She was more honest, giving, and loving than anyone in his life, but he was pushing her away. She was the light in his dark, dreary world, and he was extinguishing her flame. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the epitome of all that was good and pure, and he was the exact opposite. The sins of his past wouldn’t let him forget what he’d done. When it came to personal relationships, his judgment had been clouded, his heart jaded. He couldn’t trust his decisions or feelings, and he’d learned to bury them over the years. Regardless of the emotions she evoked, he couldn’t allow himself to give in.
Christa wiped her face again, reeled in her emotions, and stepped toward the door. She was only a few feet away from Aaron, but it may as well have been miles. Christa was simply trying to keep her composure until she could get back to her small apartment and have a total breakdown in private. She didn’t want the workers in the pretentious office to see the telltale signs of her ugly crying—red-rimmed, puffy, bloodshot eyes, red nose, and tear-streaked cheeks. Her sole focus now was to get to the elevators as quickly as possible, but Lance’s next comment stopped her dead in her tracks.
“Ms. Lanes, there’s one more delicate subject we need to discuss before you leave.” Lance was almost hesitant, and he nervously cleared his throat. Christa knew whatever was coming next couldn’t be good.
“And what’s that? What more could you possibly want from me?” she asked incredulously as she whirled around to fully face him.
Lance cleared his throat again, something she noticed he did when he wasn’t comfortable. “I need you to list anyone with whom you’ve ever had sexual relations. In the event you try to claim that you’re pregnant before this divorce is final, I assure you we will require a vast measure of tests to be performed to confirm paternity.”
Lance knew demanding that information was a far stretch if it came down to a fight in a court of law. She didn’t have legal representation present, and they didn’t have a prenuptial agreement. He knew he didn’t have a valid reason for requesting this information at this point, but he was banking on the fact that she had no legal knowledge or training.
She didn’t know the wicked ways in which he could use this information against her if she later changed her mind and pursued the path to gain a full half of Aaron’s considerable assets. But he needed to make sure his brother and their fortune were safe and secure from any gold-digging harlots.
Lance pushed a blank sheet of paper across the table in her direction. She looked from Lance to Aaron, clearly unsure of what she should do, and silently praying that Aaron would come to her rescue. But he sat stone silent, patiently waiting for her to complete the embarrassing and humiliating task Lance had asked of her.
Christa stepped to the table and scribbled a couple of words before shoving the paper back at Lance. He balked when he read the paper. “Ms. Lanes, I need you to list everyone.”
“I did,” she responded indignantly, then turned her head to look Aaron squarely in the eye.
Unable to contain his curiosity of what the paper held any longer, Aaron grabbed the paper from Lance’s grip. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He looked from the paper to Christa’s face, closely examining her while he tried to come to terms with what he saw.
“It only has my name on this paper,” Aaron stuttered disbelievingly.
“I know. I was waiting for the right man. I told you that on our wedding night,” she said as the blush crept up her face. If Aaron had to guess, he would say she was clearly remembering their first night together. The night he couldn’t remember at all. He suddenly wished he could remember that night more than any other night he’d ever spent in a woman’s arms.
Aaron stared back down at his name on the paper. The shame and guilt immediately started building in his chest. He knew people—he could read them like a book. He knew in his gut that she was telling the truth. She was still so young at twenty-two, mostly isolated and completely introverted, and didn’t engage with anyone outside her small circle before he came along and charmed her. She’d been a virgin until he took that away from her. On top of ruining her life, he was divorcing her after not even remembering marrying her.
Aren’t I quite the catch? he thought to himself. She’ll be better off without me.
When he finally looked up, he noticed the door to Lance’s office was standing wide open, and Christa was gone. Her rings were still in one of his clutched fists, and the paper that contained only his name was in the other.
And Aaron was completely alone.
Dear Friends,
I hope you’ve enjoyed Rod + Daisy’s story! These characters are like old friends to me now. They’re flawed, they make stupid mistakes, and they let their emotions rule their heads sometimes. But can’t we all say the same? That’s what makes them feel real to me, and I hope that transferred into the story of their lives.
While I’m working on my next book, be sure to check out my other books! There’s something for everyone in there—romantic suspense, mafia anti-hero romance, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and fantasy romance. (That’s a lot of romance!)
Romantic Suspense:
Wicked Games (Book 1)
Wicked Ties (Book 2)
Wicked Nights (Book 3)
Wicked Intentions (Book 4)
Wicked Shadows (Book 5)
Fine Line
Blurred Line
Hard Line
Her Dom (Book 1)
Her Dom’s Lesson (Book 2)
Mafia/Anti-hero:
Warning Part One
Warning Part Two
Warning Part Three
Stand-alone:
Saving Grace
Completely Captivated
Intent
Mistletoe Not Required
Just One Summer
Paranormal/Fantasy:
Cloaked
Immortal Envy
Afterword
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking the time to read this book. This story has been a long time in the making and has been through several revisions, but I’m finally happy with the outcome. Sharing a book with the world is never easy, but I always hope you’ll love it as much as I do.
These characters have a lot of depth and intricacies not commonly found in romance books. While the storyline is accurate medically and I do my best to maintain that integrity, I employed some creative liberties to ensure the story flows and is easy to read.
With today’s technology advancements, procedures change rather quickly, even in the transplant arena. “Bone marrow transplant” is an older term that may not be used as much as it once was. Today, it’s more commonly referred to as a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but that’s a lot to digest, even inside your head.
There are also several more steps in the tissue match process and in preparing for a transplant that aren’t depicted here, because those steps aren’t germane to Rod & Daisy’s story. Siblings aren’t a match as often as you’d think, which is why so many people rely on the bone marrow registry to find a match.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Rod & Daisy’s story!
Lots of love,
A.D. Justice
Books by A.D. Justice
Steele Security Series
Wicked Games (Book 1)
Wicked Ties (Book 2)
Wicked Nights (Book 3)
Wicked Intentions (Book 4)
Wicked Shadows (Book 5)
Crossing Lines Series
Fine Line
Blurred Line
Hard Line
The Vault Series
Warning Part One
Warning Part Two
Warning Part Three
The Crazy Series
Crazy Maybe (Book 1)
Crazy Baby (Book 2)
Crazy Love (Book 3, Free Short Story)
Dominic Powers Series
Her Dom (Book 1)
Her Dom’s Lesson (Book 2)
Covis Realm, Easthaven Crest Series
&n
bsp; Cloaked
Deceived
Unveiled
Stand—alone Novels
Saving Grace
Completely Captivated
Intent
Mistletoe Not Required
Immortal Envy
Just One Summer
About the Author
A.D. Justice is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of several series and stand-alone romance novels in various romance genres, including romantic suspense, contemporary, and paranormal.
When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her alpha male husband in the Northwest Georgia mountains. They’re living out their own HEA, frequently on horseback with a dog in tow.
She is also an avid reader of romance novels, a master of procrastination, a chocolate sommelier, a twister of words, and speaks fluent sarcasm. An avid animal lover, she has two horses, three cats, and two very spoiled dogs.
She loves chatting with her readers. You’re welcome to stalk her across all social media!
Connect with her online!
Newsletter
Facebook Reader Group
Website
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior for His continued forgiveness of a sinner.
To my husband: I love you more than words can convey. I’m grateful for all your ideas and being my sounding board.
To my readers: Every story is personal and important to the author, but you are the reason we share our books with the world. Thank you for your time, feedback, and support. Whether you like, love, or hate the book, know that I appreciate you with all my heart.
To the bloggers: None of this would be possible without your help, support, and tireless pimping. I love everyone in this great group of people. I can’t name one without naming everyone because you’ve all been so helpful and are wonderful people.
To my PA/PR Guru: Autumn, thank you for all your help and support. You are so very much appreciated.
To my friends: T.K. Leigh, thank you for, well, everything, every day! Michelle Dare, you are simply the best. I love you ladies with all my heart!
To my editor: Amy, thank you for taking such good care of my book baby.
All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) Page 24
