LOGINBONUS CHAPTER 4.CHARLOTTEDinner was chaotic, fun, and full of joy.The exact way I loved it.The table stretched full with food, plates being passed back and forth, voices overlapping. Ethaniel was in the middle of telling one of his ridiculous stories about trying to fix a fence on his property.
BONUS CHAPTER 3.CHARLOTTECaeson and I were sprawled out in bed, both of us catching our breath.His skin was hot against mine, his chest damp with sweat. I trailed my fingers down the lines of his stomach, letting them settle against the dip of his abs. Just touching him made me feel warm again.I
That’s when I felt it—a small, stiff shape tucked into his breast pocket. I frowned, sliding my hand in and pulling it free.Out came a tiny blue bib.My lips parted in a gasp. “You went to see Nato before me?”Caeson’s grin widened. He snatched the bib from my fingers and shoved it back into his po
BONUS CHAPTER 2.CHARLOTTE“Who else is coming?” I asked Taide over the phone.“Ethan, Tris,” he said. “I’m not sure when they’ll arrive, but I'll come in with Dot and Sean.”“Vance isn’t coming?”“Oh yeah, he is,” Taide replied.“Is he bringing his mom? And Eric?”Taide was silent.I rolled my eyes
Across the hall, I nudged open our bedroom door.The room was dim, curtains drawn. In the middle of the bed, Reigh lay bare-chested on his stomach, muscles stretched across the sheets. His niece, perched beside him, was scribbling carefully with colored markers across the ink on his lower back. One
I nodded, my mind already spinning through lists. Chairs to set. Food to check. Dishes to lay out.But then Madeline’s eyes narrowed on me.I gave her a look.“Charlotte,” she said slowly, dragging out my name. “You didn’t tell me how your doctor’s appointment went.”Dang.A flush crept across my ch
A small part of me dared to believe that it hadn’t been a dream—that the soft look I’d blearily seen and the hand that had tucked my hair aside had been real. But looking into his unempathetic eyes right then, those thoughts were stolen from my mind at once. His eyes trailed over my face as we stoo
CHARLOTTE The car ride back to the mansion is purposefully silent, other than the hum of the air conditioner and my shaky, unsteady breaths. I don’t think, I don’t move, I don’t speak, and I don’t let go of Taide the entire car ride. Not when we get out of the car, and not when he carries me up t
I hesitated before continuing, deciding that maybe it was time to be honest. “To be truthful, I don’t even know what’s going on with me.” I pulled my hand from hers, feeling exposed. “Ever since everything happened, I’ve felt this weird attachment to Taide. It’s like he’s the only thing keeping me
CHARLOTTE I pulled down the lever and gave the toilet a minute to flush. Slowly, I moved towards the mirror and lifted my plain white T-shirt to lace up my sweatpants, and in the process, I caught sight of the dainty white line at the side of my stomach. My heart clenched, and a rush of anxiet







