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ALEXANDER The sign over the front of the building was chipped and outdated, something I hadn't noticed until now.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
ALEXANDER “We are sorry, son. So sorry.” Nial said, and had I not gone through the training I did for the army, I would have cracked as he called me son. Instead, I just nodded. There was nothing more I could ask of them besides regret and an apology. Anything else seemed unreasonable. “How ca
BAILEE My lips pulled up into a smile as I was roused from my sleep to the feeling of gentle kisses being peppered along my shoulder blade. The rough scruff of Alex's beard slid against my skin so delicately that I shivered from the pleasure it sent through me. That had always been my weak spot,
BAILEE “Are you mad at me?” I asked, and Ben looked at me briefly before returning to Brinley. “No, why?” He asked, and my molars ground together at the two-word answer. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you won’t look at me, and every time you talk to or text me, it’s like pulling teeth to
BAILEE “What’s going on?” Alex said, his smile falling as I marched toward him, but I saw his chest rise more with his next breath. It had been too long for us. Too long since we touched. Too long since we connected. “There’s just too much going on right now,” I admitted, not knowing how to exp