Hello!
lav Review:
"Yay! They made up! Again thanks for the great chapter, looking forward to the next one.
Just wondering can you do a chapter form Maxon's point of view when he is taking care if the twins?"
WriterQueen123 Response:
Thank you for your support! I've never thought of writing Maxon's point of view, but maybe I could try it. It just seems so foreign!
Virtue01 Review:
"Love the compromise America made about the trip. The details of your writing are so realistic showing how America and Maxon are feeling about being apart. Excellent writing and thank you for the update."
WriterQueen123 Response:
Thank you so much for your kindness! I really appreciate your comments.
Guest Review:
"This is so good! I love your writing so much! You are an amazing writer with such great talent! Thank you for spending you time to do this!"
WriterQueen123 Response:
Thank you for reviewing! I treasure your sweet review.
Maxerica Review:
"I love this story so much! I can't wait any longer! Please update soon! You are such a talented writer!"
WriterQueen123 Response:
Thank you so much for leaving your support! I hope you like this chapter.
Thank you all for being here and reading my story! We're now in France, a day after America arrived with Eadlyn and Ahren...
I craned my neck to glance at the clock next to our bed. Three in the morning. France was eight hours ahead from Angeles, so I'd been restless all night. Maxon, having already spent two weeks here, was already adjusted to the time difference.
As I tried to close my eyes and relax for the hundredth time that night, Eadlyn let out a soft whimper. She and Ahren were sleeping in little bassinets next to the bed I was sharing with Maxon. We were all staying in an extremely luxurious house that Maxon had received ownership of after his father died.
Eadlyn whined again, and she began to wail. I sighed, rubbed my temples to fight a stirring headache, and slipped out of bed. I lifted her out of the bassinet and swayed with her in my arms, trying to hush my daughter.
"What's wrong, little one?" I asked, gently rocking her. I kissed her forehead, but she continued to cry and thrash in my arms. I gazed at Maxon, who was still curled up in bed, oblivious to the screaming baby I was holding. I scolded myself for feeling the slightest bit jealous of how soundly he was sleeping. "Do you want milk, Eady?" I offered, settling into a chair with her and lifting my nightgown for her.
She ignored my efforts but quieted down, sniffling. I had to take her out of the bedroom before Ahren woke up too.
I was too late. Ahren began to cry, shaking his little fists around and weakly hitting the sides of his bassinet. I groaned inwardly before setting Eadlyn down and lifting Ahren up. I couldn't carry both of them together because their necks always had to be supported.
"Ahren, shhh," I whispered, trying to calm my five-month-old son. Hearing his crying, Eadlyn began to howl again. I sighed as Maxon rustled in bed before sitting up and rubbing his bleary eyes.
"What did I miss?" he grumbled, seeing me trying to soothe the wailing twins.
I let out a tired sigh. "Eadlyn just started crying, and she woke up Ahren. I can't get either of them to calm down, though. Sorry we woke you up."
He shook his head, smiling and rolling his eyes at my apology. "No need to say sorry," he said, wearily climbing out of bed to help me with the twins.
Maxon gently pulled Eadlyn into his arms while I rocked with Ahren. "How have your two weeks been?" I asked over the sniffling of our babies.
"Good. France is a stronger ally for Illéa than ever before."
"That's good to hear," I said, pursing my lips and nodding awkwardly. Maxon and I had never been apart for more than a few days, so it felt weird going straight back to our normal closeness after so long.
The twins finally quieted down, so the heavy silence that hung between us felt like a swollen rain cloud. "Well, I'm really glad you're here," Maxon said, tucking Eadlyn into the bassinet. I did the same with Ahren. "I've missed you and the twins like crazy."
I gave him a sad smile. "You have no idea how much we've missed you."
Maxon grinned, holding his arms out for me. "C'mere." I gratefully sank into Maxon's arms and leaned my head against his chest. Any weird tension between us dissipated. I was home.
I woke up in the morning to the sound of Eadlyn and Ahren crying again. I gritted my teeth and buried myself in pillows, trying to squeeze a little more sleep out of the night. It was ten in the morning, but the time felt like two in the middle of the night.
I heard Maxon place a hefty book he'd been reading on his bedside table. He slowly got out of bed and made his way over to the whining twins. I felt a prickle of guilt about staying in bed and letting Maxon deal with the babies, so I gloomily threw the covers off myself.
Before I could climb out of bed, Maxon kissed my forehead tenderly and tucked me back in. "Just sleep, my dear. You need the rest." I was too exhausted to protest, so I just closed my eyes and let myself drift back to sleep.
o o o
A few hours later, I woke up to see Maxon lying in bed with the twins snuggled against his chest. He was reading them a picture book. Maxon winked when he saw me gazing at them. "What do you want to do today?"
"You don't have any meetings or anything?" I asked, surprised.
"I cleared everything for the day so we'd have it together." My heart fluttered wildly. Maxon was so adorable and sweet and caring and generous. How could I possibly deserve such a perfect person?
"Why don't we do something in the city? Explore a bit?" I offered. "I've never been to Paris."
"Okay..." Maxon was silent for a few moments, contemplating the possibilities. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and an excited smile danced across his lips. "I've got the perfect place."
Our driver dropped us off in the middle of the city. As soon as we stepped out of the limousine, I could smell the lovely scents of warm bread and croissants drifting our way from a nearby bakery. The twins were contentedly sleeping in a stroller that I was pushing. I knew that we had dozens of undercover guards surrounding us, ensuring our security, but it still felt freeing to walk around regular citizens.
"This is my first time outside the country," I breathed to Maxon, awe shining in my eyes.
"It's going to be worth the wait," Maxon promised. "We're going to do a pretty touristy thing, but I think it'll be amazing. I'm taking you to the Eiffel Tower."
We couldn't see the Tower from where we were walking, but Maxon insisted he knew where he was going. He held a map of the city in his left hand and held my hand with his other. I steered the twins' double stroller on my right side. "How long is this supposed to take?" I questioned after we'd been walking for half an hour.
Maxon furrowed his brow, examining the map intently. "We should already be here. It was supposed to be a twenty minute walk."
I sighed melodramatically. "Let me take a look, Maxon."
"No, it's fine. Maybe we've just been walking at a slower pace than normal. Do you want to stop at a bakery before we keep going?" He pointed to a traditional-looking shop with a sign that read Boulangerie.
"Mmm, yes!" I agreed enthusiastically. We bought two loaves of bread to take home as well as two rich chocolate éclairs. After our security tested all the food we bought, Maxon and I dove into our éclairs. The crisp casing burst in my mouth like a firework, releasing a creamy chocolate filling. "This is amazing!" I mumbled, licking my lips.
"I know," Maxon said, laughing at the euphoric grin that I couldn't keep off my face. "You ready to continue our adventure?"
"Yes!" The twins were still sleeping when we headed out of the warm, aromatic bakery into the chillier street. Maxon noticed me shiver slightly.
"Are you cold? Do you want my jacket?" he offered.
"I'm fine," I assured my husband. "You keep it." He rolled his eyes with a smirk and wrapped me up in his jacket anyway. I thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.
After we'd been walking for another fifteen minutes, Maxon inspected the map again. "What's wrong with this?" he complained. "I'm following the directions exactly."
"Come on, let me see." Maxon reluctantly passed the map to me, and I couldn't help but crack up when I realized his mistake.
"Huh?" Maxon muttered, frowning.
"We've been heading in the wrong direction, genius!" I laughed.
"What? No way," Maxon persisted.
"Yes way. That's the bakery where we just ate." I pointed to its location on the map. "We've been walking in the opposite direction from the Eiffel Tower."
"Ugh, I'm the worst," Maxon groaned. "I'm really sorry I screwed this up, Ames."
"You didn't screw anything up," I promised, nudging him lightly with my shoulder. "It's been amazing just walking around in Paris, experiencing daily life. I'm sure we can visit the Eiffel Tower another day."
"I'll take you and the twins to the Eiffel Tower in a few days, for real," Maxon declared.
"Okay," I giggled, leaning my head on my shoulder as we meandered down the streets of Paris.