"Nah. After a while, boredom would set in. You put in way too much time in your work." He shrugged, which caught me off guard. "I might be changing. I'm not sure if staking everything in my business is still what I desire. I now have you." He touched my stomach with his hand. "I now have both of you. My priorities have changed." "What do you mean?" My toes curled as he leaned in close and kissed me. "When the baby is delivered, I might take a small step back. I've been considering it since you told me you were pregnant. I genuinely don't have anything else to prove or accomplish. Even if we had twenty children, they would be well taken care of for ten lifetimes to use up all my wealth. I might choose to prioritize my family right now over my job." His speech melted my heart. He really was going to be the best father in the world. And there wasn't anything sexier, in my opinion. Nothing made me more attracted to him than the idea of him turning his life upside down in order to prio

I hurried to the hall, catching a glimpse of Nicholas running up the stairs. "Nicholas!" I called out.It was as if he didn't even hear me. As much relief as I'd felt a few moments before, at the sight of him, I felt only despair as he disappeared again. He didn't even acknowledge me.What was wrong with him?I started up the stairs, cringing from the sound of another door slamming. Tears started falling from my eyes again and I felt silly looking down at my pretty dress and high heels.I hesitated outside the door to his office, not sure exactly what I was going to find on the other side. I knocked a few times, but he didn't answer. I took a deep breath before turning the knob and pushing the door open.He was there, sitting in his chair behind his desk, but he faced the window. I knew he was aware I had walked in, but he didn't turn his head, didn't acknowledge me whatsoever.It hurt. It hurt so much that I paused and tried to gather some strength before I continued further.He lift

"I started walking. I don't even know where I went. After John got me out of the restaurant, I was raging and fighting him to go back in there after Hector. Jesus, I fucking punched John. I was so pissed." He swallowed a couple of times. "I need to give him a big raise. Poor guy took the brunt of my anger."'Until he got to me.' I didn't say that out loud. "So, you just walked around?""Yeah. I stopped somewhere. I don't even know where. I was sitting on a bench and John found me. He shoved me into the car and drove me home." He pulled back to look me in the eyes again. "I was a mess. I was cursing Hector, Rosemary, you, my parents, God, everyone. Including myself. Hector said he wanted to ruin me, and it felt like he had. I'm sorry you had to see me that way."I nodded, trying to understand. "I didn't want to see you when I came home. I was afraid of confirming that what Hector had said was all true.”"You scared me," I whispered. "God, Willow. I know. I'm so sorry. I know I scared

"Something happened a couple of days ago, but Nicholas and I are going to tell you all later when we're all together.""Are you okay?" Lory asked."Yes, I'm okay." I grabbed their hands and squeezed. "I promise. Let's forget about it for now. We'll talk about it tonight."They looked uncertain but didn't push for information. We all put on bikinis and then added overalls so that we weren’t completely scandalous. My bikini was strapless with pink and white stripes. I found it in the bag along with a bunch of other things Nicholas had packed for me. He hadn't wanted me to lift a finger, and I went along with it. I figured he must have recruited Lory or Courtney to supply the luggage with clothes for me.Nicholas was right about the weather. It was bright, sunny, and quite warm when we stepped outside."This place is amazing," Courtney said as we made our way to the dock. "I know." I had a long way to get used to the treatment, but I still enjoyed being the princess.We eventually got o

Midterms were coming up, but I felt comfortable with all the material. Even if I no longer had anybody to study with.The curious looks I had gotten at the beginning of the semester from other students were nothing compared to what I was going through now. All I received were stares and whispers. It wasn't surprising considering I was the only student with a bodyguard roaming around campus.Even Melody and Haven were ignoring me.It hurt my feelings, but there wasn't much I could do about it. This wasn't really the college experience I had been hoping for, but I wouldn't have changed anything about my life outside of school. I loved Nicholas completely, even if I was mad at him."You shouldn't be angry with him, you know." I narrowed my eyes. Was he reading my thoughts? "Why not?" "Because he's out of his mind worried about you. I guarantee he would be right here by your side, instead of me, if it wouldn't cause even more of a scene than I do." I snorted. He was right about that. I