AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Promise me you’ll stay away from him, baby.”
I nodded.
“I need to hear you say the words. Promise me, Sophie.”
“I promise.”
This was the first time I’d ever lied to my mom, and when I got out of the shower the next morning, I knew it wouldn’t be the last.
The Great Gatsby I was reading in his library last night was sitting on my bed.
And I knew with everything in my heart…
Jax had left it there for me.
Chapter Five
—Sophie—
Now
I was exhausted.
Benjamin was only six, and he was already proving to be a rebel without a cause. Every week it seemed like it was something different with him, getting in trouble for one reason or another.
I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was going on with him, but getting into mischief seemed to be his current pattern. Taking away his video games and grounding him wasn’t working, and I was at a loss with how to fix what was bothering him.
My son was a typical boy and hated talking about his feelings. He was as stubborn as he was loving, and he had me wrapped around his little finger. I ran seven miles on the treadmill, hoping to run off the stress and worry I felt about Ben to no avail.
After I finished my workout at the gym in our condominium, I made my way back up to our place. We were vacationing in Seattle for a few weeks, and I owned the penthouse suite of the tallest building in downtown Seattle. The whole top floor belonged to us.
Unlocking the door to our home, I walked inside and quickly made myself a smoothie. I was unable to shake the intuition that something else was happening with him. Once I was done with my shake, I set the dirty glass in the sink and inhaled what felt like my hundredth deep breath of the morning.
While walking toward my bedroom, I looked out the floor-to-ceiling glass sliders that wrapped around our entire home. I appreciated the view of downtown Seattle like I did every day. It was one of the reasons I bought this condo in the first place. I loved that you could see outside in every spot you stood in.
Although I had multiple properties, this one was one of my favorites. I was a New York Times bestselling romance author, writing under a pen name. Nobody but my closest friends and family knew what I did for a living, and I preferred it that way.
However, it was becoming harder to hide my identity from my readers. They wanted to know who I was, and I couldn’t blame them. With social media being at our fingertips, I was constantly worried that someone would figure out who was writing these love stories behind their e-readers.
They hadn’t yet, though. My team spent a lot of time making sure of it, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the truth of my identity was revealed. All I could hope for was it would be under my terms, and I wouldn’t be forced to make myself known for one reason or another.
I couldn’t imagine not writing books. It was my life—it had always been my life. My love for reading turned into my passion for writing. I’d published forty books in the last ten years, and living vicariously through my characters was what I did best. It was why I owned several properties around the world. I needed the inspiration they evoked, and this view never failed me.
I decided to take a shower to try to loosen the tension continuously building in the forefront of my mind. In my en suite bathroom, I turned on the shower before taking off my leggings and sports bra. Grabbing my cream silk robe from the closet, I hung it on the hook by the shower and then stepped inside.
Welcoming the heat against my tense frame, I pressed my hands against the shower wall and leaned my forehead against the cool stoned tile. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t shake the anxiety I was feeling.
It was more than Benjamin. I just felt off. My mind ran wild as I stayed in the shower until the water ran cold over my skin. Suddenly, my doorbell rang after I turned off the water.
I smiled, knowing it was Bradley.
He was in town on business, and since Ben was with his friend who lived in Seattle for the day, I told him to stop by. My boy never met any guy I’d dated over the years. It just didn’t feel right with any of them, and I refused to push something that didn’t feel perfect. I was an overprotective mom, a trait I’d received from my own mother. My life consisted of writing and Ben. I desired it that way.
Throwing on my robe, I wrapped the ties around my waist and knotted it off in a bow. Smiling from ear to ear, I walked to the door and opened it. Revealing a very handsome Bradley wearing a three-piece suit and an addicting grin.
“Hey, there.”
“Hey, gorgeous.”
