Richard & Judy's Bookclub Novels & Stories

"Something happened." "Several things happened. It was a four day trip." "Elena." "Maya." Judy appeared from the children's section carrying a stack of board books and stopped dead when she saw me. The books went on the nearest surface. "Oh my God." "Please don't," I said. "You look…" "Don't." "You look like a woman who has been thoroughly…" "JUDY." She pressed her lips together, visibly struggling. Olive appeared from behind a shelf, took one look at me, and said nothing. Just smiled. "I hate all of you," I said.

Mom and Elena rising together and applauding. Richard stood last. Slow. The coat unbuttoning. His clap heavy and deliberate. Something closer to acknowledgment. Seven people. Standing. In a basement bookstore in Portland. For a book about a bar and a boy and a sabotage and a hospital and a kitchen floor and a family that broke and rebuilt and held. The crowd drifted toward the signing table. I stepped off the podium. A woman stopped me – tired eyes, worn jacket, a fresh copy clutched in white-knuckled hands.

Some other Lycans funded some as well, but not nearly as many as I did. If I were to take it away, they would have to pay me back every dime invested. “Of course, I didn’t forget Alpha…” “If there’s any further harm to either Judy or her mother, there will be consequences to those actions, understood?” They both nodded. “Yes, Alpha,” Richard said, bowing his head to me. He nudged his wife who also bowed her head to me. “No harm will come to either of them. You have our words.” ….. Judy’s POV

I'd crumpled it, but the words burned in my mind. Richard interjected, still oblivious, his voice a mundane anchor in the storm. “Literature, huh? That's my boy. Reminds me of that book I read last week—had to play the long game with the plot twists. Clara, you should tell us about it. Might help with your studies. It was all about reading the opponent, finding their vulnerabilities, and striking when they least expect it. You two could team up for that project—family helping family, right?”

I cleared the plate in seconds, patting my stomach when I was satisfied. Richard refused to go back to work. Instead, he stayed with me through the whole day, spending his time researching pregnancy and child care. It was almost cute seeing him trying to learn more about it. Whenever he saw something interesting, he would call my attention to it, shouting about it excitedly as he explained it to me. At the end of the day, he had over 20 E-books on pregnancy and childbirth. ***

"It doesn't end here. I will make sure the two of them don't have a happy life. I'll make sure of that even if I die while doing it." Judith closes her room door and drowns out the noise. She staggers to her bed and lays down, her tears falling freely. It's too hard for her to wrap her head around what Richard has chosen to turn out to be. A menace to his brother and his chosen bride. "I'm sorry." She cries into her pillow, covering herself with her blanket, sobbing profusely.

Richard cleared his throat. "Not all the books you read are bad books." Richard then immediately left the SB room and headed for his car in front of the casino. In the car, there was Chansu, who had been waiting for him. Chansu and SB didn't like each other, so Chansu didn't want to accompany Richard to the casino and preferred to stay in the car and wait for his Boss to return. "Your book?" Chansu asked when he saw a romance book that Richard was holding because, as far as he could remember, Richard didn't bring any books when he entered the casino.

Richard, Misoo and Beau have their own book and so do Jordan and Aubrey, as well as Olivia Stanton. Book 1 was about Jordan Sykes and Aubrey Evans, but unfortunately, I took it down from every site. Book 3 is about Richard and Misoo. Book 4 is about Beau and his client. And lastly, book 5 is about Olivia and a hot farmer. So, subscribe to my Patreon. Now, this series was all about time pass for me if I’m being utterly honest.

Yet here I was, in this room full of people who had chosen me, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. I smiled, a real one this time, and sat at the center of the circle. April clapped her hands together, bubbling in excitement. “Okay, enough of the emotional display. Let’s get to work. Book Club is officially back in session!” Laughter filled the room. We started tossing around ideas for the next reading list, but the discussion quickly turned into a chaotic mess of inside jokes and playful teasing. Maya insisted we include something “dark and brooding,” while Sammy argued for something “funny, because God knows we all need to laugh more.” April rolled her eyes and wrote both

"Well, maybe they know a way you can show her that without making a total idiot out of yourself." I don't wait for him to respond, getting out of the car and walking towards the house. I knock and an older man answers it. "We're not interested in buying any magazines." He says gruffly. "We're here for book club." I explain and Everett holds up his copy of the book as proof. The guy eyes us skeptically before turning back towards the inside of the house. "Jules! You got dudes in this group?" He yells. The next moment Julie rounds the corner, her head popping into the open doorway.