The car ride home from my family’s house was silent. I tried to get Liam to tell me what he and my mom had talked about, but he just said she’d only read his cards. “A bunch of bollocks,” he’d muttered more than once.Tonight hadn’t gone as well as I’d hoped. Despite telling my dad to lay off Liam, he’d been like a dog with a smelly, disgusting bone. While Liam had been with my mom, I’d told my dad to cool it. He’d countered that he’d “cool it” when he’d seen evidence that I hadn’t married a hooligan.“Dad, a hooligan? Seriously? What year is this, 1955?” I’d said in exasperation.“That was the nicest term I could come up with.”Lucky for me and unluckily for Dani, our dad had decided that he’d wanted to discuss something with Jacob. Apparently both Dani and I had struck out in the dad approval department. It was up to Kate to win that award—God help us all.By eleven o’clock, I got dressed in my prettiest new lingerie—a ruby red babydoll that I’d bought for my honeymoon, believe
“You look beautiful,” I said. I came to stand behind her, both of us gazing at her reflection in the mirror.She did look beautiful, more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined. When I stroked a finger down her spine, she shivered. I kissed the side of her neck.“I can just see you, a trembling, virgin bride on her wedding night,” I whispered in her ear. “I start unbuttoning your dress, one by one, revealing your body to me inch by inch.”“Liam—”“You’d be shivering, blushing, afraid but also curious. Aroused.” I bit a cord in her neck, which made her moan. “You’d be wet for me by the time I’d stripped you naked.”Seeing Mari in this wedding dress made me half mad with wanting her. After last night, I’d told myself I should let her go. I’d only break her heart. I didn’t need some bloody card reading to remind me of that. Even if a hundred psychics came to tell me that one thing, I wouldn’t need to hear it because I already knew it was the truth.But Jesus Christ, I wanted to pro
There are many things in my life that I never expected to happen. Including my almost-husband and my current husband battling it out in the middle of a park like two of the biggest idiots in existence.My morning had started peaceful enough. I’d bought coffee and sat down to wait for David to show up. I’d considered bailing at least five times, though, but the lure of getting my favorite eyeshadow palette back was too much to give up.Besides, if David wanted to grovel and apologize some more, who was I to stop him? It wasn’t like he’d convince me to get back together with him.David showed up ten minutes late. “Were you waiting long?” he said.I sipped my coffee. “Long enough.”He grimaced. “Sorry. Got up late. I’m glad you agreed to meet me, though.” He took in my appearance—old jeans, no makeup, my hair in a messy bun—and said, “You look beautiful.”I glared at him. “I’m not here for compliments.”“I know. But I’m here to give them to you. Or at least tell you why I fucked up
You’d think by now I’d know what to do after a breakup. Buy some Ben and Jerry’s, watch sad movies, cry a while. Feel sorry for myself, definitely. I’d done all of that after I’d found out David was cheating on me.But this? This was a million times worse. This felt like my entire heart had been ripped out, stomped on, and thrown to the crows to eat.Worst of all, the world kept turning. I still had to go to work. I still had to act like I wasn’t completely dead inside, because then I’d have to admit to everyone how much I still loved my husband. Yet I was so angry with him that I wasn’t sure if I’d slap him or hug him if I saw him again.At the moment, I was staying with Dani and Jacob. When I’d shown up at their door that afternoon after my epic fight with Liam, bags in hand and sobbing, Dani hadn’t asked any questions. She’d bustled me inside, made me a cup of tea with a large shot of either brandy or whiskey, and had let me tell my story when I’d been ready.“Have you heard any
When the prints of the photos I’d taken of Mari arrived, I didn’t look at them for days.I’d ordered them before that fight in the park. After our disagreement that night, though, I shouldn’t have tweaked fate’s nose. But I’d been hopeful. And fucking stupid.I grabbed a glass of whiskey and, sitting on the couch that somehow still smelled like my wife, I opened the package.I thumbed through the photos: one of Mari smiling, looking away from me. One of Mari with her eyes closed, a pink nipple just peeking out from below the bedsheet. Mari smiling at me, every emotion under the sun shining from her face.But I’d told her that I loved her and she hadn’t told me the same. And then I’d said those words I wished I could take back. And now our marriage was over, and all that work I’d put in to keep Niamh’s inheritance intact? Down the drain, as soon as old man Gallagher caught wind of things.Lucky for me, though, that Mari had yet to file for divorce. I didn’t know what she was waitin
The following Monday, I went into work, entered Leslie’s office after a single knock, and handed her my letter of resignation.Too bad she didn’t even look up when I entered. She was just typing away on her computer. She waved a hand at me.“Sit down. I’ll be with you in a second.”I sat down. Five minutes passed in silence, Leslie ignoring me entirely. Two more minutes passed.Finally, I stood up and set the letter on her keyboard, forcing her to recognize my existence.“What is this?”“I’m quitting,” I said.Leslie picked up the letter, dangling it from her fingers like I’d handed her a dead bird.“Excuse me?”“I’m quitting.”Sighing, Leslie set the letter down, not even bothering to open it. She steepled her fingers and gestured for me to sit down.I didn’t sit again.After the conversations with my sisters and my mom, I’d realized that Liam had been right: I’d been playing it safe my entire life. I’d thought I could avoid a broken heart that way. I thought if I just did
I married my wife a year and a half after I married her the first time.I’d wanted to do it much sooner, until I’d realized that Mari had planned to use the wedding things she’d bought for her wedding with David for our wedding.“I already have almost everything we need,” she’d said, rather too calmly for my liking. “I’d rather use all of it if I could.”To that, I’d countered that there was no way in hell that I was allowing anything that had to do with her weasel of an ex at our wedding. Mari had thought I was being ridiculous, so I’d seduced her until she’d finally agreed with me.So, the idea for a summer wedding that first year went out the window. A year would put us in the wintertime, which Mari refused to plan a wedding for.So, it had taken eighteen bloody months to plan, primarily because Mari had got the idea to have the wedding in Ireland. Which sounded great, until you considered how much of a pain it was to work with wedding people on the other side of the world. Mar
When I exited the clinic three days later, I glared up at the sun. Why was it so happy and shiny? It should be raining because this damn city should always reflect my mood. It should be cold, rainy, gray, and sad.Okay, maybe not sad—just scared. When the nurse practitioner had told me in her cheery voice that I was pregnant and that they could do an ultrasound right then to check on the fetus, I’d wanted to scream and cry.Oh, and in case you were wondering, when the parasite is this small, you don’t get to have one of those “squirt goo on your belly” ultrasounds. You get the “giant wand shoved up your vagina” type of ultrasound.So after basically losing my virginity a second time to an ultrasound wand, I crossed the street to sit on a bench in a tiny park about a mile from campus. A few moms with their kids played on the playground; one toddler tried to climb onto a swing and subsequently face-planted into the ground. I had to cover my mouth to keep myself from laughing.It was
A coffee addict and cat lover, Iris Morland writes sexy and funny contemporary romances. If she's not reading or writing, she enjoys binging on Netflix shows and cooking something delicious.Stay in touch!irismorland.comIris Morland’s MermaidsNewsletter Facebook Twitter BookBub Goodreads Instagram
Say You’re MineAll I Ask of YouMake Me YoursHold Me CloseWar of the RosesPetal PluckerHe Loves Me, He Loves Me NotOopsie DaisyincludingThen Came YouTaking a Chance on LoveAll I Want Is YouMy One and OnlyThe Nearness of YouThe Very Thought of YouIf I Can’t Have YouDream a Little Dream of MeSomeone to Watch Over MeTill There Was YouI’ll Be Home for Christmas
When I exited the clinic three days later, I glared up at the sun. Why was it so happy and shiny? It should be raining because this damn city should always reflect my mood. It should be cold, rainy, gray, and sad.Okay, maybe not sad—just scared. When the nurse practitioner had told me in her cheery voice that I was pregnant and that they could do an ultrasound right then to check on the fetus, I’d wanted to scream and cry.Oh, and in case you were wondering, when the parasite is this small, you don’t get to have one of those “squirt goo on your belly” ultrasounds. You get the “giant wand shoved up your vagina” type of ultrasound.So after basically losing my virginity a second time to an ultrasound wand, I crossed the street to sit on a bench in a tiny park about a mile from campus. A few moms with their kids played on the playground; one toddler tried to climb onto a swing and subsequently face-planted into the ground. I had to cover my mouth to keep myself from laughing.It was
I married my wife a year and a half after I married her the first time.I’d wanted to do it much sooner, until I’d realized that Mari had planned to use the wedding things she’d bought for her wedding with David for our wedding.“I already have almost everything we need,” she’d said, rather too calmly for my liking. “I’d rather use all of it if I could.”To that, I’d countered that there was no way in hell that I was allowing anything that had to do with her weasel of an ex at our wedding. Mari had thought I was being ridiculous, so I’d seduced her until she’d finally agreed with me.So, the idea for a summer wedding that first year went out the window. A year would put us in the wintertime, which Mari refused to plan a wedding for.So, it had taken eighteen bloody months to plan, primarily because Mari had got the idea to have the wedding in Ireland. Which sounded great, until you considered how much of a pain it was to work with wedding people on the other side of the world. Mar
The following Monday, I went into work, entered Leslie’s office after a single knock, and handed her my letter of resignation.Too bad she didn’t even look up when I entered. She was just typing away on her computer. She waved a hand at me.“Sit down. I’ll be with you in a second.”I sat down. Five minutes passed in silence, Leslie ignoring me entirely. Two more minutes passed.Finally, I stood up and set the letter on her keyboard, forcing her to recognize my existence.“What is this?”“I’m quitting,” I said.Leslie picked up the letter, dangling it from her fingers like I’d handed her a dead bird.“Excuse me?”“I’m quitting.”Sighing, Leslie set the letter down, not even bothering to open it. She steepled her fingers and gestured for me to sit down.I didn’t sit again.After the conversations with my sisters and my mom, I’d realized that Liam had been right: I’d been playing it safe my entire life. I’d thought I could avoid a broken heart that way. I thought if I just did
When the prints of the photos I’d taken of Mari arrived, I didn’t look at them for days.I’d ordered them before that fight in the park. After our disagreement that night, though, I shouldn’t have tweaked fate’s nose. But I’d been hopeful. And fucking stupid.I grabbed a glass of whiskey and, sitting on the couch that somehow still smelled like my wife, I opened the package.I thumbed through the photos: one of Mari smiling, looking away from me. One of Mari with her eyes closed, a pink nipple just peeking out from below the bedsheet. Mari smiling at me, every emotion under the sun shining from her face.But I’d told her that I loved her and she hadn’t told me the same. And then I’d said those words I wished I could take back. And now our marriage was over, and all that work I’d put in to keep Niamh’s inheritance intact? Down the drain, as soon as old man Gallagher caught wind of things.Lucky for me, though, that Mari had yet to file for divorce. I didn’t know what she was waitin
You’d think by now I’d know what to do after a breakup. Buy some Ben and Jerry’s, watch sad movies, cry a while. Feel sorry for myself, definitely. I’d done all of that after I’d found out David was cheating on me.But this? This was a million times worse. This felt like my entire heart had been ripped out, stomped on, and thrown to the crows to eat.Worst of all, the world kept turning. I still had to go to work. I still had to act like I wasn’t completely dead inside, because then I’d have to admit to everyone how much I still loved my husband. Yet I was so angry with him that I wasn’t sure if I’d slap him or hug him if I saw him again.At the moment, I was staying with Dani and Jacob. When I’d shown up at their door that afternoon after my epic fight with Liam, bags in hand and sobbing, Dani hadn’t asked any questions. She’d bustled me inside, made me a cup of tea with a large shot of either brandy or whiskey, and had let me tell my story when I’d been ready.“Have you heard any
There are many things in my life that I never expected to happen. Including my almost-husband and my current husband battling it out in the middle of a park like two of the biggest idiots in existence.My morning had started peaceful enough. I’d bought coffee and sat down to wait for David to show up. I’d considered bailing at least five times, though, but the lure of getting my favorite eyeshadow palette back was too much to give up.Besides, if David wanted to grovel and apologize some more, who was I to stop him? It wasn’t like he’d convince me to get back together with him.David showed up ten minutes late. “Were you waiting long?” he said.I sipped my coffee. “Long enough.”He grimaced. “Sorry. Got up late. I’m glad you agreed to meet me, though.” He took in my appearance—old jeans, no makeup, my hair in a messy bun—and said, “You look beautiful.”I glared at him. “I’m not here for compliments.”“I know. But I’m here to give them to you. Or at least tell you why I fucked up
“You look beautiful,” I said. I came to stand behind her, both of us gazing at her reflection in the mirror.She did look beautiful, more beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined. When I stroked a finger down her spine, she shivered. I kissed the side of her neck.“I can just see you, a trembling, virgin bride on her wedding night,” I whispered in her ear. “I start unbuttoning your dress, one by one, revealing your body to me inch by inch.”“Liam—”“You’d be shivering, blushing, afraid but also curious. Aroused.” I bit a cord in her neck, which made her moan. “You’d be wet for me by the time I’d stripped you naked.”Seeing Mari in this wedding dress made me half mad with wanting her. After last night, I’d told myself I should let her go. I’d only break her heart. I didn’t need some bloody card reading to remind me of that. Even if a hundred psychics came to tell me that one thing, I wouldn’t need to hear it because I already knew it was the truth.But Jesus Christ, I wanted to pro