"Evidence always helps back up your point. Never go in, empty handed." We all know that.
After Liv's little stunt, we were kindly escorted out of the mall by security.
She wouldn't shut up about Warren King on the drive back home.
It turns out Warren was indeed the Owner of Royalty Incorporated and the biggest competitor of Veron Enterprises.
I was so sure Ethan was going to freak out when I tell him about my little encounter. From what little I know of the business world, everyone knows everyone, and enemity was common amongst rivals.
Unlike Veron Enterprises which was handed down to Ethan Veron by his father, Royalty Inc. was brought up from the ground by Warren himself.
He had gotten the idea in college and actually acted on it. I couldn't say the same for most college students now though...
Anyway, Warren seemed pretty cool and I could see us being friends if he didn't kindly reject my offer and if his main office wasn't in LA.
"I won't be going inside, Dan just called." Liv told my absent-minded self eventually making me realize we had arrived.
"Thanks a lot Liv. I had fun and got to meet Warren fucking King." I laughed.
"I can't believe you didn't know the guy, I'd recognize that kind of face anywhere on the planet. I have seriously got to get you some magazines."
We both laughed.
I got out and opened the backdoor to get my own shopping bags. I may or may not have got somethings.
"He was so totally into you. Too bad..." She trailed off leaning closer to the steering wheel as though in trance.
"Snap out of it," I leaned in through the window and snapped my fingers in her face.
"Can you blame me? He's a walking bank and it's a plus he's sexy. There's only one guy who is hotter than him, only one Ken. Can you imagine??"
I fixed my elbows on the window to support myself. "No Liv. I can't imagine."
"God, all I need is to meet Ethan Veron now and I can die a happy woman." She raised her hands up in a pathetic attempt to pray.
"You have a boyfriend." I tsked. "Tsk tsk tsk."
"Do you seem him on Forbes Magazines?, has he been ranked sexiest man alive? Is he New York's number one bachelor? Or LA's hottest bachelor? I don't think so."
"Dan is a great guy, and all those stuff you talked about, they're merely ego boots for those shallow guys." I scoffed.
She smirked, "Warren didn't seem to be shallow when you wanted to be friends..."
I glared at her. She did have a point though.
"Whatever. I'm going to go inside now. Try to be nice when you get to Dan okay?" I backed up from the car.
"Believe me, he likes it when I'm a bad girl." She winked.
"Not exactly what I was talking about Liv," I shouted as she drove off.
I gave up and walked inside to find Emily watching TV.
"My baby is awake," I giggled dropping my bags on the floor and showering her face with kisses.
"How do you feel? Tired? Hungry?" I fussed over her while she just laughed.
"I'm fine mommy. Aunt Kenna was here a while ago,"
I plopped on the space next to hers on the couch.
"Really? What did she say?"
"She spoke to Nanny Grace and increased my medicine." She said while putting her attention on the screen.
It was only normal her drugs were increased since we were left with barely a week and some days to the transplant.
"Okay sweetie. I'm making mushroom soup for dinner." I announced and walked to the kitchen ignoring her cries.
Before I could start opening drawers, she was already behind me.
"Noo, mommy please. No more uccky soup.." I laughed while she perfected her puppy dog eyes.
"Aunt Kenna will kill me if you don't eat your soup and she'll increase your medicine too." I tried.
She huffed in defeat and walked away, but not before having the last say.
"I'll call daddy and ask him for pizza." She stuck her tongue out.
I gritted my teeth,"that little daddy's princess su-"
"I heard you," she shouted from the living room.
"That's the point." I screamed back before we both laughed and I went on with dinner.
Ethan was later than usual, he managed to arrive halfway through dinner and had tucked in Emily by the time I'd washed up everything.
"Are you okay?" I asked closing the door of my bedroom behind me to join him on the bed.
"Not exactly," he sighed.
I helped him take off his suit jacket, as well as his shoes to try and get him more comfortable.
"Work?" I asked again, slowly unbuttoning his shirt now.
"Not exactly," he replied again as I took off his shirt.
I then got comfortable and leaned against the headboard, pulling a little at the edges of the huge t-shirt I had on as sleep wear.
I gently brought his head to my laps and begun massaging.
"I would love a response that wasn't two worded okay?" I said softly.
His eyes were closed and I couldn't help thread my hands through his silk brown locks.
"Have you ever not told the complete truth to someone you love?" He asked out of nowhere.
"I always tell Emily half truths to get her drink her soup..." I trailed of and he chuckled.
"No. Not exactly like that. I mean what if you not only withheld the truth but also lied to keep it safe?"
I pondered for a moment temporarily stopping my massage before resuming again.
"I don't think so. Why the sudden questions?"
He coughed and sat up to also lean on the headboard.
He lifted me up and sat me up on his lap such that I was straddling him.
He pushed back some of the hair that got in my face behind my ear.
He placed his hands on my waist and gulped.
"My uhm... My boss, uh Ethan Veron," he stammered and looked at me unsure.
"Yeah..." I said encouragingly.
"Well, I spoke to him today and he told me how he hid his identity from someone he loves because he didn't want to be treated a certain way..." he stopped.
I remained silent and noticed he kept on staring at me.
"What?" I asked him.
"What do you think about what he did. If you were the person he lied to and you found out, how would you feel?"
"I honestly have no idea about their relationship but I know true relationships are built on honesty. If he kept lying even after they got to know each other, then he's nothing but a liar who doesn't deserve the other person. Lying isn't something to joke with you know, withholding part of the truth is just as much the same crime. Which is why I'm glad, you're honest with me in everything. It's one of the reasons I love you and I-"
No way! What did you just say?
I mentally facepalmed myself and retracted the hand I only now realized I had kept on his cheek.
"Did you just say you loved me?" He asked wide eyed after gulping multiple times during my short speech.
"Not exactly, well, yes but I didn't mean for it to come out like that after basically badmouthing your boss based on his poor decisions and-"
"Kendra," he spoke softly.
"You have no idea how much you've ruined things for me." He sighed, running his hands through his hair.
To say I was shocked was an understatement.
I quickly got off him as though I'd been burnt and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Shit! I didn't mean it like that. I mean I had this whole plan to surprise you and be the first one to say it and you just..." He stopped and chuckled, "literally caused my heart to skip a beat or two, which you must know as a doctor, wasn't quite healthy."
He was now behind me and he buried his face in my neck.
He turned me around such that I sat cross-legged while he knelt on the bed, both my hands in his.
"God knows how much I love you Kendra. Your smile, your laugh, your tears, your love for Emily, your passion for your job, the way you tell me you hate sleeping with pillows yet you end up stealing mine in the middle of the night, the way you eat Emily's soup just so she can eat it too meanwhile deep down you want to have pizza and a nice cup of tea, let's not forget the way you hate coffee but stare longingly at my cup of espresso every. single. time."
"Gosh, you knew??" I asked as he used a finger to wipe a tear I didn't know escaped.
"Of course I do. I notice every single thing about you because I am helplessly in love with you. It also doesn't help that our little girl sleeping in her room has me firmly wrapped around her finger. I love you Kendra, flaws and all."
I was internally screaming. This guy...
"That was honestly the most beautiful thing I've heard all year..." We both laughed before I sobered up and attacked him with my lips.
His lips were very welcoming and they felt like home. I was also on my knees now, trying to match the intensity with which his lips were coming at mine.
I abruptly broke off, to say what I had to.
"I love you too Ethan Vincent." I smiled.
He was panting as was I.
"Don't say 'too'. All my life people have readily agreed to every single thing I say, my brain thinks your compelled to say it right now," he nervously chuckled at the end.
I frowned and used my hand to trace every single feature on his face.
"I love you Ethan. So much it physically hurts. So much, you've imprinted yourself in my heart. So much, I'm scared to live a second without you in my life."
"I wouldn't want you to live a second without me either." We laughed and he kissed me so much my knees lost balance and I fell backwards.
He was quick to resume where we stopped and I swear my lips had tripled in size.
How do I keep up with this guy?
"Tell me about your day." He said after we stopped to breathe.
Our legs were entangled and I placed my head on his chest using my finger to draw lines on his abdomen.
"I went shopping with Liv, nothing much. Oh! I met Warren King also."
"What?!" My head snapped up to his at his sudden outburst.
"I'm going to go ahead and guess you know him and you're not so fond of him." I smiled guiltily for destroying our little moment.
I was only rewarded with two words from him.
"Not exactly."
Soooooo.... Who's hot??? Phew!!!
I smell sexual tension here.
Love Joy.