billion book
Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Chapter 86 – Crazy For You
(Anj‘s POV)
“This is life!” Anya exclaimed as she sat on the oversized hanging swing on the porch. She propped a pillow to the edge of the swing and lay down. I sat on the other swing, just across from her. I imagined the waves crashing into the ocean by just listening to their sound.
Dylan joined us. “This place is so big, the kids could get lost,” he said, sitting beside me. Anya raised her eyebrows. “Relax, Dylan. You‘re not the dad. No offense, dude!” He sighed. “Don‘t dude me, Anya. I have lots of work, but you dragged me here.” She got up. “Dylan, let‘s relax for a while, okay? Even if we work our asses off, we won‘t get to own this place. So please...” She pouted when Dylan shook his head. “Anya‘s right. Let‘s just relax, okay?” I said, putting my feet up and hugging my knees. I tilted my head to check on my kids playing with Nitro. It must be Sky‘s idea to give them the puppy so they won‘t remember him. Maybe it was for the best. “Ohhh....” Anya moaned as she closed her eyes. “Peace, sere” “Moooooommmmmyyyy!” cried Selene as she ran to me. “There goes serenity,” she sneered, inhaled the salty, fresh air, and looked at Selene. I took her and sat my daughter on my lap. “What wrong?”
“They don‘t want me to hold Nitro. It was my turn already,” She hiccupped. Anya hissed. “Your Uncle Finn should have given you three puppies since he could afford to bring us here on a private jet. How much is a dog compared to jet fuel?” She climbed down the swing. “Come with me.” She extended her hand to her.
“I wonder what Aunt Anya would do?” teased Dylan.
“I‘m getting a knife. I‘m cutting that cute dog into three.” She said, laughing wickedly at her niece. Selene gasped and gaped at me with horror in her eyes. “Mommy...”
“Anya!” I hissed at her, but my cousin only laughed.
“I‘m just kidding. It‘s late, and it‘s Aunt Anya‘s turn to tuck you to bed. Come with me, and let‘s give Uncle Dylan and Mommy a chance to talk,” she said, taking her hand. My daughter twitched her lips. “Where will Nitro sleep?” “With me,” She answered. “Why?” She asked as they walked inside.
“Because Uncle Dylan is a man. He‘s not scared of ghosts. You all sleep together with Mommy. No one will sleep beside me, so Nitro‘s sleeping with me. Deal?”
We didn‘t hear her answer. I was sure there would be many arguments before Anya could have the puppy sleep beside her.
“Sometimes your cousin is amazing, but when she does that to a child, she‘s really annoying,” Dylan said.
I chuckled. “She‘s always annoying, but I love her very much.” “And I love you,” he uttered, and when I turned my head to him, Dylan caught me by surprise by stealing a quick kiss on my lips.
I was about to stand, but he grabbed my hand. “Stay. I don’t want another accident just because I kissed you, Anj.” He rose to his feet and went to the swing Anya vacated. “I just want us to talk. Don‘t avoid me, please.”
“I‘m not avoiding you,” I lied to him.
“Yes, you do. Anj, I‘m not asking you to love me instantly. I can wait.” He gripped his hair, combing it with his fingers. “Good God, with you, Anj, I have mastered the art of waiting, and if I had to wait forever, I would do that.”
“Dylan, I don‘t have the heart to love any man.” How many times should I reiterate it to him for him to understand me?
“Then I‘ll split my heart into two. I‘ll give the half to you,” He uttered, almost saying it angrily.
“You‘re too generous, Dylan.” I put my feet on the swing and hugged my knees again. “Just give it to someone else.”
He stared at me intently and watched me for so long that I wanted to melt in my seat. “You‘re in love with Sky, hoping he would choose you over Lalaine. Am I right, Anj?” My eyes darted at him, and I shook my head sadly. “I don‘t care if he would choose Lalaine. The hell I care if they got married. I don‘t give a damn if he...” I bit my lip, breathing hard as my body shivered in anger.
I puffed out all the air my lungs probably had.
“Yes, maybe... Maybe... Or, yes,” I closed my eyes. “I am in love with Sky, but if it doesn‘t mean anything, Dylan,” I opened my eyes and scoffed at him. “I‘m stuck in this situation because you pushed me to find a dad for my triplets instead of helping me.”
“So, it‘s my fault?” He asked angrily, but in a hushed tone, even if my children were not around near us. “No! It‘s my fault I did not use my brain. It‘s my fault I become irresponsible when I shouldn‘t have. I was not supposed to be reckless, but I made a poor decision. I let my heart decide, thinking it was wiser than my mind.” My lips quivered, furious at how our conversation was going. We were supposed to talk and clear things out, but I only made it worse. I walked toward the door, and this time he did not grab my hand to stop me, but instead with a
question.
“Is Sky the father of your children, Angela?” I swallowed hard and shook my head without looking at him. “I told you. I don‘t know who the father of my kids is.” I heaved a deep sigh. If I had to lie to him a million
times, I would.“ Give me time to think about your offer, Dylan.” I turned to him. “You know I love you, had always loved you as a friend, but I was not sure if it would grow into something else.” He nodded. “I‘ll settle on that, Anj. Planting a seedling is better than waiting for a tree to grow without planting anything on the ground.” He walked toward me and stopped, cupping my face to meet his eyes. “Don‘t underestimate my love for you, Angela. If I had to move a mountain just to prove my love for you, I would do it.” I scoffed. “You‘re crazy, Dylan.”
“That‘s why I knew how much I love you, Angela. I‘m crazy for you.” He pulled me to him and embraced me, but Dylan did not attempt to do anything this time.