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
RexFour days in this wretched hospital. And I’ve only gotten to see Isabella the one time she walked into my hospital room. I’ve been taking walks around my floor, rolling my IV along with me, hoping I might run into her which is a fruitless endeavor considering I’m in recovery and she spends all her time down in the ER.Still… it’s all I can do right now without begging a nurse or Amina to get her to come back and see me. I already got her there under the guise of saying “thank you”. I haven’t yet come up with another brilliant reason to get her to come back.The thing is, I don’t blame her for keeping her distance. I was hasty and overeager. I thought that’s what made me charming back in the day.Not to mention, the way we left things was definitive. Never again. A relationship lost to time.I can’t account for serendipity, though, can I?I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, hey, hey, slow down, champ.”I shoot an annoyed glare at my manager, Mickey, who has taken Blaise’s place as
My skin buzzes at the sound of his deep voice. I have a second to wonder if it's my imagination before I glance toward the door where Luke is standing.In the flesh. Looking so good that it hurts.At my lack of response, he cautiously slips in and closes the door with a lock clicking, shutting us out from the rest of the world. My heart picks up speed as his gaze roams over me, then settles on my face. I swallow and finally push down my speechlessness."Luke...what are you doing here?"He's silent for a while as he just looks at me. Then he clears his throat."I saw you earlier. Wearing that...looking like that. You took my breath away, but you were gone just as quickly."The way he says it...I can hear his longing. The smile from earlier is gone, replaced by a desire glimmering deep in his gaze. There's a triumphant feeling inside me that he never looked at the gorgeous woman in white this way, but it's immediately smothered by the knowledge that they're still a much better pairing t
Olivia"Hey, Liv! I'm glad you could make it!"I grin at Wanda, who's already with Maria and Jasper when I find her. The three make a beeline toward me, giving me hugs before they take in what I'm wearing. A round of oohs and aahs come, and my cheeks heat up."Come on, guys. I just got this from a thrift shop. And it's basic black."The event was announced long ago: a small charity party with the doctors, the staff, and some of the hospital's major sponsors in attendance, held at the largest conference room. It didn't sink into my mind that it would be a semi-formal event or that it would fall on my day off until yesterday, but the black dress that has always been in my closet is a lifesaver.Medical assistants are not obligated to go, but the director wants us to. Nurses don't have to, but Maria and Jasper are free and said they wouldn't miss getting all glamoured up for the world.Maria rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "Sweetheart, if I looked like that in black, I would wear it every
I nod. "Yeah. For when the software has some technical problems and someone has questions about how to use the device."Henry shakes their hands, including Riley's. A seasoned veteran of life, he's friendly, outgoing, and pretty much will shake anyone's hand, which makes him perfect for his department. "Pleased to meet you both. Luke hasn't brought a lot of guests here, so it's good to see some new faces. Are you customers of the product? Or perhaps you're a new member of the team?" He beams at Riley. "And who's this sweetheart?"I look at Olivia, unsure how to play this. But before I can answer, Riley speaks first."I'm Luke's daughter."It's like a bomb dropping-at least, it feels that way to me and Olivia, if her wide eyes and stupefied expression are any indication. My head whips toward Riley, who is smiling at Henry, with Henry eyeing her curiously."You are?"She nods. "Luke is my dad." Then she turns to me. "You're my dad, aren't you?"Color me stunned and rendered speechless.
LukeBeing in Olivia’s house again after taking her so thoroughly a week ago feels more intimate than I anticipated, but it’s also exciting. It’s my third playdate with Riley, who doesn’t have movie-watching in mind this time.“I still have homework, Luke, and I should finish it today.”“Oh. Do you want help with it?”“No. I want to do my homework by myself. Mom says to ask for help if I’m confused, but I’m not confused.”It’s another way of saying she’s independent, which amuses me as I follow her to a room that her mom made into her homework area. The small table is already littered with books, crayons, and the like. I watch Riley start coloring before I gingerly sit on the stool beside her.Immediately, she giggles. “You’re too big for the chair, Luke.”I grin. “It’s okay. I just want to watch you.”She finishes coloring and starts on some math problems. I wait for her to ask for help. But she doesn’t. Realizing my presence might be a detriment more than anything, I carefully stand
I curl my hand inward until his head tilts just a little bit to rest on it. Luke emits a longer sigh, his weariness visible. But he doesn't even care about that.The guy who acts out in front of everyone, sometimes even to patients, has a good heart. I've seen glimpses of it throughout our interactions and the way he treats Riley, but I guess I've been holding back from fully seeing this side of him. He's also just human-the type who, at the end of the day, feels for his patients and gets affected by their condition no matter how hard he tries to separate himself from them.It's this understanding that propels me forward until I'm no longer just cupping his cheek but hugging him, too. I can sense his surprise from his sudden tension, but it's gone in a blink as his arms wrap around me. I know I'm the one comforting him, but the warmth he emits is a source of comfort for me, too."Liv...what is this?"His voice is gruff and just a little bit confused."I just thought you needed a hug."
OliviaI pace the office, done with work, and find myself stuck with nothing to do. I’m sure many people would kill for that problem, but without anything to do, my mind can’t help running a mile a minute as I wait for the person I need to speak with the most.I jump at the knock on the door, then turn to Wanda as she peeks in.“Hey. Wanna get some of that fresh bread down the street before we head home?”I force a smile out. “Sounds great, but I’ll have to pass. I’m staying for a bit.”“Isn’t it past your work hours?”“Yes, but I need to check in with Dr. Jennings about the surgery progress. It’s easier to record everything now than tomorrow.”She shakes her head and mutters about me working too hard, then waves and leaves. I glance at the clock. I should be going home, but it’s one of those lucky days where Nancy asked to stay longer since she needs the extra cash.But as it turns out, I don’t have to wait long as Luke walks in a few minutes later, already scrubbed down.I already h
Luke“If I didn’t know better, I swear you’re acting like this because you haven’t gotten laid in a while.”Not many doctors can say that to my face, not even the hospital’s director, but I suppose Kyle Malone is an exception. He’s not a resident doctor, but he’s trusted and experienced enough that he’s become the regular go-to when we have doctors on long leaves and the hospital needs a temporary replacement.He’s also a childhood friend, who came from the same background as me and rebelled from his wealthy family to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, which his family considered beneath him.“I’m just knee-deep in work, that’s all.”Kyle raises a brow. “When you’re that overloaded, you’re usually snapping at everyone and acting like a grump, not mooning over your desk with bags under your eyes. What’s up?”Okay, so there’s no denying that I’ve been sleepless lately. And when I do sleep, it’s filled with dreams—and let’s just say those dreams are too raunchy to be said out loud. B
"It's the one talent Riley didn't inherit from me.""What about art? Did she inherit that from you?"I look up, surprised that he remembers me mentioning it years ago. I shake my head. "It's too early to tell. But so far, she's not interested in doodling.""I see. Do you still draw? Or paint?""Sometimes. When I'm stressed or when there's time.""Are you stressed lately?"I nod. "Yeah, but I don't have time to draw or paint.""Too bad. I would have liked to see your work."Right. He doesn't know that my work is available to the public-or at least, samples are available online, as well as some finished works for people to purchase or check out should they want to commission me. I debate telling him about it, but my decision is waylaid when one of his hands leaves my waist and takes my hand."Luke?""You've got callouses. I never noticed. This is an artist's hand."I suck in a breath when he caresses my fingertips, specifically the callouses on them. It's supposed to be nothing but an o
Olivia"How is she?"I close the bedroom door quietly and turn to Nancy, Riley's babysitter for the past three months. She's wonderful at it and I've had no complaints. But she's also young, just recently eighteen, and I know the situation rattled her a bit."She's fine. The fever's gone now, actually, and I think it started going down right after you called me." I smile in reassurance. "You did a good job giving her medicine and that warm bath."Nancy eyes my smile, then sighs in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I was nervous. I don't usually get nervous since I've had plenty of experience babysitting, but I think this is the first time someone had a fever under my watch. Since you're a medical assistant, I thought I should call you and let you know in case it's something more serious.""It's probably just the weather, but I'll monitor her. Don't worry about it. You can go home, Nancy. Same time tomorrow?""Of course."I walk her to the door, appreciating her more for admitting her nerve