I groan, and make sure they see me rolling my eyes. “You two are ridiculous. It’s a sweater. Can we stop with the grand inquisition?”“That’s not a no,” she says.“It’s time to open presents,” I say, gritting my teeth. “Let’s get everyone into the living room.”I have met someone, and that’s great. But it’s frustrating to no end that they think I wasn’t happy before. I was happy. I was fine. I don’t need to be married to feel completed. The boys have transformed the living room so everyone has room to sit. The couch has been pushed back against my bedroom doors, chairs from the dining room brought in so that there’s a giant circle.I take the armchair that’s been pressed up against the window, and I notice that Trevor takes the space across from me in the circle. It’s the first time he’s seen me dressed today, and I watch his gaze slide slowly down my body and return. He gives me a slow nod and a smile, and a warm glow takes up residence in my stomach, all my annoyance at my sisters d
I’ve only met Leigh one time, on a short visit to the campus when they were together. I disliked her then and I dislike her even more now that she’s managed to trample all over Brad’s heart. I look at her. She’s gotten more blonde and more tan, embodying the look of a college party girl. “Hi!” she says cheerily. “I’m looking for Brad. Is he here?”I hesitate. I don’t know if Brad wants to talk to her. I don’t know if I should say that he’s stepped out.She seems to sense that hesitation. “I’m his girlfriend,” she adds, with an annoyed smile.I straighten up. “No, you’re his ex-girlfriend,” I say, “and I’m not sure if Brad wants to see you.”Her mouth drops open. Drops all the way open in shock, and she looks me up and down as if I’m the most offensive person on the planet. “I’m sorry, who are you?” she says.I give her a flat smile. “I’m Brad’s mother. We’ve met before, Leigh.”“You can’t be his mother,” she says. “I remember meeting her, and she wasn’t a bitch.”A deadly calm comes o
But in the back yard there’s nowhere to go. I’m not going into the tree house where all I’ll be able to think about is how many orgasms Trevor gave me. With a sigh, I sit on the steps of my back porch, pulling my coat closer around me to keep out the cold. But the silence feels good. I focus on my breathing, trying not to think. I look down at the snow, flurries gathering and filling in our foot prints from the other day.The door slides open behind me, and I close my eyes. If it’s one of my siblings, I really don’t want to talk to them at the moment. I feel the air shift as someone sits down on the steps with me. I peek out to find Trevor sitting with me. He’s not touching me, but close enough that he could. His expression is bordering on angry, and he’s looking at the snow. “Are you all right?” he asks. His voice is soft, not angry. I realize that he’s frustrated. For me.“No,” I say, looking back at the ground.That deep sadness is still welling in my chest, and I feel like I shoul
I’m sure,” he says, and the smile on his face makes me feel like the sun is shining.“Good,” I whisper. “I don’t want it to either. You want to know where I went just now? I was thinking about how happy I’ve been. These past few days.”He shifts closer to me, and it feels like we both breathe easier. My heart picks up a little, beating faster just because he’s looking at me. He wraps his arms around me, tilting my face up to his. Our kiss is sweet, laced with happiness at the idea that this isn’t just a fling. We’ll see where it goes, even if it isn’t conventional.I try to wrap my arms around him, and fail, laughing, since my arms are shorter and our coats are bulky. Instead I let him pull me closer, deepening our kiss. I have a thought that he might warm me up so much that we might not need our coats anymore. I slip my tongue past his lips, tangling with his and relishing the feeling of freedom that he brings me.Laughter suddenly breaks the trance, and I hear the worst voice in the
Leigh gives Trevor a withering look. “Nice speech, asshole. You know as well as I do I’m the best thing that ever happened to Brad, and he needs me. So don’t tell me I’m a terrible person when you’re the one getting your rocks off with an old woman.”“That is enough.” Brad’s voice cuts through the air. “Leigh, I want you to leave.”“What? Why?”Brad huffs a humorless laugh. “It’s the fact that you even have to ask why. You forced your way into my home, insulted my mother, insulted my best friend. You cheated on me, and treated me terribly. We are not, nor were we going to, get back together. You interrupted—and ruined—a day that was supposed to be for my family. So will you please, get the hell out of my house?”Leigh looks around at everyone. If she’s hoping for some kind of support, she doesn’t get it. She stalks towards the front door, rage written in every line of her body. “Leigh,” Brad calls to her, and she turns back. “Don’t even think about trying to use this against me at sch
"Bring me a woman who will be your wife within a month, Alex, or I will personally take charge of finding a match for you," Mr. Salazar declared, giving his son a stern gaze. From the corner of his eye, Alex noticed his stepmother rolling her eyes while slowly sipping her hot coffee."Ugh! Maria! This coffee is scalding!" Pearl exclaimed, distracting Salazar from continuing the conversation. The idea of Alex finding a wife irritated her to no end. She despised the thought of him introducing a woman as his bride.Upon hearing Pearl's scream from the kitchen, Maria hurriedly rushed into the room. She was visibly shaken, working for the Salazar family for the past three years. The only issue she had was with Mrs. Pearl, whom she knew had married Mr. Salazar for his wealth."Gold-digging woman!" Maria muttered under her breath as she entered the kitchen. Pearl had scolded her in front of Mr. Salazar, who seemed to favor Maria among all his other staff. Maria wondered what she had done to
"Mr. Salazar, I swear I possess both pictures and videos as evidence," Raymond managed to say, collapsing to his knees as Alex released him. Now, Raymond could verify the rumors about Alex. He wasn't merely ruthless, but his mere gaze could reduce any grown man to his knees.Raymond regretted approaching Alex firsthand. In a matter of seconds, he saw his life slipping away."Tell me everything you know, with concrete proof. I'll make sure you lack nothing until your dying breath," Alex commanded, his back turned to Raymond.Slowly, Raymond extracted a brown envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table. "This contains all the information you need to understand what occurred and why it occured," he said.Before Alex could turn around to face him, Raymond had vanished into thin air. His eyes fell upon the brown envelope lying on the table. Alex closed his eyes, steeling himself to face the contents. For years, he had wondered what had happened to his mother. It was highly unusual
Alex detested the situation, but he had no control over Pearl. She was a natural seductress, capable of bringing any man to his knees. He pitied his father, unaware that the woman he believed to be his wife desired his own son. Alex swallowed hard, suppressing the moan that threatened to escape his mouth as Pearl continued to stroke him slowly, kissing his neck. Her soft hand moved up and down his length, perfectly wrapped around his thick arousal, as she performed a handjob on him.Pearl could sense his heat and swelling in her hands. She positioned herself in front of him, drawing him closer as her mouth almost made contact with his. Swiftly, Alex turned his face, allowing her kiss to land on his cheek. He would never break his rule, no matter the circumstances. He vowed to never kiss a woman, ensuring that no one could replace his mother in his heart. He would not grant Pearl the satisfaction of kissing him, not today or any other day.Grabbing her neck firmly, he pinned her agains