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What happens when a hook-up gets complicated by a baby? Can she hide the secret from him? Or will he show her how possessive he can be when he learns she's carrying his child? "Seven years ago, I had a one-night stand with my brother's best friend, who also happened to be my lifelong crush. The next day, he vanished leaving me pregnant. Now, I am a single mom raising our son in the same small town. Recently, he returned to attend my brother's wedding and the truth about our son was finally revealed. As he reclaims his place in our lives, the sparks between us reignite. However, danger from his past threatens to shatter our newfound connection. I am torn between my love for him and my fear of getting hurt again, especially now that I have two hearts to protect - our son's and my own."
Samantha
"Happy Birthday, Sam!"
I raised my red solo cup into the air and let out a wild laugh as my friends cheered for me.
Today was proving to be my best birthday yet, hands down.
My friends had planned a rager for me in the woods just outside our small town of Greenswood.
A bonfire blazed, and several kegs had been tapped.
I was feeling good and tipsy and happy as I danced to the music blaring from someone's pick-up.
I was eighteen at last. A woman! The future was mine for the taking, or some sentimental crap like that.
Whatever. I didn't have to think about that just yet. I just wanted to enjoy my party and forget about everything else.
Smiling, I spun in place and screamed out the lyrics to the song that was playing.
Suddenly, I noticed a familiar figure emerging from the surrounding trees.
He was tall, with shaggy blonde hair and familiar golden eyes. Eyes that were just like mine. I came to a stop. It took a few moments for my vision to clear, but when it did, I let out a squeal of delight.
"Jason!" I threw my cup to the ground and rushed forward. "You came!"
Chuckling, he opened his arms as I threw myself into them.
"Of course I did," he told me. "Couldn't miss my baby sister's birthday party, could I?"
I gazed up at him with wide eyes. "Don't tell Mom and Dad! They can't know I'm drinking!"
Chucking me under my chin, he said, "Don't worry. I won't tell. Just don't do anything stupid, all right?"
"Stupid? What could I do that's stupid?"
Before Jason could answer, another person stepped up beside him. Startled, I turned my gaze and froze.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" I murmured.
My brother's companion gave me a small smile.
I often dreamed of that smile, as well as the sparkling, blue eyes gazing at me. He was slightly taller than my brother, with dark brown hair and wide shoulders. He was the most handsome man I'd ever seen, and I had been all but obsessed with him since the age of twelve.
"Don't be rude, Sam," Jason teased, smacking me lightly on the head. "Ryan wanted to wish you a happy birthday. Say thank you."
I swallowed and gazed up at Ryan Carson, my brother's best friend, and my longtime secret crush.
"Than-thank you," I murmured, feeling suddenly shy despite the alcohol buzzing through me. I always felt shy around him. It was frustrating as hell, because I wasn't a shy person by nature. I was outgoing and social. The life of the party, really, but when it came to Ryan...
I was a crumpling, awkward mess.
"Seems like you've been having fun," Ryan said with a smirk, looking at me in a way that made me melt.
I blushed and nervously tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"Ye-yeah," I stammered, my lips twitching into a goofy, little grin. "It's been a good party. Lots of fun."
"Glad to hear it." He chuckled.
I gulped. There was something I wanted to ask him. Something I'd been wanting to ask him for a long time but had never had the courage to say.
At that moment, though, the words were on the tip of my tongue, on the verge of spilling from my lips before I could stop them.
Luckily, before I could mutter a single word, Jason clapped Ryan on the shoulder and said, "Let's go get a drink. I'm going to need one to hang out with all these kids."
Ryan chuckled and nodded before flashing me another smile.
"Don't let us get in the way of your fun," he said with a wink.
Struck speechless, I watched as he and Jason walked toward one of the kegs. I couldn't seem to take my eyes off him. He was just so...perfect.
I let out an unbidden giggle.
"Sam! What are you doing? Snap out of it, space cadet!"
Blinking, I turned just in time to catch my friend, Jessica, rushing toward me with a wild grin. She threw her arms around my neck and laughed.
"What? Sorry!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. "I, uh, guess I'm more buzzed than I thought."
Jessica glanced in the direction I had been staring and her mouth dropped open and realization dawned on her face.
"Ahhhh, I see." She grinned. Turning her gaze back to me, she wiggled her eyebrows. "I see your Prince Charming has arrived. I thought he and Jason were still at school?"
"Fall break," I murmured, my gaze finding its way back to Ryan. "I knew they were coming home, but it never crossed my mind that they'd come here."
Jessica let me go and moved to stand beside me. We watched the two older men for several moments in thoughtful silence.
"Are you going to tell him?" Jessica asked after a while.
I scoffed. "Are you kidding me? No way!"
"Why not?" Jessica questioned. "It's the perfect night for it! You're legal, you're tipsy, and he's here and available."
"You don't know he's available. Maybe he's got a girlfriend back at college."
The mere thought had jealousy shooting through me, and I clenched my hands into fists at my sides. Jessica snorted.
"Right, I doubt he has a single girlfriend," she replied. "He's probably got a harem built up by now."
I scowled at my friend. "Don't say things like that. He's not that kind of guy."
"Right, right, he's perfect." Jessica chuckled and shrugged. "Not a manwhore at all, despite the many rumors saying otherwise. It doesn't matter, though. If you're going to make a move, you've got to do it tonight. You'll never get a chance like this again!"
"I don't know why you think I have a chance at all!" I exclaimed. "He hardly knows I exist. If he weren't Jason's friend, I'd be totally invisible to him."
"That's not true," Jessica insisted. "I've seen the way he looks at you. He's totally interested."
I gave her a skeptical look. "Bullshit."
Shaking her head, Jessica said, "No! I swear. I've seen it. There were a few times at your house that I spotted him watching you when you weren't paying attention."
I blinked, stunned. "Why didn't you ever tell me that?"
"I didn't want you to get worked up," Jessica explained. "But honestly, I think you have a chance tonight. Come on. Do it! For your birthday!"
Chewing my lip nervously, I let my gaze stray to where Ryan and my brother were standing.
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." Darcy stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You're not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She stared at me in the mirror. "You can't even glance at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of gazing at that scar?" Heather Bailey got a surprise from her husband: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. She was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman. After signing the divorce papers, shockwaves caught her up. Her flower shop was burned to the ground. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers from influential families, she started her revenge on Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted, but that was just the beginning.
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Elodie took a deep breath and knocked, the sound echoing in the quiet corridor. A moment of silence passed, broken only by the pounding of her heart. Finally, the door snicked open, revealing a surprised Dashiell. 'Can't you see the Do Not Disturb sign? We don't want-' His initial frown quickly morphed into confusion at the sight of his wife. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded. 'Your girlfriend invited me,' Elodie replied, her voice laced with icy calm. She tried to peer past him, but his broad frame blocked the view. A saccharine voice chimed in from within the room. 'Elodie? Oh dear, we didn't mean for you to find out this way. It's just that-' Elodie cut her short. 'Oh please, Selene. Spare me the fake apologies. You wouldn't have sent me all those texts if you didn't want me to know.' Dashiell shifted uncomfortably, his face a mask of annoyance. 'What texts?' Elodie stepped past him, taking in the luxurious suite with a sardonic smile. The king-sized bed, the scattered rose petals, the lingering scent of sex – it all painted a vivid picture of their betrayal. She looked up at Dashiell, her gaze unwavering. 'I want a divorce.' ****** Dashiell lived a life of luxury, surrounded by the best things money could buy. But when a car accident left him vulnerable, he met Elodie, a seemingly ordinary woman who nursed him back to health. Mistaking her for just another employee, Dashiell entered into a loveless marriage with her solely for convenience. However, fate had a different script in store. Elodie, the 'ordinary nurse,' held a secret more precious than any diamond: she was the sole heiress to Northstar, a vast and powerful enterprise. Unaware of her true identity, Dashiell cast her aside when his ex-girlfriend returned, leaving Elodie humiliated. But Elodie was not one to be easily broken. She shed the facade of the meek nurse, reclaiming her rightful inheritance and stepping into the role of Northstar's CEO. Now, the woman Dashiell discarded was the one holding the reins of power. As Elodie thrives in her new role, Dashiell is consumed by regret. He finally sees Elodie for the extraordinary woman she truly is, realising the depth of his mistake. But will his remorse be enough to win back the heart he so carelessly discarded?
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."