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Chapter 42: Welcome to the Family
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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
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7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 3: A New Friend
Montana The next morning I find myself in a dressing room at a shop near Planet Hollywood as Peyton tosses dress after dress over the door to me. She’s on a mission to find me the perfect little black dress. She claims I need a new LBD—little black dress—for clubbing tonight. I assure her I packed appropriate attire, but she won’t have it.“I refuse to try this one on,” I tell her through the door, tossing the dress back at her. “You know I won’t wear a strapless dress.” Peyton is aware women constantly tugging up a strapless dress ranks high on my list of pet peeves.I tilt my head as I look in the full-length mirror, turning this way and that, admiring the simple black halter dress with a flowing skirt that ends mid-thigh. It hugs my body perfectly.“I kind of like this halter one,” I tell her as I slip it off over my head and then put on my own clothes. “I refuse to try on another dress,” I state, emerging from the fitting roo
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 4: Locked Out... With A Handsome Man
Montana Excitement from my win is still pulsing in my veins. I press the elevator button, noting the numbers above each door are increasing instead of going down. Normally, I’d pull out my phone to check for emails and look at social media while I wait. I’m surprised I didn’t notice it missing earlier.Eventually, a ping signals the arrival of an elevator. I enter, pressing floor twelve, hoping the doors close before others join me. I want to avoid the awkwardness that occurs when trapped with someone else. I almost always feel like I should strike up conversation to end the silence. I breathe a sigh of relief when the doors close, and I’m alone.I round the corner from the elevators, heading down my hallway, hearing loud voices coming from an open office. One woman sits behind a large, metal desk as staff in housekeeping uniforms chatter with timecards in their hands. I smile as I continue walking by.Outside our room, I scan my
7 Deadly Sins series Chapter 5: The Rock Star
Montana He smiles at me. I try not to stare. Even under his baseball cap, I can tell he’s a handsome man.“We’re blowing off some steam before we get back to work. How about you?” he says casually.“I’m here with my best friend. We’re celebrating the end of our sophomore year of college,” I share.As we chat, I continue to try to check him out without letting him know I’m doing so. Why would such a cute guy sit on the hallway floor with me, considering all that Las Vegas offers? His dark blue jeans are worn white and thin at the middle of his muscular thighs and each knee. My eyes want to stare at his biceps as they bulge beneath his black t-shirt. They flex as he constantly adjusts his ball cap. There’s something about him… Maybe it’s his deep-set, brown eyes or the dark scruff on his jaw. Why does he look so familiar?“What type of work do you do?” I ask, attempting to keep our conversation flow
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