I cross my arms over my chest and take a deep breath. Why can’t my father understand what I’m trying to say?  I don’t care what his plans are.  It still doesn’t negate the fact that I legally can’t be married to more than one woman at a time.  Plus, I don’t want to be married to anyone but my current wife, even if she isn’t talking to me right now. I glare across the room at my father as he sits on the couch, with my mother beside him.  Luckily, my brother and his wife aren’t home right now.  I don’t know if I could take all of them again.  That horrendous company event was enough for a while.My father slides to the edge of the couch and matches my glare with one of his own as he points his finger at me.  “The deal is final.  There is no backing out of it.  You have no choice.”I raise an eyebrow and snort.  “No choice.&nb

Nathan steps in front of me and opens the dark wooden door to the restaurant.  I smile and walk into the building, with him following right behind me.  Once inside, I glance around the interior. The tables are spaced a little farther apart than most other places, but my biggest question is about the food.  I have never eaten here before, so I don’t have a clue about how the food tastes.  But I took a few minutes before we left the office and looked through some of the online reviews, which seem to praise the place for everything from the food to the design of the building. My initial impression of the décor and the building itself is impressive. On a street with mainly tall buildings made of concrete, steel and glass, this is the shortest building and the only one made out of brick.  It is something I would expect to see in old pictures and not a new building.  Even the main entrance reminds me of some

My mind runs through all the various things that have happened to me in the last few weeks. I can’t focus on the meeting, even though I know I need to.  Instead, I sit in the conference room listening to Ryan and Cliff talk.  From time to time, Nathan and Dotty pop in and ask questions, too.  However, I sit silently off to the side, not contributing a thing. Even though on the outside I’m quiet, my mind keeps swirling around with one thought constantly bubbling up to the top, my conversation with Nathan at lunch.  Even though I didn’t give him any answers, his questions hit a little too close to home. A wave of fear washes over me as I glance around the table at the others.  The only one from our company sitting here who doesn’t know exactly what is going on between Connor and me is Nathan.  However, his suspensions have him pretty close to the true. My eyes drift over to Ryan.

Deanna POV I don’t know what has happened to me.  One minute, Connor is kissing me and the next he is carrying me to my car.  However, I do remember my legs giving out on me during our kiss.  I can’t say it is completely from the kiss, though.  What I can say is I’m exhausted and tired.  A dull throb beats against the back of my head while my eyes are sore and swollen.  No one would tell me I’m beautiful today.  No.  Today, I’m a broken shell of what I used to be.  I glance across to the driver’s side and quietly watch him.  The muscle along the side of his jaw twitches from time to time, while his hands tighten around the steering wheel.  Is he mad at me?  I’m sure he saw the headstone and our babies’ names.  My heart aches.  The memory of their tiny little faces pops up in my mind.  The small tube down their throats helping them breath

Dotty raises an eyebrow and points her finger back and forth between Connor and me.  “Is something wrong?  You are kidding me, right?” Barbara steps up next to her and pats her back.  “Now, calm down, dear.  We need to hear what she has to say first.” I slowly nod my head, but I stop when Cliff’s stern look and sharp glare lands on Connor.  My stomach sinks as the older man narrows his eyes.  I can almost see the daggers shooting out of his eyes.  Cliff takes a deep breath and slowly asks, “What exactly are your intentions with Deanna?  I will not have her fall back to what she was a few years back.  We have all worked really hard to bring back the girl we all knew from back in her school days.  It wasn’t easy, and she hasn’t gotten there yet, but I will not have you come in and destroy her.” Connor tightens his hold around my waist as he confidently replies, “I don’t intend any harm.  I h