“Oh my God, they’ve gotten so big already,” she said, leaning over the desk and waving at the twins with her long, colorful nails. “They’re so adorable, like little angels.”
I laughed. “That’s not the word I’d use to describe them.”
“I’ll totally take them off your hands. Just say the word,” she joked.
“Don’t tempt me!”
Chuckling, she picked up the phone. “I’ll call Naomi, tell her you’re—
“Actually,” I cut in, “I wanna surprise her.”
She gave me a knowing smile. “Sure thing. You remember the way?”
I nodded, thanked her, let the kids say goodbye, then we headed for the inbound elevator that led to the main offices.
We’d barely stepped off when Saeed, who happened to be in conversation with the receptionist on Naomi’s floor, spotted us and practically pounced.
“You never said you were coming!” He was just as theatrical as ever; just as well-groomed, and smelled fantastic, as always. “Come and give Uncle Saeed a hug.” This he aimed at the twins, who happily rushed into his arms, and he scooped them both up. They’d gotten too big for me to hold them both at the same time, but he was still able.
“It’s been too long, girl,” he said, cutting me an accusatory look while the kids played in his manicured mane, messing up what likely took an hour to get right. He didn’t seem to mind.
“I know, I’m a terrible person. I’ve had my hands full… as you can clearly see.”
The birth of the twins meant the death of my social life, pretty much. I hadn’t been out with friends in over six months. And although I made a whole thing about no longer having freedom, my protestations were always disingenuous. Truth was, I loved it this way. I loved that I’d built this wonderful, beautiful home filled with love and people who wanted and needed me there. Home was the only place I wanted to be in my spare time; and my wife was the only friend I wanted to be with.
Something Brit said came to mind then, making me laugh. “Jesus, Daiquiri, you do remember that there are other people in the world besides Naomi and the twins, right?”
Sometimes it was easy to forget that.
“Did Naomi know you were coming?”
There was something in his tone, and when I looked at him, something in his eyes — acrimony? — that gave me pause. Although all traces of the Glacier Queen had evaporated upon marrying me, I knew Naomi was still a real hard ass with her subordinates. Some things would never change. I just prayed she hadn’t been too diabolical.
“Oh no, what’s happened? Is she in a bad mood?”
He hesitated, probably trying to choose his words carefully. Then said, “She’s stressed. Been like that all morning. Everyone’s on edge.”
I nodded knowingly. “The Neder Eats account?” That thing was more trouble than it was worth.
Holy crap! The dad!? THE DAD SHOWED UP!? Oh dear me, here comes some dramaaa…
Damn Heidi, this was AWESOME. Was totally grinning ear to ear the whole way through. THIS fic is totally what I yearned for after the epilogue. Been wanting the happy ending extended so badly. Finally seeing the aftermath of their life together has my heart doing all kinds of happy flip-flops. Thanks for the feels!
Also, it’s nice to read some well-written, grammatically correct, ultimately flawless fan fiction! So thanks for that added gift. You must have one hell of a beta team. Very well done, you. Can’t wait for the next chapter. —oh, I personally prefer chapters as their finished opposed to waiting for the whole story. More frequent updates, plus more time to reflect and appreciate what you’ve already written. But that’s just me.
Brilliant piece once again, Heidi! Thank you VERY much. Please never stop writing 😀
Haha! Yeah, bit of a cliffhanger there.
Glad you liked the chapter. The family dynamic was something I also couldn’t wait to explore. But you know it wouldn’t be one of my stories if it wasn’t filled with drama 😉
I’ve said this and I say it again you are one of my favorites hands down. Thank you so much for this series continuation. I can’t wait to see what happens next, now that the abusive dad has showed up.
Aww, thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked it.
Why would Dove bring their dad unannounced?! Is he being threatened? What about when Naomi and the twins come back? 😳 Just, wow!
Great work with this chapter! I loved seeing the marital bliss, Dakota navigating being a mom, and battling those nagging fears/struggles with self-worth. The scene at Naomi’s office – so beautiful ♥️
I prefer you to release the chapters as they’re ready. Thank you for this fantastic chapter!
Glad you liked it! And I’m sure Dove has his reasons 😉
Yeah, I really enjoyed writing the scenes with Dakota and the kids. I’m a sucker for that sort of thing, lol.
The consensus seems to be that people want the chapters posted as and when they’re ready, so that’s what it’ll be.
I’m completely intrigued and caught up now. I want..no..need to know what are the dynamics between Dak and her father. Please keep them coming. I can hardly wait!
Haha, me too! His arrival will NOT go down well, that’s all I’ll say. I’m sworn to secrecy 🙂
OMG! I just finished reading this book and it was one of my favorites of yours outside of “Her Lesson to Love” and “A Scarlet Kiss.” I was wondering about the characters Naomi and Dakota and how they fared. I was so happy to stumble upon this. It was nice to see that their love made it and they each saw happiness in their lives. Dakota especially was deserving of a good family, to give her anything less would rob her of what she truly deserved in life. Although my allegiance is to Naomi as my favorite of the two. Everyone needs a Naomi in their lives to love them. I can’t wait to read the other chapters. I hope this trend of yours continues with your other works.