If there’s heaven for me, I’m sure it has a beach attached to it. – Jimmy Buffett
It was the last day in Hawaii and Jolene stood on the private beach watching the sun go down. Neo stood off to the side, giving her the space that she had asked for. As always, the guards stood discreetly out of the way.After the kidnapping incident, he was not taking any chances. Reese had the same mindset and cancelled the airplane tickets and chartered a plane. The hotel had been changed and they were staying at a private bungalow. Neo did not want to know how much his friend had paid to get this on short notice during spring break.Knowing Reese, he probably bought the house.And did not have to spend way too much time and money getting it livable. Not that he regretted buying the old mansion. With the plans that he had; his three locations would soon become one. The house was almost done and the foundation for the garage and parking area was being laid down while they were gone.<I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me. – Joshua GrahamThe plane was on the tarmac, and they were waiting for their turn at the gate. Neo was texting Shelby who was not responding and Willow who was being very vague. He then texted several of his guards who were strangely radio silent. He trusted his instincts enough to know that something was wrong. Completely, totally and utterly wrong.Finally, the chartered plane moved to the gate, and they all moved to the door. for being such a large party, it did not take them long to get off the plane. The extended gangway opened to the county’s municipal airport. Most of the planes that came through were for the local flight school and the parachute company. As they walked out, Neo saw three of his guards. Childs, Nelson and Joshua stood there waiting on them. Zack was supposed to be the one picking them up. Zack and Nichols.The cold stare had Childs cringing and Neo saw that Ne
I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be. – Robert N. MunschJaxon was confused over the group message that he got from Pax. Company meeting. Need everyone here. Saturday 4And then the following one that came only to him.Sorry about the short notice. Hope the vacay was good. PVacay? When did Pax start saying vacay? You leave for a few days and the whole world turns upside down. Okay, so it was almost a week. But still.The week away was great. He had never seen his family be so happy before. Helen was practically glowing after a week in Hawaii. Jolene hadn’t seemed so relaxed in years, even with the guards. JD was thrilled to be there with Dean. And he, himself, enjoyed the week with both his partners.Saturdays had become the day that the girls went and did their thing at the nail salon. And the day that Jaxon and Ty had to themselves. Even after flying in yesterday, today was still their day.Curr
Be careful what you wish for. There’s always a catch. – Laurie Halse AndersonEverything was going wrong. Everything had gone wrong.It only continued to get worse.Jolene divorced him.His mother went missing after they were released from jail.Regina went to the store and never came home. Her purse was found in a freezer at the grocery store. Rachel and his kids were now missing. Nothing was out of place at the house. Nothing was missing. She took the oldest to school, parked in the parking lot across from the school like she always did. They never made it into the school. There was no video footage of any of them leaving.They just simply… disappeared.He received a visit from the sheriff's office late in the afternoon. It had been a familiar face that had knocked on the door. Parker looked at his old partner with sadness and tears in his eyes.“I’m sorry, Hank.” Parker said and he meant it. “Your father is at the County Hospital.”
Till this moment I never knew myself. – Jane AustenThat same odd feeling followed Jolene around all day as she walked across the campus. The odd feeling of being followed and watched never left her. She had convinced herself that it was because this was her first day back to classes from her vacation. That it was because in the parking lot over there, her eyes cut to the lot behind the science building, she had been drugged and kidnapped.“You okay?” Nichols asked quietly.Jolene nodded as she turned away from the lot and headed towards the language arts building. She heard the soft grunt that the man gave her. They were no longer wearing uniforms as a way of making other students feel more comfortable. And to make Jolene feel a little more normal. They both wore faded jeans and a t-shirt for the college football team. Jolene knew all about the football team. Her mother was such a contradiction. The woman loved all the girly things – pink, dresses, makeup, jewelry,
But we cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever. – Haruki MurakamiShelby sat in the office of the therapist that Neo contracted with for his guards. He had seen how it could fuck with a person’s mind when they had to shoot someone. Much less knowing that they had killed another human being.Although she had insisted that she was fine, because she could not stand to see the guys looking at her like she was going to break, she knew better.She felt like she was going to break.The only reason she had not given in yet is because Nate was watching her. And he was watching because Zack was watching.Not that Zack was in a better position. He had been there, and she saw the way that his PTSD had taken over for a brief moment. But then the training and muscle memory took control. As Shelby stood there watching the puddle of blood grow just outside the warehouse, that was now on fire thanks to the same asshole bleeding everywhere, Zack grabbed the first ai
You can tell a bully from a leader by how they treat people who disagree with them. – Miles K. DavisTylenol.That was the mantra going through Douggie’s mind at this point. Tylenol.The last forty-five minutes of the meeting had to be the longest decade of his life.Tylenol.He usually had some in his desk. But he was not at his office. He could only hope that the city jail infirmary had some Tylenol. Ibuprofen. Acetaminophen. Aspirin.At this point in time, he would take a twenty-pound sledgehammer upside the head. As long as it knocked him out or just completely put him out of his misery.“Douglas?” special agent in charge David MacFarland called out as he followed Douggie down the hall.Douggie let the hand that was rubbing the bridge of his nose, he turned around and plastered his professional smile on his face. “It’s just Douggie.”“Mac.” He held out a hand and Douggie took it.Looking at the special agent in charge, Douggie was pic
In raising my children, I have lost my mind but found my soul. – Lisa T. ShepherdIn the last few weeks, Helen swore her belly had doubled in size every week. When they were in Hawaii, she blamed it on the rich foods and eating just about everything she wanted. But when they got back, her belly continued to grow.And grow.The stress of the fire and Jolene’s attack did not help any.A year ago, her life was completely different. She struggled to pay her bills. New clothes would have been a luxury. Another baby was not even a thought.And now, she lived with a man who too care of everything. Pampered her in ways that she still could not even imagine. And would give her anything and everything that she needed or wanted.Including his baby.Today, her heartburn was horrible. She had eaten so many antacid tablets that she was certain she was going to become a giant antacid tablet. She was getting more when Reese appeared in her office doorway.“Still bad?
Cinderella never asked for a prince. She asked for a night off and a dress. – Kiera CassHer muscles burned and her lungs ached, but Dean refused to stop. She had let herself go while she was at home. Midnight swims did not have the same appeal without her mom or Cheryl. Laps were not as soothing as they had been.She was determined to get back into shape. Back down to her time. Her legs kicked and her arms swung out in strong strokes pulling her forward. Every other left stroke she breathed in and on the ones in between she breathed out. At the end of the lane, she flipped and kicked off the wall and began her final lap.The wall grew closer and closer, and she knew she would make it close to her time. With her hand hitting the wall, she came up for a long and deep breath. Planting her feet under her, Dean took off her goggles and swim cap to look at the large timer by the side of the pool.Fourteen seconds over.“Looking good, Coppell!” the coach called, a
There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved. – George SandWhen Dean had shown them the walk-in closet of wedding dresses, Bunny had fallen in love with the dress that they dubbed the *Big Fat Greek Wedding* Dress. The skirt was so large that her arms couldn’t go down straight by her sides.Smirking, Deam had pointed out that her arms weren’t the only things that would not be straight at the wedding. When she had quit laughing, Bunny threatened to put the teen in pink. They both knew it was an empty threat.Two days before the wedding, Helen had shown up at the two-story house with a new set of petticoats. Even though they would not be seen during the ceremony, it still meant a lot to the three of them. Especially for Jaxon.Although they all knew that Helen accepted Jaxon and his partners, the gift of the rainbow-colored petticoats solidified it. It meant even more to learn that Daphne had helped Helen
I have never met a vampire personally, but I don’t know what might happen tomorrow. – Bela LugosiJD walked up behind Dean and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck as she made herself a sandwich. “How are you going to eat that?”“One bite at a time.” She replied as she sliced the tomato.“Smart ass.” He chuckled.“You want one?”Kissing her cheek, he smiled at her before turning and looking at the sandwich. There needed to be a different word for this … monstrosity. Rye bread with mayonnaise and mustard. Three types of cheeses. Five types of deli sliced meat. Romaine and iceberg lettuce. Sliced tomato, pickles, cucumbers, bell peppers, banana peppers and black olives.“Yeah.” He answered with a soft chuckle.She gave a small laugh as she finished her sandwich and pushed the plate away before grabbing another paper plate leftover from the
As your kids grow they may forget what you said, but won’t forget how you made them feel. – Kevin HeathIt had been a long weekend, starting with Dean’s graduation on Friday night and ending with the babies’ first birthday party today. After the party had broken up, several people had stayed just to play in the pool. Ariel, true to her namesake, loved being in the water and was upset when they finally got out of the pool.She had started to cry, but Ty and Jaxon were there with cuddles. If there was any doubt about her being daddy’s girl, it would only be because the doubter had never seen her light up when either of them came into view.Her favorite place was between her two fathers. She definitely took after her mother in that regard. Most nights she would fall asleep on Bunny’s lap or shoulder, a hand or foot on each of the men.Currently, she lay on Bunny’s shoulder, her hand tightly gripping Jaxon&rs
Some students go an entire day at school without anyone saying their name. be the adult who speaks to each student by name. Everyone loves to hear their name. – Educator Justin TarteEvery night, Jolene sat between Neo’s legs and would read to him. Some nights the passages were nothing more than written porn. Other nights, they were sweet, or amusing. After the first few nights of carefully curated smut scenes, he chose a book, and they would read a few chapters each night.They were on book three of a series of five tonight and she was having a hard time concentrating. The light touch of his calloused hands under her shirt did not help her concentration. Nor did his mouth on her neck.Certainly, the bulge at her lower back was a bit distracting.“Something’s on your mind.” He whispered and then lightly bit her earlobe.“No…” she tried to brush off his observation and he simply chuckled
Because he wants to create a stable, lasting relationship with one person. Brad, believe me, there is nothing in this world so wonderful, so fulfilling, as coming home to the same woman every night. – Tony Randall as Jonathon Forbes in Pillow Talk 1959Cheryl snuggled against Waylon’s chest as they lay in the new bed at their new house. She wore a large National Fire Academy T-shirt that was stretched tight across her large belly. He wore a pair of boxers and kept squirming seeking a more comfortable position between the rough, stiff cotton sheets.The guys from the fire department had helped them move early Saturday morning. She and Waylon left the guys putting together furniture when they went to the unveiling of Dean’s mural.When they returned to the house with pizzas and beers, they found the six men sitting on the back patio with their feet up. On furniture that Cheryl adored but did not remember getting.“I
As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. – Johann Wolfgang von GoetheReese had told Helen that there was a second restaurant at the Private Club that he wanted to eat at. She knew about the other restaurant. When they had all met for lunch last, Marnie had taken Helen over and showed her the other restaurant. The one with low cushioned tables and pillows on the floor.The lights were up during the day, but for meals, they would be lowered. Lights would shine out from inside the tables, illuminating the sub on display. There were cushions that could be moved to accommodate the person on the table. One under the knees, a small one under the lower back and one to support the neck and head.Marnie had told the older woman that she loved the other restaurant. The meals were finger foods that were served on the sub. Helen had looked at the Brat who smiled at her.“On the sub.” Marnie said again. “Steve
Most of our childhood is stored not in photos, but in certain biscuits, lights of day, smells, textures of carpet. – Alain de BottonReese sat on the outdoor couch on the lower deck watching the girls in the pool with the babies. Cheryl, Bunny, Dean and Allison, the only female Seabee that came with JD, each had a baby in their arms as they bounced and spun. Watching her children and grandchild smile and laugh, Helen snuggled into his side, and he pulled her into his lap.She had lost most of her baby weight, and currently had made her way back into size eighteen dresses, which she was quite proud of. Today she wore the dress that Reese had bought her specifically for the birthday party. A pink satin shift with a cream-colored mesh overdress with pink and blue flowers embroidered on it.Earlier in the day she had also been in the pool in a pink swimsuit with a sheer fish scale skirt that Reese had a hard time looking away from. He had p
Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you. – Chuck KlostermanThere was a rather large gathering in the closed parking lot across the street from the mural. About half of them were part of the Princess Club and extended family. The large white canvas tarp that covered the wall billowed in the midmorning breeze. JD wrapped his arm around Dean’s waist and pulled her to his side.She wore a knee length black skirt and matching jacket with a white lace shirt underneath. Her hair was pulled up in a tight twist in an effort to keep it contained in the wind. She wore sapphire and silver teardrop earrings that matched her shoes.The leg of JD’s course BDU uniform brushed up against her bare leg as she moved in closer to him. Curling into his chest, she smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Nervous?” he asked quietly.She nodded. “Yes. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done for so many people to see. What if no one likes it?”
I’m the big sister. I want to make sure she has everything, even if I don’t have anything. It’s hard. I love her too much. That’s what counts. – Venus WilliamsLast night, Dean graduated from high school with a large cheering section made up of her family, friends and a small contingent of Seabees. And a cardboard cutout of her mom. This afternoon, they were having her graduation party. It was shaping up to be one hell of a party. JD was home until Wednesday but would be back a week and half later for his brother’s commitment ceremony to Bunny and Ty. The other Seabees would leave tomorrow, only a few planned to stay for the birthday party for the four babies. Although they had all been invited.All the princess club and their families would be there.They had all been upset when they learned that she had got married without them. But then the newlywed couple promised to have a real wedding on their one-year anniversary.Deon and Craig were both home for summer and t