Abby I breathe a sigh of relief as Karl and I step into the foyer of the mansion, the familiar scent of home enveloping me. My heels clatter loudly against the wooden floors and I kick them off eagerly, the tension almost immediately draining from my shoulders as I do so. Karl gives me a knowi
Abby I wake slowly in the morning to find warm sunlight spilling across my face. For a moment I keep my eyes closed, clinging to the last little bit of sleep that I can. But then, awareness creeps in. I realize that I’m not alone in the massive bed. I peel my eyes open to find Karl already awa
“Our baby,” I whisper. He smiles. “Yes. Our baby.” We lay curled together in comfortable silence for a while longer, simply enjoying each other’s presence and warmth beneath the sheets. The winter morning sun climbs higher outside the windows, bright and clear and deceptively warm. Eventually
Abby I fall back against the throne of pillows, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. Karl is laying in a sweaty heap beside me as he plants rows of kisses across my shoulder. He’s got one muscular arm draped possessively over my waist, his legs all caught up with mine. I tangle my finge
My eyebrows raise of their own accord. “You do?” “The public is growing impatient, to say the least,” she says, sounding tired. “Ever since the footage leaked the other evening, you’ve amassed quite the following of supporters. Many of whom like to spend their time protesting outside the police he
Karl I stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows of my home office, watching fat snowflakes drift lazily to the ground outside. It’s been snowing on and off these past few days, but it’s not unwelcome. In the wake of my decision with Abby to give our relationship another chance, we’ve hardly left t
“Very well,” he finally says. “If it doesn’t succeed within the six months, I’ll step down and relinquish control to you. But if I’m not happy with your governance within twelve months after that, I’ll want to hold another election. A real one, this time.” “Fair enough,” I say, nodding once again.
Abby The snow crunches under my boots as we make our way up the back steps of the police headquarters. Despite Karl’s solid presence at my back, I can’t help but feel a shiver run down my spine. My hands tremble ever so slightly in their gloves—whether it’s simply from cold or my jittery nerves, I