Contract Marriage: I’ve Always Loved You

Grace’s P. O. V.

Elsa enters the hospital room with excitement shining in her eyes, holding a huge bouquet in her hand. As she sees me, she rushes towards me.

“Congratulations, new mama.” She envelops me in a tight hug, causing me to wince slightly from the pain.

Before I can speak, Steve’s voice interrupts. “She’s weak. Please don’t hug her like that. It must be painful for her.”

Elsa steps back, glancing at Steve on the couch, his expression filled with concern, and my heart races as I hear his caring words.

I look at him with affectionate eyes, and he returns my gaze with a soft, concerned look. Our eye contact is interrupted when Elsa interjects, “I’m sorry, babes. I was so excited, I didn’t realise.” I can see the guilt in her eyes.

I reassure her, “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

“Steve, this is my friend, Elsa.” I make the introduction.

“Hi, Elsa. Nice to meet you,” Steve greets politely, giving her a faint smile before excusing himself, leaving us alone.

“Damn, Grace, this man is getting hotter day by day… No wonder you were missing him so much. He’s aging like fine wine.” Elsa jests, chuckling.

I hit her at her playful remark. “Oh, shut up, Elsa. Sure, he’s undeniably good-looking, but my longing for him wasn’t about his appearance. It was about how he makes me feel-what I craved most was the comfort of his embrace, the tenderness of his touch-”

“Grace, I was just teasing. I’m happy Steve is back in your life,” Elsa reassures me, squeezing my hands.

I exhale deeply. Despite knowing she was joking, because of my past mistakes, I felt compelled to clarify that my feelings for Steve go beyond mere physical attraction. It’s about his character, his heart, the wonderful person he is to be around.

“I feel the same way. It’s like a dream. Even though Steve has only accepted me to be with him as the mother of our children, that’s more than enough for me right now.” I express, feeling grateful and content. Knowing I’ll be by his side, breathing the same air, seeing him every day, and cherishing his presence morning and night brings me immense joy.

Elsa smiles, but soon her eyes widen as they go to the twins.

“Oh my God, Grace! They’re so adorable. I like Giana’s blue eyes.” She exclaims.

“I know, they’re perfect,” I respond, smiling at my little bundles of joy.

“I’m just happy that you both are together now and you have these beautiful babies. This is for the new mommy.” Elsa hands me the flowers she brought, making me smile even more.

“Thank you, Elsa. For everything. For being there for me and for being a great friend. And I’ll miss you.” Tears form in my eyes as I utter the last sentence.

She stood by me when I needed someone’s support. She held me up when I was falling down. That’s what best friends do, isn’t it? Female best friends are not just friends; they are more than that. They are your soul sisters who will be with you through every thick and thin, without even letting you feel it. She’s my soul sister, without a doubt.

“I’ll miss you too, Grace. And don’t forget to video call me daily and make me see the twins.” She instructs me, her eyes filling with tears but she’s trying to hold back her emotions.

“Of course, I’ll.” I give her a smile, taking her hands in mine and pressing a kiss to her knuckles, expressing my emotions, and she smiles back at me.

“I’m always there for you. Okay?”

“I know.” As I nod, she wipes my tears, and I do the same with hers.

After a few minutes, we composed ourselves.

“Now, let’s take some pictures with the twins.” She suggests, taking out her phone, and I nod, smiling at her and my twins.

She captures several pictures of me with Giana and Evan, freezing those precious moments in time. The room fills with the sound of her laughter and the soft coos of the twins.

As we pose for the last selfie, Elsa declares, “This will be a memory to cherish forever.”

Later, as Elsa leaves, she turns and says, “Take care, Grace. And if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m just a call away.”

I nod, feeling blessed to have such a caring friend. She has been with me through everything and I couldn’t have made it this far without her. I’m going to miss her so much.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Once she is gone, I turn my attention back to Giana and Evan, cradled in my warm arms.

Tears of joy well up in my eyes. I never thought I would be a mother of two beautiful children. And now, I have Steve back in my life as well.

“I promise to give you the best life, my little ones. I will protect you and love you with all my heart.” I place a gentle kiss on their foreheads, feeling fortunate to have them.

***

Next morning,

As Steve stands beside the crib talking to our babies, he beams. “Hey, cuties. Today, you’re going to meet your grandpa. He’ll be so happy.”

Listening to him, I wonder how I’ll face Steve’s father. He must already be angry at me for betraying him, and now his anger will certainly escalate upon learning that I hid my pregnancy.

My trance breaks as I hear Steve’s voice. “Grace.” As I look at him, he informs me,”You can come with us to New York after a week because you can’t travel.”

I ask, “So you’re taking the babies with you?” Nervousness and fear are evident in my voice.

“Of course not. They need their mother’s milk. I’m calling Dad here only,” he assures me.

I heave a sigh of relief upon hearing this because I can’t bear to stay away from my little ones, not even for a second.

Later on, we prepare to leave the hospital. I carry Giana in my arms, and Steve cradles Evan as we walk out of the hospital. His driver opens the car door for us, and we settle inside.

The ride to his suite is in silence, the babies keep sleeping peacefully in our arms.

When we enter the room, I’m surprised to see the crib placed beside the bed, and all the necessary things for the babies are available.

He arranged everything so quickly. Even after all this time, he hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still as perfect as ever.

With a smile, I watch him gently place Evan in the crib before he heads to the washroom to freshen up. While he’s gone, I settle down to feed Evan, who’s crying. As he drinks his milk, he tugs at the chain of my pendant, and I marvel at his beautiful features.

Once he’s finished, he yawns and squeezes his tiny eyes shut, looking incredibly adorable that I can’t resist and kiss all over his face.

“You’re so cute, mama’s little boy.” I talk to him, holding him upright against my chest, and I rub his back to make him burp.

I chuckle as he slightly kicks me.

Then only the room fills with soft cries of Giana.

“I think now your sister is hungry, Evan. So you lay down here, and let me bring your sister.” After laying him on the bed, I head towards the crib.

I hold out Giana in front of me and converse with her, “Hey, princess. Mumma is just feeding you.”

As I feed her, Steve emerges from the bathroom. I can feel his eyes on my back, and when I glance at him, he looks at Evan and begins playing with him, rocking the rattles.

The day passes in handling our little ones, changing their diapers, feeding and soothing them.

Thank God! Steve is with me now, or else I would have gone crazy if I had to handle them alone.

As we hear a knock on the door, Steve says to Giana, who is in his arms, “I think your grandpa has arrived. Let me bring them.”

He rushes off after handing her to me, and my heartbeat quickens with fear.

“Giana, Mommy is so scared of your grandpa. I don’t know how he is going to react after seeing you both.” I express my fear to her while her tiny blue eyes are fixated on me like she is trying to understand her mamma’s words.

The door opens, and Steve walks in with his father. His eyes widen in surprise as he sees Evan in the crib and Giana in my arms, and my fear rises.

“Steve, what’s all this?” His voice holds a mix of curiosity and disbelief as he glances between his son and the twins.

“Dad, meet Giana and Evan. Your grandchildren,” Steve introduces them with a smile on his face.

Dad’s stern expression softens as he approaches and carefully takes Giana into his arms. A genuine smile appears on his face as he gazes at her. He plants a gentle kiss on her forehead, captivated by the innocent beauty of his granddaughter.

“She is so beautiful, Steve. The colour of her eyes is exactly like mine,” he mutters with amazement, his eyes fixed on Giana.

“Yeah, Dad! And that’s what makes her even more special.” Steve passes Evan to him, wrapped snugly in his blue blanket. “Now meet your grandson.”

As he holds his grandchildren, a warmth appears in his eyes. “Hey, angels, I’m your grandpa. You both are so adorable.” He talks to them in a soft voice, welcoming them and making faces, while I watch from a distance, a mix of emotions flooding my heart.

Despite the happiness of this moment, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s just the calm before the storm.

After placing Giana and Evan in the crib, he turns towards me. The warmth in his eyes vanishes, replaced by a cold, stern look.

“You hid this from us, Grace.” He asserts, his tone filled with disappointment and anger. “How could you keep such a crucial truth hidden?” I swallow hard, my heart pounding as he continues, “First you betrayed me and ruined my son’s life, and then you kept such a significant part of your life a secret. How could you do this?”

Steve steps forward, trying to calm him down. “Dad, I know it’s a lot to take in, but we’re a family now. Grace is the mother of your grandchildren. We need to find a way to move forward.”

I watch Steve defend me in disbelief. It’s hard to believe he’s standing up for me after everything. It’s like I can’t believe my own eyes. I was so silly, thinking that he would ever try to take my babies away from me.

“I don’t care if she’s the mother of my grandchildren, Steve. I won’t accept this deceitful woman into our family,” Dad declares, and my throat tightens with emotion.

All the moments spent with him flashes in front of my eyes. It’s my fault I lost his trust in me and the precious bond we shared in the past.

“I’m sorry, Dad-”

He barks at me, his voice dripping wrath. “Don’t call me that. You lost that right a long time ago.”

A sharp pang pierces my heart, and tears trickle down my cheeks. But I pull myself together, wiping my tears away. “I… I know I messed up. But I never meant to hurt anyone, especially not you. I hope, with time, I can earn back your trust.”

“This is never going to happen, Grace. I can never trust a woman like you. You play with people’s feelings, manipulate them, you’re a fucking-”

Steve intervenes, his voice calm but firm. “Dad, enough. That’s in the past. Grace will live with us now, so it’ll be better if you forget the past and move forward.”

“Steve, you have a huge heart. You may forgive her, but I can’t. I won’t let my grandchildren live with this manipulative woman. Grace won’t live with us, and that’s final.” With that, Dad storms out of the room, and I just shed silent tears, my heart aching.

Steve turns towards me, his eyes filled with concern. “Grace, he just… he needs time to process this. You don’t worry.” He says, comforting me.

Brushing away my tears, I nod. “I understand, Steve. I never expected him to accept me so easily after everything.”

“He’s stubborn, but I’ll talk to him. Give him some time. He’ll understand that the twins deserve to have both their parents in their lives.” He reassures, his gaze shifting to Giana and Evan in the crib.

As I watch him, gratitude floods my heart for his unwavering support in this tough time. He’s indeed a man with a golden heart. Even after what I did to him, he’s standing up for me. Can I just confess that this man is making me fall for him even harder than before?