--This is a FREE book with an exclusive sequel at the end--
Sadie Sorento and Brandon Avenetti were destined to be together. Their families were already planning the wedding of the Italian mafia prince and princess long before the pair had even star...
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8 years ago
"What are you doing?" My best friend Corinne's face twists in horror from the seat next to me as I pull into the parking lot of CVS.
I stare back at her in confusion, her reaction catching me totally off guard. "I'm going to the grocery store to buy a pregnancy test?"
"You can't buy it in Rockaway!" She throws her arms in the air in exasperation. "Everyone knows who you are in there. I thought you didn't want us to get back to Brandon or your dad?"
"I don't." I shake my head quickly. "At least not until I'm sure."
"If you run a pregnancy test through the cashier in that store, I guarantee you it will be less than 30 seconds before someone is on the phone to probably both Brandon and your parents. And anyone who will listen. All this town does is gossip." Corinne said.
"I guess you're right. I didn't even think about that." I bite my lip, my stomach turning with anxiety.
"Come on." She smiles sympathetically. "There are a thousand stores in the city and no one will give a shit who you are there."
I nod quietly, backing my car out of the parking lot and turning it towards New York City.
She hesitates for a second. "Sadie, are you sure you don't want Brandon to do this with you?"
"Definitely." I say. "He has too much to worry about right now."
Way more than any 19-year-old kid should have to worry about, that's for sure. Steven has him on board full force now and Brandon is running parts of the business on his own. I hate thinking about him in that position, and I hate the way he loves it even more. I try to look the other way and not let him know, but it wears on me, and I can tell he knows. There is a thick tension between us lately, and even when we are together, it feels like he's always at work.
If I tell him now and it turns out I'm not pregnant, it would just be a lot of unnecessary stress. I want to avoid it for as long as possible. There's never been any doubt in my mind that he would support me, but I know he won't be happy about this. A baby changes everything. I can already hear the disappointment and frustration in his voice, and I'm too fragile to take that right now. I know he doesn't mean to be, but he is becoming more and more like our fathers with each passing day.
I'm so thankful to have Corinne with me. There is no way I could do something like this on my own. My mind has been more chaotic than a hurricane in the days since my missed period. Fifteen days to be exact. I didn't even realize at first, and even when I started to do the math, it didn't seem possible. There's no way I could be pregnant. I mean, there is a way, but Brandon is always insistent on being extra careful. I'm on the pill and he use condoms. This is exactly the kind of thing he wants to avoid.
