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Chapter 39: Our Daughter
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7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 40: Dawn
SchuylerCalvin’s fear shocks me.“You’ve done this before; I haven’t,” I remind him. “Wash your hands.”When he sits again, I lean forward in the chair, passing the baby to him; she looks tiny in his powerful arms. Instantly, he softens, cooing to her.I point to the card taped to her clear bassinet. I realize Calvin hasn’t looked in the direction I’m pointing, so I read, “Baby Girl Calhoun weighs eight pounds, six ounces, and is 22 inches long.” “She’s perfect,” he whispers. He’s gazing at her tiny face like he’s seen nothing more adorable in his life.“Yep! Ten fingers, ten toes, and healthy,” I concur. “She’s perfect. Can you believe she’s ours?”Calvin smiles at me. “Congratulations, Mommy.”“I’ll never tire of hearing that,” I confess, moving to sit beside him on the bed. I slide her little pink cap off, running my fingertips over her dark, peach-fuzz hair. “I can’t keep my hands off of her.”“There’s nothing wrong with that,” my mom’s voice softly states as she enters the room
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 41: Lyndon
SchuylerCalvin lifts our baby from her bassinet and walks over to Dawn as she looks down at the other sleeping baby. “I’m Calvin, Schuyler’s husband, and this is our new baby girl.”“Oh my gosh.” My hand flies to my mouth. “How rude of me! I should have introduced the two of you.”Dawn extends her hand to Calvin. “I’m Dawn, Theo’s friend and golf partner for many years.” She turns to peer once more at the infant. “And this is my niece.” Her voice shakes as she speaks.My mind quickly puts it all together. If this is her niece, then the baby must be her sister’s daughter. Something must have happened to her sister in the horrible accident. My heart breaks for her. I wrap my arm around Dawn’s back as she continues to gaze at the baby. I don’t speak as I’m not sure what to say; I’m not caught up on her entire situation.Pulling away, I snap a picture of Calvin holding our baby and quickly text it to Dallas. She’s already texted me twice to remind me to send photos.“Have you shared a pho
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 42: Welcome to the Family
Schuyler Calvin drops me off at the door so I can run by Dani’s room, then meet him in the maternity ward. I enter the hospital with a bit more pep in my step this morning. Tyler’s no longer a patient; he’s doing great. And we get to bring Lyndon home today.I freeze at the door to Dani’s hospital room; she’s not here. When I inquire at the nurses’ station, I’m told she checked out against medical advice last night.She left without a word, no goodbye.How could she do that to Calvin, Tyler and Lyndon?Is it possible for her to not feel anything for her own flesh and blood?She has no idea how lucky she is.Shit! She left before signing over all parental rights for Lyndon.My stomach convulses, and my head pounds.Maybe Calvin will know what to do.Over in our room, Tyler proudly carries the baby carrier, placing it on the bed. Calvin cracks his knuckles as if preparing for a battle.“Let’s do this,” he says.My boys seem nothing but excited while I’m scared to death.“Dani signed out
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 43: Brink
SchuylerAfter the meal, Levi declares, “It’s time for the presents!”“Is it customary to give gifts at a welcome home party?” I inquire.“It’s also a welcome to the family party,” Clint reminds me. “We have to have presents for our little guy, Tyler.”Tyler claps, a giant smile on his face.“This is from Uncle Levi,” Calvin reads before handing the box to his son.Tyler digs in, rapidly removing the blue wrapping paper with large, yellow bulldozers on it. “It’s a football!”Instinctively, I look toward Lyndon, worried the noise might startle her. She’s too busy drinking from the bottle Uncle Clint holds for her to notice any of the ruckus.“Your uncles love to play catch and flag football,” Mom brags.“This way, we don’t have to bring one. You’ll always have one here for us to play with you,” Levi says.“I love it. Thank you, Uncle Levi,” Tyler says before hugging him around the neck.He returns to his spot on the floor; Calvin hands him a gift from Uncle Dan.“I’ve always wanted one
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 44: Christen the Club
SchuylerGarret moves, allowing us to walk past him into a long, dark hallway, illuminated only by rope lighting at the bottom of each wall. Midway, a spotlight brightens the black wall with the word “Fringe” in deep red paint. Calvin points to the opposite wall where a plaque declares this the selfie station. It invites patrons to take selfies for social media and use the tags #Fringe, #FringeDesMoines, and #FringeSpeakeasy. In large, bold, red font, the plaque instructs guests to shut off their cell phones as Fringe is a phone free club. It further explains that any patrons caught using a phone may not return or use the Fringe app for 12 months.“The guests will receive the new password by noon each day to use that night. As our popularity grows, we’ll only send the password out to 250 people per day to ensure we don’t exceed our 300 person capacity,” Calvin explains as we make our way to the end of the hall. “The bouncers at each door will keep track of the number of people entering
7 Deadly Sins series Chaper 45: Your Best Friend And My Best Friend
CalvinMinutes later, back in our bed, Schuyler reminds me, “Mom will be here at eight in the morning, Clint plans to stop by to help her when football practice is over at ten, and Dawn may drop in, so the kids are taken care of.” She rummages through the top drawer of her bedside table. “I’ll be able to help you get everything ready until three or so. Then, I’ll come home to change and get the kids ready to watch their daddy impress guests with his new venture.” She places her hair in a high messy bun, turns off her lamp, then rolls to me. “Now, you will sleep,” she commands. “We have a big day tomorrow.”Calvin I’m surprised; I sleep until my alarm rings at 6:30 the next morning. Sky’s joining me in the pool last night did the trick. She wore me out and distracted me enough that I slept soundly. I place my feet on the wooden floor. When Schuyler’s hand presses to my back, looking over my shoulder, I’m greeted by her beautiful, light-brown eyes and sweet smile.“Good morning,” she mu
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 1: I Hate Las Vegas Montana
Book 2: Unraveled, 7 Deadly Sins: Gluttony Montana I hate Las Vegas, and I hate girls’ trips. How stupid must I be?“Let’s fly to Vegas for two days. It’ll be fun! Just us girls shopping, eating, gambling, and dancing.” I spoke those words. How innocent I thought their meaning to be.Our other girls’ trips were fun. We let loose, we partied, and we returned to Iowa prepared to resume our daily lives.Not this time. Not this trip. There’s no returning to our normal, daily lives after last night. My life is forever changed.A chance meeting led to two nights of dinners and clubs with a famous rock band. Most would say we were very lucky to spend our time with them. I can say I enjoyed every minute until the sun rose this morning.Married. I had to ruin it by drinking too much, marrying a member of the band, spending the night with him in my bed, and not rememberin
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 2: Let the Games Begin
Montana The sounds of video-slot machines fill the air as I follow Peyton onto the casino floor. Bright lights flicker as far as the eye can see. Butterflies flutter their wings in my belly as my excitement increases. Although I know the general idea of how to play the slot machines, I’m not sure of the strategy or if there is one. I’m eager to learn.“Walk slower,” I beg Peyton.I want to take my time and observe people playing the games. Every few steps, I pause and watch as a person approaches a chair, places cash into a machine, then plays. I guess it’s that simple.“Ready to play?” Peyton plops into a high-back black leather seat, patting the machine next to her.I take my seat, pull a twenty-dollar bill from my clutch handbag, then slide the money into the slot. The machine registers my money and bright lights flicker into action. I feel giddy. All the stories of people winning on these machines flash through my mind. It
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