“What do you want me to do?” Nathanial asked. “I’m sort of stuck.” With both of the girls asleep on him, he wasn’t able to move at the moment.
“Could you just keep holding them for a little while longer?” Juniper practically pleaded. “This is the first time they’ve both been fed, with clean diapers, and asleep at the same time. Which seems like a mini miracle to me. I’m just going to close my eyes for a minute.”
“Sure. I can keep holding them,” Nathanial said.
“Okay good.”
Juniper shut her eyes immediately.
She was exhausted, obviously. Hell, I was exhausted and I hadn’t had my stomach cut open and two little babies pulled out of it today. Plus, the last couple weeks had been hard on her. Being pregnant, let alone with twins, wasn’t easy. I plopped down in the sofa chair beside her hospital bed. It was the first time I’d sat in hours. Half asleep, Juniper reached her arm out, waiting me to take hand. Happy to oblige, I took her hand in mine. Then I let my own head fall back against the chair I sat in. Maybe I’d close my eyes for a couple minutes too.
I knew the next few months ahead of us were going to be a challenge. But I didn’t care. Nine months ago I had nothing; now I had a family. This right here—meant everything to me.
THE END.
Keep reading for a preview of the Ultimate Game Changer by Kira Adams.
Dear Readers!
Thank you so much for reading ADRIFT and my KILL DEVIL HILLS Series! I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, thank you for supporting an Indie Author like myself. I couldn’t do it without all the great fans/readers out there. I’m grateful for each and every person who has helped me along the way by purchasing one of my books. It has been three years since I released Kill Devil Hills. So for three years I’ve been living in this Kill Devil Hills world I built. I’m sad that it is all ending, but I’m also excited to get started on the next novel I have planned.
Look for it later this year…
Here’s the BLURB:
CRAZY NOTION by Sarah Darlington
Mickey Lawson
Yeah, I hate that guy.
Really, he's only a faint memory now, but at one point in time he meant everything to me. My protector. My savior. My best friend.
I was ten.
Then he left.
Now he's back.
Fifteen years too late—asking me to move and come home with him.
I think he’s insane.
**CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE**
Recommended for 18+
Standalone.
Warning: the heroine in this novel is a prostitute. So…you’ve been warned.
Add on Goodreads: bit.ly/CrazyNotionGoodreads
About the Author:
Sarah Darlington, a New Adult Romance Author best known for her Kill Devil Hills series, lives in the DC metro area with her husband and two children. As a former flight attendant, she misses the days of pantyhose, galley gossip with good friends, and traveling to new places. In the future she'd like to return to that career, but, just as flying gets into your bones, so does writing. Whenever she gets a free moment these days, she writes.
Find Sarah Darlington Online:
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP!!
Website
Bookbub
More books by Sarah Darlington:
Standalones:
He Belongs With Me
Leo Maddox (The alternative version to He Belongs with Me)
The Kill Devil Hills Series:
Kill Devil Hills (Noah and Georgina, Book 1)
Changing Tides (Ellie and Nathanial, Book 2)
Pulled Under (Rhett and Sydney, Book 3)
Adrift (Ben and Juniper, Book 4)
Ultimate Game Changer
By: Kira Adams
Copyright © 2017 Krista Pakseresht. All rights reserved.
http://kristakakes.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/KiraAdamsAuthor
http://www.wattpad.com/user/xKiraAdamsx
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7179367.Kira_Adams
http://www.amazon.com/Kira-Adams/e/B00KQZ5838
Editing by Silvia Curry
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.
Chapter One:
Emerson
“Holy shit!” my brother Cade exclaims; his hand reflexively flies up to cover his mouth.
“What?” I ask, shifting my attention from the screen of my phone to him. His eyes dart back and forth between the screen of his phone and me.
“The Deafening Silence is going on tour with Glass Houses, Tanks, and A Night to Remember on the Collateral Tour.”
“Oh my God!” I jump off the couch and tackle him. For as long as I can remember, music has been Cade’s life. At least ever since that night when we were twelve. I don’t like to talk about that night, they aren’t good memories for either of us.
I begin tearing up, and Cade pulls back like I’m poison oak. “Are you crying?” His hands immediately begin roaming my face protectively.
I swat his hands away and rub the tears from my eyes. “It’s nothing.”
“Bullshit!” he bellows. “Did somebody hurt you?”
“Cade,” I say, hoping he’ll drop it.
“No,” he pushes back. “I want to know why on one of the best days of my fucking life, you’re upset?”
“God, you’re such a fucking asshole, you know that?” I shake my head, not even surprised. I spin on my heel and head back to the couch, plopping back into the cushions.
“What?” he asks, clueless.
“What?” I hear Braxton’s deep voice behind me and then suddenly I’m being suffocated with a pillow.
“Braxton!” I cry out, fighting the soft pillow in front of my face.
He is laughing heartily as he drops the pillow, plops down beside me, and ruffles my hair like I’m some kid.
“We got the tour, man!” Cade exclaims excitedly.
Braxton exchanges a glance with both of us before he breaks out into a smile. He throws his arm around my neck and puts me into a headlock. Grade-A Braxton. He’s got the looks of a sex god—over six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and rock hard abs. He’s been my brother’s best friend and sidekick since the end of freshmen year. Unfortunately for me, that means I’m his number one target. It’s like he thrives on making me suffer.
“Well shit, I need to pack!” Cade hurriedly leaves the room, heading for his own.
“You can let go now, Brax,” I say, still stuck underneath his armpit. Maybe some girls like this. I’m not one of them.
Braxton chuckles and then releases me. “Come on; we need to get packing.” He hops up and then extends his hand out to me. What a freaking gentleman.
“I think you mean you need to go pack. I need to meet Breigh for sangria.” I start to make my way past him when Braxton grabs my arm, stopping me.
“What are you talking about? You’re coming on tour with us, right?” His eyes are a little manic, and suddenly his grip around my arm becomes uncomfortable. I pull my arm away, immediately protecting it with the other.
“What’s your deal, Brax? I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” He’s acting so strange, and I don’t know why. I’ve been looking forward to some alone time; now that we’re older, Mischa is never home.
“Cade!” Braxton shouts.
“Oh my God, Braxton, really?” I pout. I have no idea what his deal is, but it is pissing me off.
“What?” Cade answers from upstairs.
“Yo, come here for a sec,” Braxton orders him. He’s down the stairs not a minute later.
“What’s up?” he asks Braxton, his eyes dar
ting between the both of us.
“Tell me you are not letting Em stay home while we go on this tour of a lifetime. Tell me she is coming with us.”
I sigh. Yeah, the tour would be fun. A lot of fun. But for once I’d like to break out on my own and not follow in my twin’s footsteps. For once I would like to find something that separates me from him. For him, it’s his music. I still haven’t found my thing, so I’m stuck in his shadow. I love Cade and everything; I just want to be my own person, not only Cade’s twin.
Cade chuckles. “What are you talking about? Of course, she is coming with us. Go pack, Em,” he says.
When I don’t move, he cocks his head to the side. “Em? What’s going on?”
“This tour is incredible, and I am so happy for you guys, but I was hoping to be able to spend some alone time while you were away. I was going to try to build up my photography portfolio and maybe take a couple of classes on Photoshop.”
Cade shakes his head. “Funny enough, we need a tour photographer, and you’d be perfect for the job! Just think, you could cushion your portfolio, get the experience you need, and have fun with us! It’s a win-win. Take the Photoshop classes online, or have Braxton teach you; you know he went to school for it.”
I don’t know if it’s because he is eight minutes older than me, or if it’s because our parents died and he feels responsible for me, but he always has the final say. I nod, defeated. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Come on, Em! It’s going to be the time of our life. I don’t want you to miss out on this.” He comes over to me and throws his arm around my neck. “This is the last time I’ll drag you on tour, Scout’s Honor.”
Part of the reason I wanted alone time was so maybe I could try to meet someone. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it is to meet someone when you have an intimidating, overprotective brother and all of his friends who act like their blood relations all cock-blocking you. I can’t remember the last time I was out with someone, and it didn’t end in complete disaster.
Online dating here I come.
***
“Seriously though, what am I going to do without you?” Breigh asks, her face falling.
“You’re going to be fine.” I dismiss her comment. “Three months is going to fly by.”
“Is Cade excited?” she asks. We’ve been best friends since she sat down next to me in Creative Writing back in our sophomore year of high school. She’s been crushing on Cade since before then.
It’s hard because Cade doesn’t want to be tied down right now, and the last thing I want is to lead my friend to the slaughter. I don’t want her to get hurt.
I take a sip of my sangria and bite into an artichoke toast. We’re at our favorite Happy Hour spot, Dante’s. Pitchers of sangria half off? Yes, please.
Breigh sighs dramatically. “I bet he’s jumping off the walls,” she murmurs before taking a long swig of her sangria.
“This is what he’s wanted for as long as I can remember… so yeah, he’s stoked.”
“How are you feeling about being out on the road with Braxton and Cade?” she asks, raising her eyebrows; always trying to get the gossip.
I shrug. “It can’t be much different than it is now.”
“The hell it can’t! You and Braxton stuck in a small van or hotel room... you are going to have to watch your back twenty-four seven. Sleep with one eye open!” Breigh slams her hand down onto our table, and our neighboring tables begin eyeing us.
“Okay, Paranoid, what’s the worst that could happen to me? Say they pour water on me while I’m sleeping? It would suck, but I’d get over it. Or maybe they tie my shoelaces together, and I trip and fall on my face; it would hurt, but I’d live. Honestly, I’ve been putting up with Cade’s crazy antics my entire life, what’s another three months?”
Breigh shakes her head and then takes another sip off her drink. “I’m not worried about Cade. I’m worried about Braxton; you know that boy has no boundaries.”
I roll my eyes. “So, what does your schedule look like for the next three months?”
Her eyes widen and for a moment, I feel bad misleading her. “I’m not talking about the entire tour, but I think it’d be cool if you came out for a weekend. Plus, you think I’m in danger, so come be my backup!”
Breigh laughs and then takes a bite of her salad. “Okay. Yay, oh my gosh, I am so excited! Should we tell Cade?”
“No, let’s just surprise him when the time comes,” I suggest casually. Breigh and Cade have spent a lot of time with each other over the years, as one would imagine, but Cade is such a free spirit, his eyes never stop wandering. I don’t want my friend to be let down. I’ve been very clear with Cade that he is not to ever engage in any sexual relationship with Breigh. Some might call that overbearing; I call that being a friend.
We finish our dinner and say our goodbyes before I head back to the house. On the one hand, I’m angry with Braxton and Cade for taking my choice away. On another, I love hanging out with my brother and his friends, and this opportunity may lead to more within a field I am passionate about.
When I finally make it back to the house and let myself in, all the lights are off. It’s not too late; I know the guys are probably just upstairs. Either that or Braxton finally left. I’m crossing through the living room when I get the eerie feeling that I’m being watched. I spin around, and there is a shadow in the darkness, sitting in the corner of the room. I squint my eyes trying to get a better look before I find a light switch and solve the mystery. “Braxton?” I cry out when I realize it’s him. “What are you still doing here? Why are you sitting in the dark?”
“I was waiting for you,” he replies simply.
“Ew you creep, did it never occur to you just to call me or text me and ask when I would be home?” Braxton always acts strange, but today he’s on another level.
He shrugs. “Set your alarm for five.”
“Five!” I cry out. “You’re out of your mind.”
“Em,” he says, batting his long lashes at me. His entire family has them. What I wouldn’t give for luxurious lashes like theirs. “We need to get a head start.”
“On what?”
“On your training. If you’re going to be the band’s tour photographer, you kind of need to know what you’re doing. Now do you want my help or not?”
I’m backed into a corner. I’m going on the tour whether I like it or not, so I might as well suck it up, and utilize the time I have as best I can. “Ugh, fine.” I throw my hands in the air in surrender.
“Good, I’ll see you then,” he says as he brushes past me and out the front door. “Sweet dreams.”
If this is what it takes, then I’m willing to put on my big girl panties and just do it. On the other hand, dealing with Braxton for any longer than usual may be torture…
Adrift (Kill Devil Hills Book 4) Page 19