All Chapters of Jaded Hearts: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

64 Chapters

TWENTY-EIGHT | THE HOME FRONT(2)

MorganSince Mitchell was recovering so fast in the hospital, I wasn’t so nervous about leaving him there every night. He’d always been strong, so I never lost hope that he would get better. I just didn’t expect it to be this quick. I was grateful to have Kade in my life. Taylor had so much going on with Matt, which I didn’t fault her for one bit. But with the loss of the apartment and Mitchell’s accident, I needed someone to lean on. Kade was that someone for me. And the fact that he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen didn’t hurt matters either. Over six feet of huge muscles, perfect golden skin, scruffy facial hair that he kept neatly trimmed, deep blue eyes, and sandy-blonde hair. And he was covered in tattoos from his neck down to his wrists and waist. Wolves, moons, tribals, everything was perfectly melded together across his skin. I found myself trailing my fingers over the designs at times; his body was an absolute work of art. I trusted him with my life. As soon as I

TWENTY-NINE | NONNA

TaylorThe vineyard that Matt’s grandparents lived on was really beautiful. As far as I could see, there were green hills covered with lush vines of grapes. It really made me wish I could sample some of the wines they made. “So, tesoro, we need to be careful about the possible pregnancy issue. If Nonna suspects anything, she’ll immediately tell my mom, and I really don’t want to have to deal with that right now.”“But how can we avoid it? We’re at a winery. What if someone offers me a drink? If I just turn it down without a good reason, I’ll seem rude.”“I’ll handle that; don’t worry.”I didn’t see how he was going to “handle it,” but I let it go. Hopefully, things would go smoothly. We pulled up to the house, and I took a moment to admire how gorgeous it was. It was your typical stone-faced Italian villa covered with vines and the most fragrant flowers. I’d guess that it was over a hundred years old, but it was in perfect shape. Before I got the chance to open the door and climb ou

CHAPTER THIRTY | REVELATIONS PT.1(1)

Matt“Are you alright, baby?Taylor had been sitting on the counter, motionless for the last few minutes since I had read the test results to her. She hadn’t moved an inch or said a single word in that time, and I was beginning to worry. When tears spilled over her lids and ran down her face, I grabbed her and pulled her into my lap. “Don’t worry, Taylor. I promise we can do this, and you’ll be a great mother. Please don’t be sad, darling.”She shook her head and wiped her face. “I’m not sad. I’m happy. I’m so happy, Matt. I can’t believe it. I’m actually going to have a baby … with you. I have a tiny little piece of you in here,” she said, placing her hand on her stomach. I let out a sigh of relief. She wanted this as much as I did. “Thank goodness! Obviously, I was going to follow your lead here, but I’m so relieved that you’re not upset.”“Why would I be? I’m an adult in a committed and stable relationship with the man I love. This is the best news ever.”“I should probably meet

CHAPTER THIRTY | REVELATIONS PT.1(2)

MattAfter dinner was over, I took Taylor to the room so she could take a nice bath. When she was settled in, I stepped onto the terrace and pulled out my phone to call my mom. She picked up after just one ring. “Matthew! How are you, sweetie? Is Taylor having a good time with the family?”“Hi, Mom, we’re good. And yes, Taylor and the family are having a great time. You’d think they had known each other for years.”“I’m so happy to hear that. Where is she? Can I talk to her?”“She’s in the bath, but I called to ask you something.”“Okay, what is it?”“Why didn’t you tell me that Nonno was an Alpha? That you are an Alpha’s daughter, or that I have Alpha blood?”She went silent on the other end of the line. “Mom? I know you’re still there. So why?”“It was a decision your father and I made after we found each other. He comes from a long line of gammas, and his destined mate was of a higher rank than him was. We didn’t want our children to feel slighted or confused by their position in

THIRTY-ONE | WEREBEARS(1)

TaylorThe next couple of days in Sicily passed quickly and peacefully, which I was beyond thankful for. I met Matt’s grandfather, and he was just as amazing as the rest of the family. It was adorable to see the way Nonna hung on to his every word. They had been married for over fifty years and still loved each other deeply. I couldn’t wait to get there with Matt, and I did not doubt that we would. When we arrived in Rome early Wednesday morning, we checked into our hotel and went up to get unpacked and change before our first meeting. I was trying to decide which outfit would make the best first impression when Matt’s phone rang. When he started speaking in rapid-fire Italian, I tuned him out and continued my search. Once I decided on the gray fitted vest and pantsuit set, Matt walked over and stood behind me. “Change of plans, beautiful. The Sporazos won’t be able to join us today. They had an incident at one of their sites in the area, and they have to get it taken care of.”“I

THIRTY-ONE | WEREBEARS(2)

TaylorIn an effort to keep the peace, we went back to the room, and I took a hot shower to wash the scent of Tyson away. As soon as my clothes were off, Matt had them sent down to the laundry to be cleaned. I guess he really doesn’t like the smell of bear. When I was finished, I stepped into the room where Matt was on the phone, speaking in what sounded like perfect French to whoever was on the other end. Once he hung up, he sniffed the air and smiled. “Much better. Thank you for humoring me, tesoro. And I apologize for the way I reacted. I just didn’t expect to run into any bear shifters here, especially ones who call my pregnant fiancée sunshine and gorgeous.”“It’s fine. And he’s always called me by pet names. It used to drive me crazy as a kid.”“Did you ever date?”I couldn’t be surprised by the question. It was a legitimate thought for sure. “No. He’s a few years older than Morgan and me, so he never really saw me as more than a kid or family.”“But you wanted to date him?”“

THIRTY-TWO | REVELATIONS PT. 2

KadeMatt’s call had me more than a little confused about who my mate really was. It wasn’t a factor of me no longer wanting her; that would never happen. But I did need to find out if she was a bear, and if she’d been keeping that from me. I sent her a text message, and when she didn’t answer, I assumed she was either in the shower or asleep. Since it was close to midnight, I was pretty sure whatever she was doing, she would be in our room, so I headed straight there. Just as I thought, she was curled up in a small ball in the middle of the bed. Her hair was draped across her face, and I could just make out a few of her freckles on her cheeks. I wanted to run my fingers over them, but I needed to focus.I diverted to the bathroom to wash the sweat from the run off, then went back to where she was sleeping. I walked over and sat down beside her, and she almost instantly turned around to face me when she felt the bed shift. “How was your run? You’re back earlier than I’d expected,”

THIRTY-THREE | MISUNDERSTANDINGS(1)

Kade“Did that chick just call you a whore, and me a tramp? What’s her problem?”“I don’t have time for this shit now, Scarlet. Get out.”“You called me here, and now you’re kicking me out? What about—”“OUT! I need to go find her.”I snatched my shirt from the floor and rushed through the halls to find Morgan. She was hurting because of what she saw, and I needed to fix this. I followed her scent of apple pie and found her in our room, shoving her clothes into a huge suitcase. “Morgan, that wasn’t what you thought it was. Please let me explain.”“Fuck you, Kade. I know what I saw. I actually trusted you. I had given up on men, but I let you in. But you’re all the same, no matter what I do. I always get hurt.”“I’d never hurt you, sugar. You know that.”“Don’t call me sugar ever again! Only the man I loved, the man who treated me with dignity and respect, could call me that. You’re nothing to me now. You don’t get to call me that!”Fat tears rolled down her face, and each one was lik

THIRTY-THREE | MISUNDERSTANDINGS(2)

MorganAfter Kade calmed me down, I made sure he let Scarlet know how sorry I was for how I reacted. I had been cheated on more than a few times in the past, and it was hard not to immediately think the worst when I saw them together. But I believed him when he said he loved me, so I was determined to work on my insecurities and make our relationship work. And the first thing I needed to do was learn more about being a werebear. I hadn’t gotten a response to my text to Tyson, so I decided to call him instead. If he were still in Rome, the time difference could be a problem, but at least he would see the missed call and know that I really needed to talk to him. He picked up right before I was going to disconnect the call. “Hey, Mo! I haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s going on?”“A lot, actually. I heard you ran into Taylor in Rome. How was that?”“It was good until her dude walked up and interrupted us. Do you know him?”“I do. He’s my boyfriend’s best friend.”“Shit. So, you

THIRTY-FOUR | CHANGING PLANS

TaylorI was finally able to talk to Morgan after playing a few rounds of phone tag. She had news; I had news—it was insane. And it made me miss her. I wished I could have been there for her when she found out she was a bear. Even the argument with Kade. I know that her past relationships have made her insecure and closed off. And even though he was able to calm her down before she did anything crazy, I still feel like it’s my job as best friend to have been there for her. But Matt and I would be heading home soon. We had our first meeting with the Sporazos yesterday, and it went extremely well. They were both charming and really sweet. I couldn’t tell them apart, but one was a complete and total flirt. He reminded me of Alex and made me miss home. We were sitting in the hotel lobby, waiting for them to pick us up to take us to see a few more possible hotel locations. To be honest, this wasn’t work at all. I was basically being carted around Rome with three handsome men who were s

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