EPILOGUE: TOBIAS:The waves fiercely crash against the shoreline behind us as the sun rays beam upon us.“I do.”Tears of joy brim my eyes as she utters two small words that mean everything and so much more to me. She is officially mine. Again. This time by choice.“You may now kiss the bri-” Before the priest finishes his sentence, I reach for my wife, crushing my lips against hers as I seal the deal between us. Keri smiles against my lips. “How does it feel to be a married woman by choice, baby?”“Perfect. How does it feel to be married and a father of twins?” She has a mischievous glint lining her eyes.“Like the lost pieces to my life have finally pieced themselves back together,” I reply honestly.I turn around and look at my children sitting beside one another with a large grin on their faces as they sit on the white chairs in the sand. Sawyer is holding a small bouquet of flowers, and Ryan, an empty small pillow that not long ago held our wedding rings. My gaze shifts further i
PROLOGUE: TOBIAS: Our eyes met from across the room as she stands at the bar, ordering herself a drink. My glass is half full. Whiskey. The ambient colour of love, lust, and sin. Burns you right down to the core, menacingly destroying your insides with no fucks given. Love. Some say it is a distraction to a path of destruction, and I, for one, can vouch for that.I have been burned not once, but twice by Keri Appleton and each time, I’ve only just managed to claw my way out of the hole of self-torment I dug for myself. But this time around, I won’t let her go. She is mine. She has always been mine. Even when she left the country without saying goodbye, even now, when she believes that she isn’t tied to me. She looks different. She’s filled out in places that make her look devastatingly gorgeous; almost being enough to make my heart cease on the spot. My thumb twitches as I roll my heavy steel ring around my finger like it somewhat calms the hostility that is burning deep i
My heart still aches painfully, as the morning dawned slowly and the hands of the clock ticked past with a taunting rhythm.It's all helped to shape the niggling sensation of a migraine that's slowly creeping up the sides of my temples. I don't know what hurts the most, the fact that the two people I cared about dearly were having an affair behind my back, or me truly believing that the ring currently gracing Avas' finger was meant for me. And no, I'm not delusional. You see, about two weeks ago when Chase had invited me over to his place for dinner, we had spoken about moving in together and starting the next chapter of our lives.It was time. We had been together for two years and the flame igniting our hearts was still blazing brilliantly.So I thought.But now, I feel so foolish, blinded by my fantasies of having a perfect happily ever after with the man whom I believed to be my Mr. Right. That same night I had spilled red wine over my white dress and I had gone into his room t
As the Uber I had to book this morning because my car finally chose to die pulls up to my bakery, my cheeks begin to burn with wrath as I observe many individuals taking photographs and measurements of my establishment.“Please, don’t go anywhere. I have a feeling I am going to need you to take me somewhere else shortly.” I plead with the driver as I open the door and exit the vehicle, pulling the strap of my bag over my shoulder.“What are you men doing outside my bakery this early in the morning without my consent?” I do my best to keep my voice level and fail miserably.One of the contractors turns around to face me with a clipboard in his hand, “Ah, you must be, Keri. We are here at the request of Mr. Landry.”“Tobias Landry has no business here.” I sneer. “This is still my bakery, and you are trespassing.”“Well, technically we are still on council grounds.” The contractor replies in a smart arse tone that has one or two of his men giggling beside him.I walk right up to the midd
As I exit the elevator car, I need to calm my nerves, and as I do so, I allow my eyes to roam the interior of Tobias's office floor. It is precisely how I pictured it, lavish and completely void of any actual thought from the interior designing company. But then again, Tobias has always been very persistent in coming forth with how he expects everything to be; pristine and simple. More like, dull and washed out. I walk towards the glass door that separates me from entering his domain. “Oh, my gods,” A soft feminine voice says over the intercom with surprise lacing her words. “It’s you, you are her?” I comb my fingers through my hair, “I’m sorry, have we met before?” I ask her with a quizzical look staining my face. She must be Melanie, the one that wrote and sent me that ridiculous: Intent To Purchase Property letter. “I, ah…” She quickly clears her throat and pushes the button on her desk to let me past the glass bulletproof doors. “No, I’m sorry, we haven’t. It’s just that-
I lick my lips, “And you are the same arrogant son of a bitch that turned our lives upside down!” My nostrils flare as I fight to keep my tears at bay and my voice even.Something dark flickers in his eyes as he straightens, he removes his suit jacket and tosses it on the leather sofa stationed against the glass wall. I watch him as he rolls his sleeves up, showcasing his strong forearms that are sprinkled with thin dark hair.“Have you come to say something worth my while, Keri, or did you truly travel all this way to tell me how much of an arsehole I am?” His endless blue eyes draw me in as they turn a gloomy shade of grey.I brush the loose strands of hair away from my face, “Yes.” I hiss, “I came all this way to tell you to stay the fuck away from my bakery, Landry. It is mine and until the ink dries on the paper stating otherwise, I don’t ever want to see you or your contractors hanging outside my establishment.”Tobias scoffs, rubbing the stubble along his jawline. “You are on
TOBIAS:With my hands clenched into fists, I stand by the wide glass window and gaze down onto the street, where Keri is standing in a white summer dress that flutters in the breeze. She wipes her face, looks at her watch, and mumbles something before turning around and sprinting across the street.“Run, spitfire. Run hard. Run Fierce. It only makes me hungrier to catch you, dragging out the inevitable that you will be mine.” I whisper possessively, loosening my hands at my sides.I knew stepping into the Appleton bakery was a bad idea yesterday. Every nerve and every muscle in my body screamed for me to stop in my tracks, and get back into my vehicle.But as usual, my brain defied my body, and now I fucking ache for her.I shouldn’t feel this way about Keri Appleton. She should be off limits, like a forbidden fruit that will be my demise.However, I cannot help myself. The desire to see her after all these years had grown intolerable; it had become my undoing.Yesterday’s encounter
I turn the shower off in the middle of washing my hair. I swear I heard my front door open. I reach out, grab a towel, pat my face dry, and then wrap it around my body as I open the glass door. I try to focus on the surrounding sounds by angling my head to the side. “Keri!” I jump with fright the second I recognize whom the voice belongs to. After stepping out of the shower, I make my way into the living room. “Chase!” I growl furiously. “Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I don’t want to see you again after learning about you and Ava?” I watch as he brushes a trembling hand over his face. “I made a mistake, Keri.” He swallows thickly, meeting my gaze with his misty eyes. “Forgive me, I-I-I…” Rage licks my wet flesh. How dare he show up reeking of alcohol and self-pity! “Get out!” I scream at the top of my lungs, pointing to the front door that he has left ajar. “It is over between us, and that’s because of you,” I state bitterly. “You slept with my sister and got her pregnant