The Monster (Boston Belles #3) - L.J. Shen Page 0,141
to help her.
“I can’t handle you anymore, but one day you’ll find a man who can. And when you find him, mon cheri, you hold onto him, no matter what, for he will bend to your will, even though he’ll put up a fight.”
I opened my eyes, looked up at my husband of ten minutes, and smiled.
I feared no evil.
But I did fall in love with one.
Four months later.
Cillian dropped his cards on the table in Badland’s card room, glancing at his phone with a frown. “I’m out.”
“You’re out?” Hunter echoed, eyeing his older brother with apparent shock. “You’re never out.”
“I am when my wife’s water breaks.” Cillian tossed his cards onto Hunter’s lap, his shoulder brushing mine as I leaned over the table to grab another card. Cillian stopped to raise his finger toward me in warning.
“Your smug smirk is unwarranted, Brennan. Not only are you next, but knowing my sister, she’ll have four children at the very least. Good luck getting some sleep in the next decade or so.”
He made a quick exit before I could respond that nothing could persuade me a pregnant Aisling was a bad idea. Nix had never been hornier in her entire fucking life. I was on-call three times a day for dick duty, even though she was still working long hours at the hospital most days.
She also turned out to have a sweet tooth, which meant I had to feed her candy and chocolate whenever her heart desired.
At night, I’d slip under the covers next to her and press my hand to her swollen stomach, feeling my son kicking up a storm. He was so alive and happy inside her, I couldn’t wait to meet him.
“As it happens, my revenge for the smirk-fest just walked through the door in the shape of your very pregnant wife. Hello, sis,” I heard Cillian drawl behind my back. I turned around to find Nix standing there just as Cillian bent to kiss her on the cheek, her belly poking out in her scrubs, a tired smile on her face.
“Five games of blackjack, Brennan?” She offered me a hand, drawing curious glances from all the men around us.
I very rarely stayed at Badlands after dark these days, and when I did, it was mostly to keep my brothers-in-law in check.
“What’s the stakes?” I eyed her skeptically. “Make it worth my while, Mrs. Brennan. I already have everything I need.”
She sauntered toward me, a taunting smirk on her face, and bent toward my ear. The whole room held its breath.
“You’ll get to rip off the red satin lingerie I’m wearing right now if you win,” she whispered.
Nix leaned backward, straightening her back.
“And if you win?” I asked nonchalantly.
She wasn’t going to win.
I always won.
“I want us to buy a house. I like our apartment fine, don’t get me wrong, but I want somewhere big and spacious.”
“Somewhere to fit all the kids you are planning on giving him,” Hunter coughed into his fist in the background, drawing laughter.
Aisling offered me her hand again, staring at me under her soot-black eyelashes. “What do you say?”
I took her hand and shook it.
She didn’t have to know I’d already purchased the land right next to her parents’ house and that I was going to build the house of her dreams there.
Just like she didn’t know about that night at the carnival, when I had locked myself in the portable restroom after kissing her because for the first time since I was nine, facing the world was too much.
Lust lingers, love stays.
Lust is impatient, love waits.
Lust burns, love warms.
Lust destroys, but love? Love kills.
S.A.B.
I was wrong. Love didn’t kill me. Love saved me.
Aisling was going to find out about both my surprises soon.
But not yet.
Not until I tore the satin lingerie off of her.
And showed her that everyone could love.
But monsters? We loved a little harder.
The End
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book. I loved telling the story of Sam and Aisling, and the moment I wrote The End was bittersweet, since this series means so much to me.
I couldn’t have done this without my amazing team of editors: Tamara Mataya, Paige Maroney Smith, and Angela Marshall Smith. Special thanks to Tijuana Turner, Vanessa Villegas, Lana Kart, Chelsea Humphrey and Amy Halter for reading this book beforehand.
Kimberly Brower, Jenn Watson, Catherine Anderson—thank you so much for all you do.
Stacey Ryan Blake and Letitia Hasser—your work is beyond amazing, I am so grateful to have you.