“The director turned around, during this morning’s conference call, and decided he hated everything about the new campaign. Just like that. So we have to completely overhaul it — start from scratch.” He growled, then turned the growl playful, pretending to bite the twins. They giggled hysterically.
“Is she in her office now?”
We made our way down the corridor and to Naomi’s office, which, unlike in our old building, was a separate room altogether, while the rest of her team worked in the main room at their own cubicles.
Saeed deposited the twins on the floor beside me. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye, all right?” he said before hurrying away, as though terrified to be outside the office when the door opened.
I held in a laugh. Once upon a time, before she’d become my wife, lover or friend, I’d been terrified of Naomi too! For the briefest millisecond that feeling swept over me as I stood outside her office. It was gone in an instant. Because I knew that whatever mood she was in, and however short-tempered she’d been with her staff, that was never a side of her I ever saw — not now, anyway. She wasn’t the Glacier Queen to me or our children.
I knocked, and the twins knocked too.
From within I heard, “I thought I told everyone I didn’t want to be disturbed.”
I knocked again, said nothing. Waited, trembling with anticipation, knowing that she would be furious, and loving the idea of teasing her.
She yanked open the door, ready to let out a barrage of insults to the person wasting her time… then she saw me.
The way the fury dissolved from her face, replaced instantly by joy, was like something I’d never seen before. The smile that took over her face when she looked down and saw her mini-mes, I wanted to photograph and hang on a wall in our living room. This was the reaction I expected; nothing made an infamous Naomi Pierre mood swing disappear like the presence of her family.
“Mama,” came the joyous cheers from the twins, as they charged at her.
“What are you doing here?”
She chuckled, leaned over and planted a passionate, appreciative kiss on my lips, before bending down to kiss the twins on their foreheads. Then she ushered us inside her spacious office, which was far bigger, and even more lavish than her old one in the Sekhmet Building.
I slipped Gabriel’s PJ Masks backpack off my shoulder, unzipped it, pulled out the contents and set them on her desk. “I brought lunch.”
Sandwiches on the bread she liked, prepared fruit, a generous slice of the carrot cake I’d made the day before, and a green smoothie. Everything homemade; everything made with love.
She looked at me with so much affection then, that I felt like I would cry. After nearly four years of marriage, I still wasn’t used to being looked at so lovingly.
She kissed me again. “You are amazing. How did you know I’d skipped lunch?”
I shrugged. “A hunch. I know how you get when you’re stressed.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How did you know I was stressed?”
I shrugged again, realizing I’d said too much.
She laughed. “Saeed? He’s so fired!”
I knew she was joking.
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.