Two more chapters they are written. Just checking for errors my not post tonight. Love Billie
Birth DayThe moment April’s water broke, it sounded like someone somewhere had popped a champagne cork in slow motion. One second she was leaning over the kitchen island, peering under the sink for the misplaced tea towels; the next, a warm rush spattered onto her sweats and the tile floor.Noah was standing behind her, refolding April’s neatly laundered burp cloths into an ever-dwindling stack of hospital-bag items, and jumped so hard he knocked the cloths—and his coffee—off the counter. The mug shattered at their feet.“April?” he barked, eyes wide as saucers.“Yep,” she said, voice calm but edged with adrenaline, “that was my water.” It explained the back pain she had been getting all day.Noah blinked at the puddle. “Your… what?”She bit back a laugh. “My water, Noah. That water.”He tossed the hospital tote onto the island, sent half the contents spilling to the floor. “So… do we panic? Is that what we do?”She shoved aside her panic and reached for his face. “No, Chef, we don’t
The Harrington estate looked every bit its celebrated grandeur, the perfect location for Noelle’s second birthday. Hydrangeas bloomed like inverted fireworks along the gravel driveway, and the long white portico, where April had played hide-and-seek as a child. They came here as often as possible.April stood at the threshold of the great hall, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear and surveying the guests milled between lawn games and picnic blankets, champagne flutes balanced like trophies in their hands. The kids had clowns and fairies for entertainment. There was just something creepy about clowns, so April didn’t get too close.Noah emerged from the house behind her, hands full of Noelle’s birthday presents—stacks of pastel-wrapped boxes that threatened to tumble tied with silk ribbons. He met April’s eyes, offering a tired but triumphant grin. “Ready?”She took one of the parcels. “Born ready.”He tousled her hair, then turned to navigate a rogue bubble floating across t
If I was meant to be controlled, I would have come with a remote. Quote by no idea?Noah glared at the frail old man standing before him, leaning on his cane heavily. “Let me get this straight. You want me to marry your seventeen-year-old daughter?” April had come along late in the old man’s life. He had been in his 60s when April had been born.Her mother had caused a scandal by running off with the gardener when April was only 3 months old. Gail had only been in her early twenties at the time of April’s birth. She had been a city girl. Living in the country with an older husband and a baby may not have been the life she signed up for or thought she would be getting. Everyone believed she had been in it for the money. But hadn’t been able to stomach it in the end when a younger, sexy man had been available.There was no doubt in everyone’s mind that William Harrington would have had April’s DNA tested after that.It only proved she was the true heiress to the Harrington family becaus
‘Nothing good was ever learned from eavesdropping, so mind you business and let others mind theirs.’ Quote by Maryrose Wood.Noah grappled with his emotions as he made his way towards April. He made an effort to erase any trace of annoyance from his face following his meeting with her father. He didn’t want to weigh her down with the truth about her father’s ultimatum. As he got closer to her, he put on a smile and warmly greeted her.“Hey April, how’s it going?” he asked, trying to sound casual.April looked up, her plump face changing into a small smile, but he saw something was missing. The smile wasn’t genuine. The light that would sparkle in her sea-green eyes was absent. Normally, she didn’t hide her braces from him like she was doing now. Noah wondered if someone had said something to her to make her so aware of them. “Hey Noah! Just doing a little gardening. It’s therapeutic, you know?” She said before looking back down and away from him.Noah nodded, trying to hide his inner
Everybody wants to shine a little bit, even a wallflower. Quote by Phyllis Smith.April had been right as she looked around the room at her eighteenth birthday party. She couldn’t spot anyone that was truly here for her. Even her cousin Porsha, who was closest in age to her, was here to find an eligible man of their social set. April had spotted her seconds ago, hanging onto Noah’s arm, laughing up at him. As she tried to hold his attention. Well, he was free again if the media report was true. He and Willow had broken up. There had been a tearful picture of Willow posted online. The Media were calling Noah heartless.April smoothed a hand down the side of her shift dress. She wore this type of dress often because it didn’t hug her figure at all. But already one boy had commented she looked like a sack of potatoes, making her feel very self-conscious. But she didn’t have Porsha’s tall, sexy body. She wasn’t thin with nice high boobs. She was short at 5 feet 3 and she was overweight. I
Marry in haste, repent at Leisure. Quote by William Congrove.April’s heart pounded in her chest as she walked down the aisle, knowing that she was about to marry a groom who didn’t truly desire her. However, she had no choice in the matter if she wanted her beloved father to have a chance at life-saving surgery.Reluctantly, she had given in, as her father knew she would. But once this forced marriage was over and her father had undergone his procedure, she would grant Noah his freedom, regardless of her father’s wishes. She didn’t want a man who didn’t think she was woman enough. If she ended things, walked away from their marriage. Then it wouldn’t matter what her father had promised him. He wouldn’t lose out because he didn’t have a choice in the matter.After hearing the hurtful words spoken about her, April had little fear of Noah desiring her sexually. Obtaining an annulment should be a straightforward process. Her father would no longer have anything to hold over her once his o
‘Those who belittle others are usually so little themselves. Small people belittle others. Great people make others feel they to can become great.’ Quote by Nick Verd.April barely had time to plaster a small smile on her face, still covering her braces, before they entered the hall. To claps and cheers. In her mind, she had very little to be happy about right now. The way Noah had looked at her made her self-conscious of her overweight body. She didn’t want to be here.The hard grip Noah had on her hand stopped April from fleeing, which she would love to do if she got the chance.He brought her around the bridal table and moved her into her seat. She knew it wasn’t a gentlemanly gesture on his part. He was just performing for the crowd, doing what was expected of a happy groom. As soon as he sat down beside her, he immediately turned away to engage in conversation with his best man, Ryan.April felt incredibly frustrated that she hadn’t been given the opportunity to explain to Noah th
‘And I finally let go. It was the beginning for me and the end for you.’ Quote by Nikki Rowe.Noah had booked them into the honeymoon suite of his hotel because it was expected by their guests that they should stay the night. As they walked into the luxurious rooms. He couldn’t help but sense the tension emanating from April. It was almost tangible. What was she expecting him to do? Jump her the minute the door closed.But there was no chance of him sleeping with her. The last thing he was interested in was a schemer! She was a manipulative little bitch who had gotten her father to hand her the husband she wanted. It would be a cold day in hell before he allowed another lying cold-hearted bitch in his bed again. Ashley in university had shown him to watch out for women. But he had let April slip under his guard because he had thought her too young and naïve to play games.“You don’t have to worry. I have no intention of exercising my marital rights with you tonight or any other night.”
The Harrington estate looked every bit its celebrated grandeur, the perfect location for Noelle’s second birthday. Hydrangeas bloomed like inverted fireworks along the gravel driveway, and the long white portico, where April had played hide-and-seek as a child. They came here as often as possible.April stood at the threshold of the great hall, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear and surveying the guests milled between lawn games and picnic blankets, champagne flutes balanced like trophies in their hands. The kids had clowns and fairies for entertainment. There was just something creepy about clowns, so April didn’t get too close.Noah emerged from the house behind her, hands full of Noelle’s birthday presents—stacks of pastel-wrapped boxes that threatened to tumble tied with silk ribbons. He met April’s eyes, offering a tired but triumphant grin. “Ready?”She took one of the parcels. “Born ready.”He tousled her hair, then turned to navigate a rogue bubble floating across t
Birth DayThe moment April’s water broke, it sounded like someone somewhere had popped a champagne cork in slow motion. One second she was leaning over the kitchen island, peering under the sink for the misplaced tea towels; the next, a warm rush spattered onto her sweats and the tile floor.Noah was standing behind her, refolding April’s neatly laundered burp cloths into an ever-dwindling stack of hospital-bag items, and jumped so hard he knocked the cloths—and his coffee—off the counter. The mug shattered at their feet.“April?” he barked, eyes wide as saucers.“Yep,” she said, voice calm but edged with adrenaline, “that was my water.” It explained the back pain she had been getting all day.Noah blinked at the puddle. “Your… what?”She bit back a laugh. “My water, Noah. That water.”He tossed the hospital tote onto the island, sent half the contents spilling to the floor. “So… do we panic? Is that what we do?”She shoved aside her panic and reached for his face. “No, Chef, we don’t
For the night‑shift nurse, the arrangement was unacceptable. She pushed the door open for the fourth time, shoes squeaking on linoleum, her clipboard braced like a shield. Noah woke up the minute the door started opening.“Mr. Crawford, you’re going to have to use the visitor’s chair. It’s policy. Patients need room to turn safely.”Noah’s gruff whisper carried a quiet threat. “She is turning safely around me.”April stirred, IV line rustling, voice sleep‑rough. “It’s fine… we’ll both fit.”“It’s really not,” the nurse insisted, but her resolve faltered under Noah’s unblinking stare. He looked like a wolf someone had tried to leash overnight—hair a mess, dress shirt wrinkled, jaw covered in stubble—and sexy as hell.Finally, the nurse scribbled an irritated note, muttered something about lawsuits, and retreated. Noah exhaled only when the door clicked shut.“Sorry,” April murmured.He kissed her temple. “Let her file whatever report she wants. I’m not parking my ass in a plastic bucke
“Move! Hugo, you’re driving.”Noah’s roar bounced off the alley walls as he scooped April into his arms—trembling limbs and all—and bolted for the car. He wasn’t waiting for the EMTs; they’d look after Kayla first. While he understood Kayla had been shot, the bitch had kidnapped his pregnant wife. If anything happened to April or the baby because of today, he’d kill that fucking crazy bitch himself… no police protection would stop him.Brody jogged after him, radio crackling in one fist. “Crawford, I still need a statement before you go anywhere. This was a shooting.”“Statements can fucking wait.” Noah slid into the back seat, April cradled sideways on his lap, her belly shielded by his forearm. “My wife comes first. I’m taking her to the hospital to be checked over, and unless you’re arresting me, there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”Brody planted a hand on the door. “We have protocols—”Noah slammed the door with his free hand, not replying. Hugo gunned the engine the second it l
Traffic and streets blurred around her. April’s grip hurt on the wheel. Kayla sat rigid beside her, pistol hidden below dash level, arm braced on the door like she was part of the upholstery now.“Take the next exit,” Kayla rasped.April’s mouth was desert‑dry. “That dumps us into Tribeca. Foot traffic’s heavy—”“I said exit.”She obeyed, the SUV shuddering across the chevrons onto Harrison Street.Think. She needed to think. She knew Noah would save her.But maybe Noah was still at his desk at the office and wouldn’t be coming to save her. Maybe she was on her own.For the first time, she felt butterflies in her stomach—the baby. “Hang in there, little one,” she whispered under her breath, too quiet for Kayla to catch.“Keep your eyes ahead,” Kayla snapped, her voice fraying, raw around the edges. “No sudden moves.”April swallowed. “Are we just going to keep driving circles until we run out of gas?”Kayla’s gaze flicked to her belly, then away, jaw working. “We’ll stop when I’m ready
Neil didn’t even hear the car at first—his mind was on the reports he’d left in the back seat of his SUV. He stepped out of the elevator onto Level B of the underground carpark, digging in his pocket for his key fob, when the low hum of an engine caught his attention.A black Audi rolled by, slow. Too slow. He might not have looked twice. But it reminded him of April’s car. The thing that made him go on high alert was the way the driver’s face looked—white. Like a sheet of paper. There was a woman in the car with her in the passenger seat.His blood went cold. Something wasn’t right.April. It was April driving. He didn’t recognize the woman sitting beside her. Disheveled, pale, eyes too wide—wild. He barely caught a flash of something metallic before it was gone. But his instincts screamed.Gun.Neil lunged forward, waving an arm—but the car didn’t stop. He was sure by the time he reacted, they hadn’t even seen him. The car pulled into traffic, vanishing with terrifying calm.He didn’
April pulled her car into the underground parking garage beneath Harringtons, the soft rumble of the engine echoing against the stark concrete walls. She glanced at the dashboard clock. 8:12 a.m. Early, but she liked it that way. Quiet, still, no one around to pull her into impromptu meetings before she had a chance to settle. If Noah had his way this morning, she would have been late.Grinning, she slipped the gear into park and killed the engine. The silence that followed was oddly sharp, too complete. She reached over for her handbag, slinging it over her shoulder, and opened the door, her heels clicking against the floor as she stepped out. The sound echoed off the concrete walls.The moment she shut her door and hit the lock, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.She paused.It was instinct. A tightening in her chest. A shift in the atmosphere that had nothing to do with the cold. She wasn’t alone. Usually, she wouldn’t have minded. It was common for her staff to come and go
Six weeks later.The soft Saturday morning light poured in through the bedroom windows, casting a warm glow over the sheets tangled around April’s legs. She lay on her side, one hand resting over her slowly growing belly, the other curled under her pillow. Beside her, Noah was already awake, propped up on one elbow, just watching her.“You’re staring,” she mumbled, not even opening her eyes.“I’m allowed to,” he said, brushing her hair back from her cheek. “I’m admiring my girls.”She cracked one eye open, giving him a sleepy smile. “You don’t know it’s a girl yet.”He leaned down and kissed her belly. “I have a feeling.”An hour later, they were in the car, heading to the clinic for her second-trimester appointment. April watched the city pass by outside her window, but she was only half paying attention. Her nerves were fraying. It wasn’t that she thought something would be wrong, but pregnancy had a way of stirring up worry even when everything seemed fine.Noah reached over, thread
The front door clicked shut behind them with a soft thud, the sound swallowed by the quiet stillness of the Harrington estate.April’s heels echoed faintly in the empty hall, her fingers still laced through Noah’s. The place smelled like memory, old cedar and roses, polished wood, her childhood. She had loved it here. She was so glad they had renewed their vows in the garden she loved so much.For a moment, the silence felt too big. Too final. Like stepping out of one life and into another. Her dad was gone, but she held him in her heart and this place would always be here.Noah, in his usual effortless way, broke the weight with a grin.“Well, Mrs. Crawford,” he murmured, his voice low, teasing, “you have exactly fifteen seconds to tell me which room we’re sleeping in before I throw you down right here on the marble floor.”April raised a brow, smoothing her fingers up his lapel. “Not the master-suite.”Noah blinked. “Why not?”“It was my father’s room, and I still feel guilty moving