Touching the Heart of Ace

I was quite surprised to see him not lying next to me in the morning. I was so used to waking on his chest or under him, when the first ray of sunshine falls on my face.

I touched his side of the bed and pouted, not liking the way he was absent.

I had to see him first thing in the morning.

God, I was so spoiled.

I rubbed my eyes and savoured the feel of coldness creeping to my feet.

I went through our dialogues in my head to check if I had accidently forgot any meetings or plans Daddy had told me about.

I could come up with nothing.

I gently peeked to my Little Baby's room and my heart skipped a beat not seeing her there curled as a ball with her bum up in her blanket. Even seeing her blue blanket on the floor - which was clearly Robbie's doing - I could not shake the paranoia of not seeing her.

I cleared my throat and called out for her, walking to the stairs. "Lia... baby... where are you?"

I heard a muffled baby giggle from downstairs and small feet running away.

I smiled, not even noticing it myself until I saw the reflection on the greenhouse glass panels.

They made me so happy.

My smile became wider when I saw white, pink and peach roses on the stair railing. I chuckled seeing no thorns on their stems; of course Robbie's father heart could not bear if they accidently pricked our baby and made her cry.

There were of course 'our' cards carefully placed in between bunches of flowers which were intimate and private only for a lover's eyes.

Thankfully, Lia could not read yet.

We had to cut short on our flirting a lot because she had started to listen well to our talks and words. So, now Daddy had to literally whisper them right to my ears.

I liked that so much; it was more romantic that way.

Some of the words were so cheesy and corny, making me giggle and laugh already.

"Little Baby??? Daddy??? Come on out." I called again before plucking another note from a Shenzhen Nongke orchid.

From where did he get all these beautiful exotic flowers.

I can believe this flower is man-made. But baby, you, my Pretty Little Angel... even your little finger must be crafted by gods of heaven for millions of years, to be this perfect. I blushed bright red.

This man and his corniness.

I heard another baby giggle floating away from me.

"I am going to get you..." I giggled as well.

I missed them terribly.

"Daddy, Daddy, Davey is coming..." Lia tried hard to whisper but her giggles gave her away.

I loved her so much. She was so cute.

I wanted to squish her to my chest right this instant.

I saw a tiny foot behind the couch, so I tiptoed until I was right behind and I cradled her to my body and blew a raspberry on that baby tummy.

Her peals of laughter were music to my ears.

"Nuuuu... Nuuuu Davey... Nu..."

"I got you. I got you, baby girl. Got you. Now I am gonna throw you to sky. One two three..." I made a swing with my arms and 'threw' her.

"Ageeen... ageeen... ageeen Davey... ageen."

Of course I did it again.

"Where is Daddy, baby girl? Is he hiding?"

"Uh...uh... Daddy say hidee..."

"Aw! Then let us go find him."

She nodded enthusiastically before running off screaming for Daddy.

I could clearly see him standing behind the French door.

What was he doing here, in his chilly early morning wearing a shiny black suit, with equally shiny black shoes? I thought he hated that red silk tie.

Well, hated to wear it. He liked it too much, when I tied his hands to the bed post with the same.

We would be a quirky couple if someone saw us right now.

He was perfect with his wet hair combed back sleek and shining, in nice suit and shoes, wearing my favourite perfume of his, while I was still in my messy bed head, in night shirt with undone buttons and loose shorts past my hip bone, wearing the residual smell of our late night activities and warmth of the bed.

I noticed Robbie was hiding one hand behind his back.

"What you got?" I teased, before cradling his head in the circle of my arms.

"My heart."

I blushed and smiled. "So corny, first thing in the morning."

"Correction. So in love, the first thing in the morning."

"Oh, are you?"

"Very much so."

His eyes were skipping over my eyes and I could only blush and squirm with shyness.

I chuckled when he showed me the red rose he was hiding. He placed it inside the breast pocket of my night shirt, over my heart, after kissing there.

"Still not going to make you fried chicken every dinner."

I teased again. I had cut short on his oil in take late at night when I had noticed elevated B.P in his medical report last month. We had fallen into the routine of getting ourselves checked along with Lia.

I knew his B.P spike was because of divorce related stress but too much oil was bad anyways.

"Bummer! Why did I go through all these then, Angel? I am going to demand a refund." He teased back.

I giggled. "I knew it. You love your fried stuff than me."

"Not even close and you know it, Brat. I love you so much."

Of course I did.

My eyes shifted to the shiny rock on my hand, which was estimated to be at least 11 million dollars by a YouTube gemmologist and a jewellery maker; he hadn't calculated the labour charge.

I shook my head.

Robbie was something else.

A ring was a ring.

It was the emotions that made it priceless. My dad proposed my mom with the ring he bought with his first profit from his company. And it was the cheapest among the engagement and wedding rings in our whole family. His love, devotion and loyalty to my mother was questioned because of the price of the ring but my mom said it was the most expensive thing she had ever owned.

Her home was one of the ten luxurious private abodes in the world, so...

She was really happy and in love with that ring that she wore it to her death bed.

I have kept both of their rings together in a ring box because it was as if the rings were also in love with each other.

One was worth a million, other was worth merely thousands... yet they belonged together.

A kiss on my forehead brought me back to reality.

"You love that ring." Robbie stated the obvious.

"Yes."

"Dance with me, Angel?"

"What had gotten into you?" I flicked his ear, yet I went slack in his arms, so he could easily manoeuvre my body however he liked.

"Daddy!!! Daddyyy!!!" Little Lia came running and smacked herself to the back of my knee, talking nonstop about the adventures she had while looking for Daddy.

Robbie scooped her up with a laugh and covered her in kisses. "Princess, you got me. Want to dance with us?"

"Robbie..." I warned.

I did not like being too touchy in front of Lia. Well, I did not like getting touchy in front of Lia at all. It would be difficult to explain familial relationships to my baby girl mostly because of our faults. The situation with Robbie, Janice and I was not easy for an adult to understand or accept, then how my baby girl could.

I was her Davey and Robbie was her Daddy.

That was it.

Robbie only winked before trapping me back into his arms with Lia squished between our chests.

Well, that was cute.

I giggled.

"Daddy, stop..."

I laughed. We were just awkwardly swinging left and right but Lia was happy and smiling. Daddy had two left feet on a good day; one of the reasons why I just lean heavily on Robbie's body when we dance and let him use me like a doll.

Then Robbie put Lia back to her feet and whispered something about a surprise and my Little Torpedo went off again, screaming 'suppiseeeeeeee'.

"Angel?"

"Mmm..."

"Will you please make me the happiest man on the world and let me kiss your lips?"

What? What the...

Why was he asking?

I searched his eyes and saw the answer in his guilt ridden eyes. I tried to push away from his hug but he only tightened his hold.

"Ro..."

"I wish I were stronger. I wish I were the perfect man for you. I wish I were the man that deserves an Angel like you..."

"You are, Robbie. What are you talking about?"

Fuck! How I wished I could take my words back.

"No. I am not. Most probably, I will never be..."

"No, you are the perfect man for me. You are the man I deserve. You know why?"

He shook his head.

"Because you are the man I love. You are the man I want to wake up with every morning, go to bed every night, do everything I want to do... You deserve me because I love you so... Because I can't think of loving anyone else... I have tried and I know what it felt like..."

The dreams filled with his ghosts of his touch, the ringing of his voices and the silhouette of his body... The feeling of guilt every time I had to squish down when I saw Tris... Augustus looking expectantly at my face; because I was seeing this man every second of my life.

Robbie was the perfect man for me, though our life was not perfect at all.

It was imperfect with darkness, twists and pain.

Yet...

He was all I wanted... needed.

I had forgiven him a long time ago, for destroying, corrupting and rotting my... our... first kiss.

But forget was something I could not... not because of lack of trying...

"Please kiss me..." Robbie begged.

He had no reason to beg me. I had done pretending to hate him, his touches, his kisses... more than that I had done pretending not to want to kiss him, touch him, love him.

He had no idea how powerful I felt, to see him tied and helpless under me while I rode his shaft as if my life depended on it; how calm and peaceful I felt, just to hide my face in his chest and hug him with my eyes closed; how happy and cherished I felt when I could just walk to him and sit on his lap as if he was my throne.

So I kissed him. A chaste kiss; like this was first kiss we shared.

"I will fucking do this, every day in the morning to... to... be a better man for you, Angel. I promise... There are no words I can say to...'

I blinked back my tears, knowing quiet well it would not do much but I had no mind to tell him that. He was suffering as much as it was already.

I had forgiven him. I did. But that was all I could do.

"No."

He froze.

"I don't need roses or chaste kisses first thing in the morning, every day. Not because they are not romantic Daddy, but I want to wake up next to you... I want to kiss you and hug you while you are still asleep. I want to feel your hands trying to keep me in bed some more time. I want to see your face and know for myself that we are real. I want to do what we have been doing already. Because it is perfect; already perfect. You are perfect."

My fingers kept on playing with his ear and nape.

"Promise me that you will do that if you are physically capable of that."

"I promise. Whatever my Angel wants."

"Good. That is settled then. Now, where is my surprise?"

Baby girl was gone for some time.

"Heee, Davey heee..." Little Lia stood on her tippy toes and extended a paper to my face.

"Little Angel, how long have you been standing there? Why did you not call for Davey?" I asked.

She giggled before skipping around us. "Daddy an an... Daddy an... Davey twaking... Twak twak... so... so Lilil... Lilliill baby... lilly baby...". Paper still fluttering over her head.

I finally took her in my arms, patting her head. "Little Baby saw Daddy and Davey talking. So you waited?"

"Uuuhhh... uhhh..."

"Good girl. My Princess is a good girl."

The paper was a picture of us; Little Lia, Daddy and I eating ice cream? under a tree?

At least I hoped that was what it was. Or we were executed on an inflated balloon; knowing my kid, that was a possibility too.

"Huh! It is beautiful, baby. It is perfect. You are perfect. My whole family is perfect. What a lucky me! I love you, Lia. Davey loves your surprise so much."

Lia preened and blushed with pride.

"Lia makee... Daddy nooo..."

"Huh! No way... Did you make it alone? Not a help from Daddy?" She nodded happily. "Wow! Have you seen this Daddy, our perfect girl made a perfect picture of us? We have to put it in our room, don't you

think?"

Daddy and I showered her with all the praises.

"She wanted to give you my red rose. So asked her to make a gift of her own." Robbie smiled sheepishly.

Such a good dad!

"Hungee Davey..." Lia pouted and sucked on her thump.

"Davey will make pan cakes today."

She nodded and cuddled to my chest.

I held Daddy's hand. "You have already given me everything I ever wanted Robbie. You have given me a perfect daughter and a perfect man as a lover. You better keep on doing what you are already doing.

Okay?"

He nodded; smiling understandingly.

I kept Lia's little head turned away before kissing Daddy's forehead on my tippy toes and then on his lips and took my perfect family to kitchen for breakfast.

But of course perfect family did not happen till few weeks later.

I felt like I was dying and living, constipated and diarrhoeic, anxious and happy; I was going crazy.

And my soul left my body and swished back in, when Simon came in smiling so big and holding a piece of paper.

Not any piece of paper.

Piece of paper stating that I have a perfect family now.

No!

No!

No!

"Yes." I heard Robbie laughing at me but the bastard was touched too.

He got the divorce.

I clutched my hand over my mouth to stop the sound of sob from escaping. Daddy pulled my head to his chest.

"Tell me you are happy. Tell me, please, Angel."

I could not open my mouth.

So, I kept on nodding my head like hell until Daddy chuckled and stopped it from bobbing.

I saw some bright flashes going but who the hell cared now!

This man was fucking mine... nothing was tying him to someone else.

"Let us go?

I nodded.

"To our home?"

I gave out a watery chuckle.

I nodded again.

"To our baby?"

I nodded happily.

"Holding hands?"

That pulled me out of my hiding for that was what we wanted the most.

I gave a hard bite on his shoulder for no reason whatsoever, except my teeth was itchy, before taking his hand mine.

"Yes, Daddy, let us get out of here holding hands."

"Oh dear sweet baby Jesus." He groaned when he filled me another small shot of semen. How much could he produce in a week? A gallon?

I slapped his mouth for blasphemy. He would not step into the church or believe He was watching over us. Yet...

I winced when his thick head left my tender opening.

"Oh fuck." He whimpered while licking my cheek. I glared at the man who was lying and panting right next to me.

"Oh, hey there, Pretty. 'Cum' here often?"

I flicked his face off from mine and turned around.

I hate this bastard.

"Turn around." He demanded and pulled on my waist. "I missed you so much. Did you not miss me?"

"No."

I grumbled and wrestled his arms off my waist.

"I am sorry, Angel."

"No, you are not."

"Turn around, please."

Robbie finally had enough that he climbed over my body and lied on the other side facing me.

I kept my fists between our chests, playfully hitting and pushing him away.

I missed this fucking idiot so much that it hurt my heart.

Idiotic asshole.

I almost melted when his kisses fell on my forehead. I always loved his forehead kisses especially after being intimate. It made me feel all special and gooey.

"Tell me you missed me, Pretty."

I huffed. "Well, you are the one who insisted to stay in Spain, not me!"

Damn my throat was dry and hurting. I rapidly swallowed the water the bastard poured to my mouth from his own, in form of a kiss.

He sighed. "I tried very hard, Angel. But it was then or never. But I brought home some money."

"You have 'money'. I have 'money'. Now, why don't you show that money to your daughter who was waiting for you to take her out for the date? You started that tradition. She was heartbroken."

Heartbroken was stretching it a bit. She pouted for half-an-hour, waiting at the door and forgot about it when I took her to the park. But if stretching a bit got Daddy home a bit earlier, then... oh well. Lia and Robbie went on dates every Friday 4 p.m. I had no idea where they would go but they always did something fun that would make Lia ring my ears for hours when she was back. 'Davey, Daddy did this. Daddy did that and then we did that and Daddy got it trouble and everyone laughed... and then we missed Davey and we are back. Now Little Baby kisses Davey. Ummm ummm

ummmm.'

God, I loved her so much.

Lia loved their little outing and they always came back dirty from head to toe. And it was also a tradition that Davey washes Daddy after, because he could not reach his back while showering.

Thankfully she was still too young to question why he could wash his back just fine all the other days.

I was not that worried because sly Daddy would find some random excuse that would satisfy my curious smart kid.

Hmmm.

This time there was no taking Little Baby to outing and there was no washing Daddy's back. Because Big Baby was stupid and stayed another day in Spain to bring home some more millions. It was not a big

deal if he could not get on board because of weather. He was trapped in Spain for another two days and we... just missed him like crazy.

I sighed.

"I am sorry, baby. Look at me."

I looked alright and got satisfied when he winced.

Yeah I was angry.

"I am your Darling Big Baby. You have to forgive me." He rubbed his head on my chest.

"I can't believe you are still hung up on that." My hand went to his head and I rubbed his scalp. I missed him so much.

"I am. I am your only Darling. Not even a bakery can take that away from me." He bit my nipple and soothed the pain with his tongue.

"You are now trying to butter me up." I flicked his ear.

"I thought I just did." He lewdly licked his lips and I blushed.

"Uggh. But I was serious we have enough money now. Don't go away for so long."

Both of our business were doing good. More than good actually.

It had been months and yet we and our companies were hot topics in all the media including newspapers. All good stuff, unlike those times when...

Whatever.

A month after Robbie's official divorce I handed over his company and Truscott Co. to him.

It was not a huge shock to anyone in our family. They saw that coming a mile away. Yet, we managed to surprise Robbie's competitors who were 'enjoying' Robbie's bad luck.

Now, technically both Brantley's Enterprise and Truscott Co. were owned by Robert Brantley and Jason Andre Philip but liquidation and selling rights were vested in me.

It was as easy as flipping a coin how the goddess of luck started shining on Robbie right after divorce.

Luck or careful planning, he was now back to the Robert Brantley the world once knew ?C only better. I almost felt bad towards the employees who resigned looking for greener pastures. Our company merging

was perfect under Mr. Anderson's supervision and he shuffled our employees to both firms.

Now there was a healthy competition between Brents and Trustees. I had to admit there is something adorable about seeing adults following high school naming system.

Then in less than three months I started my own company. Well, Robbie started it but... potato ?C potato.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐