LOGINLandon's POVThe first thing that hit me when he walked in wasn’t fear.It was confusion.I didn’t know who the hell I had expected to see but it sure as hell wasn’t him.For a split second, my brain told me it was my old man.Same height. Same build. Same sharp jaw. Same eyes that looked like they’d already judged you before you even opened your mouth. It was like staring at a version of my father that had been dragged through hell and left there a little too long.But then I actually looked at him and everything in me went cold. Because it wasn’t him. It couldn’t be.My dad didn’t look at people like that. Not like they were something to break apart just to see how they worked. Not like they were already dead and just hadn’t realized it yet.This man did.I had never seen my old man’s twin before. I heard stories, yeah. Bits and pieces. Enough to know he existed. Enough to know he was bad news. But seeing him in the flesh? It was like someone had taken my father and twisted somethin
Kasey’s POVI lay on that lumpy little bed, staring at the plate Kendra had shoved under my nose again. The same gray mush she’d been feeding me since the day she dragged me here at gunpoint. It smelled like nothing and looked even worse, like boiled cardboard mixed with old gravy. My stomach twisted just looking at it. Five days of this crap, and I couldn’t take another bite without wanting to throw up right there on the floor."You have to eat something," she said. Her voice was tight like she was trying to sound nice but failing. "You’re not helping yourself by starving."I didn’t answer. I just kept my eyes on the wall across from me, avoiding her gaze. I pushed the plate away with the back of my hand."I’m not hungry," I muttered.She let out a sharp breath. "Stop acting up and just eat the damn food."I turned my whole body away from her then, curling toward the other side of the bed so my back was to her. My hand went to my belly without thinking, resting there like it always d
Landon's POVWhere did things go wrong?That question had been stuck in my head for five days straight, playing over and over until it stopped sounding like a question and started sounding like a punishment. Everything had lined up perfectly for once in my life. I had taken back control. I had ended things with Kendra, burned every last piece of leverage she had over me and walked away from that mess for good. Darren wrapped up his divorce from Kasey without any big blowup and the minute she was free, I dropped to one knee and asked her to be my wife.I could still see it. The way her eyes had softened, the way her lips had trembled just a little before she nodded. The way she’d laughed through tears and said yes like it was the easiest thing in the world. Like choosing me had never been a question.So how the hell did I lose her minutes later? How did I go from that moment… to this? We were supposed to start fresh, just the two of us and the baby on the way. How did I end up here wi
He nodded, still swaying us to the music. "Yeah. Our families too. But only them... no one else. I had to ask your parents and mine for their blessings first. Couldn’t do this without that.""You really asked them?" The idea of Landon formally asking my parents for permission to marry me sent a new wave of tenderness through me."Of course I did," he said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "I wanted everything done right. I warned them not to say a word to you, though."A warm rush of love filled me up. I rose up on my toes and kissed him softly. He kissed me back fiercely with one hand cupping the back of my head like he couldn’t get close enough. When we pulled apart, he looked dazed."I can’t believe you’re my wife now," he breathed."We’re not even married yet,""We are in my books," he stated firmly. "Both families have given their blessing. You’ve agreed to be my wife. You’re wearing my family’s ring. And you’re carrying my baby." He squeezed my hand. "That screams married
The blindfold pressed softly against my eyes, shutting out everything except the sound of my own breathing and him. I could feel Landon’s hand wrapped around mine firmly, guiding me forward with careful steps."Landon, where are we going?" I asked, my voice coming out a little shaky. The air smelled like pine and fresh earth, and a light breeze brushed my cheeks. "Just tell me, please."He squeezed my fingers gently. "You’ll see, baby. Just a little farther. Trust me."I did trust him. With everything. But this past week he had been sneaking around, disappearing for hours and whispering on the phone when he thought I wasn’t listening. My stomach had been in knots the whole time. I kept imagining all kinds of things; maybe a doctor’s appointment he didn’t want me to worry about, or William still threatening him, or something worse.Today, he’d told me to wear the emerald green dress he’d bought me last week and my favorite heels. He’d said we were going somewhere special, but he’d refu
Kasey’s POVI couldn't sit still no matter how hard I tried. My feet kept moving across the living room floor, back and forth, while my eyes kept darting to my phone every few seconds. The screen stayed dark. I had no calls or new texts from Landon. They had been gone for most of the day already, and the silence was eating me up inside. A heavy, sick feeling sat in my stomach, like something bad was about to happen. What if something went wrong? What if the meeting didn’t go the way they planned? What if—"Kasey."My mom’s voice cut through the spiral. I hadn’t even noticed her come closer.She took my hands gently, stopping me mid-step. "You need to calm down.""I can’t," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Mom, they haven’t said anything. It’s been hours. What if—""If you start panicking like this," she said softly but firmly, squeezing my hands, "you’re going to stress yourself out, and that’s not good for the baby. Your body reacts to everything you feel. You need to stay calm fo
I slumped back, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. "You idiot," I whispered to the empty room. "You colossal, hormonal, thoughtless idiot."How could I be so careless? Darren trusted me with that secret, and I almost blew it. How could I say his boyfriend's name without confirming whethe
Kasey’s POV I hung up the phone, and the world shattered around me. My hand shook as I set it down on the kitchen counter and watched it until the screen went dark.Hot tears streamed down my face, blurring everything in the bright morning light filtering through the windows. My chest hurt so bad,
The home screen was a photo of Tess, Maeve, and Kasey. They were squeezed together on a couch, laughing. Kasey was in the middle, her brown hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders and those warm brown eyes crinkled at the corners with a joy so real it felt like a physical punch to my gut.
Landon's POV I woke up with a stream of freezing water being dumped over my face.I sucked in a sharp breath and jerked upright with a strangled sound somewhere between a cough and a swear. The water was dripping down my nose, soaking into my beard, and sliding straight into my ears."What the fuc







