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Chapter 93: Brett

Author: Stephie Walls
last update Last Updated: 2022-10-26 14:23:32
As much as I hated moving, myself or anyone else, I was grateful to have my best friend and his girlfriend relocating next door. The weeks since Gray's death had been hard on all of us, especially Annie, and having her running back and forth from work to Lissa's house and then home was too much. When she hit her second trimester, it was like she became narcoleptic. I worried she would fall asleep driving, but Lissa was even further along. I didn't want either one of them running around without Dan or me, but telling two pregnant women they needed to stay put was a recipe for an argument.

Dan and I had been working a ton of overtime to cover Gray's shifts while we looked for a replacement, so the move had come at a particularly difficult time, but I was afraid if we didn't handle it the girls would take it upon themselves to do more than they should. Annie had been helping Lissa pack, but even that was difficult because neither of them could lift anything. I'd encouraged Annie to stay
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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 94: Brett

    The closer Lissa got to her due date the more serious Dan became about asking her to marry him. He was worried she'd go into labor, and he wouldn't have the ring. But he didn't want her finding it either."Do you know how hard it is to find reasons we shouldn't join our bank accounts?" He'd been sitting in my office for the last half hour stressed out about the engagement. I was humored by his anxiety. I'd been there, and he laughed at me when it happened. I had been a hell of a lot nicer than he had to me. "Why can't you join bank accounts?" I was sure the answer should be obvious, but it wasn't, and I was only half listening, anyhow."How am I going to justify a large chunk of money coming out of the account? Or hide savings accounts from her? Once we get married, I want to hand all of that over for her to handle, but until I buy the ring, I can't do that completely.""So go buy the ring, already. What the hell are you waiting for?" I looked up perplexed by his procrastination

    Last Updated : 2022-10-26
  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 95: Annie

    I didn't have to keep my secret anywhere near as long as I thought I was going to. It hadn't happened yet, but when I got the call from Lissa, I grabbed the ring from Brett's dresser drawer. Neither Brett nor Dan knew it, but she would have a harder time with this than either of them believed. Over the last few weeks, she'd dropped comments about being sad the pregnancy was ending and that she'd miss having the baby with her all the time. I hadn't asked because I didn't want to know, but if I had to guess, Lissa had changed her mind about wanting children. "Hello?" I hadn't made it over to Lissa's to check on her yet. The bigger I got the slower I moved, but I loved every minute of being pregnant. I started working from home when Lissa hit thirty-five weeks just in case she needed anything. As a college professor, she'd chosen not to teach summer classes and had been done in late April."I keep peeing on myself." We'd had lots of these types of conversations. The things that hap

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 96: Annie

    Before I could be coerced to share my secret, Dan and Brett joined us. They'd helped Meegan out, and the house was finally quiet. I got excited when Brett whispered in my ear to ask me where the ring was. I hadn't thought we would get to be a part of this, but maybe by some slim chance, Dan was going to let our family watch.I gave Brett the information and watched him walk off, returning moments later to give Dan the little box. With Lissa still on the couch, Dan took a seat on the coffee table. Brett sat on the arm rest of the chair I was in and put his arm around the baby and me.Dan's hands were so large they easily concealed the black box he had in them. I could tell he was nervous by the way his leg bounced, and he chewed on the inside of his cheek. I'd been all smiles and tears for hours, so my joy gave nothing away, and Lissa was completely clueless as to what was about to happen. Dan sat like every other guy, with his legs spread and his forearms propped on his thighs, and

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 97: Annie

    Life changed overnight with the addition of Alissa to the household. I didn't believe it would be possible for Brett to love another female more than he did me, but that little girl was his life. From the moment he got up, to the moment he went to bed, if he was home, he was with her and wanted me nearby. Being pregnant with an infant isn't for the faint at heart, but if I was going to do it, Brett was the perfect partner to do it with. We were lying in bed, with me on his shoulder having just put Alissa in her crib. My belly rested on his side so he could rub it. I loved his hand caressing the child we couldn't wait to meet. The bigger I got, the harder it was to get near him, the sheer size of my belly preventing it, and I felt like I was smothering him. But he continuously pulled me to him, just like this. My eyes found his when I gazed up to meet them. He hesitated to take my lips, but when he did, it ignited electricity, and desire pooled between my legs. It had been far too lon

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 98: Annie

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 99: Annie

    I woke sometime in the middle of the night to find Brett sitting on the sofa chair watching me. Wiping the haze from my eyes, I saw concern in his. I sat upright, bolting uncomfortably. "What's wrong?" I looked around the room for my son, but he was nowhere to be seen. "He's in the nursery, sweetheart. Don't panic. Everything's fine.""Why do you look like that then?""Will you let me name him?" That was random and completely unexpected. I was taken aback by the fact that he wanted to and even more so that I wanted to let him. He hadn't so much as hesitated when I wanted to name Alissa and didn't quip about the name I'd chosen. This was his son, he deserved this rite of passage. "Yes." It would give him a forever bond that I already had. "Do you have a name in mind?""Yeah, but I want to wait until right before we're discharged to fill out the paperwork." A hint of a mischievous smile flashed across his face. "Brett, that's almost two days away! What do you want me to call him

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 100: Redemption-Prologue

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 101

    The sound of the doorbell roused me from papers I'd been grading for the last three hours. Music theory was dull even to those of us who taught it. I set my coffee aside, slipped on my house shoes, and tossed my cat out of my lap before I meandered down the hall toward the door. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I wondered who would be stopping by at seven at night. Living in the country, the only visitors I ever had were the mailman and occasionally the UPS driver. I hadn't made any friends since moving here and hadn't ordered anything. Late in the spring in South Carolina, the days linger long past dinner. When I opened the door, the features of the man standing in my doorway were blacked out by the sun setting on the horizon.I glanced behind him before shielding my eyes to meet his face. It was hard not to notice his height and broad shoulders, but when he spoke, my heart soared to the melody of his words. "Remmy?" He was clearly unsure if I was indeed who he was looking for.

    Last Updated : 2022-10-26

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 150: Epilogue

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 149

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    My night had been restless, and just as quiet as the evening after Dan and I had gotten out of the bathtub. He left after dinner and went to Brett's house, but I didn't have the courage to ask him what he'd done while he was there. He returned in the same mood he'd left in, the one he was known for. To an outsider, he appeared unwavering-but I knew with time to think about it, he'd decide he couldn't stay."Did you want to get a new dress for tomorrow?" "For what?""To go to the courthouse? Or do you want to do the whole thing off the wall and wear jeans?" He kept unloading the dishwasher like he had asked what I needed from the grocery store. "I didn't think we were still doing that?" Maybe he'd taken up drinking.He turned toward me suddenly, dropping a dishtowel he'd used to dry his hands with. "What are you talking about? You said Monday. Tomorrow is Monday.""Dan...""No, don't Dan me. Has something changed that you don't want to marry me now?"Oh, for the love of God. I

  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 147

    I stood in the spot he left me in when he returned with towels from the dryer. He set them on the counter, turned off the water in the now full tub, and removed his clothes. I watched in a trance until he was before me with nothing on. With my hand in his, he stepped over the side of the bathtub and then helped me in. The garden tub was made for two, and I nestled myself between his legs while he leaned back. The bubbles created a cover, hiding our bodies except for the parts of us not under the water. My fingers fidgeted nervously with the white foam until he took my hand and wound his fingers between mine.He might have been waiting for me to start, but I didn't know what to say. The silence was painful, and I ran through the scenarios of how this might play out...none of which ended well."What was his name?" The words of inquiry fanned out against my skin like a warm blanket. They were gentle and softly spoken, inviting me to open up about a piece of me I hadn't shared with anyon

  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 146

    We walked into the sanctuary with two minutes to spare. Brett quickly found Dan, and Annie was in a tizzy. Alissa was nestled into a cradle her dad had created with his arm completely unaffected by her father's helpless panic. "Dude, slow down. What's wrong?"I held Dan's hand in front of Brett, but Alissa had my attention. Just as Brett started to answer Dan's question, Annie came around the corner. Her face was flush, and if I had to bet, I'd say she was roughly two minutes from pulling her hair out.I hadn't heard anything Brett said to my fiancé. The moment Annie got close enough, I saw why she was distressed. Grayson had spit up all over his christening gown...and it stunk, even from here.People started to fill the pews. "What do you need me to do, Annie?"Brett stepped in, suddenly relieved and in control. "Nothing. We're good. Dan went to get stuff out of the car."My brow scrunched in confusion. I had no idea what was going on or how Dan was helping."Seriously, Lissa.

  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 145

    The time on my phone couldn't be right. There was no way it was a quarter to eight. Somehow in my haste to get to sleep I either hadn't turned on my alarm or had turned it off an hour ago when it rang. I threw the covers back and practically fell out of bed. The thud of my body on the floor woke Dan whose concern, while well intended, only slowed my progress out the door."Let me go. I have fifteen minutes to get to Annie's house, and I had planned to shower before I went."He didn't relinquish his grasp on me once he got up. "Lissa, calm down. You aren't going to do anyone any good in a panic." I relaxed until I felt the tension in his arms subside and then made my break. "I'll be back. Can you get the gifts out of the closet and throw them in the bags on the kitchen counter? There's tissue paper there, too.""Sure, where are they?"I raced around tearing my pajamas off to put on a bra and some real clothes. As much as I loved Brett, I wasn't interested in him seeing any more of

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 143

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  • The Bound Collection   Chapter 142

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