six hours

3: SUPRISE!!!

"WHAT'S HE DOING HERE!!!" Ed shouted as he slammed the door of the jeep open. A minute later, Ash and I watched as the twins were shouting at workers and demanding answers, but no one seemed to be responding. The tension in the air thickened until we heard the clicking of heels approaching us.

"SURPRISE!!!"

To our surprise, Kevin Romano and his girlfriend Abigail were standing on the doorstep, beaming with smiles. "My brothers!! I thought I'd give you and your babes a surprise. Don't worry, Mom told me you were coming here, so I came ahead of you all," Kevin said, laughing heartily, his tone full of mischief.

"HOW DARE YOU COME HERE, YOU ILLEGITIMATE SON OF ROMANO!!!" Ed screamed, his voice filled with rage as Cris clenched his fists, veins popping on his forehead.

"Relax, my brothers, no need to shout," Kevin said coolly, trying to defuse the situation as he ogled me and flashed a flirty smile. At this, Ed lost his composure and, without hesitation, threw a punch at Kevin. Kevin winced in pain, letting out a loud whine as he stumbled backward.

At that moment, I exchanged a look with Ash, and we both seemed to have the same idea. Before things got any uglier, I shot a death glare at the uninvited couple and grabbed a furious Ed by the arm, pulling him inside. As we entered the hallway, memories of my first time here flooded back. The long staircase stretched from the ground floor to the second floor, where six bedrooms were placed in a circular arrangement, each door facing the other. The design of the ceiling reminded me of a Catholic church—soaring and grand—while the vast spaces seemed to call for freedom. It was a place of happiness, a little heaven tucked away from the world.

Reaching the second floor, I noticed the bedrooms' doors had been redesigned. The names of their owners were engraved on them—no surprise there; it was an old Romano tradition. I pushed open the door with Ed's name on it and ushered him inside.

"Lock the door behind you," he said in a calm voice, a sharp contrast to his earlier storm of anger.

I turned towards him and couldn't help but notice how everything in the room had changed. There was more space, and the walls were adorned with pictures of me. A king-sized bed was covered in silky black sheets, and the French windows led out to a balcony. In the center of the room were two sofas with a small round coffee table, and in the corner was a complete office setup. Wow, I thought, he wasn't kidding when he said he was taking his uncle's business seriously.

"Babe, are you okay?" I asked as I gave Ed a reverse hug, pressing my face into his back.

"I will be, if only that piece of trash leaves at once," Ed replied, his voice dripping with frustration as he let himself sink into my hug.

"You should learn to control your anger. This isn't the first time, and I'm afraid it won't be the last," I said, gently guiding him to face me.

"You know I can't tolerate him," he said, fire still burning in his eyes but with calmness in his voice. "But he just goes out of his way to make things worse, especially when it comes to you, Nora."

I could feel the tension rising again, so I leaned in and kissed him softly, wrapping my arms around him for comfort.

*

"Is he asleep?" Ash asked as we made dinner.

"Oui, I tried to reason with him, but his blood's at boiling point," I replied, adding chili to the soup.

"How about Cris? Is he okay?" I asked, stirring the pot.

"You know, when one twin is on fire, the other becomes the fire extinguisher. At least Ed calmed down a bit," Ash laughed as she placed the soup on the trays. "The things I had to do to calm my man baby... it's a lot!"

Just then, a rusty voice emerged from the door. "Wow, the two housewives making dinner for their hubbies!"

"You know what, Abigail, you're very lucky that our hubbies didn't 'palp' your trash of a boyfriend!" Ash snapped back, pulling me out of the kitchen as she left the evil queen alone.

Things weren't always like this between Abigail, Ash, and me. We used to be best friends until she found out Ash and I were dating the Romano boys. She grew jealous, especially when she realized there were three Romano brothers. So, she started dating Kevin, and her heart was at peace—until she discovered Kevin was the richest of the Romano boys. After that, she started showing off, but the reality was far from her idealized version.

Ash tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a smile. "Don't worry, tomorrow is another day. Oui, I know things are out of hand, but the boys need our support. Let's not break down, n'est pas ma chérie?" she said.

I nodded and watched as she walked away.

*

"I made you something," I said softly as I woke Ed up. He didn't say anything—he just got up and walked to where the soup was. He started eating before looking back at me.

"Aren't you eating?" he asked.

"I'm coming. I'm not hungry, but I'll eat for your sake. Do you like it?" I asked, plastering a smile on my face.

To my surprise, he smiled back. "Oui, ma chérie, somehow you cook well. But you can stop faking your smile—I won't change my mood again, I promise."

That was odd, but I liked it. After finishing, I quickly cleaned up, and Ed decided to take a shower.

In the evening, while Ed was working, my phone buzzed. I looked and saw a text from a group chat.

Mrs. Renee: What!! I'm coming there right now!!!

Ash: No need, mom-in-law, I got everything under control.

Mrs. Renee: How did this happen? Are you girls alright? How are my sons?

Ash: Yes, all is well, mom-in-law.

Me: Mrs. Renee, you don't need to come here. We're fine.

Mrs. Renee: Now that both of you have said your part, I'll stay, but promise me you'll be fine, and please take care of those donkeys I call my sons for me. 😁

Ash: Ok. 😁🙂👍

Me: Who are the donkeys again? 🤔

Mrs. Renee: Really!! 😐 Promise me, Nora.

Ash: 😂😂 Good night, mom-in-law.

Me: 😂😂 Okay, I promise. Good night, Mrs. Renee.

Mrs. Renee: Good night, my girls. 💋💤

I chuckled at the thought of my boyfriend being called a donkey.

"Do share," Ed said as he joined me in the bed.

"Well, your mom is coming," I said with a smile.

"Let her come. Besides, I miss her," he said, placing his head on my lap, letting me stroke his hair slowly. "I love you, my little tulip. I always will."

That sentence made me smile. "I love you too." If only I knew that the love we shared would become a weapon that could destroy me. I watched as my man baby drifted off into sleep and smiled to myself.

=============================

Any thoughts about why Cris and Edward hate Kevin?

What do you think of Kevin and Abigail's characters?

What do you think of Nora and Ashley?

Stay safe, people 💋💋💋