\u00a0<\/p>\n
121\u2013Friends Against Each Other\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is the matter with you?\u201d Graham hissed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has nothing to do with you, Baxter. Step aside. You are getting married soon,\u201d Graham said, gesturing for him not to interfere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it seemed he had forgotten something Baxter was about to remind him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you are already married, so what is your point? Besides, of course it matters to me. She is\u2013my\u2013 friend,\u201d Baxter stated, taking a moment to gather his strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I imagined it was because of what the texts had said to him. Sometimes, lies can shape your entire perception.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you are going to stop me?\u201d Graham asked, arms crossed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I am not going to stop you. But if she doesn\u2019t want to marry you, you are going to stop immediately. None of us will get involved because that wouldn\u2019t even be a point of tension. The topic will be over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Baxter continued, I realized he didn\u2019t even know the full truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is not only asking me to marry him, Baxter. He threatened me that if I did not accept him, he would request the DNA and take Gina from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The minute I stepped out from behind Baxter to recall Graham\u2019s words, I noticed the air shifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say to her?\u201d Baxter\u2019s muscles stiffened as he faced Graham.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what did I say wrong? Do you not want to be a part of your son\u2019s life?\u201d Graham replied with an even sharper tone, still not looking guilty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI do, but that does not mean I will threaten her or take custody from her. Do not forget you told her you did not want this baby. So, you have no right to come here and threaten her now,\u201d Baxter yelled, and I could tell Graham did not like it, because he looked offended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously, you will say that?\u201d Graham hissed before his eyes dropped to the phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the phone was no longer open. The screen had gone dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, of course. I get it now. Because you know you have no chance with her. She has already shut you out in the harshest way possible. So of course you want to jeopardize my relationship with her too. Just the idea of anyone having her seems difficult for you because you could not be with her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham simply continued to speak nonsense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not true. I did not send these text messages to him,\u201d I snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a brief moment, Graham seemed like he wanted to discuss it, but his ego stopped him. He had become greedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t care. All I care about is that she will accept me, whether you or anyone else likes it or not. And if she does not, then she will face the worst consequences. Because I will take my daughter,\u201d Graham continued to threaten, while Baxter suddenly grabbed his friend by the collar, 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shift in Graham\u2019s body language was disturbing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked shocked, upset, and offended that his friend had put hands on him for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
121 Friends Against Each Other\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously, Baxter? The woman who left you, who texted you all this, and you are picking her over your friend? Even with the possibility that maybe you could also get Bodhi from her? You are still trying to impress her?\u201d Graham asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He did not shout, but the tone and the words were enough to make anyone feel something. Even I felt hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The way he portrayed me to Baxter made me sound like someone who had wronged him beyond repair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I know is that I will not let you hurt her,\u201d Baxter stated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The impact of those words hit me hard. I closed my eyes and looked away, trying to hold myself together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell then, I am not like you. I want her. And I am willing to fight for her. Even if she is upset. I know that when she gives me a chance, I will address every complaint and make her realize it was the right thing. That I fought hard. And in the end, she got the best of it. She will be grateful that I fought hard,\u201d Graham continued, making it seem like I did not know what I wanted or what would bring me happiness. 1\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham then pushed Baxter\u2019s hand away and freed his collar, stepping back while staring at him before looking at\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are my mate, Madeline. I don\u2019t care what I said in the past or why I said it. Since you don\u2019t care, I don\u2019t either. All I know is that you are mine,\u201d he stated, pointing to his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he turned around, he stopped because someone else had heard his claims.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaylee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the fuck is going on here?\u201d Kaylee stood in the doorway, fingers digging into the frame, her voice trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go. I\u2019ll explain downstairs,\u201d Graham muttered, trying to hurry her out, but she smacked his arm hard enough to make him flinch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were you saying to her?\u201d she shouted. \u201cShe belongs to you? That\u2019s the truth? You wanted her? Is that it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice cracked, and I lifted a hand to my forehead, already exhausted\u00a0<\/p>\n
Baxter stepped in front of me immediately, blocking me completely with his broad back, but I could still see the two of them facing off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kaylee swung again, another punch to Graham\u2019s arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time he caught her fist mid\u2013air. She froze, eyes wide, like she couldn\u2019t believe he\u2019d actually stopped her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s enough,\u201d he hissed. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to hit me again.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gasped at his warning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, so that\u2019s what this is? You\u2019re trying to make her think I forced you into our marriage?\u201d She turned her attention toward me. \u201cLet me tell you the truth, Madeline. Forced or not, he was damn happy afterward. He forgot all about you. He slept with me every other day. He planned a honeymoon. He did all of it willingly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was shrill enough to claw at my nerves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even when I wanted nothing more than to not be bothered, the mate bond twisted inside my chest at her words, stupid, involuntary pain I didn\u2019t ask for.\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
\u00a0 121\u2013Friends Against Each Other\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 \u201cWhat is the matter with you?\u201d Graham hissed.\u00a0 \u201cIt has nothing to do with […]<\/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-19117","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\/19117","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=19117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19322,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19117\/revisions\/19322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}