby