#tna fandom

“Anna, guess what! We just saw the craziest thing...” Mickey called as he and Mason charged toward their future step-mother. 

Both boys froze in their tracks when the woman Anna had been speaking with came into view. Mason’s jaw dropped, and Mickey’s eyes went wide. Neither were quite sure how to receive the woman before them.

“Boys… I’ve missed you.” The woman said gently. Anna took a step closer to the twins.

“Mom?!” Mason gasped.

Anna’s eyes went wide as surrounding heads began to turn. “Wait… but I thought… you’re…” she stuttered, trying to process the information. 

“I’m so sorry it had to come out this way, Anna. But yes, I’m Addison Dalton.” 

“Boys, come on. We need to go find your dad.” Anna placed a protective hand on each of their shoulders.

“Anna, what’s happening?” Mason asked, looking between the two women.

“Yeah, I thought our mom died?” Mickey added.

Addison stepped forward and smiled before kneeling down to meet their eyes. “It’s a long story, but I’m here, and I’m not ever going to leave you two again.” 

“Come on boys. Now.” Anna’s tone was stern, as more partygoers started turning their attention to the scene that was playing out.

“Anna, what’s going on? I heard you from the other…” Sam stopped short at Anna’s side, his expression mirroring that of Mickey and Mason’s when they saw Addison. 

“Hello, Sam.” Addison greeted him.

“Addison?” Sam’s voice was barely a whisper as he locked eyes with the woman he thought he had lost five years ago. 

As Sam continued to stand there, speechless, Anna wrapped her arms around the boys, pulling them close to her as her eyes flitted between Sam and his wife. 

Sam’s wife. Just minutes ago, they had been celebrating their engagement. He was moaning her name. Now he was standing there, face to face with the woman who had held his heart, and his name, before her. 

“Anna,” Sam’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Take the boys, find Carter, and meet me in the car.” 

“But Sam, they’re my boys too and I haven’t seen them-”“Stop.” Sam cut Addison off, just as Mason Senior was approaching.

“What is going on over here?” Mason asked. “Addison?” He gasped once he noticed the blonde standing there. 

“Anna, go.” Sam commanded, his eyes never leaving Addison’s. Anna quickly ushered the boys out of the room. “Who are you?”

“Sam, it’s me.” Addison responded, reaching out and placing her hand on his shoulder. 

He instantly jerked back, away from her touch. “You can’t be. Addison is dead.” 

“All right, that’s enough.” Mason interjected. “We don’t need to do this in front of an audience.” He ushered Sam and Addison out of the ballroom and into a small conference room, Vivian following close behind. 

“Now, what is the meaning of all of this?” Mason stood with his arms folded.

“Mason, Vivian… Sam,” Addison started. “I know this seems completely insane, and I promise I will explain everything. But I’m here because I want my family back.” 

Sam was pacing the room, trying to make sense of this. Addison was dead, he had identified her body, buried her, raised their children on his own. It was impossible for her to be standing here right now. Wasn’t it?

“Sam?” Addison’s voice was soft as she attempted to approach him again. He held his hand up to stop her.

“This doesn’t make sense. None of this makes any sense.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked around the room. “I can’t do this. I have to go.” Sam stormed out of the room without another word. 

“Samuel, wait!” Vivian chased after him, grabbing his arm to stop him. “Are you alright? You just don’t seem like yourself tonight.”

Sam’s head snapped back to look at his mother. “Of course I’m not alright, mom! Can you really blame me?”

“I know, I know.” She placed her hands on his shoulders. “You just take Anna and the boys and go home. We’ll call the lawyers to get this all sorted out.” Sam nodded in understanding. “And why don’t you four go up to the cabin for the rest of the boys’ break, Get away from the inevitable media circus for a bit.” 

“Yeah, yeah that’s a good idea. Thanks, mom.” Sam leaned down, kissing his mother on the cheek.

“You call us if you need anything, Sam.” He nodded and made his way out to the car. 

Anna was sitting in the back of the limo, trying to field Mason and Mickey’s questions about their mother’s sudden reappearance, while also trying to make sense of it for herself. Suddenly, the car door opened and Sam slid into his seat, dropping his head back on to the headrest and letting out a loud breath. Anna knocked on the divider, signaling to Carter that they were ready to leave. 

They rode back to the penthouse in silence, Sam watched the scenery go by as he tried to process everything that had happened. The boys shared worried glances before looking up at Anna. She looked down at them, smiling softly. She knew that no matter what she was feeling about Addison’s return, this moment was so much harder for the three men in her life. She had to be there for them right now, she would worry about herself later. 

When they returned to the apartment, Sam went straight to his office, closing the door behind him, leaving Anna and the boys in the living room. 

“Guys, why don’t you go get ready for bed. I’ll be there in a minute to say goodnight.” 

“But Anna…” Mickey whined. 

She knew they had a lot of questions, but she didn’t have any answers. She also wasn’t sure it was her place. 

“Please Mickey.” She pleaded. 

He nodded and followed Mason to their room, leaving Anna alone with her thoughts. She knew she needed to talk to Sam, but she needed to get the boys in bed first. 

Sam closed the office door behind him and walked straight to his bar cart, pouring a glass of scotch, which he immediately brought to his lips and swallowed. He poured a second before stepping up to the floor to ceiling window and staring out at the city lights. His mind raced with one question after the next.

He was buried so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the soft knocking at the door. He continued to stare out the window, not actually looking at anything. 

“Sam?” Anna’s soft tone finally brought him back to the moment. He turned and watched his fiance of only a few hours approach. 

“Did the boys get to bed alright?” The question fell from Sam’s mouth without even thinking. 

“Yeah,” she nodded. “I mean, as well as can be expected. They have a lot of questions.” 

Sam let out a humorless laugh. They weren’t the only ones. 

“Are you alright?” Anna asked, placing her hand on Sam’s shoulder. 

He turned away, finishing his second drink and leaving the glass on the bar cart. “I don’t know.” 

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“What are you going to tell the boys?” 

“I don’t know.”

“What --”

“Anna, I don’t know! Alright?” Sam yelled, causing Anna to flinch and step back. 

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was small as she tried holding back her own emotions. 

Sam pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed deeply. “No, I’m sorry Anna, I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” He stepped up to her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. 

“No, I know.” She responded. “I didn’t mean to be pushy, I just want to help you.”

Sam pulled back, running his hand over his face. “I know you do, and I appreciate it. I just need to try to wrap my head around all of this.” 

Silence fell over the room as Anna watched Sam collapse onto the sofa, running his hand over his face. She knew what a toll this was taking on him and the twins, yet selfishly, all she was wondering was what this would mean for her future with Sam. 

“I’m going to go home.” Anna finally broke the silence. 

She stepped toward Sam, but his eyes were trained on the floor in front of him. He didn’t even acknowledge her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before redirecting and walking out into the hallway. The sound of his office door closing brought Sam out of his trance, he looked around and realized Anna had left. He jumped up from his seat and hurried after her.  

“Anna, wait!” Sam called for her as she stepped onto the elevator. 

He made it to the doors just as they were closing, throwing his arm between them. He stood at the threshold, preventing them from closing again. She looked up at him curiously. 

“I’m taking the boys to my parent’s cabin tomorrow. When this gets out to the press, they’re going to be all over us. I want to keep the boys away from all that for as long as possible.” 

Anna nodded solemnly. “Okay.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “We can talk when you get back… if you want.” 

“Come with us.” Her eyes went wide at his invitation. He reached out and took her hand in his. “They’re going to be all over you too.” She looked down, and he used his free hand to lift her gaze back to his. “Please?”

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and hope. “Sure, yeah, I’ll come.” He smiled, tugging on their joined hands to get her off the elevator. She pulled back, removing her hand from his. “I’ll need to go home and pack.” 

“Right, of course.” Sam backed away, placing his arm against the elevator door. “I’ll see you in the morning then?” 

“I’ll be here.” She assured, leaning forward and kissing him softly on the cheek. “I love you, Sam.” 

He let out a sigh as he lowered his arm, allowing the door to begin to close. “I love you too.” 

Sam remained rooted in place as the door closed and the elevator began its descent. His mind raced with all of the things that he now had to figure out. There were so many people that were going to expect explanations, the press, his parents, the boys, Anna; but before he could provide those, he would need some of his own. Why was she back? How was she back? What did she want? 

After all these years, he was finally ready to move forward, but before he could he would have to face his past. 

Permatag:

The Long Goodbye…

It was time…

He wasn’t ready, although he thought he would be…

Boys, get your scarves, Dahlia and I are going to take you on a stroll through Central Park, and then we are taking a trip together to visit someone special to you that you haven’t met yet. Saying “special” cut like a heated knife through his heart, but it would not take away from the fact that he is someone special to them, as he was to their mother… another bitter fact that Sam had come to accept. It had taken him time, but he knew that brooding over the fact wouldn’t change a single ounce of the truth that had burned in his mind and heart for some time now.

He had given him time to adjust to his request for his sons, but would that time ever be enough? No way that it could ever be. Although they were not his biological sons, they had made him the man he was today. For if they had not been born, he would never have found it within himself to care more about his own life… It had been their births that grounded him. Watching the pain ripping through Alina as she so bravely pushed each one into the waiting hands of a very proud father, eventually cutting their cords after the desired time she’d ask them to wait… the last moments they would be totally dependent on her alone for their survival finally showed Sam exactly what he had been taking for granted.

Looking back on it made things bittersweet. How could the best memories of his life be stained with untruth? But he wouldn’t allow any deception to taint his relationship with his boys, until they could no longer reside with him he would give them his all. So, today would start their long goodbye… Mini trips to fun locations and a walk down memory lane, ending in the very place he’d discovered his wife in the arms of none other than their true father. 

Sighing, Dahlia takes his hand and pulls him into a tight hug. “We will get through this, Sam. It won’t be easy, but we will. This doesn’t truly have to be goodbye. I don’t see that you could be kept out of their lives after raising them to be such fine young boys. Their brilliance and love of life is all because of you. Yes, Alina had her share in giving them love early on, but after… Well, love, that was all you!” He bends and rests his chin atop her head, steadying his anxiety in her firm hold of him. She always did have a way of calming the worst storms brewing within him. “Let’s go, we have a lot of activities ahead of us, and our boys are anxious… “

Once at the park, the boys inquired about every scientific thing that they could think of, from the color change in the leaves, to the contrasting landscape, to why they seemed to react differently to the cool weather… Dahlia had on a wool trench, while Sam just had a knit sweater and scarf thrown over his neck and shoulders, but a thin turtleneck was the only protection against the chilling breeze. The boys both had on their fleece lined jackets with hats, scarves and gloves. 

It was fascinating to listen to Dahlia explain the body’s mechanisms for regulating body temperature, the boys eagerly giving their own examples, missing the heated looks between the two adults whose bodies were joined at the sides, arms wrapped around each other like anchors to keep them both from losing themselves in these moments… How would their days be without the energy and life the boys brought throughout their days?

Thoughts were broken as they came across a cart vendor selling the most alluring scented hot drinks and pastries. Answering before the boys’ excitement could settle enough to ask, they followed the boys at a much slower pace to the smiling older gentleman who was reciprocating the smiles plastered on the boys’ faces. As they animatedly discussed which sweets would be best and to see if they could get away with more than one, Dahlia held a quick conversation with Sam which ended in a sweet kiss caught by the boys just as it was ending. “Eewwww, more kissing!” 

“That’s what love looks like, young men, now… what can I get for you?” This man reminded them of Carter once they gave a closer look, but maybe it was just his gentle nature that made them think of him. “Well boys, since we grossed you out just now, I’m sure you won’t want anything but a hot drink, right?” Sam teased them, knowing that they’d plead for more and it would divert them from witnessing their mature actions. As they protested, Dahlia nudged Sam to give in just this once and let them have their pick of things to their delight. After drinks and goodies were purchased, their walk continued until they reached the pond and park benches.

“Your dad and I will sit here while you two explore this area in front of us, but stay in sight, okay.” The boys head straight for the carousel, and once on, chase each other around it until they find just the right spot. As the carousel turns, intermittently waving and calling out to the boys, Dahlia turns to Sam with puzzlement over his distant expression. “Do we get to discuss more about this? I still don’t know who this mysterious father could even be.”

He finally turns to look at her with tearful eyes. “I know it’s asking a lot, but I don’t think it’s something that I can discuss right now. I just want to fully enjoy the remainder of our days together as a complete family. I will explain more on the last leg of our vacation. I am, however, anxious to meet your sister! Is she anything like you?”

“Way to deflect from unwanted conversation, mister… but, not so much. Riley and I are two very different people. Although, she did marry my brother-in-law not truly knowing anything about him… That is similar to us, but I knew a lot about you… You just didn’t see that knowing everything about me would change things. But to add more, Riley carried a lot of the responsibility for me. Our parents traveled for work and were hardly ever present in my life. My Grandma Addie was my lifeline… but after she passed on, it was pretty much Riley. I went off to college at an early age, and Riley eventually went off to medical school but left to pursue “anything different” to quote her directly. She was pretty much a professional student, but our grandmother always told us that you can’t ever have too many degrees behind your name. Life played out a lot differently for me, but I do have my Master’s in Chemistry, Bachelors in Biochemistry and Psychology.”

Sam barely heard much of what Dahlia was saying, eyes flicking between her and the carousel, taking in how excited and carefree the twins were. This had never been his childhood, groomed from an early age to be in the public eye, from his grandfather’s prominent status to his father’s need to surpass the image of his father. He couldn’t help reliving the day of their birth, changing their diapers for the first time when handling them both on his own… a bet he’d made with confidence to his wife that he could handle the task alone and with precision, but two blowouts proved otherwise. He didn’t think something so small could hold so much, but they did, and it was like a competition brewing between them already, or their first ever prank. His memory of dropping them off for their first day of school brings a smile to his face, but is quickly interrupted by the boys’ screaming as they played tag after having gotten off the carousel and playfully raced back towards the two of them. 

Standing, he reaches for her hand with a sad smile which causes her to pause, but she offers him her hand. Pulling her into him for a tight hug, he kisses just behind her ear as he whispers, “I love you, you know that?” As she leans to try to guess his mood, he kisses her on the lips quickly before taking her hands and kissing them before interlacing their fingers together so that they could continue their evening of fun. Each feels Mickey and Mason slide up against their exposed sides, simultaneously ruffling their hair as the boys protest, “Where to next, Dahlia?” She looks at Sam and says, “You boys up to pillaging and plundering a castle?”

“There’s a real castle?” 

“Yes, in the center of Central Park. We have to fight off other pirates as we climb to the top. We’ll need to get to the lookout to search for the potential locations the treasure has been buried. Race you there!” 

“Ugh, dad! Dahlia’s too fast! Catch her!” He can’t help falling into the feeling of family and gives chase, hearing the boys yell, “faster, faster, she is getting away!” Gaining on her quickly with his long strides, he catches her at the waist and spins her around. As he begins to lower her to the ground, the boys join in hugging her waist and laughing, “You’re fast, but not faster than dad!”

“Yeah, duh!!! Do you see those long legs! That’s why I needed the headstart! But… since you don’t know the way, my little admirals, you’ll just have to stay close and follow me!” His heart pangs with knowing these are the final moments with his family in this way. He is so thankful that Dahlia is taking charge of this adventure in his stead because he is slowly crumbling inside and fighting hard not to fall weak in front of the boys.

How had he taken them for granted all of this time … allowing their grandparents the better part of their time? Arm draped around her shoulder, he quietly thanks her for all that she is doing today and he shows his gratitude later when they are alone, kissing the top of her head. She isn’t used to seeing Sam in such a vulnerable state and begins to worry about him. She won’t probe him further about it now, just keep the boys occupied to give him this bit of instant relief.

Finally making it to the top spiral of the castle’s tower, they make a dramatic scene of spotting creatures and pirate ships sailing towards them in the icy lake below. “We can’t let them get our treasure, Admiral Mason!” “No chance of that, Admiral Mickey! We have Dahlia and dad to fight them off for us!” Sam makes a display of suiting up in armor and weaponry as Dahlia fires shots from the imaginary cannons and yells back for Sam to man the bow chaser. Brandishing his cutlass, he screams out pirate jargon and then throws grenades as he runs to the cannon to finally sink the closest ships. Celebrating in triumph, they all perform a signature dance move and fall down in a fit of laughter.

Once hydrated, they move on throughout Central Park, making their way back towards Hyland Planetarium, the place where Dahlia had taken them on her first attempt at babysitting them for Sam. This would be another painful moment, unable to be hidden. “Dad, why are you so sad?”

Both boys rush to take a hand, somberly gazing up into his eyes awaiting some response. 

Every Breath You Take… Aaron Krause  link2

Sam pulls them into a tight side hug, reassuring them that he isn’t sad (a blatant understatement, but a little white lie told to not dampen their moods), but just remembering their happiest moments together (not a lie, but a mask for what he truly feels). As they make their way to their preferred row of seating, the lights begin to lower. After calling out as many of the ones they recognized in competition, the boys noticed a new set they had never seen before, a mirror image representing identical twins. Sam had arranged for the boys to have their own constellations named after them, so that no matter where they were in the world, as long as they were looking up at the starry night sky, there would always be a constant reminder of how much he loved them even though they may be apart. 

“Wow, dad! You really had them named after us?”

“I sure did! I even bought you an advanced telescope so that you can help to discover more… even if they can’t be documented, you boys can have the pleasure of writing your own worlds in the stars above.” Dahlia leaned in close as Sam lifted his arm for her to cuddle into him.The tears in her eyes were apparent, but the boys didn’t catch on due to their excitement of air tracing their very own constellations. Dahlia remembers the exact evening Sam discussed the idea with his mother when they visited her for dinner, and slowly the pieces begin to stitch together. This is what had motivated all of these unexpected yet sentimental acts from Sam. 

Vivian had discussed having their ceiling mimic this exact view with Liam, and he’d agreed to have the renovations completed by the time of their arrival. She made sure that he knew the things the boys were accustomed to and had already begun shipping things unable to be found in Cordonia out of her need to have some control in this unfortunate situation. Liam was beyond grateful for every bit of information he had been privy to because this was already going to be a major change… one, not even he could be sure that Riley or Cordonia would be openly receptive to.

One last car ride with Carter… this time, both sit up front, after a dare made by Mickey that Mason wouldn’t be able to convince Sam to allow this to ever happen, and if by some rare chance he did, he would stop teasing him about the bedwetting prank he’d pulled on him, never mentioning it again to anyone. He’d teased Mason long and hard over this, making sure to tell anyone that would listen to his comedic rantings, so there was no way that Mason wouldn’t give this a try. To Mickey’s disbelief, all Mason had to do was ask and Sam gave in with a gentle smile, rustling his curls saying, “Just this once!”

His strength had completely faltered, and there was no way that he would be able to thwart the onslaught of questions the boys would have given on the journey home. They wouldn’t continue to believe that he was the nostalgic father he’d previously explained their prior concerns away with. The moment the town car began its designated route to the airport, Sam sank down into Dahlia’s lap, his head heavy and eyes brimming with the unshed tears he had been willing away the entire day.

As she gently stroked his beard, she softly pleaded for him to talk to her. Knowing the details may allow her to comfort him better, but he delays the conversation by planting kisses on her inner thigh through her clothing, moving to place a kiss on her mound before easing his way up to kiss her with such a needy force that she abandons any and all conversation. Unfastening the button with a mere hook of his finger and quickly dragging the zipper down, he buries his face in her crotch, teasing her clit as his hands squeeze her thighs… slowly dragging her forward to allow him better access.

“Sam, I love the way you feel right now, but what about the partition?” Only stopping to lean backward to lock the window access to the back of the town car, he turns and eyes her with such adoration in his eyes that she feels her wetness increasing. 

It will take at least an hour to reach the private hanger, where Sam’s plane has been prepped for him to take his family up for the first leg of their air travel. He’s never taken the boys up but feels that this would be the perfect way to ease them into the much longer flight ahead of them. What better way to show his boys how cool their dad is? Their dad…

Desperately needing to get out of his head, he gave her only one instruction, “Don’t make a sound!” The roughness in his kiss suffocated any spurning her mind insisted upon knowing that the boys could potentially hear or see her intimate behavior, soft whispers and cries escaping her. When Sam desired comfort in this way, she knew that whatever was grating on his mind would unravel through the most intense touch he could offer her, and she could barely contain her anxiety to absorb every ounce of feeling that he would pour into her.

He thought that this was finally smothering the feeling of abandonment that haunted him, but her repetitive whisper, “Oh, baby!”, would remind him of the words that escaped Alina’s mouth as he held her, nestled in his lap with each new baby boy held secure in her arms as he firmly surrounded hers… “Oh baby, look how peaceful and beautiful they are!” The push and pull between reality and memory almost proved to be overwhelming, but he would soon remedy this. 

Taking her faster would cause her words to falter, only allowing room for her to attempt catching her breath while moaning her elation, but this would only set him back to square one, answering questions he wanted to avoid. Lapping the remnants remaining of her first orgasm, he unbuttons his shirt, hurriedly ripping it from his torso just before leaning back on his knees to unbuckle his belt.

Dahlia is already upright on her knees in front of him, unzipping his pants and freeing his pulsing erection, straddling it before he’s even removed the belt completely. A pointless idea now abandoned, he steadies her thighs in his grip as she grinds on him, kissing him with as much passionate energy as she felt coursing through her just moments ago. She feels so damned good taking him as he sits idle, enjoying the feel of her using him to bring a climax and hard release that has her trembling around him, embracing him as she pants so heavily that syncope is near.

Sam is still so conflicted in his heart that his release is stunted each time he is on the brink. Only taking complete control will allow him to escape everything consuming him. Dahlia has no recovery time. Sam lifts her and crawls forward pinning her sideways on the seat as he drives into her hard and fast at first, but slows to give him more time. Both watch as he slowly sheaths himself fully within her, withdrawing at the same pace but lifting upward to intensify the feel of him against her clenching walls.

Stretching her each time as his excitement floods into a near-painful hardness, he finally knows that the time has come to empty all thoughts as he forces himself into her not pulling away any longer but pushing with a deep grind that has her clawing and gripping his arms as he hovers close to her. The buildup to their release becomes so powerful there’s a tightness in his chest and he is almost unable to breathe. One arm holds her tightly against him just below her shoulder blades as his other hand cups her ass, lifting her into his deep strokes, whispering for her to get ready, he’s about to flood her.

She holds tightly around his neck as his grind forces her upward, burying her head until she feels she may scream. “Kiss me, Sam!” He can’t have her talking loudly or screaming. She audibly pouts at his withdrawal, her body now torturously aching to be filled. Unable to protest because Sam repositions and fills her mouth instead, “Take it!” He stretches over her and begins to kiss and suck her orgasm from her as she does him, both grinding wildly against each other’s faces.

Release !!!  Finally, a delicious release drowned in barely audible hissing and shivering moans… “Mmmmhm, Sam!!” It takes everything within him to remain silent, but he has to maintain this restraint… The boys can’t know why he so freely agreed to Mason’s request, although this wasn’t necessarily the primary reason. Lazily readjusting themselves and their clothing, “Talk later?” Yawning, her only reply, “Mmmm…” Reaching into the console to retrieve a light fragranced cologne bottle, he squirts a few sprays onto their clothing to mask their adult activities before relaxing back into the seat and holding Dahlia against him as they await arrival at the hanger.

Was this long goodbye truly the best idea? Sure, it gives him more time, but it would still come to an end with the same result… letting go… How the hell was he supposed to do this?

{To be continued...}

The first one was a no-brainer, it's from a one shot I wrote called Housewarming Heart to Heart. The story gives some much needed closure to the MC/Drake romance arc, for those of us that chose Liam, and the quote is from Drake:

“When you and Liam told us about your engagement. I was so happy for both of you. And that’s all I felt. There was no jealousy, no sadness, I was just happy for my friends. That’s when I realized that I do love you, but in the same way that I love Liam or Savannah. As a best friend, as family.”

I have so many mushy/dreamy Liam quotes that it was hard for me to just pick one (I could have easily just done five of those). But I chose one from a two part story I did called Last Call.

“Love, I am positive without a shadow of a doubt, that no matter where our lives took us, we would have met. And do you know why I am so certain?” She shook her head, “Because you and I were put on this earth to be together. We exist for each other. That just happened to be the time and place where all of the stars aligned, and our lives became complete.”

One of the things I love to do is fix canon's dumb shit. Like I did in my story, The Final Goodbye. Here is a Riley quote from a much needed conversation with Liam toward the end of his engagement tour with Madeleine.

“Liam, remember during the social season, all of the times where we would sneak away, or you’d spend an extra couple of minutes with me? You would always tell me how you were being unfair to the other suitors, and you were breaking the rules.” He nodded, a small smile playing across his face at the memories of their time together. “Your feelings for me were making you do things that you never would have done before. That’s what this engagement tour has been for me. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would never be ‘the other woman’, I would never come in between someone else’s relationship…”

“But you were never…”

She put a hand up to stop him from finishing his sentence. “…I was never the other woman, because your heart belongs to me. I know, that was your way of rationalizing it, and I love you so much that I started seeing it that way too. I would make excuses, that it was only temporary until we found Tariq, that Madeline had told you it would be ok. And I know she did, but I shouldn’t have been ok with it. I compromised who I was, who I have been my whole life, because of my feelings for you. That’s not ok.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Liam, I want to be with you, more than anything, but not if you’re married to someone else. I deserve to be the only woman in your life, and on your arm, for show or otherwise. If you can’t give me that, I need to walk away.”

Okay, another Riley quote, this time from my series Sapere Aude. It's a perfect snapshot of her relationship with Liam. They are always there to be the strength for the other when they need it, and to remind each other that they can get through anything together.

That’s why we’re going to take them down. Together. Just like Anton, just like Auvernal, just like Barthelemy, just like any other enemy that has ever, or will ever come our way. We are the King and Queen of Cordonia, Liam and Riley Rys. We are a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, I had to go with one more sappy Liam quote. This one is from a one shot I wrote called Stealing Moments.

“Love, I can honestly tell you I have never been better.” He placed a hand on her cheek. “Do you remember our first date? During the social season?” She nodded. “You asked me what my dream was, and I told you I wanted a real family, one that was close and listened to each other.” He paused, staring deeply into her eyes. “I have that, because of you Riley. You’ve made my dream, my heart’s desire, come true. Going into my social season, I had all but given up on falling in love, and assumed I would simply marry for duty. Then you uprooted your whole life to give me a chance at happiness. I will never be able to tell you how truly grateful I am for all that you have given me.” He placed a lingering kiss on her lips.

And for a bonus quote, I wanted to throw in something from one of the few TNA fics I've written. Everyone loves a good MC/twins moment, so I wanted to share this Mason quote from a Valentine's Day fic I wrote, Roses are Red.

First of all, Chef Martin looks like an asshole. Probably the most punchable face in Choices history. And his menu options only made me want to punch him more. Fuck this guy. 

If you know me, or have followed A Taste of Cordonia, you know I’m a girl that loves a good glass of champagne. Is it mostly for the aesthetic of looking fancier than I actually am? Yes, 100%.

*Side note, since our last culinary journey, I have made a discovery. Edible glitter. Throw a spoonful of that in your champagne and it’s extra fancy as fuck. That was my New Year’s Eve.*

This concoction however, I am torn about. Berries, great. Love a good berry. Except raspberry, not really my scene. I can get past it in a drink if I have to, could we throw some Midori in there instead? No, wait, never mind, that might be gross. 

Wait...

Would it be? Should I try it? I think I might try it...

... with GLITTER! ✨  

As for the bourbon situation, that seems like a drink for the old timey business man types that will inevitably be invited to the wedding. They’ll sneak away with their gross old man drinks and some cigars on the veranda while making off color jokes about “the good old days.” 

I chose the champagne cocktail. 

What the actual fuck. They know there are going to be seven year old boys at this wedding, right? Is there going to be a kids option of like chicken fingers or something? If so, can I opt for that? 

OCTOPUS?! Gross dude. First of all, I’m pretty sure it’s well known at this point that I do not do seafood, of any kind. Not even the normal stuff. If you’re going to braise something, shoot ya girl a short rib. 

How do you even eat that thing? Are you supposed to eat the suction cups? Or do you just suck the meat out of it like with lobster? 

Second of all, I know they’re different, but I am an adopted member of House Beaumont, in squidly solidarity, I am utterly appalled that they would harm such a majestic creature. Yes, I know, wrong book. So sue me, my heart will always be in Cordonia.

Bean salad just sounds gross. Could it be because I don’t like beans of any kind? Yeah, probably. And if you zoom in on that picture, it definitely looks more like a soup than a salad. I also don’t do soups, so strike two. 

There is honestly no winning here, they both sound gross, they both look disgusting, and I bet they both smell bad too. 

I chose the bean salad. At least there won’t be a bunch of octopus that have died in vein when nobody touches their abomination of a “dish”. 

Whatever happened to chicken or beef at a wedding? Yes, fish is also a suitable option. And I guess duck is kind of a version of chicken? But I feel like a swanky wedding like this would have some kind of fancy steak option. 

... that I would get without question, because if you eat red meat and don’t choose it when you’re invited to a wedding, you’re doing it wrong. 

I’m about to say something incredibly hypocritical, I will be the first one to admit it, so I don’t need you guys pointing it out to me. Okay, here we go...

I love ducks, I can’t imagine ever eating one. 

Yes, I love pigs, and I still eat the fuck out of bacon and other pork products. Yes, I love cows, and y’all just heard my rant about fancy steaks at weddings. Chickens are cool, but I’ll fuck up a good chicken parm, and don’t even get me started on chickey fingies (that’s what I call chicken fingers, because I am emotionally 5 years old most of the time). 

My dream in life is to have a pet duck and name it Duckster. I don’t dream about getting pet pigs, or cows, or chickens, so that’s the difference in my head. It’s stupid, and irrational, but have you heard some of my reasons for not eating things? Then I’m sure you’ve come to expect it from me. 

Now that we’ve ruled out the main feature of the dish, let me tear apart the rest of it. I don’t like red wine, so I can’t imagine I would enjoy that sauce. Polenta? I literally had to google it because I thought that was a kind of cheese (I got polenta and pimento mixed up). Google defined it as “cornmeal mush”. I truly do not think they could have made it sound any less appealing. It sounds like baby food or something, not at all like something I would ever want to put in my mouth. And definitely not something that should be served at a fancy rich person wedding. 

The other option, is more seafood. FML. Let me say it one more time for the people in the back, I. Hate. Seafood. It’s gross, it makes me gag to even just smell it, let alone have it anywhere near my taste buds. What this option did have going for it, was the pesto. If you ask me, pesto is the best-o (that’s just a fun little joke I like to throw around from time to time 😉). But here’s the thing, shouldn't the pesto be over the salmon, not under it? That is how sauce works, right? It’s basically asparagus pesto with a hunk of fish dropped on top of it. 

I chose the salmon. One, because I couldn’t do that to my dearest Duckster, and two, because at least it had pesto. I’ll just save my roll from the bread basket (unless it’s not normal bread and they do some weird thing with it, which they probably will), and dip it in the pesto. That should hold me until I hit the drive thru on the way home. 

That being said, do you think Door Dash will deliver to a wedding venue in Mexico? 

Alright, now we’re talking. Let me at that cake! Yummy in my tummy! 

Pretty standard offerings, which is appreciated after the parade of yuck that we’ve been dealing with. Chocolate and vanilla are my jam. Dream option, mix the two and have a marble wedding cake. Strawberry is fine, but it will never be my first choice for a dessert (unless they are actual strawberries, dipped in chocolate). 

In the real world, when you have a multi-tier cake, you could usually pick multiple flavors (fun fact, my wedding cake was 3 tiered and our flavors were red velvet, vanilla with some kind of fruit or berry thing between layers, and funfetti). But Chef Asshole only lets you pick one. Apparently his pastry chef can’t handle multitasking. 

I went for the vanilla, I felt like it was a lighter, simpler, choice for a wedding. 

------

Then things get kind of weird... 

Diamond scene in the restaurant kitchen, violated probably like a million health codes. And 100% there was probably a sous-chef, or that damn pastry chef in the pantry or something trying to get ready for the dinner rush when these two horn dogs come barreling in and making a mess of everything. 

I like strawberries. Preferably dipped in chocolate or whipped cream (which also makes them sexier, BTW), but I do go back to basics and eat them plain as well. I actually had some earlier today as a matter of fact. 

I like strawberries, but I don’t really like strawberry flavored things (ice cream, cookies, cake, etc).

That’s all I’ve got on strawberries. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Seriously? He decided to use red hot chili peppers? Sam Dalton, suck my kiss (IYKYK. Also, sorry not sorry). 

But for real, what a horribly unsexy idea. Here was his reasoning behind it:

“Chili peppers get your heart racing and your adrenaline going... stimulating the body.”

You know what else they do, Sam? Give you bad breath and the runs. What the fuck is sexy about that? 

Also, where do you think you’re putting your fingers after you touch those things? Because ouch. 

I don’t like any heat in my food, so this is an immediate no for me. 

This is clearly some kind of a soufflé or lava cake, not chocolate sauce. But it’s chocolate, so let’s go. Can someone grab me the rest of those strawberries from before? 

No? The strawberries are gone? Okay, I’ll need to put the chocolate on something else then...

Perfect! 10/10 for presentation (for either option, honestly). 

I mean, what can I say about chocolate? I love it, it’s delicious. I think it’s quite obvious that I’m a fan. Let’s just have a Willy Wonka themed wedding and make the whole menu chocolate. The invitations cold be golden tickets, it would actually be super cute. 

“Come on boys. Now.” Anna’s tone was stern, as more partygoers started turning their attention to the scene that was playing out.

“Anna, what’s going on? I heard you from the other…” Sam stopped short at Anna’s side, his expression mirroring that of Mickey and Mason’s when they saw Addison.

“Hello, Sam.” Addison greeted him.

“Addison?” Sam’s voice was barely a whisper as he locked eyes with the woman he thought he had lost five years ago.

As Sam continued to stand there, speechless, Anna wrapped her arms around the boys, pulling them close to her as her eyes flitted between Sam and his wife.

Sam’s wife. Just minutes ago, they had been celebrating their engagement. He was moaning her name. Now he was standing there, face to face with the woman who had held his heart before her.

“Anna,” Sam’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Take the boys, find Carter, and meet me in the car.”

“But Sam, they’re my boys too and I haven’t seen them-” “Stop.” Sam cut Addison off, just as Mason Senior was approaching.

“What is going on over here?” Mason asked. “Addison?” He gasped once he noticed the blonde standing there.

“Anna, go.” Sam commanded, his eyes never leaving Addison’s. Anna quickly ushered the boys out of the room.