Epilogue

Alissa

A Few Years Later

 

 

I reached my arms back and took in a deep breath, trying to get comfortable in the hard bleachers on the side of the ballfield. Ryan rubbed his hand down my back and held on to me since I wasn’t too stable these days, being seven months pregnant and feeling as big as a house. I rubbed my hand down my belly as the baby kicked wildly inside. I reached down and pulled out a bag of chips from my bag and started to munch away, not caring what anyone thought about my pregnant eating habits. I had started out really healthy, but with only two months to go, I was eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

The last few years had been a whirlwind of events. A year after Ryan proposed, we got married in a small ceremony at our parents’ estate in their garden. It was beautiful and personal, and we couldn’t help but be ecstatic. I could remember sitting at the reception and looking over at Ryan’s best friend, Juan, and smiling as he rubbed his wife Maria’s growing baby belly. My sister had little Ariana strapped to the front of her the whole time as she danced around the dance floor with my brother-in-law. Everything was perfect. Since then, my business had grown so much I had to hire an assistant, and Ryan opened up a second shop for his company on the other side of the city. Things were definitely moving in the right direction.

Kayla had grown by leaps and bounds and would be eleven in July, which was crazy to me because I felt like we were just celebrating her eighth birthday yesterday. As soon as she found out that there were summer softball leagues, she had us sign her up, and I had to say, she had become quite the little softball pitcher. She was invited to a special elite league this year that would help prepare her for high school and beyond with softball. I loved how passionate she was about it, while at the same time, never taking herself too incredibly serious. She definitely got her sense of humor from her dad. They were constantly cracking jokes and laughing. Not that I was the serious one. I was just the one hysterically laughing and crying as they busted on each other.

When Kayla first joined a softball team, she was nervous, only ever having watched the guys play. I didn’t know much about softball, but I did some research and worked with her every day until we found a coach that was interested in helping her pursue her goals. She originally was a shortstop but picked up a ball on the pitcher’s mound one day, playing around, and never put it back down. She was extraordinary, and I loved to watch her practice in the backyard while I cooked dinner in the kitchen. We had our own perfect, little family, and it was everything I ever wanted in life. Ryan was my best friend, and it had been years since his ex-wife had spoken to him. In fact, the last time he talked to her was when he kicked her out of the house.

“How you doing, baby?”

“Good.” I sighed, shifting back and forth. “This bench hurts my butt.”

“I think there is a pillow in the car,” he said, ready to jump up and go get it.

“It’s okay.” I laughed. “I’ll be just fine. There is very little time left in the game anyway, and it looks like they have it in the bag. This was probably one of the best games I’ve seen Kayla play so far. She has really been getting a lot out of that special coaching we set her up with.”

“Yeah, I like that lady,” he replied. “She really understands how to get Kayla to implement the techniques. Now, if we could just have someone do the same with her cleaning her room, we would be all set.”

“I’m pretty sure that would take an act of God,” I joked.

I looked over at Ryan and smiled as he adoringly stared out at the field, watching his little girl kill it with the special teams this year. He loved to watch her play, and so did I, but between the pregnancy hormones and my natural feelings for Ryan, I was loving watching him even more. He did a doubletake at me, realizing I was staring at him. I blinked and looked away, my cheeks blushing bright red.

“After all these years, I can still make you blush,” he said, laughing. “What were you thinking about?”

“Baseball.” I laughed. “There is just something special about watching a game. Ever since you proposed to me at the stadium, I get this happy feeling whenever I am around the game. Reminds me of how lucky I am to have you and Kayla.”

“Aww,” he said, leaning forward and kissing me sweetly. “Well then, I am really glad that I picked there to propose. Can you imagine if we were at a hospital or a grocery store? You’d be getting the feelings all over the place.”

“Or the line for the port-o-potties at the fair.” I laughed loudly.

“What kind of guy do you think I am? I would at least make sure it was a restroom at a fast food joint.” He kissed me again.

“You are the most romantic man I have ever met,” I said, smiling and then flinching as the baby did a rollover, kicking me square in the kidney.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Were you this frazzled when Kayla was in utero? If so, I don’t see how you-know-who didn’t kill you. She had a bit of a temper.” I laughed.

“She-who-shall-not-be-named pretty much laid in bed her entire pregnancy,” he said.

“Oh, no, did she have problems?”

“Yeah, it was called Princess Syndrome.” He laughed. “She didn’t want stretch marks, so she thought if she was laying down all the time, gravity wouldn’t take hold.”

“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard… did it work?”

“Nope, and she was pissed,” he said, laughing harder. “So, have you given any more thought to what gender you’re hoping the baby will be when you deliver?”

“A human,” I said jokingly. “A sweet, squishy-faced human.”

“If it wasn’t a human, we would have a whole new discussion,” he replied, laughing.

“I have honestly tried not to think about it,” I said, rubbing my belly. “It just makes me anxious to meet him or her, and I want it to stay in and bake as long as it can. I have to admit, beyond the difficulty in movement, the nausea at the beginning, and the fact that my ass looks like a pancake now, I kind of like having my little human all curled up, safe and sound in my belly. It might sound weird to you, but it’s like the only time I’ll be able to protect them fully from the world.”

“I never thought of it that way,” he said, shaking his head. “You really are something special; you know that?”

“Why?” I asked, laughing. “I’m just me.”

“And you are perfect,” he replied.

“I really like that we decided to make it a surprise,” I said excitedly. “Kayla can’t stop talking about it. I told her there were only two options, boy or girl, so it couldn’t be that hard to figure out.”

“Hey, you never know. It could be a whole new genetic makeup, taking the world into the future.” He smiled. “We would be the parents of the newest generation ever to grace the surface of the earth.”

“Um, yeah, that would be interesting, but I’ll be happy with just a plain old baby.” I laughed.

“An old baby? Like Benjamin Button? That would be so strange,” he said, scrunching his nose.

“You know what I meant,” I said, slapping him in the gut.

“I know what you are saying, and I really want a healthy, happy baby so we can coddle it, love it, and teach it all kinds of bad jokes and bad habits,” he said with a nod.

“I agree, like leaving the toilet seat up not down,” I said seriously.

“Yep, or slamming doors in old people’s faces,” he said back, trying to hide a smile.

“I like that one. Oh, what about flipping the bird to your grandmother?”

“Nice,” he said, laughing. “No, I know that this child will be just as amazing as Kayla, especially with you as it’s mother.”

“Aww,” I cooed, leaning my head on his shoulder. “I think in the back of my mind, I am hoping for a little boy.”

“Oh yeah? I would like to not be outnumbered.” He chuckled.

“I think that a boy would be perfect because I already love Kayla as if she were my biological daughter, so I don’t need another girl.”

He turned his head and looked at me, his eyes shimmering and his mouth twitching slightly. He looked as if he were going to burst into tears right then and there. He took in a deep breath and hung his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close and kissing my forehead. I closed my eyes and took a deep whiff of his scent, feeling like I was in the perfect place.

“How did I get so lucky?”

“Thank your dad.” I smiled. “He made it possible when he decided to hit on my mom.”

“Oh, yeah.” Ryan laughed. “I’ll have to send him a thank you card. Do they make, ‘Thank you for hitting on my wife’s mother so many years ago,’ cards?”

“If not, you should totally make your own because it’s brilliant,” I joked. “Or better yet, have it engraved on like a big piece of wood for them to hang in their house.”

“If I thought my father would see the humor, I would, but knowing him, he wouldn’t get the joke and really hang it on the wall,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Not really what I want hanging there when they have company over.”

“Oh, come on, that would at least be a conversation starter.” I laughed.

“You are so cute,” he said, pulling me in again. “I am just so happy to have you in my life.”

“And I’m happy to be here,” I replied. “I was being serious about Kayla, though. I want you to know that. I love Kayla with all of my heart and would do anything in the world for that girl. She has crawled inside of my heart and made a home there, a place she will never leave.”

“I love you, baby,” he said, turning as Kayla took the plate.

“I love you, too,” I said as I kissed his cheek.

I didn’t know how it all happened, but I really did end up with the perfect life. I met the man of my dreams, and now, he was not only my husband, but my best friend as well. He gave me two of the most precious things in life, as well, two people that I couldn’t wait to introduce to each other. Kayla had stolen my heart a long time before, and this new baby was going to knock me off my feet.

As I stared out at Kayla, standing up on the mound holding the softball in her hand, I couldn’t help but feel almost overcome with emotion. She looked over and smiled at me before getting into position and tossing the ball out. She threw a second strike in a row, and all she needed was one more.

My life was finally exactly what I wanted, and I would never turn back for anything. The future was full of love, warmth, and family, and just like the stolen bases on the baseball field, my heart was taken, and by two of the most amazing people I had ever known. Everything was perfect.

That’s the end of the Extensive. Below I included 4 of my previous books to read as a free bonus.

 

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EXECUTIVE

By Claire Adams

 

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

 

Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams

 

Chapter One

Noah

 

“Today is a very special day for Stone Medical Supplies,” I said into the microphone. “Four years ago today, I started this company with a dozen employees. And now look at us.” I raised my hands out to the hundred and fifty employees standing before me. An explosion of clapping and cheering filled the room. During lunch, a hired crew transformed the lobby of my building into a wide-open space with two bars, several food stations, and a DJ booth. I still felt the warmth inside of me from when I saw the faces of my employees when they saw what I had planned for them this afternoon. They deserved this party. And the cost wasn’t a deterrent. I’d made enough pounding the pavement over the years to be able to open my own business, providing for myself, my family, and everyone in front of me. I made eye contact with as many of them as I could, hoping that I could convey my appreciation for each and every one of them.

“After leaving Big Pharma five years ago,” I continued, “this company was a risk. But delivering quality medical supplies face-to-face to our customers in St. Paul was a dream I’ve always envisioned for us. And while you might not see the significance of four years versus a bigger milestone, I wanted to be the one to tell all of you that we’ve tripled our figures in the last quarter, the highest this company has ever seen!”

People whooped and hollered.

Pride swelled within me, and I waited for them to calm down before I went on. It took them a minute. Friday Fever had kicked in, plus the open bar and food had given my employees more enthusiasm.

“I don’t want to keep you too much longer, but in all sincerity, this company wouldn’t have thrived without every single person standing in front of me. I know the future of this company is in good hands with all of you and I hope this party shows my appreciation. Enjoy!”

I placed the microphone on the stand and walked into the crowd as they cheered. I clapped for them as well. Then it was like a horserace for the food and drinks. Most of them took off for the bars, which was why I chose to have two of them.

I cued the DJ to start the music, and he started up with a pop song I recalled hearing on the radio recently, though I couldn’t remember the boy band. A few of the women jumped up and down hearing the song, and I grinned at seeing them outside of their serious expressions when behind their desks. I liked seeing my hard workers cut loose.

“Thank you so much for all this, Mr. Stone,” Emily Getreur said, coming up alongside me. She was the head of accounting and really needed some downtime. With the increase in figures, she’d stayed late with me and a few others to get our numbers in on time for the quarterly reports.

“You’re welcome, Emily. How are your daughters?” I asked.

Emily’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She loved to talk about her twin daughters and their various school activities.

“Oh, they can’t wait to graduate later this year,” she said.

“Be sure to have them complete the essay for the Stone scholarship,” I said, further promoting the four-year tuition-free scholarship dedicated to employees’ children. My pay packages were competitive, but I knew what it was like to have debt.

“Oh, they will!” she said.

“Enjoy yourself.” I moved through the crowd, and several employees thanked me for the party. And as much as I wanted to mingle with them, I had Gina coming by soon. And as much as I was close to my employees, I knew they would be able to enjoy themselves a little more without the boss nearby.

Speaking of the adorable devil, Gina bounded into the lobby, shooting through the crowd as if fired from a cannon.

“Daddy!” she cried, running right past me toward the stairs to the second floor.

Gina’s nanny, Layla Porter, looked like a drowned rat as she shuffled through the crowd calling for Gina. She tugged at the tips of her short graying hair as she scanned the crowd. I glanced out the window. I didn’t realize it had been pouring outside. With Gina’s excitement, it looked like she’d forgotten her coat and Layla had forgotten an umbrella.

“I got her!” I called to Layla over the music.

Layla’s head snapped in my direction and recognition flooded her face. She waved at me and stopped walking to catch her breath.

I tried not to cringe at her. She looked exhausted. A sinking feeling weighed in my stomach. I pushed it aside and bolted after Gina before she took her first step onto the stairs at the far end of the lobby.

“Honey,” I said, and she turned around.

Her big brown eyes widened, and her crooked grin spread ear to ear. “Daddy!” she exclaimed and attached herself to my leg. “I missed you. Is this party for me?”

“No, honey,” I said with a smile. “Let’s go upstairs, and you can tell me about your day,” I said, lifting her up and holding her against my hip.

She rubbed her tiny hands over my chin. “Scruffy, Daddy.”

I smiled. “You don’t like it?”

“Umm, I guess.”

I dug my face into her neck and growled. Her cries of laughter rattled my ear drum, even over the thumping bass music from the DJ booth.

Once we reached the top of the stairs, she took off into my office at the end of the hallway. She had her own corner with a desk and art supplies which she called “work.” Sometimes I wished my job involved crayons and colored paper.

I glanced down the stairs and saw Layla slowly ascending. She looked more weathered lately, and this was the perfect opportunity to speak with her about how she was getting along with Gina. She’d called me earlier in the day and asked if she could talk with me. Since I wasn’t going to leave the building before the party, I asked her to come in with Gina. I wondered if that had been a bad idea. Lately, she and Gina remained at home for most of the day. Gina had plenty of toys and a massive swing set outside, but she required a lot of activity to tire her out. Layla wasn’t a spring chicken, and bringing Gina to the park or anywhere else was a handful.

I had a bad feeling about this conversation, but I wasn’t one to shy away from it, especially when it was about my family. If Layla wasn’t the best for Gina, so be it. But a part of me wanted to be wrong about this, even though my intuition was rarely wrong.

“Mr. Stone,” Layla said.

“Layla,” I said, waiting for the floor to drop from under me.

“I think you know what I’m going to say,” she said. “Your daughter is a beautiful child.”

“But energetic?” I offered.

“Very,” Layla said when she reached the top of the stairs. She leaned heavily on the railing. “It’s not her fault. I remember my own children at her age. But I’m not a woman in my twenties anymore. I have grandchildren of my own. Ones who I can give back to my children when I’ve had enough. I’m getting too old for this.”

“I understand,” I said, putting on an impassive expression while inside I wanted to scream. It had been hard enough to get Layla on board after meeting Gina. I’d had to convince her that Gina was only excited because Layla was new in her life. It didn’t take long for Layla to get to know the real Gina as my little ball of never ending energy.

“I can stay on until you find a replacement—” Layla said.

“That’s not necessary,” I interrupted. Layla had held her tongue long enough about the subject. Whether out of politeness or the fact that she knew the end of the quarter was my busiest time. “I’ll have her over the weekend, and I’m sure we’ll have several applicants by Monday.”

“I’m sure you will,” she said. “I’d like to say goodbye,” she said.

“Of course,” I said, leading her down the hallway to my office. All the while, I couldn’t help but bite my lip about the whole situation. Come Monday, what the hell was I going to do with Gina?

 

An hour later, Layla left with her final paycheck. She and Gina had colored for a little while, and Layla brought up the topic of her leaving. Layla was such a patient and kind woman, which was why I’d hired her in the first place. When she opened the door to leave, the sound of the music from the first floor flooded into my office.

Today was supposed to be smooth sailing with the party. And now I had Gina and no nanny. I could care for Gina, I was her father after all, but with the company doing so well, I needed someone to keep Gina busy at least until she was old enough to go to school. I considered sending her to preschool early, but I wanted to hold off until she was at least four. I had the means to have a nanny, and I wanted to preserve her childhood as much as I could.

“Daddy, sit,” Gina said and patted the child-sized chair next to her. I shoved away all thoughts of my nanny woes for now and focused on my daughter.

I kissed the top of her head and sat in the chair, leaning forward, so I didn’t put my full weight on the legs. I didn’t know the effect of Layla leaving would have on Gina so that coupled with the possibility of breaking her chair might be the deciding factor in a total meltdown.

“Here, take a purple crayon,” she said, handing over the crayon.

I took a stray coloring page and started to fill in the picture with my purple scrawl. “Honey, I want to talk about Layla.”

Gina sighed. “I know you like her. I don’t.”

I stopped coloring. “You didn’t like her?”

“She nice, but she’s too slow, Daddy,” Gina said.

I pressed my lips together. Layla would have agreed with her at that moment. “So, you’re okay with her leaving?”

“Yeah,” she said, concentrating on her coloring. “I want to come to work with you. I miss you. You’re too busy.”

I frowned, feeling the familiar pang inside of my heart that I felt each morning when I left Gina at home. Hearing it from her made the feeling even worse. More than half the time, I saw Gina sleeping more than awake since I left early and arrived home late over the last several months. Sure, we’d hit record breaking sales, but at a very personal cost.

I reached over and lifted Gina and placed her on my lap. She grabbed my thumb with one of her hands and held it while she filled in my coloring page.

I wrapped one of my arms around her and pulled her close, inhaling her scent. She was the most incredible thing in my life. It wasn’t the first time I was in utter disbelief that I’d made such a beautiful thing. I needed to show her how special she was to me. I needed someone who she liked and who loved her back, just as I would if I had the time to watch her all day. This time I would have to find someone younger who could give Gina everything she needed and wanted at this age. I needed someone who could keep up with her too.

Where was I going to find someone like that?