Chapter 43~ Long time no see
Michelle ran out to the garden, her heart galloping violently against her ribcage. She placed a hand on the left side of her chest as she breathed heavily.
‘I can’t believe Graham is Aaron’s friend! What a small world! How do I face him now?’
The last time she saw him was several years ago when he had just joined the military. It was during a family dinner when they were told they were promised to each other. Michelle didn’t want to get married to a man who would be in the military his whole life so she left the City before they could get engaged
They had never seen each other since then despite their parents still being friends. Graham didn’t even make any effort to follow up on why she left before the engagement could take place.
Michelle assumed he too didn’t want to get married. But seeing him again made her heart strangely skip a beat. He looked so mature and handsome. He was built like a tank and she was sure he was ripped under that suit that was a little tight on his body.
After a few minutes, a thought suddenly occurred to her and she furrowed her eyebrows
She
recalled how she had reacted when she saw him and a sliver of irritation rushed through her. She
muttered under her breath, “Why did I run away? It’s not like I’m scared of him or anything.”
Embarrassment crept into her when she realised how running away may have looked like to
everyone in the lounge. She sighed and stood in the garden, unable to go back in. Did Graham recognise her? He surely did. Their eyes had met and even though his face was devoid of any
emotions, she knew he had recognised her.
The knot in her stomach tightened as she thought about what she would say to him. Should she explain why she ran away? Does he even care?
At the same time, Aaron was introducing his friends to his new family.
“This is Reagan, my first-born son and little prince. This is Nia, my second princess and then Willa
my third princess,” he said and then looked at the triplets, “Kids, greet your uncles. This is Uncle Tony, Uncle Graham and Uncle Victor.”
The kids smiled and said in unison. “Nice to meet you uncles!”
The three men smiled and took the time to carry the kids. After they had exchanged a few words,
the men then turned their attention to Tessa,
Aaron introduced them. He coiled an arm around Tessa’s waist possessively and uttered, “This is Tessa Hilton The mother of my children, my girlfriend and my FUTURE WIFE.”
Tessa’s face flamed up at how Aaron introduced her. She smiled and remarked, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
This was the first time she was meeting Aaron’s friends. Back then when they were secretly dating, Aaron never showed her off in public. But now, things were different. He proudly introduced her to his close friends as his girlfriend and it made her feel giddy.
She looked at the three men and took them in Tony Hendrix had blond hair with brown eyes. He was the most approachable among the four friends. Victor Clinton… she recognised him as the
Doctor she met at the hospital when Aaron broke his legs.
He was more reserved and quiet. He had sandy brown hair and amber eyes. Graham Thompson was more rough looking. He had hazel eyes with a military haircut. He was huge and ripped. Unlike the others who had great but lean bodies.
“Glad to finally meet you, Mrs Wentworth,” Tony said as he took Tessa’s hand and kissed the top
part.
Aaron frowned and took back Tessa’s hand. He shot Tony a nasty look and questioned, “Can’t you just greet her like a normal person? Was the kiss necessary?”
Tony raised an eyebrow and remarked, “Seriously? Are you getting jealous when the woman literally only has eyes for you? She even had your babies! You should see the way she looks at you man… you’re a very lucky man.”
1
Heat crept up Tessa’s cheeks. She cleared her throat and uttered, “It’s time to start the party. I’m going to look for Michelle-”
“Let me,” Graham offered in his deep baritone voice. “There’s something the two of us need to talk
about.”
Tessa furrowed her eyebrows as she was worried about her friend. She glanced up at Aaron and he
nodded at her, silently reassuring her that it was ok to let Graham go after Michelle.
Graham followed Michelle outside the hotel and found her standing in the garden. Her back was facing him so she didn’t know that he was there. He approached her silently and asked, “Are you
going to keep running away when you see me?”
“Ah!” Michelle shrieked. Graham caught her unawares and startled her. She lost her balance and
fell backwards.
Using his fast reflexes, Graham reached forth and coiled an arm around her tiny waist. They ended up in a compromising position with Graham leaning over Michelle while his hand was holding her waist.
For a moment, their eyes met and time seemed to stop. Michelle’s breathing hitched and her heart fluttered. Her eyes widened as she stared at Graham’s handsome face up close.
‘Jesus Christ! Has he always been this hot?’
She noticed how he had beautiful hazel eyes and nice plump pink lips. Her throat ran dry as she stared at his lips, gulping. ‘He has very kissable lips.’
Graham was equally stunned but his face was devoid of any emotion. A strange emotion coursed through him as he held Michelle’s body close to his but he pushed it down. He cleared his throat and said huskily, “Careful.”
Michelle’s heart was pounding erratically until it became deafening. Her stomach twisted as she thought of what to say. She began, “Um, Graham, years ago, 1-”
However, Graham cut off her words. He helped her stand straight and stated, “The party is starting Don’t run away and hide because of me. I don’t care that you ran away back then so there’s no need to explain or feel bad I didn’t want to marry you either.”
Michelle who was trying to recover from what just happened frowned. She folded her arms and
Chap 43-Long time no see
glared at him before saying curtly. “Who said I was running away from you? I just needed some air, that’s all.”
Graham smirked and replied, “Yeah, right. You saw me and bolted. Everyone saw that. Let’s go inside and not be awkward. I don’t plan on forcing you to marry me so don’t worry. Besides, you’re
not my type.”
Anget flared through Michelle. Her parents said Graham was a gentleman. How come he was being so infuriating?
She felt like hitting his devilishly handsome face but she held herself back and spat, “You’re not my type either. Why would I marry a military man?”
She whipped around and walked back into the hotel. The smirk that was on Graham’s face disappeared. A complex emotion stirred through him and he narrowed his eyes as he watched. Michelle’s back as she walked away.
He clenched his hands tightly and whispered to himself, “It’s for the best. I can’t give her the life she deserves.”
Back inside the hotel, after Michelle and Graham returned, the group finally entered the hall. The guests clapped as Aaron took the microphone from the MC while carrying Willa.
He began, “I’m excited today because this was the day Tessa and I became parents. And although I regret that I wasn’t there when she gave birth to our beautiful children. I’m very happy to be in their lives. Being a father is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to formally introduce to you the Wentworth group heirs. Reagan, Nia and Willa Wentworth. And this is their mother, Tessa Hilton. I’m sure you all know that she’s my
woman.”
The crowd cheered at his speech. He then led the kids and Tessa to join Edmund and Elena at the high table. The party was lively. Different company owners presented gifts to the kids and then the kids cut the cakes. When they were done, the bodyguards led all the kids to play in the garden while the adults remained to chat and mingle.
There was music playing in the background Aaron glanced at Tessa and asked, “Would you like to
dance?”
Tessa’s eyes flew open. “In front of all these people?”
“Why not? I want to show off that the most beautiful woman in this place is mine,” Aaron said with a raised eyebrow.
Heat crept up Tessa’s face at his words. She agreed and took the hand he was holding out to her. When they got to the dance floor, slow music began to play.
Aaron snaked his arms around Tessa’s waist and pulled her closer to his body while Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him.
They swayed from side to side, following the rhythm of the music. Aaron suddenly asked, “Were you surprised when I said the kids were Wentworths?”
Tessa shook her head and replied, “No. They are Wentworths. I had already applied for the change. of their surnames. I’m just waiting for a response.”
It was Aaron’s turn to be surprised this time. His eyes turned to saucers as he inquired, “When did
Chapter 43-Long time no see
you do that? I was actually thinking of a way to bring it up to you.”
“When you were recovering from the accident. The kids had always asked me why there were not
called by their father’s name like everyone at school,” Tessa replied, sighing.
Aaron’s eyes watered with tears. Regret filled him again. He glanced down at Tessa and said, Thank you for doing that, love. I was wondering how to bring it up and if you were ready for them to change their surname. That was so nice of you. I’ll always be there for them. For all of you.”
“I know,” Tessa nodded.
She suddenly saw Graham and Michelle on the dance floor but they were glaring at each other as if they were about to murder each other. She frowned and said to Aaron, chuckling, “I think Graham and Michelle are a match made in heaven. Look at them dancing when they clearly hate
each other.”
“There’s a thin line between love and hate. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up in bed tonight,” Aaron stated as he glanced in their friends’ direction.
When they were done dancing, they began to walk back to their seats when a female voice called out Aaron’s name affectionately.
“Aaron!”
They both whipped around to see who it was. There was a young beautiful blonde female who had curves like a celebrity, standing a few meters away from them. She had a dreamy look on her face as she stared at Aaron wistfully.
Before Tessa could register what the hell was happening, the bombshell ran towards Aaron and flung her arms around his neck, screaming, “Long time no see!”
