Se connecterShe had grown used to seeing him in his loud floral Hawaiian shirts, but never in something like this. And she couldn’t quite explain why it amused her so much.Was it because he looked oddly… endearing, wearing that apron?Damn it. Just last night, she had been seething with anger at him. That very
Phillian’s lips pressed shut once more, as though sealing in whatever words had threatened to escape. He fell silent, lost in thought.Then, without another word, he quietly walked toward the bedroom door, opened it, and stepped out. But before closing it, he turned back to her, his eyes resting on
Calley didn’t know how long she had been staring at the painting hanging above the headboard in Phillian’s room. It was a different painting now—not the one he had once made for her.Of course, Phillian had taken that down. Why wouldn’t he?But…Her gaze wandered across the room, unsettled. Why had
The loud ringtone jolted Calley awake, making her straighten in her seat. She turned her head to the side, catching sight of Phillian still focused on the wheel, driving steadily.She blinked, groggy. She hadn’t even realized she had fallen asleep. Shaking off the haze, she shifted her gaze out the
“Phillian! What are you doing?! You can’t force me to come back to Asteria!”“Who told you I’m bringing you back there?”She froze.Where was Phillian planning to take her?When the only possible place dawned on her, she gasped. But she didn’t have the chance to speak again before they reached the t
“Ugh, you look terrible.”That was the first thing Sacred said when they met, two days after she had confirmed her condition. They met at a restaurant near her apartment.“I had to fly all the way from Texas just to meet you,” he said as he sat across from her, his gaze fixed. “Make sure this is wor
"Fine. I’ll come help you, but only if you promise to stop teasing me."Nelly chuckled again, slowing to look up at her. "You really are a match for my boss. He punished me earlier for teasing him nonstop. Can you believe that? Instead of delivering the muffins himself, he just dumped the whole bask
“What do you want for lunch later, Caty?” Nelly asked, approaching from the shore with two empty coffee thermoses in hand. “The two boats brought in a ton of jumbo shrimp, and Ser Phill told me to take some home. You want sour shrimp soup?”She turned from where she’d been soaking her feet in the wa
That night, Calley cooked baked cheesy clams and oysters, paired with marinara pasta.She actually showed off a little. She wanted to make an impression, and she wanted Nelly to learn something new, too. After all, the poor girl was stuck making the same three dishes on repeat for Phillian. Time to
She smiled at the last word. Nelly just described the old me, she thought. “But I’m not curvy and definitely not huge.”Nelly didn’t skip a beat; she pointed directly at her chest. “Those are.”She burst out laughing. “You’re crazy, Nelly. Keep talking like that and I’m dragging you with me to Amer







