“Sorry, sorry.” She held up her hands apologetically. “You could do a lot worse than this wonderful young man. That’s all I’m saying.”
“You need to think those things, Mom, not say them out loud.”
“Then I wouldn’t be me,” she trilled gleefully. “Now let’s get some pictures so you guys can leave for dinner.”
Dad, as if waiting for his cue, hopped to attention. He gripped the camera with both hands now, his eyes searching around the room. “Let’s take some by the fireplace first.”
“Oh, yes!” Mom walked past us to her favorite chair and picked up the coffee mug on the small table next to it. “There, we don’t want that in your beautiful photographs.”
Drake headed towards Mom, turning to position his stupid body in front of the fireplace. His gaze studied me, maybe wondering if I was going to cause a scene. I couldn’t though, not with how happy both my mom and my dad looked. I was trapped between my own happiness and my parents’ happiness. The only course of action I could take was to walk over and stand next to Drake and smile for some ridiculous photos that I planned to burn later.
When Drake tried to put his arms around me in the classic ‘prom’ stance, I elbowed him hard in the stomach. He grunted under his breath. Mom and Dad were too busy messing with things in the room to make everything perfect for the camera—shifting the knickknacks on the mantle, moving the pile of magazines on the floor, picking pieces of invisible lint off my dress—to notice the tension between me and the boy who thought himself a freaking King to be worshiped.
I’d prove him wrong. He wasn’t God’s gift to girls. He wasn’t anything except a bully that needed a taste of his own medicine.
***
Story continued in
‘Brat’
King of Castleton High #2
**Official release date is December 26th, 2019. It will likely release earlier that that though!**
Order BRAT now!
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E L L I E
M E A D O W S
Ellie Meadows is the chosen pseudonym of an established-author wanting to jump feet-first into the contemporary romance scene. Her real (and faux) persona can be described as quirky, nerdy, and not afraid to love without reservation. She believes even when love is complicated and hard, it’s also very simple—be honest, open, and don’t lose yourself to the relationship, because the people who really love you will want the authentic you. They won’t want you watered down. They won’t want you to hide behind walls or lie because it’s easier to swallow.
So Ellie believes you should say the tough stuff before it festers, whisper ‘I love you’ in the dark as often as possible, dance in the kitchen while the food on the stove burns, and fight when fighting’s necessary. But always—always—make up fast and furiously.
Lastly, on the subject of love, Ellie wants to say that consent is important at all stages in a relationship. Enthusiastic, happy-hearted, mutual consent. Even if you’ve been married for over a decade—ask, understand, and don’t take advantage. Far too often, we find ourselves using our sex to obtain things, or avoiding sex to make points. We say we’re tired and don’t want to have sex, when really what we want is to forge a deeper connection emotionally, before we continue to love physically.
ALSO BY ELLIE MEADOWS
-THE HEARTBEAT SERIES-
Complete and ready to binge-read!
###
Trigger warning- this story contains material that some readers might find disturbing. Expect references to sexual assault, foul language, and instances of violence.
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Or order the complete series release with bonus story!
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The Beat Between Us
The Beat Around Us
The Beat Completes Us
& Bonus Story featuring Tanner & Laurie Silent Heart
Over 100,000 words of romantic college suspense!
Abused runaway Anna has a plan for a better life. Keep her head down. Study hard. Don’t let anything, or anyone, derail her from making a fresh start. It isn’t just her future at stake anymore.
Then she meets Silas by chance—a tall, dark, and handsome EMT with a painful past—and her walls start breaking down.
They can find a sanctuary together or keep their hearts closed. Safe, yet never whole.
But there are dangers that threaten and memories that burn.
Love is a choice. Life can change in a heartbeat.
Bully: A High School Bully Romance (The King of Castleton High Book 1) Page 13