Read Online Beautiful Surrender (The Surrender Series Book Three) by Priscilla West - Free Book Online Page A

Brady.
Or maybe it was something more nefarious.
    She
seemed to notice I was looking at her arms and rolled down her sleeves before
turning back to work. “Anyway, I do hope things work out between you two,”
Giselle said. “I would love it if Vincent has finally found someone to share
his life with.”
    I let
the question of her arms go and flashed a smile fit for a job interview. “So
far he’s been pretty great.”
    I heard
their footsteps a second before they burst in. There was a crash at the kitchen
door, then the knob turned and Brady came in giggling, with Vincent close
behind.
    “Hey
buddy, come back. Where are you going?” Vincent cried.
    Brady
made a beeline straight for me and threw his arms around my right leg.
“Kristen,” he screamed, “Come play trains!”
    I
looked at Giselle, who was smiling. “It looks like I’m being summoned,” I said.
    “I
think so. You guys have fun, I can finish up here.”
    The
three of us went back and played trains until the cake was ready. By that
point, a couple of Brady’s friends had come over with their parents, and
Vincent and I were nearly forgotten. The party ended up lasting until seven
o’clock. By the time we left, I was as tuckered out as the kids. I slept in the
car the whole way home.

Chapter Four
     
    Sunday was
a blur of errands and getting my life in order. Seeing Vincent in a family
environment was a serious eye-opener. After the way he had handled Marty, I was
afraid I was dating a hyper-logical man with the emotions of a caveman. But
now, seeing him with Brady, it was clear he had a lot of love in his heart.
That made me feel good.
    Monday
morning I dragged my feet out of bed and lurched my way to work. As I stepped
off the elevator on the forty-eighth floor of the tall, glass building housing
Waterbridge-Howser, I started feeling dizzy. I had a rough night trying to
sleep and only ended up getting a few hours. When I got to my office, I put
down my bag and walked right back out. I needed caffeine. Badly.
    I went
to the common kitchen area with my cup. When I smelled the coffee pot, it made
me nauseous.
    “Man,
who made the coffee this morning? It smells terrible.”
    An
analyst named Sam was also in the kitchen; he was busy slathering a bagel with
cream cheese. He took a bite of his bagel then a sip of his mug. “Hmm tastes
fine to me. I don’t smell anything unusual.”
    “You
don’t smell it? It smells like dirty feet and tires.”
    “Maybe
you got a super sniffer.”
    “A
what?”
    “You
know, like someone who has super sensitive taste buds except with smell. I saw
it on an episode of Law & Order. When the police dog was unable to sniff
out drugs from a crime scene, they brought in this guy who was a super
sniffer.”
    Suddenly
curious that I might have a superpower, I asked, “Did he find anything at the
scene?”
    He
nodded vigorously. “He sniffed out this scent that the dog wasn’t trained to
detect. It was some weird chemical that led the police to this abandoned paint
factory where they found incriminating evidence.”
    “Interesting.”
    “See if
you can sniff my deodorant.” He lifted up his armpit and I noticed a faint
sweat stain on the shirt fabric. Fortunately he was several feet away.
    “I
can’t smell anything from here.”
    “Maybe
you’re not a super sniffer then.”
    “Yeah,
I don’t think I have that ability. Otherwise, I would’ve probably figured it
out earlier.”
    He took
another bite of his bagel. “Could be you’re pregnant.”
    I
nearly dropped my empty mug but caught it at the last moment. “What?”
    He
finished chewing. “When my wife was pregnant, she couldn’t stand certain
smells. Like coffee and the smell of the grocery store.”
    I
laughed nervously and batted my hand at the notion. Sam shrugged and went off
to his own desk to do work or perhaps ponder the mystery.
    I
remained in the kitchen. What if I really was pregnant?
    The
past couple weeks raced through my mind. I’d vomited