Three months later …Milana looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked hollow, her cheeks sunken in. Her hair had lost its luster and her stomach was so big she couldn’t even see her feet. The last five months had not been easy.She still worked for Clean and Shine and she still had the weekend shifts. Her utilities were expensive and for the last three months she went without electricity for the last four days of the month. She’d tried to be careful with her money but her well had dried up two months ago.In the beginning she’s supplemented her income by waitressing during the day but they had let her go last month. Her lethargic state of mind, the size of her pregnant belly and the fact that she struggled to carry the heavy trays had all counted against her.She took all the coupon pages from the newspapers in the office building she cleaned but even with all those coupons her budget was limited. She realized with a start that she wasn’t ready for this baby, didn’t have nearly
Kelley sat on the couch in his hotel room and looked out of the window. It was destiny hearing from Milana now. Lee had drawn up the divorce papers for him months earlier but he hadn’t actively been looking for her.His mind had been on other things, Sylvie mostly. He’d taken her to Maisina with him for the ground breaking ceremony and they’d spent a week there, having a little vacation of their own. He’d spent time with her, getting to know her and he liked her, a lot.The settlement he’d agreed to with Lee was a generous one, one he thought Milana would take in a heartbeat. The monetary offer was a good one with the exception that she needed to sign a non-disclosure agreement and change her name back to her maiden name and relinquish her rights on those twenty percent shares of the hotel in exchange for ten million dollars.Kelley had concluded his business in the city and would be checking out today. Her call had come at a good time. He could stop by her place, discuss the divorce
“Mr Alexander?”Kelley looked up at the man in scrubs that stood in front of him. He hadn’t heard the doors open or the man’s footsteps. He stood up and raked a hand over his face. It felt like hours that he’d been waiting for news, any news.“Yes. How’s Milana … my baby?”“You have a healthy baby boy, the nurses have taken him to be cleaned and dressed and he’ll be brought to Milana’s room in about twenty minutes.”“Milana’s okay?” Kelley asked as relief surged through him.“She lost a lot of blood and I’d like to keep her for another two days or so, just to monitor her. She was underweight for a pregnant woman and the baby’s a bit underweight as well. Her blood sugar is too low and she was dehydrated.”Anger started flowing through his veins. She hadn’t been taking care of herself and some of that was his fault. “But she’ll be fine?”“I expect so. Good food, lots of rest and no heavy lifting for the next four weeks and she’ll be fine. I assume you can take the baby home, there’s no
Mason emptied his glass of Scotch and stood up as the doorbell rang. Grace was spending the night with Carey and John and he was glad for it. He missed her presence in the house but he needed to come to terms with Andrea leaving.“Hi,” Mason said with a frown and opened the door wider so she could step inside.“Hi,” Sylvie said clutching a paper bag in her hand.He followed Sylvie to the living room where she placed the paper bag on the coffee table. She sat down on the couch and her head lowered to her knees. Her shoulders shook but she made no sound at all.“Is everything okay?” Mason asked knowing exactly why she was upset. Kelley had obviously told her about Milana and Kyzer.She lifted her head as tears welled in her eyes. “You really have to ask?”Mason smiled and shook his head as he sat down next to her. “You want a drink?”Sylvie wiped her eyes and looked at him. “Why are you drinking alone?”He filled his glass again and held it out to her. She took it and emptied it in one
Kelley didn’t sleep that night. He felt guilty over Sylvie for an hour and then he focused on Kyzer, himself and his work. Between the women, they had converted the room across from his study into a nursery and he felt lucky to have so many people in his life that cared so much.The door to his study opened and Kelley lifted his head from his arms. He’d fallen asleep at some point. His neck had a crick in it and he stared at Steel standing in the doorway with Kyzer in his arms. “He was crying and I don’t really know what I’m doing.”Kelley smiled and took Kyzer from him. Steel followed him back into Kyzer’s room and he stripped off the onesie and then the diaper.“Holy shit, what the fuck is that smell?”“Watch your mouth,” Kelley growled and Steel’s mouth clamped shut. “It’s poop, Steel.”Steel suppressed the grin on this face but took a step backwards as Kelley cleaned him and changed his clothes. “Were you standing outside his door?”“I was waiting for you to wake up,” Steel answer
The nurse was back in the room when Kelley walked out of the bathroom with Milana. She smiled and nodded her head as Milana got settled back into a clean bed. The sheets had been changed and Steel knocked on the open hospital room door.“Perfect timing,” Kelley said as the nurse left them.Steel unpacked the food and pulled one of the visitor chairs outside into the hall and closed the door. Kelley settled on the edge of the bed again and handed her the Styrofoam plate with her breakfast sandwich.“Eat, please.”Milana picked the sandwich up and took a small bite. Kelley smiled at her and bit into his own breakfast sandwich. After Milana had eaten half of it, Kelley cleared their trash from the trolley and silenced his phone for the fifth time.“Thank you,” Milana said as she lay back on the pillows.“We should talk, unless you’re tired.”Milana lifted her head and nodded. “I’ll sign the divorce papers. All I want is maintenance for Kyzer.”Kelley took her hand in his and shook his he
Two weeks passed and they’d fallen into a routine with Kyzer. Kelley did most of the heavy lifting, bringing Kyzer to their bed so Milana could feed him. The doctor’s timeline had been four weeks and Kelley made sure she stuck to it.She looked healthier, her hair shining again although she hadn’t gained any considerable weight yet, though Kyzer had. His pediatrician was happy with everything and Kelley felt like he could breathe easier.He hadn’t heard from Sylvie and he doubted he would and as the days passed he felt more comfortable. Mila looked more and more like herself again and at night she slept in his arms, her head on his chest like they’d always done.Kelley opened his eyes and gripped his erection through his pajama pants. He hated sex dreams, especially now. It was still early, not even six am yet. Milana’s side of the bed was empty and his cock twitched at the thought of her.Kelley closed his eyes again and tried to adjust himself in the loose pants. “Do you need help w
Five weeks later …Mason looked at his phone for the hundredth time. It wasn’t going to magically ring. He rubbed his hands over his face and walked out of his office at the warehouse. His calm veneer was cracking, his soul was splitting off piece by piece.Their family was breaking and he had no idea how to fix it or even if he wanted to try and fix it. Carey wasn’t talking to him, Marella wasn’t talking to Lee and Connor was like a bear with a sore tooth. Grace had been with Carey for two days now, she’d taken her for the weekend.Marley was the only woman that was talking to them. Steel had drifted to the other side, he’d had no choice. Milana was his detail and he stuck to her side. Connor had lost his shit, broken three chairs and Steel had had to drag him away from Milana.Kelley had survived brain surgery, even though the odds had been stacked heavily against him. There had been swelling, another brain bleed and another surgery, he’d survived that as well, even though his docto
It was a week later when Jesse called him. It was a go. Nobody talked about his little meltdown, instead they walked on eggshells around him. Lee and Mason hovered, worked out of his study and at night Milana occupied his mind with sex. It wasn’t a bad deal, except that they all watched him, constantly.Nobody told her that it was Ernesto that he had killed and neither did he. He kept quiet and he waited. He tried to be himself, it was hard, but he tried. It didn’t fool his brothers though. They knew something was up and Connor finally broke the ice.“I can’t really decide who’s the crazier motherfucker, you or Lee.”Kelley looked up from his laptop and Lee huffed out a laugh. “Kelley. Definitely Kelley.”“You stabbed your father over thirty times, how am I crazier than you?”Mason leaned back against the sofa and took turns to look at them. “Did you see that guy’s face? You caved his skull in with your bare hands!”“Soft in the head just took on a whole new meaning for me,” Kelley sa
The front door opened as Kelley walked up the two wide stone steps. “Welcome to Meadow Lake, Kelley.”“Ernesto.”Kelley followed him to his office and they sat down on the two sofas facing each other. Ernesto poured them each a drink, assuming that Kelley would want one. He didn’t really but he took it and emptied the glass.“So what brings you to my little town?” Ernesto looked smug and Kelley fought to keep the sneer from his face.“I want to know where Milana’s mother is,” Kelley said.“I see.”Kelley’s expression remained stoic and he could see Ernesto was thinking about his answer. It wouldn’t be a good answer, Kelley knew that too. Kelley shifted slightly and pulled the pistol from under his jacket.Ernesto’s eyes followed the movement and his left eye twitched as the pistol came to rest on Kelley’s thigh. “Where is she?”“She’s dead. She killed herself four years ago,” Ernesto said calmly.“You didn’t think to share that news with her daughter?”Ernesto shifted and Kelley’s han
Kelley walked into his study with a grin on his face. He’d barely slept the previous night, despite his exhaustion. Once hadn’t been enough and he’d reached for Milana a few times until the sun rose and he’d gotten up for Kyzer.He walked over to the couch area and moved the one he and Milana had been on back to its original place. His tie was on the back of the other couch and it slipped to the floor against the wall just as he reached for it.Kelley moved the couch away from the wall and bent down to retrieve his tie. The wooden part of the skirting lay on the floor and he pushed the couch further away and picked it up. He looked at the piece in his hand, the edges a little jagged, like it had been cut out.He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned the flashlight app on and directed the light into the hole that had been hidden by the skirting piece. He lay flat on his stomach as he moved his phone and something caught his eye.Kelley stuck his fingers inside and it gripped the
The dining room remained quiet for exactly twenty seconds when Kelley walked out before everyone started talking at the same time.“That was intense,” Sylvie breathed.“You!” Marley stood up and pointed her finger at Sylvie. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off him the entire time. Get over it, he’ll never love you. He loves her!” Marley pointed at Milana and sat back down.“Shut up, Marley,” Jesse said softly.“Is that true?” Mason asked. “Are you still in love with Kelley?”“I should go talk to him,” Lee said.“No!” Milana said fiercely. “I’ll go talk to him, if any of you go up there now he’ll probably kill you. He won’t hurt me.”“Says the one that tried to kill him,” Marley muttered.“You created this whole mess, Marley. You should listen to Jesse and shut the fuck up,” Milana hissed and walked out of the dining room.Nobody moved and then Jeannie stood up and glared at all of them. “This is all levels of fucked up but Kelley’s right about one thing. You all want to get angry and gla
The weeks sped by and Kelley became broodier and quieter than ever before. He spent more and more time in his study catching up on work and spreading their business further, moving across continents and into other markets.He went to sleep each night with his back turned towards Milana but they always woke up attached to each other in some way. Today would be a test for all of them. They were planning a family dinner and Kyzer was already three months old.He rubbed his temples, wishing the headache would go away. It was the one constant ever since the coma. He had one every night and probably would for the rest of his life. He had an hour before everyone would knock down his front door.Milana walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body as Kelley closed the bedroom door behind him. She didn’t look at him but rather looked past him. His grip on her arm made her waver because he hadn’t hurt her, not once since that night he gave his ultimatum.“Mila …”“I need to get re
Kelley was standing by the crib when Kyzer’s face scrunched up and he picked him up before he had the chance to scream. He changed him and then sat in the rocking chair as he fed him the bottle he’d made. He didn’t feel like he’d missed anything but Kyzer was bigger and heavier and his face had changed a little.The door opened and Kelley looked up just as he pulled the empty bottle from Kyzer’s mouth. He placed the bottle on the table next to the rocking chair and lifted Kyzer to his shoulder. Three burps later and Kyzer was already half asleep.Milana had remained standing in the doorway, leaning against it. Tears were running down her cheeks and she hadn’t bothered to wipe them away. Kelley tucked Kyzer in, sighing softly in his sleep, before he turned to face Milana.He gripped her hand in his as he walked past her and pulled her behind him towards their bedroom. His bedroom, since none of her things had been in the dressing room when he’d changed earlier. He waited until she was
Kelley’s eyelids fluttered and he blinked a few times before the ceiling came into focus. He tried to swallow and felt the nausea rising. Kelley’s hand rose to his face and he felt the tube going down his nose.He started pulling, slowly and swallowed the nausea down. The pipe seemed never ending and when the last bit popped out of his nose, he gagged. The beeping was low in his ears but irritatingly there. Kelley turned to look at it with a frown and then he switched it off.He ripped the patches off his chest and stumbled to the bathroom. His hand was against the wall because his balance was up to shit. Something was trailing on the floor behind him and he felt for the light switch and stepped back as his reflection appeared in the mirror.“What the fuck,” Kelley whispered.He looked down and saw the bag half-filled with urine. ‘Why the hell do I have a catheter?’ he thought to himself as he picked it up and placed the bag on the counter. His head felt fuzzy but he wasn’t in pain at
Five weeks later …Mason looked at his phone for the hundredth time. It wasn’t going to magically ring. He rubbed his hands over his face and walked out of his office at the warehouse. His calm veneer was cracking, his soul was splitting off piece by piece.Their family was breaking and he had no idea how to fix it or even if he wanted to try and fix it. Carey wasn’t talking to him, Marella wasn’t talking to Lee and Connor was like a bear with a sore tooth. Grace had been with Carey for two days now, she’d taken her for the weekend.Marley was the only woman that was talking to them. Steel had drifted to the other side, he’d had no choice. Milana was his detail and he stuck to her side. Connor had lost his shit, broken three chairs and Steel had had to drag him away from Milana.Kelley had survived brain surgery, even though the odds had been stacked heavily against him. There had been swelling, another brain bleed and another surgery, he’d survived that as well, even though his docto
Two weeks passed and they’d fallen into a routine with Kyzer. Kelley did most of the heavy lifting, bringing Kyzer to their bed so Milana could feed him. The doctor’s timeline had been four weeks and Kelley made sure she stuck to it.She looked healthier, her hair shining again although she hadn’t gained any considerable weight yet, though Kyzer had. His pediatrician was happy with everything and Kelley felt like he could breathe easier.He hadn’t heard from Sylvie and he doubted he would and as the days passed he felt more comfortable. Mila looked more and more like herself again and at night she slept in his arms, her head on his chest like they’d always done.Kelley opened his eyes and gripped his erection through his pajama pants. He hated sex dreams, especially now. It was still early, not even six am yet. Milana’s side of the bed was empty and his cock twitched at the thought of her.Kelley closed his eyes again and tried to adjust himself in the loose pants. “Do you need help w