ELENAIt’s beautiful! I wondered to myself. I didn’t realize the words had come out loud. “If this amazes you, let me show you another property. It's a ten minutes' ride from here.” “I don’t want to see another property. This is everything I could ask for.” “You like it?” Rylan had been standing silently until now. We had been to two more properties before this and every time he had been quietly staring at my face, trying to read my thoughts. My head whips around to face him. “Did you see the library?” “That property has more amenities than this one.” The agent pressed. Rylan looked from his face to mine. “Want to take a look?” “Do you?” I asked. He surely did have his preferences and I wasn’t sure this one appealed to him as much as it did to me. He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I’m fine with whatever you want, Love.” “Well, let’s see. This one has a waterfall, a swimming pool, a huge ass lawn for our kids to play, an outdoor kitchen
RYLANThe door to my office creaked open and my pouting wife came into view. “I miss you.” Fuck. I really needed to work. Elena was in thirty-eighth week of her pregnancy. Even after Stacey was always at Elena’s heels, I had been working from home for a month. That way I could keep from stressing my ass off. I made a split second decision and logged off. Some things at work needed my attention but my wife came first. “Come here.” She flashed me a huge grin before walking inside. I watched as she slowly lowered herself on the couch. I did too, pulling her closer so that her weight was resting on me. She had been really clingy throughout the pregnancy and I wasn't complaining. In fact we had some great sex owing to her increased levels of horniness. I was a happy man. “I want a boy.” Elena said gently caressing her bump. Only last night she wanted a girl. I, on the other hand, was rooting for a boy. Another daughter would be too much work. As it is the t
ELENA“Mom, I’m hungry!” Alex said in a sing-song manner while hopping into the kitchen. He was six now, the dreadful age and he wasn’t the most agreeable kid either. He was fussy with almost everything except for food. He loved food, all types of it and I counted it as a blessing. “Well, sit down. Dinner’s ready.” I brought the tray in and set it on the table. Aiden ruffled Alex’s hair while passing his chair before taking a seat. Normally we would have dinner together but today it was past time. So I served them two plates. Alex dived in the very second. “I go upstairs and bring Ava here for dinner.” I said before pointedly looking at Aiden. “Don’t bring that up.” Only after he offered a curt nod, I went down the hall towards Ava’s room. The door was locked as expected. I knocked. “I don’t wanna talk to anyone.” Ava’s muffled voice came through. “Not even me?” Took some seconds before the door finally opened. There she stood with a long face.
ELENA "And here's a strawberry milkshake for the sweet girl!" Little giggles followed as I put the glass down. The diner was a little less crowded compared to other Friday evenings. "Thank you, Elena." I bent down to her height and she placed her lips on my cheek. This was our usual. Almost a few months ago she had walked in with Stacey, her babysitter. She was kind of bummed because apparently some kids at her school had been mean to her. Some kids can be really cruel. The other night I was serving this table and a little boy after a brief observation had stated that I was dumb because all blondes are supposedly dumb. I had kept my mouth shut and walked away, knowing very well that nothing decent would have come out of it. Well as I was saying, back then I had cheered her up with a milkshake on the house and at the end of the day she had officiated that we were best friends. Making friends can be so easy for children! "You're welcome, sweetheart." I kissed
RYLAN "I want this report completed by the end of the day." I slammed the poor excuse of a report on the desk and glared at the man who kept standing there like a stupid. It has been only a week since he had joined and my patience was running thin. "Do you understand?" He flinched at my hard tone. "Yes, Mr. Parker." Just then the door to my cabin opened and my Dad walked in followed by our lawyer. If I were to go by my Dad's expression, it was something concerning. I shifted my gaze back to my personal assistant still standing in front of me. "Leave!" He quickly grabbed hold of the file and scurried out of the cabin. "Dad?" Both him and Mr. Davis took the seats opposite me. "Rylan, Mr. Davis is here to show you your grandfather's will." It wasn't something I was expecting. Granddad passed away about a month ago and his will hadn't been brought up since. I leaned back in my seat and loosened the tie around my neck. "I am busy right now, Dad. Can't
RYLAN I discarded the coat and leaned back against the couch. There had been a lot of work pressure since the last few days and topping that was Granddad's will that had me stressed. I had been pushing it for some months now. "Daddy?" I opened my eyes to look at my daughter who stood there with a cup of coffee, Stacey close behind her. "Yes, sweetie." I smiled at her. "I brought you coffee." She carefully brought the cup forward, her eyes trained on them like splitting a moment of attention would spill the drink. "You did? That's so sweet!" Taking the cup from her hand I placed it on the table beside me. "Come here." I picked her up and sat her on my lap. "I'll put her to sleep." I told Stacey. "No, it's okay, son. I'll wait." Ava put her head on my chest and played with the shirt button. Stacey had been staying with our family for as long as I could remember. She had always been there for me, treated me like her own. If I trusted any person with Ava m
RYLAN This wasn't how I had imagined the day to turn out. This day was supposed to be enjoyable for Ava. Instead she shed tears. I was one second away from getting the hell out of this place but stopped when Ava nodded to a milkshake. That brought me back to the thoughts of a feisty little waitress. Elena. I was intrigued the moment she stepped in and shielded Ava. Why would she do it? Out of pure goodwill? Or was it how she planned on earning Ava's complete trust for some reason? That would justify Ava's undue attachment to her. It's difficult to believe that in today's world people would lift a finger for someone else unless it's serving some ulterior motives of their own. Could be depressing, seeing things from my perspective but I deemed it advisable. That's how things work in the real world, one works their way up the ladder and stays on top of their business. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw her walking up to us. "A chocolate milks
ELENA "Mom!" I called after closing the door behind me. I had moved back in the day Dad was back from the hospital. I wanted to be there for him. Well the other half of the reason was that it actually helped with minimizing the expenses. "In here." I followed her voice to the kitchen. She stood behind the counter making dinner for Dad. I went straight for a hug. She patted my shoulder, returning the hug. "Well, you are happy! What is it?" I loosened my hold around her. "I got the job at the Knight's." Her face broke in a grin once the news settled in. "You got the job! Well done, honey!" She gushed. "I never doubted my daughter for a second! I knew you would get it." Dad's eyes shone with pride and that one sight alone could compensate for all of my hard work. "I know, Dad. You always believe in me." I sat down beside him. Putting my head on his shoulder, I heaved a sigh of relief. Dad placed his hand on mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I need