The sun was about to set when they drove over to the Dead Horse Ranch State Park after visiting the nearby Tuzigoot National Monument. Although Alexander had come here before, watching the awestruck look on Eva’s face satisfied his soul. It was indeed worth the effort he took of collecting their dinner from the nearest Red Rock Grille and negotiating with the staff here for an overnight stay. Eva gasped with amazement at seeing the scenic Verde River with its three lagoons gushing alongside the campsite. Were they camping here? Would she sleep in a camp with him? A million questions flashed across her head, but Alexander drove further ahead, away from the campground to the log cabin circle tucked behind trees. It was a perfect haven, far from all the chaos. Eva’s eyes widened further at seeing the tiny one-room log cabins that looked half the size of the one they stayed in last night. It only meant one thing! The bed would be smaller than the one they slept in last night! Neverthele
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been here with you, right?” said Eva breathlessly. It was the first time he had asked her about her feelings, and Eva couldn’t evade his question. “I didn’t give you the option to opt-out. If I hadn’t forced you, would you still have come away with me?” “Yes. So, why did you want me to accompany you when you could easily have gone with Beatrix and your parents?” she asked, waiting eagerly for him to admit that he liked her just as she liked him. His hand sought hers and he threaded his fingers through hers. “I wasn’t with her out of my own free will, Eva. Uncle Desmond has done a lot for me and I couldn’t decline when he had a heart attack and pleaded with me to get engaged to Beatrix and take over his business. It was what my parents wanted, too. There was pressure from all sides, and I accepted my fate. For four years, I tried my best to do justice, but Beatrix wouldn’t leave her bad habits of partying and random hook-ups. Uncle Desmond was then diag
The next morning Alexander woke up early, feeling warm and nicely refreshed. Although he had a tough time restraining himself initially, it turned out to be the best sleep of his life, far better than the one at the ranch. Their confessions last night cleared a lot of ambiguities and got them closer instead. He felt nicer that he had admitted to her he cared for her. It wasn’t a feeling he developed overnight. His feelings for Eva were deeply etched in his heart since the time they were young. He used to care for her the most among all of Alyssa’s friends. Why? He didn’t know the reason himself. Confused by the intensity of his feelings for her, he always refrained from approaching her yet even after a decade, those feelings persisted, only deeper than ever before. He sighed, not wanting to go into their depths again. It was confusing why he cared so much for a single person who wasn’t even related to him by blood. He never desired Beatrix in his four years of engagement, yet one look
Alexander opened the door, leading her into the warm and cozy room where they would spend the night. Eva had already checked the king-sized bed when she had come in to keep their luggage. With the hotel being full-booked, none of the suite rooms were available. Not that she was complaining! She would get another night to cuddle with Alexander! Not to mention another mind-blowing kiss! “The view from the balcony in the morning is the best so far. That’s why I chose this place.” Eva gazed at Alexander’s radiant face with wonder. There was an underlying excitement in him that was clearly visible. She had never seen him this happy and excited as he was on this trip. This was a totally different side to Alexander, a side she never knew existed before. Was it only because of his love for adventure? She was eager to find out. “Have you stayed here before?” she asked him, as they stood on the balcony, watching the dark shadowy mountains ahead. The cold air made her shiver, and she plunged h
Alexander’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from his mom and the magical moment was lost immediately. He groaned but couldn’t avoid the call. Nodding at her, he got up and walked away towards the balcony to take the call. “Yes, mom.” “Where are you, Alexander? Daniel isn’t well and we need to return immediately,” said his mom, her tone strained and worried. It immediately alerted Alexander, bringing him back to reality. “What happened to dad?” he asked with worry. “He has been coughing up phlegm for the last three months. He doesn’t have any appetite and his weight has reduced considerably. Recently he has been suffering from shortness of breath too. I think we need to go for a proper check-up when we reach home. We’re at the airport now. Our flight is in an hour. When are you coming home?” “I’ll be there in a day or two. Will you wait for me or take him to Columbia Superspeciality Hospital?” asked Alexander, understanding the gravity of the situation. He knew he had to cut sh
It was a beautiful home nestled in the quiet Almaden Valley neighborhood. “Don’t worry, my grandparents know you,” said Alyssa. Eva looked at her with surprise. “How? They’ve never met me.” “Beatrix threw a huge tantrum over your and Alexander’s stay at Phoenix. My parents too contributed. How could they not know?” Eva now dreaded meeting them all the more. “Mom told granny so much about you she knows everything.” “She must hate me then, just like your mom does,” said Eva bitterly. “No, she doesn’t. I gave her the accurate picture.” They didn’t get time to catch up more since an old woman resembling Alyssa emerged from the door. She smiled at seeing the two girls while Eva released the breath she was holding. “Eva?” she said, and Eva nodded with a smile. “Hello dear! I’m Jane Foster, but you can call me granny Jane,” said Alyssa’s granny. Eva smiled and hugged the old woman, liking her immensely for not judging her despite the negative remarks Jodie Van Every might have passed a
“Yes, granny. What is it?” asked Eva as she went to sit beside her. Alexander received a phone call from his mom and he left them alone while Alyssa stayed back, curious to know what granny wanted to discuss with her best friend. “Do you realize that Daniel and Jodie absolutely despise you? Your wedding will cause a huge rift in the family. How will you deal with that?” asked granny with a deep sigh. Her direct question shocked Eva, having never expected it from her. “I’m not marrying Alexander, granny. He just asked me to accompany him here, and that’s all there is between us. I know his parents hate me. It isn’t something that happened overnight. They have always hated me for reasons I’m not aware of. While everyone is allowed at Alyssa’s house, I’m not for the last thirteen years, since the first day I met them. I’ve learned to accept it.” Eva sighed and looked down at her hands. She had stopped searching for a reason for their behavior towards her.Granny looked at her with genu
It was 7:30 in the morning and Alexander sipped his coffee while glancing at Eva’s door, wondering how she could oversleep. Had she forgotten they had a flight at 10 o’clock in the morning?Last night, his mom hadn’t sent the reports to him as he had asked her to. He had the feeling she didn’t want him to know the details, but why? What had happened to his dad? He was immediately suspicious that his mom has been hiding something from him. When he expressed the wish to take the early morning flight, she had waved him off saying it wasn’t necessary. Ashton had handled it all and they would discharge his dad later in the day. He had tried calling Ashton too, but his phone was unreachable since last night. He frowned at his cup, wondering what they both were hiding from him. Alyssa had gone to the hobby center an hour earlier to arrange for the yoga and Pilates classes they had started. His granny was busy with grandpa’s physiotherapy sessions leaving Alexander to enjoy his breakfast all