32\u2013My Stubborn Mate\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter\u00a0<\/p>\n
I kind of knew when I saw Yuvonne in the living room that Madeline would give me a hard time for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew she would confront me harshly. Previously, she would have let it slide. Probably questioned me softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she\u2019s a changed woman now, more firm and, simply put, stubborn. The moment I saw Yuvonne out, I knew\u00a0<\/p>\n
that was it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline didn\u2019t eat anything after that. She kept pretending she was busy with the kids, but who was she really fooling?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only the others who didn\u2019t know the history between us. And when she snatched Bodhi from my arms, it felt like she had hit me with a fire arrow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t go back to my room and rest, not with my mind stuck on how she had acted toward me. So, I decided to confront her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I arrived, the sight of her surprised me. She looked hurt. She tried to hide it, but I could still see the pain in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why, though?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had never cared before that I was dating her stepsister. In fact, she wanted me to be with her. So why was she suddenly looking so betrayed with the idea It made no sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she threw the harshest words a mate could ever throw at another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do you look so sad? It\u2019s not like we\u2019re ever going to accept each other as mates,\u201d she taunted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had seen my expression change the moment she said I\u2019d never be her mate. Her words were true, yet they still\u00a0<\/p>\n
stung.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not shocked,\u201d I hissed through clenched teeth. \u201cAnd I\u2019m not affected, Madeline. It\u2019s not like I\u2019d ever want to accept you into my life. If I did, I would\u2019ve done it before, wouldn\u2019t I?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now I was saying the words I knew would hurt her because that\u2019s who I am.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a disaster. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
The kind that strikes back when provoked. You try to hurt me, and I\u2019ll hurt you worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Madeline, it was more intense. I had relied on her in the past, and she had broken my heart in the worst way possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what are you here for?\u201d she asked, folding her arms across her chest, looking more confident now that she had gotten a reaction from me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you did\u2013snatching Bodhi from me\u2013that was uncalled for,\u201d I said, changing the subject because I wasn\u2019t even sure why I had come here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did I want to see her hurt? Why did I care about her reaction to me dating her sister?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean? He\u2019s my son,\u201d she shot back. \u201cAre you forgetting that I made it clear that you\u2019re supposed to forget about the babies? They\u2019re not yours. None of them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said it with that same sharp confidence she always used when laying down her rules she never asked our input\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, let\u2019s just say I don\u2019t follow those rules anymore,\u201d I replied. \u201cBodhi is my son too, and I\u2019ll decide who he spends time with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That hit her. A frown appeared on her forehead, her beautiful eyebrows drawing closer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes softened with concern, and I caught myself noticing her face again, like someone starving for something they shouldn\u2019t want.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want my child to be around Yuvonne?\u201d she asked, her voice carrying disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Yuvonne isn\u2019t a monster,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cShe took care of me when I had no one else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as I mentioned the past, Madeline stepped back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? She took care of you?\u201d she asked, her tone urgent rather than mocking. \u201cWhen was that? Where was I when she was doing it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably busy with your other best friends?\u201d I threw that in her face, and I watched her eyes go cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips pressed into a tight line before she pointed at the door again, then at her own chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Or maybe when I was getting abused by your girlfriend?\u201d she snapped back, throwing that at me again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That one hit me. It was the only part that ever made me feel guilty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every time she mentioned it, she reminded me of her past with Yuvonne. I remembered how much she used to cry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But things had changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t satisfy her anymore by breaking up with Yuvonne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yuvonne had been a child back then, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer mother manipulated her. Do I need to remind you of this over and over again?\u201d I said sharply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as I said it, she started laughing, clapping her hands together in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sometimes, I just didn\u2019t understand her. In the past, she was clear as day that she wanted me gone and wanted me to date her sister. But now that I actually was, she was furious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, can you please leave? I need to rest,\u201d she hissed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time, I could tell she was really done with the conversation. She turned away and started walking off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even care that I was still standing in her living room. She just went into her room, closed the door, and locked it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stood there for a few seconds, watching her disappear. Then I finally returned to my suite and sat down, feeling\u00a0<\/p>\n
frustrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fianc\u00e9e: Are you okay? Is she really upset with us? I hope she won\u2019t take it out on the research. If I knew she would react like that, I wouldn\u2019t have come.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared at Yuvonne\u2019s text for a moment, then typed back tiredly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Me: It\u2019s nothing. She\u2019s fine. I talked to her. She wasn\u2019t bothered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lied. Straight up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yuvonne: Okay, that\u2019s great. I really hope she comes around soon. Maybe she can meet her parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I zoned out for a moment, reading that text. Then Yuvonne started calling me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t respond to me,\u201d she said when I answered. \u201cDon\u2019t you think she should come and meet her parents once?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWeren\u2019t your parents abusive toward her, Yuvonne?\u201d I reminded her in a skeptical tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that you\u2019ve changed,\u201d I said softly. \u201cAnd that you were little back then. But the others, they were full\u2013grown adults. And I know what your parents were going to do when finding out about her pregnancy? It rubbed me the wrong way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to sound calm, but deep down, the thought of them ever trying to hurt my baby made my blood boil.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe her?\u201d Yuvonne said quietly. \u201cBaxter, their response was just like any other parents\u2018. My mother was worried for her future, that\u2019s all. You believe me, right, Baxter?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then her voice softened, the kind that always made me want to close my eyes and forget the argument.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And in that moment, I realized I didn\u2019t want to fight with her over Madeline anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can only suggest that she go meet her parents,\u201d I finally said. \u201cThe rest is her decision.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I said it just to please her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I knew things were going to get messy in the morning, after the way Madeline had reacted to my engagement\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Yuvonne.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
32\u2013My Stubborn Mate\u00a0 Baxter\u00a0 I kind of knew when I saw Yuvonne in the living room that Madeline would give […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19233,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19028\/revisions\/19233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}