MasukI hope everyone is okay after reading this. <3
PAUL’S P.O.V.Setting my fork down beside my plate on the patio table, I sat back in my chair, looking over my barren backyard. I knew I would need to tackle that project next now that I finished repairing the inside, but I wasn’t ready. Once I finished that, the house would be ready to sell. Flipping a house had always been on my bucket list, but I hadn’t expected it to take this long. Work had kept me incredibly busy, and I was only able to work on the house for a few hours each week. Once the backyard was done… there would be nothing keeping me here. This was a house, but it wasn’t my home.Maybe it was because I had never bothered to decorate it, but it had always felt like it was missing something. It was just four walls and a roof over my head for me to sleep in each night, nothing more. I could sell it, take the profit, and move back home to be closer to my family, but just thinking that made the idea of working on the backyard unbearable. They had all been violently oppos
LYDIA’S P.O.V.Family birthday parties had never been my favorite events to go to, but there were only so many I could miss before I got yelled at for 'not acting like a part of the family.' I had never been close with any of them, but gave in and showed up with a present and food anyway.Yet, as I helped clean up at the end, I was ready to snap. I couldn’t take another comment or joke about being the spinster of the family. All of my cousins had at least four kids each, and I had four restaurants. They had husbands, wives, and planned annual family vacations, and I had an empty home and a to-do list longer than their grocery receipt. As I looked up at the kids running around while the adults cleaned up, it all felt so normal. Like it was what I should have been doing at my age, but none of it had felt right for me until recently.I had been so focused on my career that I hadn’t been interested in the idea of settling down and popping out a few crotch-goblins. Even if the thoug
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.Sliding off the edge or the bed, I swayed my hips as I walked toward the bathroom door, looking over my shoulder at him with one eyebrow raised, waiting for him to take my challenge. “Coming?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he stood and followed after me, his eyes locked on my face, but I was shamelessly admiring him and could see that he was enjoying this. Turning to walk into the bathroom, I laughed as he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around me from behind, urging me toward the shower. I twisted in his hold to face him, and his hands slid down to my ass, quickly lifting me. I let out a small moan as I wrapped my legs around him, each step making him move against me. He didn’t stop though and walked us right into the shower, closing the door behind us and pressing my back against the cold tiles as he reached up to turn the shower head away from us and turned on the water. “Derek!” I cried out with a giggle as my back arched into him to get it o
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.The slow rise and fall of the warm surface beneath me gently lulled me awake, and I sighed as I felt Derek’s arm wrapped around my back, holding me to his chest. The birds were chirping outside, and I slowly opened my eyes to see the warm glow of the sun behind the curtains. Tilting my head back, I stared up at his rugged face. The scrub on his beard was still short, but it had been so delicious as it scraped along my body as he kissed every inch of me.His hair was disheveled, and I smiled, remembering all the times my fingers had run through them last night.Somehow, Derek was even more handsome while asleep, and I closed my eyes as I listened to his calm heartbeat beneath my ear. “Good morning,” He said, his voice thick with sleep, and my eyes fluttered open as he brushed my hair back behind my ear. “Morning,” I whispered, scared to destroy the peace of the morning by speaking too loudly. It was the most peaceful night and waking I’d had in a very long time,
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.I hadn’t been in his room before, and while I wanted to look around, that would have to wait.The second my back hit the bed, I was lifting my head and kissing him again, pulling him down on top of me. My hands slid over his shoulders and down his arms, pushing his shirt down and off of him, exposing his tanned, sculpted body. I wanted to explore him, to investigate each tattoo covering his arms, but as he lifted the bottom of my shirt, my mind went blank. All I could think about was feeling his skin against mine anywhere… everywhere. I lifted my back, moving with him as he pulled it up and over my head. I didn’t even question it when he reached under me to the clasp of my bra, pausing to meet my eyes. Quickly, I nodded, my breathing speeding up as I started to pull at my straps to get it off as fast as possible. Derek unclipped it, leaning back to pull it off. His eyes traveled over my face before moving down to my my chest, and a shot of excitement shot to m
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. Derek held the front door open for me, allowing me to enter first. The dinner with his family tonight didn’t really feel like a date, but this sure did. The nerves and anxiety from seeing his family after everything that happened were gone, and now I just felt comfortable and happy. I was expecting butterflies, but I had been to his house multiple times now that it felt normal coming in here. It felt homey, and the faint sweet scent in the air made my mouth water as I could tell he had just baked the cake today. “Would you like a glass of wine?” Derek asked, guiding me to the kitchen. “Yes, please,” I breathed as he released my hand to go around the counter and grab two glasses that were hanging under one of the cabinets. While he poured, I found myself transfixed by him. I leaned against the kitchen island as I watched him pull out the cheesecake from the fridge. It looked as perfect as he did, and I could hide the blush when I remembered that he had act
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. The drive to the hospital was a blur of red lights and panic. I barely remembered the car coming to a stop or my driver opening the door, though it was probably going to be one of the last times he drove me anywhere. By the time I sprinted through the main entrance and reached
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. Justin didn’t come home that night… or the next, or the one after that. At first, I told myself I didn’t care and that I was happy that he was gone. I packed boxes in silence, folded clothes, put them into my suitcases, and sorted through years of our lives together piece by pi
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V.My heart dropped to my stomach as if I had just been caught doing something wrong, and I tore myself away quickly. Justin’s face was red with fury as he stormed toward us, but his anger dropped instantly as recognition flashed in his eyes along with something close to fear. I g
CHARLOTTE’S P.O.V. I didn’t think it would be possible for my heart to break any more than it already had, but it felt like it stopped this time. I stood there staring in shock until the fog lifted and I could think again. My footsteps were quiet as I followed after them, watching from a distance







