Filed To Story: Craving The Wrong Brother Book PDF Free by Elysian Sparrow
I rub my temples. “Could you just… stop fawning over my mother’s husband? And why the hell didn’t he call me? Why send you two?”
“He said something about your line not getting picked up, Jenna says.
With a sigh, I grab my phone and scroll through my notifications. Jesus. Twenty missed calls. From Mom. Serena. Finn.
Knox. Jade.
Apparently, I’m a hotcake these days.
“Where is he now?” I ask, locking eyes with Jenna. Youthful Exuberance “Parking lot.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome anytime-as long as the pay’s a grand, Carla says.
They walk off, giggling to themselves, while I push back from my desk and grab my purse
Down in the parking lot, I spot Jade leaning against a shiny cherry red Chevrolet Corvette. His arms are crossed, sunglasses perched on his forehead, phone in hand, looking restless.
The second he sees me, he exhales like he’s just survived a war.
“You had me standing out here forever,” he says.
“You should’ve called first before showing up at my workplace.”
“If you’d picked up your damn calls, maybe I would.”
“What do you want, Jade?”
He pops open the back seat and pulls out a bouquet of roses so massive it looks like a prop from a telenovela. Then he pushes it into my chest. I catch it on reflex, nearly poking my eye on a thorn.
“Your boyfriend asked me to deliver that.”
The hell?
“Why would he send you?” I ask.
“Because he’s in Hong Kong for business and wouldn’t stop worrying about his girlfriend, who’s not picking up anyone’s calls. Now I have to become a delivery man, like I don’t already have enough shit to deal with.”
“Jeez,” I mutter. “What’s got you so angry?”
“You people. All of you. Your mom’s not happy because you’re not happy. And when she’s not happy, it becomes my damn problem. Everything you do circles back to me. If you hadn’t decided to go rogue and date a man like Knox-which exposed my very carefully guarded secret-your sister wouldn’t be calling me every hour threatening to spill it all. Just do what your mother wants, for the love of God.”
I squint at him. “What she wants?”
“I don’t know what you have going on with my boss, but don’t you think it’s caused enough chaos? Your mom won’t shut up about it. Why don’t you just find someone your speed, get married, pop out some cute babies, and we can all move on?”
I stare at him.
“More my speed? What is this? Pot and kettle situation? You literally married my mother doing the same thing he does.”
“The difference is, I love your mother, and I would never hurt her. Knox-Knox thrives on chaos. He doesn’t mean to hurt people, but he will. And he’s married.”
“I know that.”
“You know? Jesus Christ. What else do you know and not care about? Because apparently your mother’s peace of mind is one of them.”
My mouth opens. Then closes. He did not just say that.
Another time, this amount of hypocrisy would have been funny. But right now?
I want to punch him.
“Thanks for the message, Jade,” I say. “I’ve received it. I’m going back to my day job.”
I turn to leave.
“Sloane, wait.”
I pause.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Okay. Maybe I was too harsh. But you need to know… your mother’s pregnant.”
I stop breathing.
“What?”
“She begged me not to say anything. But she had IVF done. She said she wanted a child. She’s about three months along. I’ ve tried everything to convince her not to carry it, but she won’t budge. So you must understand why she doesn’t need this stress right now.”
“Why are both my parents having babies in their old age?”
“That’s your reaction?”
“What do you want me to say? It’s her decision. I respect it. See how easy that was? Maybe you should try telling your wife
Youthful Exuberance the same. Ask her not to stress me out too, because my brain is just as pregnant as she is.”
He groans. “You’re sounding very selfish right now.”
“I’m the selfish one? Do you hear yourself? Should I walk you back through everything you just said to me?”
He exhales. “Look. I know I won’t get through to you. You’re just as stubborn as your mother. But try to understand: maybe she’s doing this out of guilt. She’s never forgiven herself for leaving you. She’s trying to prove she can do it right this time. And she’s always on edge, nagging Serena about when Nathan’s going to propose, stressing about you settling down with the right man just to make sure that you both don’t end up alone for the most part your young life.”
He looks exhausted.
“Maybe cut her some slack and give all this youthful exuberance a rest,” he finishes. “And tell your sister to stop sending me threats. I won’t entertain them anymore.”
He turns and walks to the driver’s side, sliding into the car.
I stand there, stunned.
Everything he just said swirls in my head, tangling up like Christmas lights in a box. Youthful exuberance? I step closer, knock on his window. He rolls it down halfway.
“How dare you?” I say.
It’s War Now
Jade frowns as though I’m being an inconvenience. “Sloane-“
“No. You don’t get to dump all this on me as if it’s my fault she left me when I was five. You’ve just succeeded in making me feel worse than I’ve felt in my entire life.”
“Good,” he says. “Maybe you’ll come to your senses.”
I glare. “You’re good at making assumptions, right? Then here’s a thought. Maybe my mom married you-a young man-to prove to herself she could do it right this time. Think about that, motherfucker.”
Then I turn and walk, not before seeing his face turn to stone.
He started a war. He has no idea.
I pass a trash can near the lot and lift the bouquet.
I’m about to toss it when I spot the envelope tucked beneath the ribbon.
I open it. Two papers.
One is a small note: ‘Do you have any idea how restless I am, Bunny? Please take my calls before I have to resort to stalking.
The other?
A check.
Two hundred and twenty thousand dollars. This must be my winnings from the underground fight.
I toss the flowers and the note into the bin. But the check? I’m keeping that.
Maybe it’s time I got myself a new car.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.