OUR SECRET
__________
Golden Crew, Book 1
A College Bully Romance
__________
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Belladona Cunning
COPYRIGHT © 2020 by Belladona Cunning
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written consent from the author, except for quotations in a book review.
All places, people, and instances are merely coincidental and are in no way a direct reflection of persons living or deceased.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OUR SECRET
COPYRIGHT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
SYNOPSIS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
EPILOGUE
ALSO BY BELLADONA CUNNING
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
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DEDICATION
To my two little hellions—love yourselves for who you are, not what you can give to the world.
My husband—who puts up with my absolute craziness when I’m staring down the devil (deadlines), you are an absolute CHAMP. The kids and I would be lost without you.
Mitzi and Marisa, my ‘dream duo’—you all are absolutely AMAZING! Honestly, I would probably be braindead if I had to edit this big bertha.
My Alphas—Bibi and Laura … Lawd, girls, you all are damn great. You both don’t give a shit and lay it on me if something doesn’t stick right. You both helped carve Hunter and Harloe out of marble and you didn’t even know it. Much love!
My Street Queens. Honestly, you all are awesome. You all keep doing the damn thing.
Last, but certainly not least, the bully babes/gents that read my books. I couldn’t have made it where I am now without you all. And while this book isn’t as dark as I tend to go on some, I hope you all will love it, nonetheless. Thank you so much for giving a newbie like me a chance to spread her wings and fly.
SYNOPSIS
He may be the town's Golden Boy, but he's my worst nightmare.
Hunter Prince tossed me away like discarded trash.
His cruelty, among other things, forced me to leave town and never look back.
Until now.
Now I’m here with only one objective in mind—to better my future.
This is my only shot, so I can't screw it up.
However, that may be out of my hands it seems.
After nearly three years of silence, I come face-to-face with the enemy.
I wasn't prepared to see him, just like I'm not prepared for the ultimatum that falls from his sinful lips, either.
He’s bigger, meaner, and still stuck on hating me.
If he finds out my little secret, he'll have a valid reason to.
Because my secret is really our secret, and it has ten fingers, ten toes, and a mouth just like his daddy.
Oh, yeah, freshman year just got a bit more interesting.
In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.
- Maya Angelou
CHAPTER 1
This is it.
My future starts today. Now. By the time the clock strikes three p.m., I will officially be a Golden Oaks Eagle!
A smile breaks out across my face when I see the old, weathered sign on the side of the road, welcoming newcomers to the glorious Golden Oaks community. Glad to see nothing has changed, I say to myself. A buzz of awareness skates up my spine as I dance a little jig in my seat from excitement.
Before long, I’ll be able to take care of us without the added efforts of my dad and older brother. No one will be able to look at me like I’m a disappointment. Disgust will no longer shadow their gaze, even when I mess up. Instead, they’ll be impressed that I’m going at it alone. That it’ll be me taking care of Maverick and me all on my own.
I can’t wait!
Passing the sign, the whiz of my tires rolling over the pavement is the only thing I hear. No music, no talking—just pure, blissful silence. Doing this allows me to take a moment and catch up with my thoughts, so I don’t feel quite as overwhelmed that I’ll be leaving for four months.
“Stupid school,” I grunt, looking back in my rearview mirror at the old sign that looks like it’s about to fall over at any moment.
The only thing I don’t care for at Golden Oaks is the fact I have to attend my first semester before any kind of help kicks in through my financial aid and student loans. Sucks, but it is what it is. I’m hoping the days go by faster so we can see each other soon. I miss him already.
As I crest to the top of the hill surrounding the town, my heart jumps into my throat. Not from nervousness, but excitement. This is the first time in three years that I’m doing something somewhat selfishly.
Going to school and leaving him behind sucks. These years are impressionable to my little two-year-old. I’m just tremendously glad that Maverick understands what Mommy is doing. He’s very smart for his age. Beautiful, kind, warm—my son never meets a stranger, which could inherently be a terrible thing in the near future. But right now, it’s perfect.
Turning on my signal, I take a right on Pineview Road and drive to the very end. Tall, wispy weeping willow trees line the road like a shield. Even though it’s halfway through August, they’re still as wispy as willows can be. Full of draping branches and thin, silky leaves with plenty of coverage to hide what’s happening behind them.
They’re beautiful, and one of the things I missed when I had to move away sophomore year in high school. Hell, I missed this whole town and everyone in it.
Well, almost everyone, that is.
Shaking my head, I push that asshole as far from my mind as I can. Even though it’s been three years, I still have a hard time shaking his presence from my mind. He’s like a ghost that won’t go away, haunting me everywhere I go. With his mismatched eyes and strong, chiseled jawline, I can’t forget him, no matter how hard I try.
A sigh slips from between my lips as I feel the excitement start to dwindle. Everything that boy touches turns to shit—especially me. Nothing lasts for me anymore—particularly happiness. No matter how hard I try to forget, something happens, and I’m thrust right back in the fray, remembering everything he’s ever done to me.
And all the things he never did.
Pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, I will thoughts of him away. He’s no longer here, so
he won’t cause any problems for me. He’s not even on my radar. I’m better than him and his petty games.
I’m better than the whole Golden Crew. F them.
I release my lip and resituate myself just as I get to the middle of town, less than a few miles away from the school. Buildings and businesses draw my attention like a moth to a flame. They’re bright, charismatic, and all of the small, quaint shops are on point with their front window displays.
Laughter bubbles up my throat when I see the Samson family with their vegetable display in the grocery store window. How they got that cucumber to look like that, I’ll never know.
As I drive past, the front door of the shop opens, and my eyes catch on none other than Mr. Samson himself. I wave, because you can in a small town like this where the speed limit is about fifteen miles an hour. Without delay, he tosses his hand up in return. But that doesn’t last long when he gets a good look at me. A frown mars his features as he drops his hand.
My eyebrows slant in confusion as I watch his throat bob, and then he turns his face away from mine before hustling back into the shop. Well, that was weird, I think to myself.
Pushing his reaction away, I come to the only stoplight we have in town and catch the red light. This gives me about five minutes to look around, assuming the town hasn’t changed its timer—and I’d bet my car that they haven’t.
Just as a lady crosses the street in front of me, tugging on her little toddler’s hand, my phone buzzes in the cupholder. Smiling softly, I watch as they continue to cross the street. The little girl gives me a giant smile and a wave, even as I multitask and answer my phone.
“Hello?”
“Mommy!” my two-year-old’s cheerful voice fills the line, instantly making my lips spread into a big smile.
“Baby boy,” I coo, already missing his lovely little face.
Some scratching flows through the line before his faraway voice says, dangit. I chuckle at his antics. God, that little boy keeps me so young.
“So, Poppy says—” He pauses for a moment, and I know what my little tyke is trying to do. He’s trying to reword what my dad said, so as not to offend me.
I encourage him to speak the truth, whether good or bad, always. “What did Poppy say, sweetheart?”
“He says you get a big head,” he finishes, making me laugh harder.
“Did he now?”
“Uh-huh.” I can just imagine him nodding his head.
For his age, Maverick is extremely smart. I’m not just tooting the mommy horn here, either. My child, bless his soul, is as smart as any five-year-old I’ve seen. When he doesn’t think too much, he’s as sharp as a tack and as tough as a whip. Nothing flusters him. While he may be kind, warm, and loveable—he’s also stubborn, strong, and completely too smart for his own age. I blame his dad for that one.
Gritting my teeth, I soften my words, “Missing me yet?”
The light turns green, and before long, I’m zipping through the streets that lead to Golden Oaks University. Our conversation takes on a life of its own, and I absolutely love it. Being Maverick’s mom is no hardship.
He’s my little buddy, and I’m his only friend. Well, besides his Poppy and uncle D, that is. Besides those two, I’m the sun that shines in his life, and he’s the reason I exist. One of us cannot survive without the other.
That little boy has me wrapped around his little finger, even though he’s the spitting image of his dad, minus the color of his eyes. Where the dipshit’s is an ice blue and brown, Maverick has an ice blue eye—almost white, it’s so pale—and emerald green with darker green flecks throughout.
Everything about him screams Prince, which I was hoping to avoid. But alas, my son didn’t get anything from me except the color of one of his eyes. Everything else? A spitting image of a Prince when they were his age. His small chestnut-brown gentlemen’s haircut is the same way his dad used to wear his hair. Even the way Maverick wears his jeans and shoes is the same way—the tongue of his shoe always has to be on the outside of his jeans.
A pang hits my chest, remembering that lousy bastard. No matter how much he hurt me, I can’t stop myself from loving him. And I hate myself for it. I loathe the idea that he still has some sway over my heart. Regardless if my mind knows it’s wrong to feel like this for someone who hurt me so badly, my body just never got the memo.
Tears burn at the back of my throat when I remember the last time I saw him—any of them. Quickly, before I get sucked in, I shut my eyes tightly and shake my head to rid my mind of the images.
Fisting the steering wheel harder, I swallow the lump catching in my throat, saying, “Baby boy, let me talk to Poppy, okay?”
“Sure!” he chirps. “Love you, Mommy!”
A traitorous tear breaks free, sliding down my cheek. I hurriedly wipe it way. “Love you, too. Very much.”
I catch my breath as the line scratches and fusses in my ear before my dad’s voice comes across the line. “I told him not to call, sweet pea. I knew it was hard enough on you.”
I bite my lip to keep from crying. “It’s okay, Dad. Just really hard, y’know. And stop telling him I’m going to get a big head! He’s going to think my head will actually grow.”
My dad chuckles a throaty, belly jiggling laugh. “I know. It’s perfect.” Then he goes quiet for a moment before saying, “Everything will be okay, though. In four months, Mav will be where he belongs. Don’t you worry, okay? We got him.”
Fuck. I don’t know where I’d be without my dad and brother. Oh, and Gammy while I was in high school. They’ve all been my rock since I found out I was pregnant my sophomore year. You’d think they would turn their backs on me, considering how conventional a town like Golden Oaks was—probably still is. But they didn’t.
Two days after I broke the news, we all packed up and moved three towns away, over two hours’ drive, and never looked back. Dad kept his job, of course, and made the daily commute back and forth. Every time we’d ask if he was okay doing that, he’d always reply, “Anything for family,” and then smile, grab a beer, kiss my mom on the cheek, ruffle Duncan’s and my hair, and go sit in his recliner. None of us stepped back in Golden Oaks.
Until now.
Even with knowing he’s across the country, I get a funny feeling stepping back into this town is like stepping over an imaginary line drawn in the sand.
This is his town, his people. I left. I have no claim to it anymore.
But this is my only shot. Golden Oaks is the only university within five hundred miles that would accept a single mom in need of campus daycare. There’s no way I could pass that up, even if his family still lives up on Doctor Hill. My baby and his future mean more to me than accidentally running into one of them.
Well, I can always hide if it comes to it.
So, that’s what actually brings me back to this town. Kind of pathetic, actually. I had to practically beg this place to allow me admittance with a child. Usually, they don’t permit freshmen to have their children on campus at the daycare. But, with a lot of begging and pleading, they decided to give me a shot.
Except, I have to wait four months before Maverick can come to be with me. In our world, four months is a long ass time. Since the day my son was born, I’ve yet to be away from him for more than a couple hours.
When I say he’s my world, I mean it wholeheartedly.
There have been no men.
No partying.
No friends.
I get up, take care of my son, go to work, then come back home to my son—day in, day out. The routine never changed. But I knew after finishing my GED that my son deserved more than his mom flipping burgers for a living. I knew he deserved better.
While his dad could provide that, I wasn’t about to get in contact. Not after the way he left things. How he completely shattered me and made me out to be a fool.
I swallow hard. “Keep my baby safe, Dad. Please.”
“You don’t even have to ask,” he instantly replies, giving me his
love before ending the call.
Pulling up to a stop in front of the admissions building, I huff a sigh and put my car in park while dropping my phone into the cup holder once more. Shutting my car off, I sit there for a moment, trying to gather my wits. It’d been a long drive, and it was about to be even longer.
Considering this town isn’t known for being punctual, of course, the university wasn’t either. I’ve yet to receive my key for the two-bedroom apartment I’ll be occupying on campus for the next four years.
Shifting slightly, I grab my purse from the floorboard and start going through it to find the letter of admission. The lady I talked to on the phone said I could come a bit early to get settled in, I just needed to bring my admittance letter with me so they could get me set up in my new place. Digging around, I easily find the letter and my ID and social security card before returning my purse to the floorboard.
Taking my keys out of the ignition, I open the door and prepare to get out. As I’m about to close the door, my phone gives a buzz, alerting me to the fact I almost left it behind in my haste to get this battle over with.
I can’t do that. If Maverick calls me, I want to be able to answer every single time. We may be separated, but I want him to know that I’m always there for him. Going from seeing each other every day to a few calls and some video chats will be tough. But we can do it. We’re both strong, determined, and he knows Mommy is doing this all for him.
Leaning in, I grab my phone, then shift away and lock my door. Slamming it, I look down at my phone and expect to see a text from my dad saying Maverick wants to speak to me again.
But it’s not. It’s an email.
from: Catherine Stanton
to: Harloe Rose
date: August 12, 2015, 1:36 PM
subject: Freshman Orientation
Ms. Rose,
We are pleased you decided to join us for the 2015-2016 school year! We also would like to extend a welcoming hand and remind you that our door is always open should you need anything.
Our Secret: A College Bully Romance (Golden Crew Book 1) Page 1