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
The hell?I blinked, trying to understand. Then it hit.He was talking about yesterday, when I’d abruptly questioned him and then walked away without waiting for an answer.“You wouldn’t have participated anyway,” I said, using his analogy as I crossed my arms.“You don’t know that,” he replied.I
CHARLOTTEI spent the next day with a feeling of semi-constant doom hanging over me. I had my meals in my room and remained holed up there until the evening when the ball was about to start.I could hear bustling and shuffling about as I got ready, and that combined with the amount of chattering I
I was about to whisper something to him when Reigh reached us. He was dressed the same way Taide was, his long hair pulled back in a neat, low ponytail. His hands were in his pockets, and he seemed almost awkward with the two of us. Everything about this atmosphere was weird.After a few seconds of
In my periphery, I could see Caeson looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. But I could see it tear at him. He didn’t want Taide to know. “Let’s go,” Taide said, clasping my hand and leading me out. “Wait,” Caeson said, reaching for me. But Taide slapped his hand away, and I







