by J. P. Comeau
Mr. Big Mistake
An Accidental Marriage Romance
J.P. Comeau
Copyright © 2020 by J.P. Comeau
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Mr. Big Mistake is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and occurrences are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to a person, living or deceased, events, or locations is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by Cover Couture
www.bookcovercouture.com
Created with Vellum
Let’s Stay Connected
NEWEST HIRE
J.P. Comeau
Go ahead and grab Newest Hire as a gift and sign up for J.P.’s Diabolical Angels Facebook group. Get Newest Hire immediately. Click Here>>
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
1
Kelly
“Girl, you have got to dish us the juicy details,” Roxy told Karina.
I nodded in agreement. “Seriously. You’ve been withholding shit from us since this all started. How are you and Zane!?”
“We’re good.” Karina smiled, batting her eyelashes.
My sister rolled her eyes. “Stop that…That’s what you always say.”
“We want the goods, girl,” I insisted.
“Well, you’re not getting the goods. Not the kind of goods you want, anyway.” Karina shook her head.
My head fell back as Roxy groaned, but in the pit of my soul, I was happy for Karina. Roxy, Karina and I had been best friends since, well, forever. We had always been in one another’s lives in some form or fashion, and to see Karina finally move on and find a guy that loved her made me so happy.
Part of me was jealous, though.
I nodded toward her growing belly. “How are you feeling nowadays?”
Karina pressed her hand against her tummy. “It’s touch and go. The nausea still comes over me sometimes.”
Roxy’s eyes bulged. “You’re kidding. You told us that was only a first-trimester thing.”
I shook my head. “I’ve been reading up. While most morning sickness symptoms have a certain trimester where they are worse, the nausea doesn’t necessarily have to go completely away, even in the later months.”
“And just exactly how much have you read?” Roxy asked.
“She’s right, though. I haven’t really had intense cravings for anything since I hit my second trimester. But, this nausea? It’s for the birds,” Karina said with a giggle.
Roxy held up her mimosa. “Better you than me.”
“Trust me. You say you don’t want kids, Roxy. But, you’ll end up with the most kids out of all of us.” I barked with laughter.
Roxy grinned at me. “Says the girl who tears through men more than she does thongs.”
I tried to fake a smile, but her words hurt. To the outside eye, that’s probably what it looked like. I mean, Roxy was pretty rough on men. She practically chewed them up and spat them out on a monthly basis. Breaking hearts wherever she went. And, yes, I had a tendency to bounce around as well. A date here, a weekend spent at someone’s place there, but there was a reason why these budding relationships, if that’s what you call them, never went past a few dates.
Multiple reasons, actually.
“So, Kelly,” Karina said.
I focused my attention on her. “Hmmm?”
“When are you going to come over so we can decorate the nursery? Zane’s chomping at the bit to get started, but I told him we weren’t touching it without you.”
I sighed. “I’m so sorry. Work has me slammed, and by the time I get home, I’m crashed out on the couch without even eating dinner.”
Roxy gasped. “That’s why you look so thin. That’ll suit you well in the fashion world.”
“Or, you could embrace the fact that women come in all shapes and sizes,” Karina said, wrinkling her nose.
I giggled. “Girls, girls. Settle down. Yes, I’ve lost some weight. But, I don’t intend to keep it off. You know how I am with food and being lazy. It’ll come back once I can get through this initial launch set-up. Because I’m telling you, starting my own fashion line? Not as easy as I thought it would be.”
Roxy cackled. “Not as easy? Girl, you went to Stanford for business. How the hell did you think this was going to be easy?”
“Not ‘easy’ easy, I mean. There’s just a lot of moving parts that I can’t outsource because I don’t have the money, and--.”
Karina jumped in. “Didn’t your dad say he would--?”
“I don’t want his help.”
Roxy groaned. “Don’t get her started. We have a father who’s set aside accounts for us to do this kind of thing. Money he’s socked away for us he’ll never miss, and she won’t touch it.”
I sipped my water. “Look, I don’t want to be known as the fashion guru who got a hand-out from her father in order to make it work. I want to make this business a success on my own. I really do.”
Karina nodded. “And I can respect that.”
Roxy leaned back. “Well, I can’t. This would be so much easier on her if she just--.”
I rolled my eyes. “Would it help if I told you I had other plans for that money, anyway?”
Roxy slowly looked over at me. “And just what are these plans?”
“I think it’s time you filled us in on some stuff, don’t you?” Karina leaned forward.
All eyes were on me, but I locked up. Why was it so hard to talk about this kind of personal stuff? I wanted to use the money in my trust fund for my future. And not my vocational future. I wanted to use it for my wedding. For my wedding dress. I wanted to use it on my children. On a nursery or two. I wanted to use it for a honeymoon suite somewhere, or romantic vacations every summer. I wanted to use that account to spoil the man in my life.
That man was a very specific one if I could ever get him to seriously look my way.
Then, Roxy put it together. “Oh. My. God.”
“Fuck.”
Karina paused. “What?”
Roxy squealed. “You’re saving it for someone!”
“Can we not do this right--?”
Karina pointed at me. “Are you seeing someone? Are you holding out on us?”
Roxy took my hand. “Please tell me he’s treating you to some romance. Because that last guy you were with thought romance was tying a bow around his dick.”
Karina blinked. “Wait, what?”
I ripped my hand away. “No, you guys. I’m not seeing anyone right now. So, can we drop it?”
We paused in silence as we sat around the table before Roxy finally reached for a piece of fruit. “So, that’s why you’ve been so grumpy lately.”
Karina took a bite of her eggs. “I bet if you got laid, you’d feel so much better.”
“Yeah. You’re right, I’m sure.”
R
oxy talked with her mouth full. “I mean, sex is imperative. You know?”
Karina scolded her. “Let’s chew and swallow before we speak, okay?”
I nodded slowly. “Probably a good thing.”
Roxy swallowed hard. “All I’m saying is that I get it at least a couple of times a month, no matter what. And when I’m in a relationship? Hell, that’s how I wind down every night.”
“Amen to that,” Karina said with a chuckle.
The two of them slapped hands across the table as my face turned beet red.
“And, just so we’re clear? The deeper your relationship is, the crazier your sex is,” Karina said.
My eyes snapped to hers. “What?”
Roxy gasped. “You sneaky little bitch! You’ve been holding out on us!”
Karina belly-laughed. “That’s directed at you, too, Roxy. It’s worth it to find someone you want to stick it out with. Not bouncing around from month to month.”
“Hey, I’m better than my sister over here. She only makes it through a few dates.”
I shook my head. “Can we not talk about me like I’m not sitting right here?”
Karina looked me dead in my face. “Fine, Kelly. When was the last time you got laid?”
Roxy turned to face me. “I bet it’s been at least two months.”
I scoffed. “Look, this is private for me. I just--I don’t want to--I don’t know if I can--.”
Karina scrunched her eyebrows. “I’ve got a story if you tell me.”
Roxy gripped my arm. “Tell her, woman. For the love of all that is holy. Tell me! I’m your sister!”
Karina smiled. “It’s a good story, too.”
“Please, Roxy. I’ve never needed you more than at this moment,” I bit my lip.
“It’s a funny story, too.”
Roxy gasped. “You’re killing me, Kelly. Just spit it out why don’t you!”
Then, I lost it. “I’ve never had sex, okay!?”
It felt like the entire restaurant came to a dead standstill. Karina’s jaw dropped to the floor as my sister’s hand slid away from my arm. I wanted to die, right there. I wanted to melt into a puddle and be absorbed into the carpet. That wasn’t how brunch was supposed to happen. We were supposed to be having fun.
Now, people were peered over their shoulders at me, I buried my face in my hands. I wished for my own damn death.
“You know, I think I’ve always known that,” Roxy said.
I slowly looked over at my sister. “I hate you.”
Karina flopped back into her chair. “It makes so much sense now.”
“I’m sure.”
Roxy rubbed my thigh. “I mean, it does. You’ve never made it past the third date with a guy. You always come home early if you have a date at his place. It’s because they want to have sex, and you don’t, right?”
I didn’t want to say anything, but she hit the nail on the head.
“Why did you never tell us this?” Karina asked.
I laughed bitterly. “Why? So I can be humiliated by my two best friends?”
Karina furrowed her brow. “Is that what you think we would have done?”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing here, right now?”
Roxy squeezed my knee. “If we knew what you were talking about, we wouldn’t have done this, no.”
I looked over at her. “And yet, sex is somehow a different topic? What if I was having sex, and I just didn’t want to talk about it? What, then?”
The table fell silent again, and I reached for my water. At that moment, I wished I had ordered, literally, anything else but water.
Anything with alcohol in it.
“Look,” I said as I took a sip, “I just haven’t found someone I want to have sex with yet. I don’t want to have sex simply to say I’ve done it. I want it to mean something. I want it to be special. And I sure as hell don’t want to regret it.”
Roxy nodded. “That’s a good goal. Lord knows I regret my first.”
Karina’s lips parted in shock. “Wait, you regret Allen?”
Roxy shrugged. “I didn’t even get off. And, he didn’t give a shit about me. I figured that out later on.”
“But, the two of you dated for--.
“Can we focus? Just for once, can this not be about you two after the entire restaurant has been privy to my secret?”
Roxy grinned. “Hey, you’re the one that yelled it.”
“Because you two wouldn’t shut up about it.”
Karina walked her chair around the table and sat down beside me.
“You’ll know when the time is right, Kelly. Trust your gut, and nothing can go wrong.”
I licked my lips. “I know, I know. And that’s what I’ve been doing. It’s just that the guys I find don’t seem to be interested in anything but sex. Is that so much to ask? Is it too much to ask of a guy to want me for more than what I can put out?”
“Not at all,” my sister said. “I mean, that’s how you separate the douchebags from the genuine men who want what you want.”
I clicked my tongue. “Well, it would be nice to find one of those gentlemen.”
“I’m proud of you, you know?” Roxy wrapped her arm around me.
I rolled my eyes. “Just what every virgin wants to hear.”
“No, I’m serious. You’re taking control of your own sexuality. You’re pioneering a path where you exert full control over what you want, no matter what anyone else wants. That takes serious strength and guts.”
Karina nodded. “She’s right, you know. But, just make sure you’re doing this for the right reasons.”
I gave her a sideways look. “I’m sure I’m doing it for the right reasons.”
Roxy kissed my cheek. “Good. Because I’d hate for you to be doing this because you’re afraid of what it might be like.”
I snickered, but then her words settled in my mind.
“Wait, is there something to be afraid of?”
Karina shot Roxy a look. “Good going.”
Roxy scoffed. “What!? I just want to make sure she hasn’t pumped this up in her head or anything. I mean, the first time always sucks. Am I right?”
I whipped my eyes over to her. “Wait, it does?”
Karina hissed. “Will you shut up?”
Roxy hissed back. “Girl, now I’m worried about this.”
I nodded. “Yeah. And now you have me worried, too.”
My sister looked back at me. “Look, here’s the truth of the matter: adult relationships are going to require adult actions. You aren’t going to find a guy around here nowadays that isn’t looking to be intimate with someone they’re dating. Sexual compatibility is a crucial thing in a relationship.”
Karina butted in. “Though things can always be worked on and improved.”
“Right. But, I think if you intentionally lose your V-card, it’ll give you more autonomy and comfort in these dating scenarios you find yourself in.”
“Wait, are you seriously suggesting she plan to lose her virginity?”
“What? I think it’s a good idea. She gets to be in control of who takes it. She gets to be in control of the mood, where it happens, what actually happens, how the guy treats her. We give her full control of the scenario.”
Karina shook her head. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
As my gaze volleyed between the two of them like a tennis match, I fell back into the recesses of my mind. On the one hand, the plan seemed insane. Hand-picking some guy and telling him exactly what to do didn’t seem like the epitome of romance. But, I had to admit that me being a virgin was holding me back in my dating life. At least, it felt that way sometimes. The second the guy found out I was a virgin, I never got a callback. Or a text back. Or even another date. It felt like my love life was out of control as it was, so what was the harm in taking that control back?
Would that really make me comfortable going forward in dating?
And who in the world would do that for me, anyway?
&nbs
p; 2
Brenden
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite oldest brother!”
I greeted Clint with open arms as he stood there in Zane’s living room, stoic as always.
“Come give your middle brother a hug,” I said.
“I’m good,” he murmured and shook his head.
I wrapped my arms around the hulking military man and squeezed him tightly. Zane was chuckling as Clint grunted and groaned.
The man hated affection in all forms. Well, except one.
Let’s just say there’s a reason the ladies that have seen him at the office whisper about the size of his package. Even though I doubted it any of them had experience with him under the sheets — only in their wildest dreams. Clint was strict and never, and I mean never, mixed business with pleasure.
“Oh. I’m so glad you moved back to town,” I said as I gave him one last squeeze.
Zane pulled me away. “All right, all right. You’ve tortured the man enough for one day. He’s been here a month or two, and you act like this is the first time you have seen him since he got back.”
I grinned. “I bet he’d like it if I had tits, and today we are embarking on a new journey together.”
Clint nodded. “You don’t. So, no point. And I still haven’t given you my answer on your proposal.”
I chuckled. “Seriously, though. It’s good to see you standing and well.”
Clint nodded again. “Thanks.”
I sighed playfully. “A man of many words. I love it. Don’t you, Zane?”
He socked me in the arm. “Come on. I’ve got coffee in the kitchen.”
“Karina anywhere? I was hoping to get a peek at that growing belly of hers. How’s she doing?”
