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
I study the documents in front of me and then I look up at the presentation playing on the drop-down screen at the end of the conference table. While the representative drones on about his company and the benefits they can provide, I glance around the conference table at the other executives, who are intently watching the screen.However, this company is also a glass manufacturer and if I get my way, I will use Deanna’s company instead of this business.No matter what they will offer, I will pick Deanna over them. Plus, I’ve already looked over my wife’s factory. Even though I didn’t get to talk to her, I got some business done.To say I was impressed with her company’s state-of-the-art facility is an understatement.I’m not impressed much, but her production line blew me away. No wonder the company is making headway in their business sector. I don’t think anyone is
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.
As the plane taxis down the runway towards the private hangers, I dig my phone out of my pocket and pull up my messages from the private investigator. I quickly scroll to the picture of Nathan holding Deanna’s hand. There were several other pictures that he had sent, but this one made my blood boil just looking at it.I grit my teeth as my hand tightens around the phone. I wish I could see her face and see what her expression is. Then again, a part of me doesn’t want to know.What if she smiles back at him? I might end up having to tear him apart, if that is the case.As my anger burns brighter, I scroll through the other pictures. I didn’t have time to look at them earlier. I was so upset about that first one that I didn’t bother to look at the rest.I continue to grit my teeth with the next few, but then I tilt my head when another woman dressed in a business suit
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
Ring…ring…ring… Ah, why does someone have to call me now? I’m finally having a good sleep. I snuggle into the warmth, hoping the annoying phone will stop ringing. However, my sleepiness soon vanishes when a deep voice rumbles against my ear. “Hello. This is Connor. Deanna is asleep.” Wait. What? No. I whip my eyes open and launch upward off the couch towards my phone high above us. However, he holds it out of my reach as I huff. “Give me my phone back. I’m awake now.” His muscular arm tightens around my waist as he chuckles. “I’m talking right now.” I lunge again, but quickly stop when his firm chest rubs against my sensitive breasts. I gulp as he pulls me tighter against him while a faint smile appears on his face. The warmth I was snuggling into while asleep now has my heart racing as I slowly look into his crystal-clear blue eyes
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
I ball my hand into a fist under the table as I keep my smile plastered across my face. I pool all my strength and hold back my anger, which is burning inside of me while I force myself to talk in a soft tone. “Don’t worry about this, Walter. I’ll get my son to agree to the wedding. You don’t need to worry about anything. Just make sure your beautiful daughter is ready when the time comes. There isn’t anything that will stop us from finalizing our agreement.” The middle-aged man, with flecks of gray sprinkled throughout his dark brown hair, sighs and places his napkin on his lap. “I don’t know Chet. Your son wasn’t even willing to talk to us, and what is this about his wife? I thought the whole drama at the wedding was something you setup and Connor was in on it. It sure didn’t look like it from the way he was acting.” My idiot son is ruining my plans again. The last time he acted out, I was grateful s
I glance over my shoulder back into the living room, where Deanna is lying down on the couch while the doctor is hooking up her IV. I still don’t know what is going on, but I know at some point I’m going to find out. However, I will have to wait until she is ready to talk. Cliff’s stern voice pulls my attention back the other direction. “Connor, let’s talk in my office.” I nod and follow him down the hall to a wooden door at the end. This is it. The big talk. I take a deep breath and mentally remind myself to stay calm and follow his lead. The older man remains silent as he opens the door. My heartbeat slightly quickens as I nod and step around him and into the room. He shuts the door and motions with his hand towards the leather chairs in front of his desk. As I turn and follow his directions, I glance around the small room. This isn’t quite what I thoug