Shifting my gaze, it lands on Hayden, his girlfriend, and Ash, who are sitting by the pool with their feet dangling in the water. Hayden finally asked Allie to marry him last week, but they aren't getting hitched until next summer.
Ash, on the other hand, says he's not ready to fall in love. There's still too much for him to do before he gets weighted down with the old ball and chain. His words, not mine.
The café is still on hold, and it might be that way for quite a while. Right now though, I'm content being Nick's wife, lover, and soon-to-be mother of his child. I never thought that would be what I wanted out of life-but it turns out it might be just what I needed to finally feel like me.
Nick says, "Don't be mad," and then lets go of me.
I turn to give him a confused look, but before I even fully turn around, he's streaking down the deck, running toward the pool, and jumping off the diving board, yelling, "Cannonball," as he moons our guests.
All I can do is shake my head.
I told you he always has to be the life of the party.
So yeah, as for the big kid known as Nick Carrington, his business took a huge lose last quarter, but now that he is back in the game, it is finally getting back on track.
Oh right, I almost forgot, as for Bigelow, he was arrested last month on three separate counts of tax evasion. If he is convicted, he will spend fifteen years in jail. Ethan is certain he will be convicted. In truth, I'm pretty certain he helped uncover the felony. Also, the same day Bigelow was charged and released on bail, three men in ski masks attacked him on his way home. His injuries weren't severe, but warranted that he spend the night in the hospital.
I didn't have to ask Nick if it was him.
I knew it was.
Just as I knew he did it for me.
And if it makes me a bad person to say Bigelow got what he deserved, then I'll make up for it in some good way someday.
It might be a warped sense of thinking, but I don't care.
The truth is-I'm different.
Nick's different.
We're all different.
And for the first time in my life, different doesn't feel bad.
In fact, it feels really good.
THE END
Big Shot
(Jace's story) coming August 2017
Jace Bennett was the type of man you would love forever. Tall, dark, and brooding, there was just something about him that drew you in and captured your heart. It might have been that slow, sexy smile or his filthy, dirty mouth. Or it might have just been him.
What I didn't know back then was that although I'd love him forever, I wouldn't be the one sharing his bed, the one having his children, or the one he adored.
But then-that was because of me-not him.
AND
Hot Stuff
(Lucas's story) coming by the end of 2017
Lucas Carrington thinks he's hot stuff, both on and off the field.
Not that he isn't. Rough, tough, and sexy, the guy knows how to move, in every way.
The problem is just that-he knows it.
Someone needs to teach him a thing or two, and I think I'm just the one to do it.
ABOUT BIG SHOT
On the heels of Sexy Jerk comes a story that will steal your breath. Big Shot is filled with both humor and tears. Although this second chance romance is set in the Sexy Jerk world, it is a complete stand-alone.
Ten years ago I had no idea what I wanted out of life, until I met Hannah Michaels. She was a computer-engineering student ready to conquer the social media world, and I was smitten. Even though I knew she was taken, I had to have her.
Being the rich, moody bad boy that I was, I didn't let her status stand in my way. It wasn't long before my hands were on her thighs and my name a whisper on her lips. Soon after, we became inseparable, and she taught me so much. But as was the case with most things in my life at that time, I was more concerned with my own needs than the consequences of my actions. Before I could figure that out, she called me a Big Shot, and left.
I always wondered what happened to her, but I never found the courage to find out. Instead, I went on with my life, carrying a little piece of her with me every step of the way.
Having learned how to love from Hannah, I got married and had a daughter. My life was nearly perfect, but then my wife died, and my world turned upside down.
A single father has challenges, and one of those is learning how to calmly deal with your child coming home from school in tears. I had no idea the day I pounded on my daughter's classmate's door, Hannah would be the one standing on the other side.
Hannah didn't appreciate my tirade, and once again she called me a Big Shot. It shouldn't have turned me on. It shouldn't have reminded me of the sexual connection we once shared. And it definitely shouldn't have stirred up old feelings.
Irritated with myself, I left her standing there trying to convince me her son was not the bully I had accused him of being.
She didn't take kindly to that, and the next day, she was the one pounding on my door. The back and forth continued for over a month until we both couldn't stand the nearly combustible tension between us, and finally gave in to our all-consuming passion.