Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this book, please leave a five star review and vote. I appreciate your support!
BAILEEIt had been a horrible day, and it just kept getting worse.Alexander. Fucking. Kingston.That wasn’t his middle name, but that was how I had said his name in my head for the past seven years.No one on this Earth, including Caleb, had caused me as much pain as Alexander Fucking Kingston.This man had taken my virginity, told me he loved me, and then tossed me aside like I had been nothing more than a piece of trash on his way out of my life.I had been young and stupid. I had loved him with everything I had and had cried over him for months after he left me shattered and hollow.Getting over him was one of the hardest things I have ever done until today.Now, at the lowest point in my life, he just had to show up again, and dared to provoke me in the worst possible way. It was a cruel joke.Seeing him made me feel like I was cursed. It was as if higher forces had looked down at me and said, “Did you think this was over? Buckle up, sweetheart. Things are about to get a whole lot
BAILEEI turned back to Nicole at the bar as she watched with a smirk. I needed to get out of here. “Ben. Where is Ben? I need to talk to my brother. He’s not home and not answering his phone.”My brother, Benjamin Evans, the starting center for the Rangers, owned this bar, along with several others around the city. With this one being his first, it was his baby. If I ever needed to find him, this was the place to go.“He’s at an away game,” Nicole said, and my chest sank in as all the air left my lungs. Of course, he was.“When will he be back?” I asked, placing my hands on the bar as I leaned in, feeling panicked and desperate.Brinley was at a sleepover, and I had wanted to use the time alone to figure out where we would go from here. I had hoped we could stay with my brother for a few weeks until I could figure something out, but I also hadn’t talked to my brother in a long time.Every time we spoke, he would always mention Alex at some point, and our conversation would die off int
BAILEEThe look in Alex’s eyes when I had walked away from him was burned into my mind, and as I sat next to Brinley in the back of our Uber, I couldn’t stop picturing him. After what he had done to me when we were younger, after he had taken my virginity and then tossed me aside, I shouldn’t have been affected by him. I should have been able to ignore him. Yet, I was sucked in, just as I had been as a teenager. I had heard once that no one ever fully gets over their first love, but I had refused to believe that. Now I was wondering if there was any validity to it.The way he had been looking at me had caused all of the hurt of his betrayal to resurface, and I was struggling to stop thinking about him.Brinley moaned as I pulled her from the car seat. Her cheeks were pink, and her clothes were damp with sweat.“Come on, sweet girl. Let’s get you some medicine and into a cool bath, then bed.” I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead as the Uber driver pulled away. “Wait! My car
BAILEE I narrowed my eyes at him. He didn’t get to accuse me of cheating, fake DNA test results, and then sit there and act concerned for her. As far as I was concerned he could stay as far away from her as possible. He was mental and unhinged.“You have got to be kidding me right now,” I hissed as I moved to stand in front of Lorna, glaring at her. “Get out of my way.”When Lorna leaned back against the counter instead of moving, I reached behind her, pulled the cabinet open, and let the wood softly hit the back of her head as I grabbed Brinley some Tylenol and Motrin.“Ugh!” She screeched. “How dare you! That was assault!” Lorna’s high-pitched voice seemed just as unsettling to Brinley.She lifted her little head and looked at the woman with fear before leaning over me to reach for Caleb.“Daddy!” Brinley called. “I want daddy!”Caleb moved to grab her from my arms, but Lorna closed the distance between them, pushing his hands down.“He is not your daddy!” Lorna narrowed her eyes
BAILEEMy ex-husband’s mistress was pregnant.Lorna was pregnant.My body was moving on autopilot as I slowly poured the cup of water over Brinley’s hair. Her cheeks had lightened to a soft pink, and I was optimistic that the medicine would kick in soon.Internally, I was fuming, but my body felt numb.Out of everything he did, cheating on me, emotionally abusing me, neglecting our daughter, and lying about me in court… this felt like the worst.How could he have the nerve to have another child when he had just thrown away his first oneHe wasn’t fit to be a father. He couldn’t even take care of himself. He had expected me to clean up after him, cook for him, and serve him like his personal maid.But maybe that dynamic was exactly why Lorna and Caleb could work together. She was his assistant. She already waited on him hand and foot. Announcing her pregnancy the night of our divorce, and in front of Brinley no less, was shameless and disgusting.Brinley lifted her head from my chest, r
BAILEE-I sighed at the familiar voice. “Nicole. It’s Bailee Joh…Evans. I need some help. Please tell me you have a key to Ben’s house or know someone who does. I need a place to stay tonight and a ride. I don’t have a car or car seat and don’t know who else to call.”It was humiliating that I didn’t have a key, but Ben and I weren't very close anymore. My best friend was on vacation with her boyfriend, and my parents lived hours away.“Bailee! Um, yeah! Give me a second!”There was some rustling on the other line, and over the loud music and sound of the packed bar, I could hear her talking to someone for a moment before she picked up the phone again.“I’ve got you, girl! Mason will be there soon. Give me your address!”I could have cried from relief that it was someone other than Alex as I gave her my address.While holding the phone between my shoulder and cheek, I got Brinley dressed before setting her on her bed to lie down until it was time to leave.Over the next few minutes, I
ALEXANDER I stepped forward, moving around Bailee as Caleb dropped the bag with a huff of anger. For several years, he had done everything he could to take down my company but had never grown the balls to address me directly, so I hadn't bothered wasting my time and resources on him. Knowing he
There was a little blood on my knuckles, and I bent down, wiping it on Caleb’s shirt before turning to leave. “You’re not going to get away with this!” The woman shouted, but I just laughed. "We will have you locked up for the rest of your life!" “Good luck with that,” Bash said before opening
HAVEN Ben’s eyes closed as if he were in pain as I leaned forward and flicked his lips with my tongue. I was bold when drunk, but this… this was a new level. I felt invincible with Ben as if I could act on any urge I had, and he couldn’t or wouldn’t judge me for it. He would just… satisfy me. “
HAVEN I loved them. The women were absolutely incredible. All of them, except Nora, but she broke away from the group fairly quickly. It seemed she was a bitch to everyone, and no one really put up with it. They just ignored her when her attitude started up and wouldn’t talk to her again until she
HAVEN Brinley stayed with us for three nights, which was the best distraction I could have asked for. The girls had been so happy to be together that I didn’t have time to dwell on any of the shit that had happened in the past few months. They needed constant engagement and snacks. I secretly had
BEN I watched with a smile as Brinley held her baby brother, Tristan, for the first time. I was excited to meet him, but I also wanted her to do so before me or Siri did. It was vital for them to bond, and with the bright smile on her little face, I knew she would have no problem with that. Brin
HAVEN The girls were bouncing in their car seats as we pulled up to the hospital's main entrance and got out. Ben handed the keys to the valet before helping Brinley out of her seat while I grabbed Siri. They had been talking nonstop about the baby and how excited they were to meet him, but I drea
BEN “Man, I don’t remember Coach being this intense the past few years,” Jake muttered as he pulled off his gear, and I nodded in agreement, doing the same. It had been brutal out there today, but we needed it. The team wasn’t in game shape, myself included, but we were working hard to power thro
HAVEN “You can’t be serious,” I said as I stared at her in horror. Had I brought a child into the world myself? Yes. Do I remember how scary it is? Also Yes. Do I remember what the doctors had done? No. I was busy screaming and pushing as I ripped myself open to bring a life into this world.
HAVEN I was nervous about bringing Siri to daycare, and even though I wasn’t working yet, I wanted to ensure she was well-adjusted before I started leaving her there all day for work. Bailee had suggested the daycare she used, and Siri had been over the moon to see Brinley there when I dropped he
BEN As I snuck out of the bedroom that night, I couldn’t help but look back and admire my wife for a moment as she lay stretched out in our bed. She had one leg up, and the blanket was covering her butt, leaving her back exposed in the most sinfully sexy way. Had she not almost passed out after