“Granny, grandpa, you have to shift to New York this time. Enough of staying here all by yourselves. Why don’t you sell off the hobby center?” coaxed Alyssa after seeing the way her grandpa was still struggling with his day-to-day activities at eighty-nine.
“Yes, Alyssa is right, dad. Please come along with us. You can play with Eleanor or Axel in a few days instead of living here all by yourselves,” said Alexander’s mom.
“Who are Eleanor and Axel?” asked a clueless granny.
“Alexander and Eva’s baby, mom!” said Jodie Van Every, beaming with excitement. She loved the names the moment she heard them and had been planning a nursery for the baby ever since Grandpa gave his wife an excited look, as if contemplating the suggestion.
“Who will buy the hobby center? I can sell everything here and move to New York with you but after Alexander’s baby is born,” said grandpa.
“Done. We’ll stay back here and help you sell everything off,” said Daniel Van Every. It was therefore decided that his parents would stay back while they would go to Las Vegas and back to New York from there.
“I knew my boy would marry Eva. He looked so much in love with her the last time he brought her here,” said granny as she sat with Eva, holding her hands in her own. Alexander and Nicholas had to visit the departmental store to stock up the groceries since they had arrived unannounced. Granny and grandpa were in tears at seeing all of them together. Eva and Nicholas received a grand welcome into the family. The news of her pregnancy made Alexander’s grandparents so happy that they readily agreed to sell everything and move to New York to live with them.
“Granny, I want to taste your mince pie. Gosh! I missed it so much!” said Alyssa.
“Why didn’t you visit me after your wedding, young lady? We were so upset when we couldn’t attend it,” said her granny, getting up to make the mince pie.
“We couldn’t granny. There was an emergency, and we had to cancel our honeymoon as well.” Her mom explained everything that had happened and they listened intently.
“Thank God the difficult phase is over at last. I’m sure things will work now,” said grandpa.
“Yes, hopefully,” said Daniel Van Every.
The girls went to the kitchen to learn the heavenly mince pie from granny. Eva picked up well with her natural flair for cooking while Alyssa lost track half the way. “You can teach Nicholas, Eva,” she said and her granny rolled her eyes.
“What will I do with this girl?” she scolded her.
The men returned with a mountain load of groceries to last them for the next ten days. “Did you raid the entire store?” asked Alyssa.
“You’ll be the one to finish most of these,” said Nicholas with a grin.
“As if!” she scoffed, and they chuckled.
“Let’s go check out the neighborhood, Alyssa,” said Nicholas, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. “Alex, are you coming, bro?”
“No, you two go ahead. Eva is tired and I don’t want to go without her.”
They groaned and left while Alexander arranged the groceries in the pantry for granny.
“Aww! Hasn’t my boy changed? What magic spell have you cast upon him, my dear? The last time I saw him, he was all fire and ice, growling and seething all the time. Now he looks all tamed and sweet,” said granny with a chuckle. Alexander rolled his eyes, wondering how they both could harp on the same thing. He wasn’t tamed! He would show his wild self after Eva’s delivery!
“Hasn’t he changed, granny? Do you too think that I’ve tamed him with my love?” asked Eva excitedly.
“Absolutely! You have. There’s no denying the fact.”
“So have I,” said Alexander with an eye roll. “I’ve tamed your free spirit and made you mine.”
Eva grinned, shaking her head while granny chuckled.
“I wanted to belong to you. It took little effort on your part.”
“Same for me. I wanted you to tame my temper and accept me in your life.”
“So you both got what you wanted, right? Now it’s time for me to get what I want,” said granny with a smile.
“What do you want, granny?” they chorused.
“I want to spend the last few years of my life with my family, my children, and grandchildren, but your grandpa never wanted to leave this place and his hobby center.”
They hugged her, feeling bad for her. “Now that grandpa has agreed, we can all stay together, granny,” said Eva, making her smile.
“He has agreed only because of you, my dear girl.”
For the next few days, Eva bonded with Alexander’s family. It was now her own. She had never expected them to accept her unconditionally in their lives. The days flew by amidst fun and frolic. It was a much-needed break after the trauma they went through. Eva looked forward to her trip with Alexander. It wasn’t a road trip, but it was on their bucket list since the last time they visited the place.
They hugged granny and grandpa before leaving.
“See you soon in New York. Don’t change your mind,” scolded Alyssa.
“I won’t let them change their mind. We’ll return home together,” said her mom.
“Enjoy yourselves and take care,” said Alexander’s dad.
After two hours, they boarded the flight to Las Vegas. It was Alyssa and Nicholas’s first trip together after marriage, and they were quite excited. “I wanted to tag along with you two the last time, remember?” said Alyssa, and Eva nodded.
“Last time was more fun. We went on a road trip,” said Eva.
“I’m not comfortable with road trips, especially in my condition,” whispered Alyssa. Eva gaped at her friend, wondering what condition she was in.
“What condition? Are you sick or something?”
“No, I might be pregnant. I missed my periods this month,” she whispered back.
“Didn’t you take a home test?” asked Eva in a low whisper.
“It’s too early to take a test. I’m just three days overdue. Let’s see if I get my period in a day or two.”
A clueless Nicholas slept all throughout the flight while Alexander read a book on how to be a successful entrepreneur! The two friends had a lot to catch up on and they were happy to be able to gossip.
“What’s going on between Hails and Ashton? Any idea?” asked Eva in a whisper.
“Don’t you know about it? Hails bought the hotel Ashton is working in.”
“I know that. And?”
Alyssa giggled and leaned closer to her after ensuring that Alexander wasn’t listening. “Hails is forcefully staying with Ashton, giving him a dose of his own medicine. She’s seducing him in her true Hayley style with mind-blowing s*x. I wonder if he’ll survive to move on from her!” They burst into fits of giggling, making Alexander look up.
“Ashton is a tough nut to crack!” said Alexander with a sly grin. So was he all ears to their conversation?
“He might be tough, but not immune to Hayley,” said Eva.
“I’m expecting their wedding next. Maybe she would end up pregnant and Ashton would have to marry her,” said Alyssa. Alexander rolled his eyes and concentrated on his book. Only he knew the truth!
They reached Las Vegas and Alexander pulled up a drowsy Nicholas. “What dude? Have you come here to sleep?”
“Blame your sister, man. She ate some crap and vomited the entire night. How can a man sleep?” Alexander chuckled at the clueless guy. Nicholas would always be the same!
“Has it ever occurred to you she might be pregnant with your baby?” asked Alexander slowly, making his jaws drop with shock.
“No way! I know nothing about babies!” he gasped.
So the entire way to the Grand Canyon Village, Alexander gave lessons to a clueless Nicholas about how to be a perfect dad. The girls enjoyed their banter more than the spectacular scenery of the Grand Canyon National Park. They reached the same quaint luxury lodge overlooking the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park where they had stayed previously. It brought back memories of their time together. After freshening up, they went sightseeing. With both the girls pregnant, they returned early after a relaxing trip.
The sun was about to set and Alexander sat on the balcony of his room, waiting for Eva to join him. He pulled her onto his lap when she came over and they watched the magical sunset together.
“Do you remember this room? We stayed here the last time,” said Alexander, holding her against his heart.
“Yes, I remember everything.”
“Do you remember what I said to you that night? I said I’d fight for you,” he whispered, and Eva nodded. “I did, Eva, and our love has finally won everyone over.”
“Yes, thank you for fulfilling all my dreams, Alexander.”
“Thanks for helping me fulfill mine. This time when we return, I’ll start Every’s with full force. I’ll build my empire, something larger than Rotterdams.”
“I know you will.” She lay her head on his shoulder and watched the sunset, happy to find her family, her home, her childhood crush, her love, her tamed hot billionaire, her Alexander!