"I did. I hope you like them. I remember you told me once that purple roses were your favorite," he said. "They are, and I love them," I said sincerely. "Thank you." He looked as though he wasn't sure how to say what was on his mind. Then, after a brief, awkward silence, he said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stepped on your toes by asking Daisy to help you with your project. I should have asked you first if you wanted some assistance." I smiled at him. "I understand that you were trying to help me reach my end goal faster, and of course, I forgive you. I have to admit that Daisy's changes did help a lot. Once she started explaining things, I learned a lot from her." He nodded but cleared his throat. "It also wasn't fair that you were blindsided by lunch with Mother. She also apologizes and said that she didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Michael said. "Apologies accepted," I said, wondering if he had told his mother everything I had said. Robin stared at us wide-eyed as he too
Michael Since Jade had agreed to move back in with me, the last few months were the best of my life. Falling asleep next to her allowed me to fall asleep focusing on positive, restful thoughts instead of stressing out about my to-do list for the next day. For the first time in my life, I have been able to enjoy watching the success of another person's dream. I'd always been so caught up in my own business and making sure that my end ran smoothly that I hadn't paid attention to the hard work put in by small businesses, especially those just starting. One thing that had not changed at all was Jade's stubbornness. She completed her business plan, which I thought was extremely well done. I suggested that she allow me to be her financial backer. At first, she refused until I drew up a formal contract. I would loan her the amount needed to purchase the building, equipment, and everything she would need to get started. After six months, she would make regular payments to repay the loan
Jade I stared at myself in the mirror. This didn't seem real. I was actually getting married to the man I was madly in love with. If I was honest, I fell in love with Michael the first moment I saw him at the fashion show. Making love to him later sealed the deal, and from that moment on, he was a part of my soul. Sage was putting the finishing touches on my hair when Michael's grandfather came in. "Will you excuse us a moment, Sage?" he asked. "Of course, sir," she said, casting a worried look toward me. She was well aware of our less than amicable relationship that had existed in the past. However, I was confident that Mr. Fletcher and I had moved past that point. After Sage closed the door softly behind her, the old man sat on the bed and sighed. "I know that I wasn't always kind to you, and I haven't always treated you the way you deserved to be treated," he began. He took a deep breath, and I waited. I knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to express his thoughts. "When
Book 2 Is another standalone novel that also introduces new plot and characters while still maintaining the MY BILLIONAIRE BABY DADDY WANTS ME BACK series.---------Rex Redford is two things-a musical god and my baby daddy. The first he's well aware of. But the second is about to rock his world.Five years ago, we had this insanely passionate month together.But then reality hit-I was fresh out of med school and he was jetting off on a global tour.We called it quits.Now fate throws him, chiseled jaw and all, into my ER after a motorcycle crash.He's still gorgeous – piercing green eyes, a killer smile and a body I've missed more than I care to admit.After spotting a picture of me and our son, he's asking difficult questions and demanding answers.Cue the panic button.I never should have kept this secret from him.And now I have some big decisions to make.Rex is used to getting everything he wants.And he's determined for us to be the perfect little family.But, he's a rockstar.
Isabella"Honey, it's just rain.""But it's loud," Leo's tiny voice murmurs over the phone.I rub my hand over my eyes. "Why don't you wake Abuela?""She's sleeping," he says emphatically. "Snoring. Her snoring scares me.""Leo, Mami's at work, okay? You crawl into bed with Abuela and she'll protect you from the rain, okay?" Curse these rare desert rains. They scare the crap out of kids and dogs alike. Of course, it had to happen in the middle of my shift too when I only have a couple of minutes. "You're brave, Leo. You went all the way to the kitchen to get Abuela's phone, didn't you?""Yeah," he says, fear still in his voice.I smile, tucking myself further into the alcove to avoid the eyes of a passing nurse who might tattle on me to hospital administration for taking a call during my shift. "Then you can face anything. A storm? That's nothing."There's a roll of thunder outside, loud enough that I can hear it outside the hospital and through the phone. Leo cries out."Hey, listen,
RexI pinch my eyes open and groan. My ribs feel like they've been pummeled."Hey, buddy. You awake?"I turn to look in the direction of the voice. "Blaise. What the hell are you doing here?"My friend, Blaise O'Malley, smiles brightly. "I'm your emergency contact!""Oh. Right." Men over thirty shouldn't have the drummers of their bands as an emergency contact. "What time is it?""Four."I glance out the window. It's dark. "In the morning?""You betcha," he says, nodding once, his red hair flopping out of place."You drove out here at four in the morning to..." I begin.Blaise shrugs. "Well, I got the call at, like, one. And I was awake anyway, so –"I chuckle. Even smiling hurts. Shit. "Dirty son of a bitch."Blaise's eyes widen. "No, it was – I was working on a new –""Giving you a hard time, B," I cut him off. Blaise, of all my bandmates, lives the least rocker lifestyle of us all. Sure, he's a fucking badass drummer and can fly off the handle if the spirit calls him. But he disapp
Isabella“You have to go talk to him, Isabella,” Amina says from behind the door of my locker.I pull my scrubs on and sigh. “That’s not in my job description.”“Being thanked for saving a man’s life?!”I slam my locker door and shake my head. “Nope.”“Come on, your shift doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes. Just a quick conversation,” Amina says with the eagerness of a little girl who thinks unicorns exist.I cross my arms over my chest. “Not happening.” I’m not going to tell her that a conversation like that is going to last way more than fifteen minutes.“He’s famous, Isabella.”“Is he?” I ask.“Don’t be an ass. You know him. Black Flame. The band.”I pretend to be nonplussed.Amina gapes at me. “You know them.”I shake my head.“Come on! ‘Hold My Hand’? ‘Freak and Fire’? ‘Jumper Judy’?”I know all of those songs. “Hm. No.”“Shut up. You at least know ‘Yelling From the Bottom of a Hole’.”I laugh. Because I laugh every time I hear the name of that song.“It goes like –“ Amina
Five Years AgoHe noticed the birthday girl from the stage while he and the band played a cover of "Kickstart My Heart". He knew it was her birthday because of the crappy dollar store sash across her front painted with the words "Birthday Girl" scrawled in pink glitter across it.But the sash was soon forgotten when he laid eyes on the rest of her. Long dark hair, a lush garden of waves, tan skin, and holy shit, those curves. She had a body no man could resist.And she was watching him too, sipping on a drink, surrounded by her friends who were all chatting and giggling.She was staring at him.Not a hard feat considering he was the frontman of the band and the bar was so small and their sound was so loud. Still. Her gaze made him so nervous his palms started to sweat and his fingers tickled. He played the rest of the set on the brink, afraid he might mess up the next chord, the next lyric.They closed with "Yelling From the Bottom of a Hole," the one song anyone in this bar might act
- LukeSix Months Later..."Baby, hurry. I don't want to tear your lace, but for the love of God, I'm hurting so badly."Olivia laughs at my whining, but she might as well have stroked my cock with how throaty and aroused her voice sounds. Her hands are frantic as they unhook her lace garter and finally lift her skirt, which now poofs around us like a peacock. Then her panties are there for the taking, and I do the only thing possible with my antsy fingers.She gasps. "Oh, my God. You ripped it-oh, my God."I smirk when those words turn into a moan as soon as I sink my cock inside her. But my smirk soon dies when we're rocking into each other with no pause, already too turned on to take it slow. I've been hard since I first saw her in her wedding dress, a lovely creature who got me harder with every smile and happy look she sent my way.Don't get me wrong; standing in front of the altar with her, exchanging the most intimate and heartfelt vows, was awe-inspiring. But a man has his lim
God. It's like getting whiplash. "You what? Luke..."He shrugs. "It's the best hospital in the state for me, but I'm fine working in other places since they also offer great facilities. I have connections and I can still land on my own two feet. That's what power does and I've decided to wield it. But that power, it doesn't matter, Liv. I could have no hospital accepting me right now, and I would still choose to step back.""Luke..." Because he loves me. But I still ask, anyway. "Why?"Just like that, the intensity in his eyes magnify into such pure light, the love clear and bright. I stagger from the emotions brimming from him and sweeping me off my feet, even more so when he finally answers."Because I don't mind losing the job, Liv, or my career. But I can't stand the thought of losing you."I open my mouth, but no words come out. Luke doesn't seem to mind as he ambles closer until there are only inches of space between us. I know the moment he inhales my scent because it sets my s
And her text makes so much more sense now.Still, I can't stop staring. Neither can Luke as he shoots up from his chair at my entrance, those dark eyes trailing from my head to toe-no, devouring me. My heart spikes and my breathing stutters, trying to comprehend his presence and the pure magnetism that I've been absent from in...gosh, has it only been two weeks?It feels longer. It's my first time seeing him since our confrontation at my apartment door, where he was brimming with outrage and despair. But all I see now, aside from those devouring eyes, are the bags under them, the hollowness of his cheeks, the gauntness of his features.Worry sweeps in. I take a step closer before I can think about it. "What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"He blinks. "Like what?""Like you haven't gotten any sleep and..."I trail off when his jaw clenches and his muscles tense, disbelief sparking on his face. "You really have to ask?" A short laugh comes out, jolting my stomach before he's back wi
Olivia"Mom, will Dad no longer come over to spend the night?"I've been waiting for Riley to ask that question and the day has finally come. I close my eyes briefly, gathering strength behind my lids before I open them and face her curiosity. There's no sadness there-thankfully, because Luke has been doing his best to call her whenever he can and assure her how excited he is over their next playdate.And me?Let's just say I've been trying not to listen in and hear his voice because hearing his voice sends a deep ache inside me that practically turns me inconsolable. Especially at night.But Riley's no fool. We might be shielding her as much as we can, but she still picks up on things, much like she picked up on Luke being her father before we were even ready to tell her. She studies me now, waiting for my response and probably prepared with more questions."I'm afraid he's very busy lately, sweetie, so he might not spend the night here as much. Or at all. But you can spend the night
He means it in a work-related manner, I think, but my heart sees it differently-and just like that, it cracks again, reality hitting me so hard that my knees almost buckle. I manage to control myself in front of Kyle, though, and jerk toward the door."Stop gossiping and go do your thing.""If you mean charming the hospital staff and other patients, sure. By the way, just because I can't stand your patients doesn't mean they hate me. On the contrary...""Steal them all you want."He chuckles, understanding I don't mean that. Despite what he says, I do like most of my patients. But the memory of the patients that I don't like reminds me of the patient who was rude to Olivia-and just like that, she's in my orbit again and I'm a miserable fool.I strap it all down and get to work. My mood doesn't improve when I find out that James isn't in today and all HR can say is that Olivia's resignation was cleared by the director before it even got to them. When I reach one of the staff lounges an
If her first words hit me hard, the next ones hit me harder."That you are too much. That I'm not ready for whatever this is. That I want to chase my dreams and you are kind of?-"She stops, but it's too late. I rear back, hearing what she's not saying, and punched with the truth I hear in it. But it's the detached way she handles the aftermath that truly sinks in for me-like she's gotten over it already.Like she's gotten over me.A cold sensation wraps around my spine before it spreads throughout the rest of my body."So it was just sex to you?"She opens her mouth, then closes it. I latch on to the movement, an ache pulling at my system before I get hit with reality."We had an attraction, Luke. It's not your fault that I want nothing to do with it anymore."Had. Past tense.God. She sounds fucking cold."And the resignation?"She shrugs. "I got a good offer elsewhere. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it's a good thing. We both get a clean slate.""And you fucking decided al
LukeIwish Olivia would answer at least one of my texts. I know she’s probably busy with work already, but I miss her so much and would like some time with her before my schedule today swallows me up. Because fate seems to be working against that little reunion, I hurry to the hospital instead, comforted with the knowledge that at least I’ll get a glimpse of her—maybe even steal a kiss or two—before I head to my first surgery assessment of the day.But I’m stopped short when I don’t find her in the office. Instead, I find Wanda seated in Olivia’s chair and typing on the keyboard.“Wanda? How can I help you?”She shoots up at my presence, attempting a smile but not quite genuine with it. She studies my confused expression and looks confused, too, before that disappears and she clears her throat.“Dr. Jennings. I’m just finishing up a report that you’re tasked to read later—additional notes for your patient appointment this afternoon…”I shake my head, not quite understanding. “No, I me
OliviaI’m still on a high from a rather successful weekend, one that I didn’t expect to turn out the way it did. Not only did I secure four of the six clients, all of whom don’t care how long it will take me to paint them a piece of my artwork since they’re casual collectors, but I’ve also secured a deal with Jennifer, who agreed to display my sketches in the meantime until I can provide her with paintings. It still feels surreal, but I’m no longer nervous or hesitant about this.I’m excited. I didn’t think I would get this excited over a side gig, but it’s like a distant dream making its way to the center of my life and reminding me that it’s still achievable even if I’m already achieving another dream. It makes me feel invincible—because if I can conquer this, I can conquer anything.Like telling Luke how you truly feel about him.Yes. Exactly that.“Liv? Good, you’re early. I’ve been told you need to go to the director’s office right away. Something about your tenure.” Rose Sutton
In fact, quitting her seems impossible and I can almost say with certainty that I want to keep her for as long as possible. Our relationship is progressing nicely and we're starting to fit perfectly into each other's lives. No, we already fit, like two people who seamlessly click like a puzzle piece. Sure, it took a while to get us there after our rough patch, but after that..."I'm happy, too." She sighs. "But I'm also trying not to hope too much. I want this to be an inspiration, not a distraction, so I hope the clients will make reasonable demands.""Just remember that at the end of the day, you're the one in control, not them. Give them your timeframe. You'll be surprised how patient people can be."Just like me with her. Except my patience is wearing thin.I know I said I don't ever want to commit again after the failure that was my relationship with Carol, but Olivia is right. I'm not the same man I was before-and Olivia is different. At the end of the day, I have to ask myself