Arriving at my parents’ house promptly on the dot of seven, I am overwhelmed by the aromas filtering out of the kitchen. Following a brief round of hugs, we are ushered through to the dining room, which has been set beautifully, candlelight glinting off the silverware and stark-white china and the lovely smell of fresh freesias filling the room with their beautiful aroma. We take our seats and my mum disappears for a moment before returning with a dish that I quickly identify. “Mum, is that…?” I ask quietly. “Nonna’s chicken parma. I know it was your favourite, so I dug through her notebooks and found the recipe,” Mum says proudly. “Your mum has been practising for the last week to get it right,” my dad chuckles. Oh my. After all her hard work, I can’t bring myself to tell Mum that this is the dish that Nonna was making when she dropped dead on the floor from an aneurism. Even after a lot of therapy, I still can’t think about that day without feeling like my world is ending. Today
I am standing outside of Bread & Cake, ready to walk in and get this party started. I am wearing the Valentino dress and boots that Taylor gave me for my birthday, my newly cut and coloured hair has been styled into an awesome faux hawk and the girls at the beauty bar in the hotel worked their magic with my make-up, so, all in all, I am feeling very glam. My body is still humming from the orgasms Taylor gave me earlier. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, Taylor’s jaw nearly dropped on the floor. Seeing Taylor all dressed up in his charcoal-grey slacks, a fitted black shirt with its arms rolled up, and muted silver tie had me damp in seconds, and when he started circling me like a predatory lion, I felt ready to combust. I can still feel the electrifying touch of his fingers as they traced the tops of my stockings before making their way up to my wet pussy. Orgasm number one came as he finger-fucked me hard and fast, just how I like it. Number two came when he dr
Midnight has been and gone, and as I lie in Taylor’s arms, I reflect on the night’s success. By the time all the guests left, it was fair to say that everyone was exhausted but elated. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would have ever done this without the amazing people around me. I know there is still so much unresolved; I have yet to make my official statement about Hannah’s attack, we are still unclear about what Richard is planning, and the idea of returning to my own home fills me with dread. But I push it all out of my mind, determined that for tonight at least, nothing is going to ruin my good mood. Tomorrow will probably be a different story. “Taylor?” I murmur, taking a chance to voice something I had been thinking about for the last couple of days. “Mmm?” “I was thinking about wedding dates…” I say, my heart beating in my chest. “I was thinking about how there has been a lot of change in the last few months, and I was kind of thinking that I would very much like to be
“Though justice be thy plea, consider this,That, in the course of justice, none of usShould see salvation: we do pray for mercy;And that same prayer doth teach us all to renderThe deeds of mercy.”William ShakespeareThe Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1PROLOGUEI open my eyes and am immediately assaulted by a rogue swarm of butterflies in my stomach. A lazy grin stretches across my face and I can’t help but let out a sigh of contentment. Despite the crazy circus in my belly, I have never been happier. The day I have been working towards all month has finally arrived; my wedding day.I throw back the covers and make my way across to the window, pulling back the heavy damask curtains before letting out a gasp. The scene outside the window is that of a world blanketed in a thick cover of snow. Where there once were cars parked alongside the green that leads down towards the Promenade, now there are just indiscernible lumps. The forecast had predicted snow, but I can’t remember th
My mind is drifting as I sit in Bloomsbury waiting for Michelle to arrive at a gorgeous little place I found called Bea’s. We are having afternoon tea and my mouth is watering already at the sight of the ginormous meringues that are loaded onto an equally enormous plate. I am thinking about the ten perfect days we spent in Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula and I let out a sigh as I remember the aquamarine waters and the pristine white beaches. If I think hard enough, I can almost feel the sun on my pale skin. A fierce kick in my ribs brings me back to the present and I wince, rubbing the spot to ease the pain. Come on Bean, I think to myself, give me a break. She has been kicking me black and blue the last month and I have started to wonder if maybe the scans were wrong and we are having a boy instead. My latte arrives at the table just as Michelle arrives in a flurry of apologies for being late. “So what were you thinking of, lovely? You had the dreamiest look on your face…” Michelle
I am still huddled on the sofa in Taylor’s office while everyone deals with the fallout of the package. Needless to say, Taylor had looked at me like I was crazy when I flew into the room, shaking and barely coherent. But the moment I told him to call Henry he flew into action and now, hours later, we are still excluded from the apartment while Henry has searched the building from top to bottom. The fact that there was no postmark means that the package was brought into the building and even more worrying, is the fact that Taylor never collected it from the mailroom where our personal mail is usually left. Which means that whoever delivered the parcel brought it right up to the apartment, somehow bypassing all the extra security that Taylor had installed only a few months ago. To say Taylor is livid is the understatement of the century. “You okay, Abs?” Taylor asks softly from the doorway and I wonder how long he has been standing there. Dark shadows are etched under his eyes and e
As I step into Bread & Cake the aroma wraps around me like a warm, comforting scarf; no one can ever feel bad when the smell of fresh croissants tickles your nose. My journey down from London this morning was a breeze for a change. I managed to get a seat thanks to my enormous baby bump and even had some time to catch Michelle up on the latest news. Needless to say, she was just as horrified by the thought that Richard seemed to be in the walls as I was. But Taylor and Henry have assured me that while the shaft apparently looked like it had been accessed on a regular basis, they had now changed the codes, as well as installed additional alarms and cameras all around. Still, I can’t help but feel like he will just find another way in. Bea, my amazing shop manager, gives me a broad smile in greeting while she loads up another basket of rolls on the shelf. It is only eight a.m. but it looks like the first batch has already sold out. A moment later Andreas comes out, wiping the flour dus
My thoughts are interrupted when suddenly there is a loud thud from above my head. Startled, I look up and see several customers looking around confused. I had thought that most of the heavy work in the flat upstairs had been completed so I am slightly worried about what could have made that noise. Bea catches my eye as she sees my expression and wanders over. “They are delivering the sofa today,” she says in explanation. “Bloody hell, Bea. I didn’t think it was big enough to make that kind of noise,” I say, making Bea chuckle at my startled expression. “I guess one of the guys must have dropped it. Do you want me to pop up and check everything is okay?” Bea asks me kindly. “Would you mind?” I ask softly and she nods, understanding my reticence about venturing upstairs before the place is finished. Mum has promised me that the place will be unrecognisable when I see it. Like a shiny penny, everything will be brand new, including the entrance, layout and furnishings so that I can