Blurb
Pregnant. A baby. A lifelong commitment. Seems so serious.
Well, I don’t do commitments.
I believe in fun and one night stands.
And that was supposed to be just one such night.
But now, I can’t stop thinking about her.
Maybe it’s time for a change…
Her perfect skin, those sparkling blue eyes, and that captivating smile.
Let’s just call her irresistible;
My brain says no but my heart wants to take control,
And that’s how she enters my world.
A world where fighting criminals is a routine.
But soon it got too dangerous.
Someone wants me dead.
They don’t care who they take along the way.
Even if it’s Cici or our baby;
Now, all I know is I have two lives to protect.
I need to bring that smile back on her face and make her happy.
And no one can prevent that from happening. Absolutely no one!
Chapter One – Cici
“Okay,” my Auntie Mary says with a false wide smile. “I guess this is it.” She purses her lips tightly together and rakes her eyes up and down her daughter’s body. “You look beautiful, Annabelle. Really lovely.” I feel my shoulders hunch up around my ears as I can predict what’s about to happen. Mary is about to say something that we all think but none of us want to say. “Are you sure that this is what you want to do? You can still back out.”
“Mom!” Annabelle rolls her eyes and chuckles at her mother. “I want to marry Landon. I love him. Plus, look at this dress. I am slaying in this dress. I want everyone to see it and they’re all in that hotel room waiting.”
It takes all that I have not to snort with derision. Honestly, Annabelle is ridiculous. I love her and everything, but she’s always been crazy. We’ve always lived close to one another and we used to be inseparable as kids, always playing together, being the same age it was the most natural thing in the world, but as soon as we hit our teenage years I found myself pulling away from her. She went crazy, she started acting out and doing wild things almost for attention. The parties and stuff were fun, but she always had to take it one step too far. She had to get the drunkest, she had to act the nuttiest, she had to be the one up on tables flashing her breasts at everyone. This wedding feels more like that, another stupid action. Something else to get some attention.
She hasn’t known Landon very long. Three to four months maybe. She met him in an upscale bar somewhere, the sort of place that she and her friends go to when they want to pick up business men for a night of fun, and something about this one caught her eye. Within a week, she was telling the family that she loved him, within a month she had moved her crazy ass into his massive house that’s almost like a mansion, and now there’s this shot gun wedding. It’s insane, but not a surprise to me. Annabelle just wants everyone noticing her. Plus, I’m sure the lure of living the high life is very appealing to her. She’ll love flashing the cash and being a trophy wife.
“Maybe she’s having a baby,” I mutter in a teasing tone. I just want to lighten the mood.
“Cici!” My mom gives me a terrible glare. I can almost see her cursing me for making things worse. “What are you talking about? Annabelle isn’t pregnant.” She turns to my cousin, suddenly unsure. “Are you?”
Annabelle glowers. She gives the expression that always comes before an outburst. I’ve seen this far too many times before. First comes the look, then comes the yelling, then comes the endless damn drama. This isn’t the right time for that. We’re already a little late and while it’s a bride’s prerogative to be a little tardy to her ceremony, I don’t want this to just be another drama. I want this wedding over and done with.
“I am not pregnant,” she snaps. “I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you people. Why can’t I just meet someone and fall in love? Why does it all have to be on your time scales? I am my own person.”
I’m sure it’s more to do with his money than love, but I cannot get into that right now. “No, we know that, Annabelle. I was only joking. Now, do you want to get to see all those people who want to see you in your dress?”
She shakes her head and falls back onto the chair, grabbing her glass of champagne. For a moment, I think that maybe her mom’s words have gotten through to her, I mentally plan how we’re going to get out of here without creating too much of a scene, but then a smirk spreads across her lips. I guess this isn’t a s
tep too far.