Abby A cool breeze drifts in through the kitchen window, and I cross the room to peer outside. I live on the top floor of my building, and I’ve got a great view of a nearby park. Standing at the window, I can hear the whoosh of the wind, and shouts down on the street. I’ve been waiting to hear f
“I’ve been fine,” I say. “Good.” He nods. “Nice place.” I can’t tell if he really means it, but I don’t have the nerve to ask. “Yeah, I like it.” He nods again, turning back to me. “And you’ve got a restaurant.” “Yeah, I’ve got a restaurant.” I force a smile. “It’s doing really well.” Of c
Abby He looms over me, his jaw clenched. His anger seems to win out over his attempt to shield his emotions from me. The sheer power radiating off him makes me want to back down and submit to him. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and take a step back. He might be an Alpha, but that doesn’t m
Abby The bar is packed when I walk in. It takes me a moment to find Leah in the crowd, but I finally see her standing at the end of the bar with one of the waiters. I make my way over, and she doesn’t notice me until I’m standing right in front of them. She squeezes his butt. “See you later,” sh
Abby “Leah, I really need to go.” She grins. “Oh my God, they’re going to fight over you, aren’t they?” I shake my head. “You’re talking nonsense.” The more time I spend speaking to her about this, the more likely it is that Karl does something stupid and aggressive. “I need to go.” I alread
Abby “I just wanted to say hello to your current date,” Karl says, smirking at Adam over my shoulder. I can feel the tension radiating from Adam’s place behind me. I glance over my shoulder at him, but he looks alright. Tense and annoyed, but no bruises to speak of. At least I managed to get her
Abby “What? Why?” Some of them have worked for me for years, Olivia the longest of them all. What would drive her and the others to quit so suddenly? No one answers. “Why are you all quitting?” I repeat. I’m not letting them leave here until I get some sort of explanation. No one looks at me
God, I’m so screwed. “You too,” I say, turning to Karl. “I can’t deal with all this right now.” I gesture between the two of them. “You don’t need help cleaning up?” A dry laugh escapes. “You, cleaning? Now that would be a sight.” His brows pull together. “I was genuinely offering.” I shak
Abby Intrigued, I let Karl take my hand and lead me discreetly away from the reception, weaving through the tables and out a back door into the gardens. A mischievous grin plays on his lips as we giggle like teenagers, ducking behind hedges and scurrying across the lush green lawns. “Where are w
As the music shifts to a slow ballad, I feel a familiar pair of strong arms circle my waist from behind. “There’s my beautiful wife,” Karl’s deep voice rumbles in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He spins me around to face him, our bodies swaying in time to the soft music. I gaze up at him
Abby The reception hall is cast in a warm, romantic glow, with twinkling lights and the warm flickering of candles on every table. Soft music plays as Karl and I make our entrance, hand-in-hand to raucous applause and cheers from our guests. I can’t stop smiling as we wave to our loved ones gather
Abby The afternoon sun streaming in through the tall windows of the chapel casts the stones in a warm golden light, giving everything a sort of ethereal energy. I stand in the hallway, my arm linked with Anton’s, as the wedding coordinator prepares everyone to walk down the aisle. “Are you ready
Abby As I sit in front of the vanity mirror with the hair and makeup artist circling around me, I meet my friends’ gazes in the reflection; Chloe, Leah, Daisy, and even Elsie are here as my bridesmaids, each of them looking more beautiful than the last. “The seamstress really did do a great job
Abby With a gasp of excitement, I pull the wedding gown out of its box and hold it up in the light. Everything is perfect; the way the beadwork catches the light, the silky texture, the shape. I can’t wait to try it on now that it’s been altered to fit my body. Quickly, I slip out of my clothe
Abby “Abby, why don’t you sit down?” Karl looks up at me from where he’s sitting on the sofa, a look of concern on his face. He pats the spot next to him, but I shake my head. “I can’t,” I say, continuing to pace back and forth in our living room. “I won’t sit down until I hear back about that
Abby As I chop, stir, melt, and saute, the others stand around me, watching intently. The pasta simmers on the stove, the air smelling like warm butter and spices. It’s enough to make anyone’s mouth water. But my focus isn’t on the rumbling in my belly, nor is it even on the lingering pain in my
As we continue searching, I keep thinking back on our last harrowing hunt for black truffles; those poachers nearly shot us. Even now, I can still remember the sound of the bullets whizzing past my head, and the thuds they made when they careened into trees. “We got really lucky,” I say. “If we ha