That Saturday, Sasha stayed beside Norman, holding onto his arm as they were surrounded by congratulations. She didn't miss the questioning looks that some were throwing their way. There was no mistaking their confused thoughts. They were all wondering why he was with her.
Norman, though, he was so different. The kids from over ten different foster homes in the area had turned up at the school for a day of fun. Every year Norman would donate money to the school so that he could host these events. The previous four years she had stayed in the background, playing her part but never really getting too close.This year was different. Norman grabbed her arm, holding up their hands, and announcing to the whole event that they were husband and wife. He didn't address anyone but the kids."Kids, listen up. Something is a little different this year. You see this beautiful lady by my side?""She's your PA," one kid said."Now she's my wife. Sasha accepted my proposal.""Does that mean you're in love?" another kid asked."Yes, very much so.""Do you have to go away?""No, not at all. Nothing is going to change. Not for me."She smiled at everyone, leaning against Norman's side, hating the attention.They had all gathered around her, including Logan, the little boy they had found together. She didn't like how sick the boy was looking."Did you have to make a big speech?" she asked."Of course. These kids, they're like my family, and I love them."She looked up at him. "You said love.""I did, didn't I?" He pressed a kiss to her lips. Then maybe one day in the future I might just surprise you."Sasha stared into his dark eyes. Was he trying to tell her there was a chance he could fall in love with her? The Norman she knew didn't believe in love.Do you?Staying by his side, she forced a smile to her lips so the kids didn't have a clue how tormented she was. Norman kept hold of her hand as he talked with each of the kids. They were all vying for his affection, and she noticed Logan stood off to one side.Letting go of Norman's hand, she made her way toward him."Hey, Logan, do you remember me?" she asked.He was sitting on the bench, and he turned toward her. "Yeah, you're Norman's wife.""Wow, yeah, I guess I am.""Were you his wife when you got me?""Yes, I was.""Why didn't you say anything? Why did you say you were his friend?" Logan asked."I was nervous about being Norman's wife. He's so handsome, and I'm not."Logan frowned, staring at her. "That's a lie. You're very pretty.""Thank you. I'm not like the women that he usually dates.""Do you love him?"Kids were so damn hard, and they didn't know when to stop. Her feelings for Norman had changed over the past few weeks.The man at the office was not the man he showed to her when they were alone."Yes, I think I do.""That's not very good. If you don't love each other then you're going to have babies, and abandon them like I was.""No, no, no. That will never happen, Logan. I love Norman. I do." It was the strangest thing in the world. The moment she said those words, she meant them. It was like a switch went off inside her head, and everything fell into place.Glancing toward Norman where he was playing ball with several of the kids, she had flashes.Moments of their time together before he even wanted her to have his kid.The guys she had dated, she'd always kept at arms' length, never wanting to get too close.Whenever a new woman entered the office, she always felt a pain jolt right through her heart. It was instant, and it made her feel sick to her stomach just remembering. Had she been in love with him all this time? Biting her lip, she turned back to Logan."For grownups, it's just harder to say how you feel.""Mom didn't love me. She left me there cause her boyfriend hated me."Sasha pushed some of his hair off his face, hating how lost and alone he sounded. "Have you had any breakfast?" she asked."I'm not hungry.""I don't think so. Eating helps make us strong. It's what keeps us going." She took hold of his hand. "I smell pancakes, and I'm not going to stop until you eat an entire stack. I also spotted some pick and prize games. Come on, Logan. Let's go and have some fun." She walked him toward the pancake stand, ordering them both a stack, and taking him to the nearest table.Placing one in front of him, she took one herself.His eyes lit up, and his tongue licked his lips."Dig in. Don't be afraid to eat up. Come on, you've got to make me look like a lady now."Logan took a large bite, and frowned at her. "Why wouldn't you look like a lady?""Because I love pancakes."She took a bite, and moaned. There were chocolate chip, and fluffy, with lots of syrup. "Now that is a pancake worth getting fat for.""Am I missing something?"Norman asked, taking a seat beside Logan. He ruffled his head, and stole one of Sasha's pancakes.With the new revelation of her feelings, she wasn't sure what to do with him close. She was scared that he'd see, and that meant their deal would be off the table. She could be pregnant now.Norman wouldn't do that, would he?Crap, her feelings were now causing her to have doubts about him. Well, no doubts about him, but his reactions to her. Was there any way thatNorman could love her?"Sasha got me pancakes," Logan said."Sasha is amazing. Can you believe this gorgeous woman agreed to be my wife?"Logan chuckled."I'm serious. I may look like a damn good catch, but some ladies really want you to work for it.""Did you work for it with her?""Yes. I did."She looked up in time to see him staring across the bench at her.Her mouth went dry, and her pussy grew slick at the heat, and within his gaze."Thank you for coming, Norman," Logan said."You know I wouldn't miss this for the world, buddy." Norman ruffled his hair again.Once Logan finished his pancakes, and Norman finished hers, she took Logan to go and win some prizes. First one was throwing balls into a hoop in order to win a bear. Logan won a small bear while she sucked at it, coming away with nothing."Here," Logan said, holding out his prize."Don't you want it?""No. I want you to have it."Bending down, she looked into Logan's eyes, and saw the pain there. The pain and the loneliness, and it broke her heart."You deserve to have this, Logan. No one is ever going to take this away from you."He wrapped his arms around her, and she held on tightly to him.For the next hour, she held his hand, and took him from one game to another. Norman came and spent time with her in between acting like a big kid.They stood on the sidelines watching the games they played. Slowly, Logan started to let loose, and several kids came up to take him to play. She watched to make sure Logan was okay.Shannon, the woman in charge of Logan's fostering, came up to her. "It just breaks your heart, doesn't it?""They all do." All the kids deserved a home. She would have given a home to all of them, but that wasn't possible."Most of these kids won't get a home. Some are too old, and people don't want the trouble that comes with taking on a troubled kid. Logan, though. He's ten years old, and he was dumped in foster care because his mother liked the high life, and her boyfriend hated him. She was given an ultimatum. The boyfriend, or the kid.""She picked the boyfriend.""The same night. She packed Logan up, a few of his things, and dumped him."Sasha shook her head. angry at the woman that she didn't know. "That is cruel.""I know. We can't do anything about it. People drop their kids into foster care all the time. Sometimes it's because they're going through a bad patch, and at least in care they're given food, security, and a roof over their head. When they're back in a comfortable situation, they're back to collect them.""Everyone is different.""I wanted to offer you my congratulations, Norman, he's amazing, and a true inspiration for the boys.""Thank you. He's really something."A something I'm falling in love with."Norman, this is my mom and dad, Emma and Harold Miller," Sasha said.The two people were a lot older than Norman imagined, but he saw that they were loving, caring people. The kindness in their eyes showed through. While he'd been participating in this yearly event of torture, "taste the food", he'd noticed her parents arrive. The care they gave to each child was something he admired."Hello, it's great to meet you," he said."It's about damn time we met you. Been married for what? A month or so, and we're only getting to meet you now. It's a disgrace.""Dad, stop it," Sasha said, chuckling. "We've been busy, and we both know you'd have needed to calm down before you could even accept him into your life.""Yeah, well, a father is still allowed to be ... annoyed."Norman smiled as he noticed Harold hesitated before saying something, making sure kids didn't hear any cussing words.According to Shannon, the event was a roaring success. Norman would double, maybe even triple, his donatio
Sasha watched as Norman spoke with his clients. It had been a week since he'd asked her about Logan. Things were moving slowly with Logan, but Shannon was reassured that they would be able to have him by next week. Until then, they both went and visited, getting Logan used to them.The boys with Logan weren't angry or upset that he was coming home with them. In fact, they were damn happy. She was shocked by the love the boys showed Logan, and she was proud.The workplace gossip had died down now. No one was whispering behind their hands, looking at them, and laughing. It was the laughter she'd hated more than anything. Norman wouldn't let them hide their relationship anymore, and for that she was glad. She'd never enjoyed hiding that part of herself, and it never felt natural for her to."Here you go," Lottie said, interrupting her."So sorry, I was away in a different land there," she said, taking the mail from her."Marriage must really suit you.""Why do you say that?""You're pract
Norman watched as Sasha kissed Logan's cheek, wrapping him up in his new jacket. Each time they brought him back to the foster home, the harder it was to leave him behind.There had been a snag with the adoption, but Shannon was dealing with it.There had to be an assessment done on Logan to make sure he wanted to live with them.Their backgrounds had come back fine, and Shannon assured him it was just down to paperwork. One department needing to talk to another, and rather than phone calls, they had to do it in paper. He was used to problems like this.Logan threw his arms around Sasha, holding her close.She was so beautiful, and she took his breath away. They had been together for a little over a month now. A month of being married, and he loved her ever more.Shannon nodded at him, taking hold of Logan's hand as Sasha came back to him."I hate this. I hate leaving him.""We'll have him soon. I've already got my lawyers working on speeding up the process." He handed her some leafle
Two weeks after purchasing the house, they had Logan officially adopted. Norman took as much time away from the office as he could. Sasha went to the office between school hours, completing his work for him. He didn't want her to hire anyone else. Another two weeks after they had Logan, their house was available, and they moved in on that weekend. Her parents came to help as much as they could.They looked after Logan while she and Norman organized movers. They had her mother's slow-cooked pulled pork for dinner rather than have takeout.For an entire weekend, they got the house exactly as they wanted, starting with the bedrooms, and bathroom. Time seemed to move quickly but smoothly where life just played out.Logan came out of his shell, and completely animated their lives. She loved him like he was her own son. He talked constantly about what he loved, which bands he enjoyed listening to. It was fun getting to find out what food he liked as well. He didn't like broccoli, which was
The weeks passed, and after confirmation from the doctor, they set to work decorating one of the rooms into a nursery. They went for neutral colors and gave Logan free rein to help them decorate. He had an artistic eye, and Norman loved seeing the boy come out of his shell. During the decorating of the nursery, it sank in that he was going to have a baby.They were going to have a tiny little life in their hands. It wasn't about being a father, or for Sasha a mother, as they already felt that way for Logan. He'd spoken with Sasha about it, and she had the same thoughts and fears as he did.Norman knew he hadn't made a mistake with Sasha. Not only did he love her, but she was a fantastic mom, and she knew exactly what to say and do to help Logan along the way. Therewere moments, late at night, where he'd still have nightmares.She never once shouted at him. Instead, she'd nurture him, and love him.Once the nursery was complete, they went shopping, letting Logan pick some of the stuff
"Heartiest Congratulations, Shawn."The woman in front of me smiles from ear to ear, her thin, scarlet lips the same shade as the nails pressed against her glass of champagne.Sabrina Roth. Olympic figure skater turned CEO of a global cosmetics company. Younger sister of the Governor of Connecticut. Divorced.It's funny. I was told this party was only for family and stockholders, and she isn't either one ā at least, not the last time I checked. Yet here she is.Someone sneaked her name onto the guest list, and I know exactly who."Thank you," I answer politely.Regardless of whether or not I was expecting to see her, she's a guest of the Colbys now. And we always treat our guests well.She touches my arm. "So how does it feel to finally be the man running the show? I bet it must feel good to be free of Daddy's shadow,"If only that were true."He's still on the board so he'll still have a say in things," I reply as I glance at the man with the salt and pepper hair chatting with a coup
"That's unfair," Ryker speaks up without taking his eyes off his phone. "Parents shouldn't tell their children what to do with their lives. They should just give them the best chance to live their lives."Words of wisdom from my baby brother. Of course, he's not a baby anymore ā he's nearly as tall as I am - but a part of me will always see him as that teeny human in diapers and blue socks that Mom brought home from the hospital when I was six."Also..." He puts his phone away. "It's just wrong to marry a woman because you hope she'll give you a child to carry your family name. You're not Henry VIII. Marriage should be about love, or at least mutual respect and trust. And sex should be something you do not just for fleeting pleasure or procreation but because you want to connect more deeply with someone."Exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself."Wow." Even Asher looks impressed. "Is that why you haven't done it with anyone, little brother?"He picks up his refilled glass and g
"Well," Dad drawls as he consults his watch. "I've got some important guests to see so I'll leave her in your hands now." He pats my back before walking away.I notice Felicity's eyes following his back like she's wishing he hadn't left us alone. Again, she fidgets with her sleeve."Would you like a drink?" I ask her. Maybe a drink will help her loosen up."No, thank you," Felicity answers. "I still have work to do after this.""What work if I may ask?""Stuff to read. Files to organize. I also have to unpack my stuff. I've just moved in from New York.""Really? Well, I think you'll love it here in Chicago."Felicity nods. "I do like it already.""What do you love to eat?" I ask her.She touches the nape of her neck. "I like Asian food just like you. Thai. Vietnamese.""Good. I'll give you a list of my favorite restaurants.""Um, I actually have it already. Cindy, your old assistant, gave it to me."Of course she did. I suddenly wonder why Dad didn't just promote Cindy. She must be pi