Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
"She is beautiful," he rasps from beside me, clinging to my hand.
She has a head of dark hair and the cutest little nose. She's so small, smaller than her brothers were. But she's perfect. Tears slip down my cheeks, dripping into my hair as I run my free hand down her soft head.
"Hi, baby," I say. "I'm your mama."
"Fuck," Alaric chokes.
I turn my face up to him, laughing and crying at the same time. His eyes are bright with moisture as he stares at me and our daughter. I've never felt his love as acutely as I do in this moment. It blazes from him, shining as bright as the sun.
"You're perfect," he whispers, leaning down to kiss me gently. "Both of you are absolutely perfect."
I don't doubt him. I never do.
"What are you going to name her?" the nurse asks.
"Noelle," I whisper, glancing at Alaric.
He grins at me, running his hand across our daughter's head. "December and Noelle, my angels."
Chasing Christmas
Nichole Rose
Chapter One
Kaiden
November
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
Shit. I throw myself against the wall, keeping my body carefully obscured in the darkened recesses of the old gym as a beautiful blonde peeps around the corner, her expression screwed up as if she expects to be kidnapped at any moment.
Laura Groves. The curvy little bombshell currently taking Hollywood—and the world—by storm. The girl is a fucking knockout. My heart slams against my ribcage, my cock swelling against the confine of my jeans. It's late November, cool even by California standards, yet sweat trickles between my shoulder blades as I stare at her.
I have her generous curves to thank for that.
She isn't reed thin like most starlets in this town, starving herself to fit some ridiculous standard of beauty that no one could measure up to without a whole lot of movie magic and thousands of dollars to throw into the endeavor. She has meat on her bones. And eyes green enough to shame the brightest emerald.
"Oh," she whispers, coming to a dead stop when she sees me skulking in the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" I growl, not stepping forward to meet her. I don't hide to frighten her. Thanks to the nasty scar across the right side of my face, most women in this town look at me in revulsion or pity. They shrink away as if they expect me to try to snatch them off the streets…or whisper behind their hands as if my scar somehow prevents me from hearing what they say about me. As far as I'm concerned, one reaction is just as bad as the other.
I may look like a nightmare now, but I was one of them. Funny how quickly people in this forget when you're no longer useful to them. As soon as my star faded, I became persona non grata to all but a few.
"Um, hi." Laura lifts one hand in a self-conscious wave. Not that she has anything to be self-conscious about. Jesus, she's the brightest little star in this town.
"I'm looking for Kaiden Huxley. Jackson Reed said I could find him here."
"You found him."
She blinks long, sooty lashes, briefly hiding her eyes. I want to gnash my teeth as soon as her gaze leaves me for that split second. The feeling isn't rational, but it's there all the same. There's something pure in her eyes, something untouched. That's rare in this town.
It's a tale as old as time. Bring an innocent girl to this town, and it'll chew them up and spit them out in short order. Not this one. Even after a decade, she's still fresh-faced and innocent, still filled with a sense of wonder. She's an anomaly, the rare woman who never hardens or grows jaded or bitter no matter what this town throws at her. And it's thrown a lot of shit her way, thanks to those generous curves.
"I'm Laura Groves," she says.
"I know who you are." How could I not? She's been a fixture in the film industry since she was sixteen. Her beautiful face has graced the cover of every magazine and gossip rag from here to India. She's been one of Hollywood's It girls since right after my accident…and yet she clings to innocence and grace as if it's an ingrained part of her. No matter what they throw at her, she meets it on her feet with her head held high and a smile on her face.
"Oh." A question bobbles on her lips before she fights it back.
I desperately want to demand she ask it. I want to know what she's thinking. But I resist the urge. The less I know about this girl, the better. Pretty little stars like her aren't for washed-up has-beens like me. Maybe in another life, I would have asked that question. I would have listened to the voice screaming for me not to let this one out of my sight.