Ansel looked at Elisa. She was quiet the entire ride home as if she was worried about something. Audre fell asleep, so there was nothing but uncomfortable silence.
"Are you okay? That went well, don't you think?" he asked.
"Yeah, it did," Elisa said quietly.
"Then why do you look worried?" Ansel narrowed his eyes. Elisa looked like she was hiding something, and he didn't like that one bit. Ansel wasn't a fan of secrets.
Elisa looked at him and smiled. "It's nothing. I'm just a little nervous, I guess."
It made sense, but Ansel wasn't convinced. He wanted to push her for more answers but decided against it. There will be plenty of times to ask questions.
He wondered if he made a mistake with his decision. What if marrying Elisa brings nothing but trouble in his otherwise drama-free life? But it's not like he can back out now. He had thought long and hard before making the decision.
"I'll get Audre," Ansel said when they arrived
Can't control himself, can he?
Gerald looked at the parking lot through the blinds and squinted his eyes. He had been laying low in this dingy Motel ever since Ansel Adams Chased him out of Elisa's house and called the cops on him. Fucking rich assholes. Always meddling in other people's business. Elisa got away from him again, and it was all his fault. He almost had her where he wanted her. At least he got to taste her sweet little cunt before he left. Ansel fucking Adams. Gerald was hot-blooded, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he had to make himself disappear as soon as he found out who he was. Ansel had connections. He could destroy him if he isn't careful, so he had to tread carefully. One wrong decision, and he could get locked up for good this time. Rage boiled inside him when he thought of him touching Elisa. His Elisa. That spoiled bitch thinks she could get rid of him so easily just because she met the right person at the right time, but she has another thing coming.
Earlier in the morning, Ansel woke up and started to get ready for work. Elisa was still sleeping, so he was extra careful not to make any noises. He stared at her for a few seconds and watched her chest rise and fall slowly. Long, dark tresses had fallen all over her face, and he had to resist the urge to brush them aside. Instead, he sighed and went to take a shower. He found Audre standing in the kitchen first thing morning with her hands on her tiny hip. "What are you doing?" he asked her. "You're up early," he grinned. Audre was pouting like a little grumpy old lady. "I'm hungry," Audre said and rubbed her eyes as if she was still half asleep. "Then wait for your mother to wake up, and I'm sure she'll make you breakfast," Ansel suggested. He wished he could have some of those she made before. Would she cook more food when they get married? "I'll go wake her up!" Audre's eyes turned bright at the mention of her mother. She looked like she
Elisa spent an entire afternoon in the kitchen so she could prepare dinner. She called Anya ahead of time and asked her about Ansel's favorite meals. "My brother is one lucky man, and he definitely does not deserve a woman like you,"Anya had said on the phone. Elisa blushed on her side. "I'm just trying to pay him back for everything he has done for me so far. I'm eternally grateful to him," she said. "Oh hush. He didn't do those things out of kindness. He did all that to win you over."Anya laughed."I think there's a strong possibility that he might be in love with you,"she added. There was not a chance in hell that was true, Elisa thought. "You are so wrong," she giggled. "You just wait and see Elisa. I know my brother, and he doesn't do nice things for people he doesn't love. But god knows how long it would take him to admit it. He had always been bad at expressing his true feeli
Elisa woke up in the morning but couldn't move as if something was holding her down. She opened her eyes and realized it was Ansel who had her trapped. He had his arms snaked around her body into a tight hug. She could tell he was in a deep state of sleep as his chest was slowly rising and falling, and his eyelids were twitching. She carefully untangled his arms from her waist and sat down on the bed. She looked at her phone, and it was still early, so Audre must still be sleeping. She didn't wake up until 8 am, and it was only 5 am. She stared at Ansel's face. He looked like an angel when he slept. His face looked almost boyish. His usual clean shaved face was full of stubbles, making him look more like a biker than a businessman. She never noticed his nice long eyelashes before. The man was beautiful, that's for sure. She blushed as she remembered last night. He was gentle and treated her body like it was something precious to him. If she didn't know any be
Anya was sitting by the window and reading Daddy Dearest by Eva Harlowe when she felt her first contraction. She put the book down and pressed her hand against her abdomen. It felt strange. She heard a popping noise that came from inside her body then she felt water trickling down her ankle. Did I just pee myself? Anya thought at first, but then she immediately realized what was happening. Her water broke! She dropped the book and grabbed the cellphone, and dialed 911. Then, she dragged herself to the bathroom. She wasn't overflowing with water like in movies, but she didn't want to take the risk of ruining the carpet. She called Connor but couldn't reach him. "Goddammit, you asshole! Why aren't you here when I need you?" she screamed by herself then called her mother. Ariel picked up the phone immediately. "Mom, I am about to have a baby. I need you," she whined. "Oh my god, sweetie. I'll be there as soon as possible!" her mom said ur
A week later, Elisa took Audre to her new school so she could help her settle in. "You are a big girl now, so behave yourself. Make lots of friends," Elisa said and kissed her on the forehead. "I will," she said. Elisa knew she had nothing to worry about. Audre was a social butterfly. She was surprised when she saw Ansel at home waiting for her. She didn't say anything for a while and just stared at him. He took his suit jacket off and had his shirt sleeves rolled up while he worked on his laptop. He was laser-focused, so he didn't hear her come in at first. She looked at his arms moving as he typed and started to get flustered. Something about those veins in those muscular arms on men turned her on. She snapped out of her trance when he looked up and saw her. "What's going on? Why aren't you at the office?" she asked after gathering her thoughts. "I brought home the stuff I need to work on because I wanted to spend mor
Ansel stood behind Elisa and stroked her rear. He knew she would protest and tell him no for being a pervert, but he didn't care. She smelled like soap, and he was turned on again. "You smell pretty. Let me have you one more time," he whispered into her hair. She giggled in response and pushed him off. "Bad Ansel! I just took a shower, so stay away from me!" Elisa cried. "You're so mean. But fine. Oh, by the way. We should look into hiring a nanny for Audre," Ansel said. He switched to serious mode. Elisa frowned. "A Nanny? She doesn't need one. I've been raising her on my own just fine. I don't want someone else to take care of her. Why would you suggest something like that?" she exclaimed. She never liked the idea of rich people handing their kids off to Nannies. No matter how much money she has now, she wouldn't do that to Audre. Ansel put his hands up in surrender. "Whoa there, Mama Bear. I didn't mean anything by it. No one will be raisin
Elisa felt sick to her stomach. She felt like she'd fall over and pass out as soon as she looked at his face. Mikey... The memories came flashing back all at once. She remembered all the sick little fantasies he played out using her, and it made her want to kill herself all over again. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" She snapped back to reality as she heard Ansel's kind voice whisper in her ear. She forgot he was there. Could he really protect her as he promised? "I...I got to go to the ladies' room. Please excuse me," she mumbled, then ran off. She looked around in panic. She needed to get the hell away from there. She found the restroom and barged in. She couldn't hold it in anymore. She went into the first stall, and dry heaved over the toilet. "Elisa, what's going on?" She heard Ansel outside, and her stomach twisted into a knot. He had followed her. How can she tell him? He said Mikey was his friend and a busin