Page 283 of Falling for the Wife

I shrugged. “I know, but I want a real one, with you wearing a beautiful gown, walking towards me to celebrate our future together.” It was a thought that had made me crazy mad back in our youth, and it was something I intended to happen. “I always dreamt of you in a wedding gown. It was just unfortunate that I saw you marrying someone else.”

“Oh, Reiss …” She reached out to me, holding me close to her chest. “If this is want you want, then I’d be more than willing to splurge your riches to have a wedding that’s too costly when it’s over and done with in a day.”

“If that’s the price I have to pay to see you in a wedding dress, then have a go at it, princess. My bank account is open for business.”

She tapped my shoulder with that cute, little pout of hers. “Now you’re just being cheeky.”

Well, since we are on that particular subject, let me emphasize,“I’m rather fond of cheeks. When your back is arched and your bottom’s thrusting upwards, legs parted just enough for me to see the glorious channels I could pleasure myself with … north and south, I worship thee and thy holy passages.”

CHAPTER103

Reiss

“I’m sorry,but I can’t make it to you in time.” Ava was scheduled for a check-up, and as much as it pained me to cancel on her at the last minute, I simply couldn’t walk away when something critical had just come to my attention regarding one of the main accountants in the finance department. They had pointed out that someone was redirecting money, discreetly siphoning funds to an offshore bank account in Southeast Asia. It was something I couldn’t ignore.

“Are you sure you can’t handle it later on? This won’t take long; I promise it’ll be worth it. I really thought you’d love to see the baby for the first time since finding out about it.” Disappointment laced her voice, making me feel like a downright awful husband, one who couldn’t care less about our baby, though that was entirely untrue. They both mattered greatly to me.

I vowed to make amends, yet I knew cancelling on her at the last minute would most likely make her extra frustrated because she wanted me to go through the awe-like experience of seeing the baby on screen for the first time.

“Next time, I promise, or you can have my head chopped off by a butcher.” My light, jovial attitude merely evoked a regrettable sigh from her.

“You leave me no choice but to accept this, I guess. You really have to promise me that you’ll be there for the next appointment. I don’t like feeling this way, as if I can’t rely on you, Reiss.”

Her comment weighed heavily on me, making me think twice about my actions, just as Emily came through the door bearing folders that needed to be thoroughly examined. They contained documents and records that were hidden in a sub-file so they would be difficult to see by the financial department.

“Ava, I’ll explain everything when I see you tonight. I’m truly sorry that I can’t be there with you. You must know that I wouldn’t trade that for something less important, but this problem will most likely put my company in jeopardy if I don’t take care of it immediately,” I said, feeling helpless when I heard her sigh once more. “Text me updates? A photo or a video, perhaps? Also, please don’t forget to let me know that you’re back home. If I don’t pick up your call, I’d love for you to leave a message.”

“All right. I’ll see you tonight, then.”

I could easily see her pouting, which made me smile for no apparent reason.

“I’ll be seeing you, princess,” I murmured, hoping she was going to be okay without me.

After making a hasty goodbye, a team of four people came through the door, ready to discuss where to start with the investigation. They were talking about estimated figures stolen. Usually, when they said estimated, the real numbers tended to be triple digits, sometimes more. How could the department have managed to overlook this? Each year, they were given bonuses and gifts on top of their vacations, promotions if qualified, and whatever else they achieved. If the profits doubled, I made sure they got something out of that. I was a fair employer, and I believed people that worked hard deserved to be rewarded; subsequently, for someone to do this to me made it truly personal.

At around four-fifteen in the afternoon, a few phones started beeping. The team that was supposed to be focused on research and trying to get to the bottom of this problem while the company hackers tried to crack the security coded sub-files instantly started to murmur, looking mighty suspicious from where I was sitting.

“Does there seem to be a problem? Mind sharing your thoughts instead of whispering them to each other like a bunch of people trying to plot something?”

The younger man blushed before looking at me gravely. “There’s been an explosion somewhere in St. Regent’s Park, and another in Baker’s Street tube station. There is speculation that it’s a terrorist attack, but nothing’s been confirmed, sir.”

My body ran hot and then cold. Surely this couldn’t be another 7/7 attacks that left the city in a chaotic state. People had been in a shambles, mourning for all the lost lives and the city that they all loved. Then, another thought came, causing my heart to drop to my stomach.

“Do any of you happen to know how far Harley Street is from these locations?” I asked as fear settled in like a devil’s claw around my heart, squeezing it until I was out of breath. The exchanged looks didn’t settle the panic that was spreading like a virus inside of me.

The only woman amongst them took the liberty of using the internet to research the distance. Normally, I’d know the answer to this, but my mind couldn’t seem to function.

“It says it’s about three minutes walking distance, give or take. Given the situation and the massive traffic the area might be in at the moment, I’d say it’d take hours to even get through right now, if at all.”

Bloody fuck, I thought as I reached for my phone. When I saw it shake, I had to stop and take a moment to squeeze my hand shut while, at the same time, I was silently convincing myself that everything was going to be okay.

Christ, if something happened to Ava…No! Make the bloody call,my mind pressured me, willing myself to do something other than succumb to the fear that was influencing my entirety at the moment.

Anxiety attached like a leech, sucking the life out of me as I made the call. After the first ring, it immediately went to voicemail. Hearing her cheery voice made me want to hurl the phone and weep with frustration. It didn’t help that I hadn’t received any messages or voicemails from her to tell me she was on her way home. It had been two hours since I had spoken to her. Surely the appointment was over and done with before this had happened, right?

Past caring about the odd glances the young team was giving me, I kept on trying to call her to no avail. Each time, I left a message, begging her to call me back.

I even made a call to the house, asking Alistair, the butler, if she was already home from the doctor’s. His response was negative, making my stomach even more like a pit of venomous snakes were swimming in it.