BAILEE “This is absurd,” I said, pulling at the cuff around my wrists. “There are real criminals out there right now, and you have me locked up in here! I can sue you for this!” “No, we can’t,” Ben said, leaning his head back against the wall. “But I will raise hell if anything happens to my niece
BAILEE The air left my lungs in one big swoosh of air as I heard the words. She was safe. “Where is she?” I asked breathlessly. “She is being looked over by the paramedics right now,” Keller said, and my hand instantly grabbed Alex’s to steady myself. “Is she hurt? Did he hurt her?” I asked
ALEXANDER It was hard to take my eyes off Bailee and Brinley as they lay curled up in my bed. Seeing them there made me feel complete and whole. My woman, my future daughter, and my unborn baby. I had a family. They were my family. Every few minutes, I had been peaking my head into the room,
ALEXANDER “What’s going on, man?” “Nothing.” He said a bit too quickly before running his palm down his face. “It’s just been nice having people around again… my people. I’ve been alone for so long. No matter how many tickets I sent or how many times I called or texted, my family hadn’t shown up
BAILEE As I woke, my body was stiff and overly warm. Brinley was curled into my side, her head on my shoulder, sleeping partially on top of me, and I sighed in relief that she was actually here and safe. I stared at her for a long while, worried that she would disappear and I would wake up alone,
BAILEE “You’re being weird,” I muttered to Ben as he sat across from me at the dining room table. “You are weird.” He threw back, and the corner of my lips pulled up in amusement. There he was, back to himself. “Is this about the Range Rover because I came into some money recently, and I can
ALEXANDER The sign over the front of the building was chipped and outdated, something I hadn't noticed until now. I took a second to stare at it for a moment longer as I waited for Ben to get Brinley out of her car seat. He was a good uncle, but man, had it been satisfying to crack a few ‘Manny -
ALEXANDER “Oh, Alex!” My foster mother, Kaylee, exclaimed, and I tensed in surprise as she rounded the table to wrap her arms around me. It felt like a trap. It was a cold, cruel trap. “Love, let’s sit down and let him get his bearings. It’s been a long past few days, I’m sure.” My foster fathe
BEN It was odd pulling up to the house and finding there wasn’t a single paparazzi in sight. After today’s news, I expected them to be ready to break down my gate for a story, but no one was there. Instead, a blacked-out SUV sat across the street, and my stomach twisted when I realized it was pro
HAVEN I needed to get out of the house. Staying inside was driving me crazy, and I couldn’t take it anymore. My last job interview was a week ago, and while I keep applying, no one wants to hire the woman all over the tabloids with a sex tape. Our PR team managed to get it taken down, but it stil
BEN “Rangers player Benjamin Evans is today’s hot topic. Now fans were petitioning for him to be traded for his performance last season. Even I wanted him gone, and I’ve followed his career since he was being scouted.” The reporters around him laughed, and I gritted my jaw. “I know. I remember hi
HAVEN Ben’s leg bounced all through breakfast, and I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder every few seconds to the large window behind me. The way his eyes kept scanning it made me feel like someone was about to repel from the roof and crash through it at any moment, or there was a sniper some
BEN Was it weird to be shopping for engagement rings at this moment? Yes Still, I couldn’t help myself. It was the first place my mind went when I woke up this morning. If Haven was so comfortable around me and loved me so much that she was willing to let me fuck her in the ass, then I would bet s
HAVEN “Have you ever done this before?” Ben asked, and I shook my head. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before stepping back. “How did I get so lucky?” His question, with the sudden loss of his body heat, made me blush, and I pushed off the counter slowly. I could only assume, with him
HAVEN “Did he say anything to you?” Ben asked as we settled into our room for the night. Siri had passed out on the car ride home, and Ben made it look so easy to transfer her from the car to her bed. I had never succeeded in doing that without waking her up. “No,” I said, meeting his stressed
BEN He was so close to them... so close to my family, and there was nothing I could do but watch. “Evans! Head in the game!” Coach screamed, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scene before me. Security was coming down the steps toward him, and he threw his head back laughing before walk
HAVEN I was so scared that Ben would be angry at me for going behind his back and calling his parents that I hadn’t even told him they were coming. They were staying at a hotel near the stadium and were ecstatic to meet Siri. That was my big regret with this surprise. Ben didn’t get to introduce