Abby I get off at my stop and walk over to the restaurant. Just my luck. Karl is already standing outside with my daily coffee in hand. I take it from him, unable to meet his gaze. Partly from anger, partly from embarrassment. If he only knew what I dreamed of last night. Knowing him, he’d pr
“Penny for your thoughts?” Karl asks as he grabs another carrot. He really is taking forever. I mostly just have him here to keep him out of everyone else’s way. I shake my head. There’s no way I’m sharing any of my worries with him. There’s especially no way I’m telling him I couldn’t stop think
Abby “I can’t. I’m busy here. I’ve told you a million times that I’m going to help Abby as long as she needs me.” “Your pack needs you.” I bite my lip and force myself to breathe quietly. I need to be ready to dash away if they make a move toward the door. Hopefully, I hear them before it’
Abby I feel him tense the moment the words leave my mouth. I want to take them back as silence stretches between us. He doesn’t seem to know what to say, and I avoid looking up at him. His hand falls off my shoulder. “No, but I’m guessing you do if you’re bringing it up.” “I mean, maybe a
“Well, I brought that up to him.” “Oh?” She leans forward. “Something tells me that didn’t exactly go well.” “Not exactly. I told him I think our relationship could use more passion. He took it pretty personally. I think I really hurt his feelings.” She shakes her head. “Oh, you for sure di
Abby One of his guards is standing at the front door, and his eyebrows go up when he sees me. I recognize him from back in the day. Jimmy, if I’m remembering right. We never interacted much. He was still new when we got our divorce. Does he know why Karl left me? Do all his staff think I cheated
Karl, however, appears mostly unperturbed. “I was already suspicious,” he says simply. “You two were always so… friendly together. And you always seemed to be putting on your cutest outfits to see him, pushing your tits together, sticking your ass out…” “Ew!” I blurt out, grimacing. “What is with
Abby Karl walks into the kitchen, and I force myself not to look at him as he strides over. I’m almost done prepping food for the line cooks, and I don’t have time to get into it with him. There’s only so much stress one person can handle before they go crazy, and I’m reaching my limit. We’
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