TRAPPED WITH HER WISH (A Christmas Romance)

Chapter 34

WRITER'S POV

"Where are you, baby?" Ace said as all the energy left inside of him drained down. They had been searching all night to no avail. They had searched in all parks, restaurants, churches, train stations, bus stations, and even the airport although it was unlikely that Juliette would use the plane to go with Maya because Maya's passport and other documents were still home. It was almost 4 in the morning and he still had no clue where Juliette had taken his daughter. He was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. But that was the least of his worries. He looked at his girlfriend. It felt good calling her his girlfriend. However, he felt guilty. He had kept her awake all night and she looked so tired. He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. "We should get you home."

Olivia pulled back a little so she could look at him. She could see the pain in his eyes. "What about Maya?" The very first time she met this man was when he was carrying his daughter in his arms, and how at peace he was. Now, he was looking for the same child. She could only imagine how hard this was for him and she was willing to do everything to help him, even if it meant standing and walking around the busy streets of Houston all night.

Ace just pulled her back into the hug. "I'll continue with the cops. But you need to rest baby. You have work in a couple of hours. You need to sleep."

"That's why I'm the boss. I'm gonna take the day off. Plus I bet my employees need a break from 'Miss Harrison'." She said and they both burst out laughing. But she was right. For the past six years, she had never taken a day off. That was how straight her work life was. She only rested during weekends, holidays, and public holidays. She knew she had fallen for this guy if she was taking a day off for him and his family. "I meant that." She added in a low tone, but he heard her.

He was thankful that he was standing in the middle of this park with this woman. There was no other woman he would have wanted to stand here with at this time. He kissed her forehead again. "I love you, Olivia."

No matter how hard she had been trying not to say it, she just had to, because she knew deep down in her heart that she had fallen for this guy and there was no perfect time to say it other than now, at this lonely empty park, with half of the world asleep and the only the fading moon and last stars of the night shining. "I love you too."

It was Ace's turn to pull away. He couldn't believe his ears. He blinked severally. "Wait, do you mean that?"

She nodded and giggled like a little girl. "Every part of it. It's impossible not to."

Ace lifted her off her feet and spun her around before kissing her passionately. It was simply amazing to see. "My spirits were down, but you've just lifted them. Now I need to find Maya so the family can be complete once more."

It warmed her heart. He considered her part of his family. That meant more to her than he realized.

He kissed her passionately one more time before setting her on her feet. "If the circumstances surrounding us right now were different, I'll have been giving you multiple orgasms. Goodness, I can't wait to find Maya."

Olivia chuckled. "Well, that's a rain check. Let's find your little girl."

So with the police at different ends of the city searching for Maya, Ace and Olivia continued their search. They met up with George, Ace's dad, who gave them printed pictures of Maya to distribute around. They had to find the little girl before Juliette did something crazy. But they couldn't distribute pictures when the sun was still down. So they decided to wait for a couple of hours before hitting the road again.  So while George went back to the hospital to be with Vera, Ace and Olivia went back to Ace's house to get a power nap. The twins were fast asleep so the house was very quiet. Olivia went to shower in Ace's bathroom while Ace went to his daughter's room.

It tugged his heart to be in there when she wasn't. He would have given anything to hear her ask him if she could sleep in his bed and this time, it wouldn't matter if she wet the bed. He would have loved to wake up and toss the wet sheets into the washer. But she wasn't in here. He had no clue as to where his little girl was. Had she eaten? Did Juliette bathe her?  Did Juliette read her a bedtime story? Hell was his daughter even sleeping in a bed? Just a few hours of her absence and it was killing him. He wanted to break something, to hit something, to let out his frustration on something but he couldn't destroy things in his baby's room cause he intended to bring her back home before nightfall. It broke his heart. It only reminded him of the pain he felt when Juliette had walked out years ago. He was clueless as to what to do with the kids, but after all these years, he had somehow managed to handle all of it, and now, that same Juliette who had caused him so much pain walked in and did something even worst. Tears filled his eyes but he refused to let them fall. He was stronger than that.

He walked over to the bed and sat on it as he facepalmed. He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear Olivia walk in, he only felt her palms on his shoulder and could still recognize her amazing perfume beneath his shower gel. That was just how good it was.

She sat next to him and didn't say a word, only placed her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up. "Remember when we first met at your restaurant?" She started. "Being stuck in that elevator with you and your kids was a first for me. I have never been stuck in an elevator, more so with strangers. But one thing I noticed was just how close you were to your kids. To Maya. You held her close to you throughout. Then when the problem was rectified, I watched how you left the kids to go pick up your car. I was mad at you for leaving your kids by themselves. I couldn't understand why you would leave such adorable kids unattended to. To me, it was risky because a lot of psychopaths are lurking out there. I had to tell Ken to hold up until you showed up. I couldn't bring myself to leave them. There was a sudden urge to protect those kids from the very first day I met them. I have loved your kids from the very beginning and it really..." Her voice cracked as she felt all those pent-up emotions about to pour out. "... it hurts me that Maya was kidnapped by her mother. I hope nothing happens to her Ace. I love Maya so much and it's gonna break my heart if something happens to her. I can't lose another..." She was going to say 'child' but she broke down. She cried. She cried her heart out. This was the first time she was crying in front of anyone. No one knew what she was going through. Not even her grandparents. When she had that room decorated for Maya, it only made her wish Maya was her child. She wanted Maya to be hers. She loved the little girl.

Ace pulled her in for a hug. He never expected the situation to trouble her this much and seeing such a powerful woman cry because of his little Maya tugged at his heart. "Hush now baby. Please don't cry. We would find her. We're gonna bring her back home." He said as he ran his fingers through her hair to comfort her. He placed kisses on her forehead, trying to make the situation better. "We're going to find her."

He then made her lay down in Maya's bed and laid with her as well, bringing her close to his side. If the situation was different, he would have taken her there and then because she looked amazing in his white t-shirt, having a mixture of both her perfume and his shower gel. But nothing could happen until they found Maya. He pulled Olivia closer to him and in no time, she fell asleep.

As he watched her sleep, he knew she was the one. Knowing her in just about a month didn't matter. He had known Juliette for 4 years before they got married and it ended up being a disaster, so this time around, he was going to go with the flow. And Olivia was his flow.