Hey, book bae! Here’s a look into the first chapter of my next release! I will be reading the full first chapter in my Facebook group tonight at 6pm CST. If you want to join me, details will be posted below!
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Daliah
I could not stand Maddox Adams. When we were kids, he was an annoying little fuck. Absolutely insufferable. We didn’t see each other often because I lived in Legacy Lakes and he lived in Memphis. Every summer, he’d come to Legacy Lakes with his brother, Ryley, and I would go to Memphis. In between the transition, there would be one full week that we would be at our grandparents’ houses that were next door to each other.
And that week, my God, was the most horrible week of my life.
He would annoy the hell out of me. I mean really just get under my skin. There was a time, I think I was eight or nine, and I couldn’t have weighed more than sixty pounds… but I tried to beat the shit out of him! He’d put gum in my hair, and I was too scared to show my grandma, so I cut it out. Boy… I tried to light his ass up!
Maddox had been my mortal enemy from like… the age of five to fourteen. After that, he stopped spending the summers here. Apparently, he convinced his parents that he was too old to spend his whole summer in our boring little town. After that, I didn’t see him again.
He would come for holidays with his family, but I was always in Memphis when he came around.
Looking back on it now, I think I hated Maddox so much because he was a funny looking little asshole that I had a crush on. But he was so mean to me and uncaring that it made me dislike him. Which only made me like him more. We found ourselves in this paralyzing cycle of extreme emotions that made our grandparents punish us for our fights more times than I could count.
As I thought about it now, I couldn’t help but smile. Maddox had been all I could think about lately – not for any good reason either.
His grandmother, Elaine, died three months ago. According to her lawyer, there was something in her will pertaining to both me and Maddox. He couldn’t read it unless it was while we were together. I hadn’t expected Gma Laine to leave me anything. Even though we’d gotten really close before she died, it still hadn’t crossed my mind. I lost my grandmother six months ago, and Gma Laine stood in her place as much as she could.
They were truly soul mates and best friends. Their husbands died years ago, and they held on to each other. It didn’t surprise anyone that they died so close to each other. Gma Laine would just stare at me for minutes on end sometimes because I looked so much like my grandmother. Eventually, she stopped eating and keeping up with her physical activities. She lost her joy. Her hope. And there was no doubt in my mind that she’d died of a broken heart.
Trying to shake those thoughts from my head, I looked myself over once more in the mirror.
The jumpsuit was absolutely perfect.
From the way it hugged my frame and accentuated my curves to the way the sequined silver design shined and screamed extra as hell. It was just my style. The more I looked at it the more I fell in love with it.
Stepping out of the fitting room, I looked to the left for my best friend, Fantasia. Our styles were kind of similar, but I wore more daring designs and colors than she did. When I found her, Fantasia was at the end of the dressing room on the right whispering into her phone. As she watched me walk over to her, she ended her call.
“Who you talking to?” I questioned, putting my hands on my hips.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re not getting that are you?”
With a scoff, I looked down at the jumpsuit that I was utterly in love with. “I planned to. You don’t like it?”
Fantasia’s face twisted as if the scent of something rotten had permeated the room. Ignoring her, I looked myself over in the wall length mirror. Suddenly, it didn’t look as good as I first thought it did.
“That’s too damn extra, Daliah. Where would you even wear that?”
With a shrug, I continued to stare at the jumpsuit. It was strapless with a slightly low cut in the middle, exposing the sides of my breasts as they sat up from the sewn in push up bra.
“I don’t know. Maybe to a club or party.”
She chuckled with a shake of her head. “Girl, please. If you wear that to any club, they will light your ass up. You look like a damn disco ball.”
Even though I didn’t want to agree with her, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Fuck you, Fantasia. I look good.”
“Umhm,” she muttered before giggling again. “I’m for real though. I’m not going anywhere with you if you wear that.”
I sighed as I headed back into the dressing room. After looking myself over once more, I pushed the jumpsuit down my body. Even though I was in love with it before I’d gone out to show her, I was over it now. It was definitely loud and shiny, but I didn’t think it was as bad as she was making it seem. Still, I decided to not buy it just to be safe.
As much as I loved Fantasia, she had a way of bringing the vibe down whenever she was around. She could be a true energy sucker, and me and Mona were the women she chose to leech on. I guess a part of me maintained my relationship with her because I felt tied to her at the soul. We had gone through so much as children and had so much in common. The main difference was, I grew up and out of my issues, but she never did. Fantasia was just as negative and bitter as she’d always been.
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As always, I hope you will enjoy this book!
It’s available for preorder here.
And if you’d like to tune in when I read the first full chapter tonight, make sure you join my Facebook group and turn your notifications ON.
Until next time, love, B.