Rebecca was finally ready to start her life. She had just graduated from college, had a great job at the hospital in the city and a gorgeous apartment that was across the hall from her best friends. Everything was falling into place. When she goes out to celebrate and ends up drunker than she ever had been before, she is saved by the handsome and extremely sexy Vincent, son to the Capo, who takes her home. What will happen when she wakes up alone the next day. Will this be the typical one night stand?" Author: Samantha Ely Publisher: EasyReading
"Congratulations Graduates!" The guest speaker said into the microphone as the crowd cheered. Rebecca smiled and hooted with her classmates in excitement. She was more than ready to get the rest of her life started. Turning away from the crowd, she rushed for the exit trying to beat the others out.
She slid her diploma under her arm and walked to the spot underneath her favorite tree. She had told her parents to meet her there. As she walked, she thought about the last six years and couldn't help but smile. It had been great. She had made some friends not a lot, but it was about quality, not quantity. She loved them and wouldn't change it for the world.
"Bex," she heard someone shout. She looked around before seeing her green-eyed, beautiful best friend since high school, Joni, waving frantically from under the tree they had deemed theirs on the first day of freshman year. She laughed and shook her head at her over-dramatic ways that Rebecca couldn't live without and waving and taking off into a light jog in the direction her friend was.
"I can't believe we did it!" Joni squealed as she started jumping up and down. She threw her arms around Rebecca and hugged her tight. Rebecca rolled her eyes before she realized she couldn't breathe as Joni continued her jumping around. She patted Joni's arm to let her know it was time to let go of her. She loved Joni like a sister, but sometimes wondered how they had ever become friends when they were so different. Joni was the typical beautiful, spoiled, rich girl. She didn't act like she was too good for Rebecca though, and she had always shared everything with her. She truly was the definition of a best friend. They had met at the mall when they ran into each other, literally. Joni had twisted her ankle pretty bad and Rebecca, being a nurse's daughter, had a small first aid kit in her purse that included a wrap. She helped her to a bench, wrapped her ankle, then drove Joni home. Joni, wanting to return the favor, had invited her in for dinner with her parents, who loved her and as they say, the rest was history.
The girls were very different, but that never mattered to either of them. Rebecca never thought of herself as not pretty, she just wasn't overly beautiful like Joni. She was short and pretty average. Especially compared to Joni. Rebecca's parents had never struggled financially when she was growing up, they just didn't own sixteen different companies, like Joni's father did. Thankfully Joni loved her no matter how she looked or how much less money her parents had then her own.
"Bex. Bex. Are you even listening to me?" Joni asked her with an impatient look on her face.
"Huh? Um, yeah," she answered her as she came back from her thoughts. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
Joni rolled her eyes and sighed, "You never listen to me," she popped her hip out and placed her hand on it. "I was saying where are our parents?" She looked around the open area that was filled with families congratulating their own graduates.
"Right here," came a female voice from behind them. They both turned around to find Rebecca's mother, Roslyn, standing behind them with a huge smile. "I'm so proud of my girls," she said, wiping a tear from her olive-green eyes. "You both look so beautiful," she looked at each of the girls from head to toe.
Rebecca wore a dusty pink lace sleeveless panel dress with a high neck. She wore simple stiletto heels that matched the dress. Her chocolate brown hair was styled in large curls that reached just to her chin. Joni wore a tight nude bodycon dress with a plunging neckline, wrap skirt with a cut out back. Her lace-up heels wrapped around her long legs. She had left her long blonde hair in its natural wave. Both girls were never really into wearing a ton of makeup so they had both done theirs simple and natural-looking.
The girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "Momma, don't cry," Rebecca said as she wrapped her mother in a hug. Soon they were joined by Joni, "Yeah, Momma, don't cry," she said.
Joni and Rebecca had spent all of high school and college as best friends. Each set of parents was like a second to each girl. They both had always thought that it was pretty cool that they got two sets of parents.
"We just love you both so much," they heard Gordon, Rebecca's father, say from behind them.
"Daddy!" They both shouted as they stopped hugging Roslyn and ran towards the man, nearly knocking him over.
"Girls, easy. I'm not as young as I use to be," he chuckled. They both unwrapped their arms to see that the man had unshed tears as he smiled at them both.
"Don't cry, Daddy," Rebecca said, wiping his eyes as they began to fall.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Came a voice from beside them. Everyone looked to see an older man dressed in a very nice, obviously expensive suit. Beside him, his wife was dressed just as nicely.
Richard and Sherri Banks, Joni's parents, were older than Rebecca's parents. Like Joni, they never showed that it mattered to them though. They were very happy when Joni and Rebecca met. They encouraged them to spend as much time as possible together. They had even helped pay Rebecca's college tuition so that they could both attend the same school.
"Mom, Papa," the girls said in unison, hugging them both before the group all began to cry again.
"Let's go eat before we flood the area with these tears," Joni said. "You people cry more than anyone I have ever met," she sighed as she walked past them. Everyone laughed, knowing that she was more dramatic than most people and cried all the time, as they followed her to the cars.
Rebecca was finally ready to start her life. She had just graduated from college, had a great job at the hospital in the city and a gorgeous apartment that was across the hall from her best friends. Everything was falling into place. When she goes out to celebrate and ends up drunker than she ever had been before, she is saved by the handsome and extremely sexy Vincent, son to the Capo, who takes her home. What will happen when she wakes up alone the next day. Will this be the typical one night stand?" Author: Samantha Ely Publisher: EasyReading
Callie has been keeping a secret for four years from Colt. When Callie dumped Colt three weeks before they graduated high school, she didn't tell him that she was pregnant. Now it's four years later and the entire small town they grew up in knows but Colt still doesn't. Colt has been drafted by the Falcons and he decided to come home early. Now Callie has to tell him and hopes that he understands why she kept it from him. How will Colt feel when he finds out? Will everything change for Callie? Author: Samantha Ely Publisher: EasyReading
Callie has been keeping a secret for four years from Colt. When Callie dumped Colt three weeks before they graduated high school, she didn't tell him that she was pregnant. Now it's four years later and the entire small town they grew up in knows but Colt still doesn't. Colt has been drafted by the Falcons and he decided to come home early. Now Callie has to tell him and hopes that he understands why she kept it from him. How will Colt feel when he finds out? Will everything change for Callie? Author: Samantha Ely Publisher: EasyReading
You have read her parent's story, now its time for her to tell her own. Ivy Bellandini is the oldest daughter of Capo Vincent Bellandini. She has spent her life trying to live up to what her father would want in the next Capo but her twin brother is next in line according to the old ways even though she believes she is tougher than him and every other man in the family except her father. Max Ricci was sent away to Italy at the age of 16 for training. Before he left, he had fallen for the wrong girl... At least in most people's eyes. Spending his days training to be the best assassin in the family and his nights thinking about her, hoping one day to see her again, he ends up turning into someone he doesn't recognize. Will Ivy be able to? This is the 3rd book in the Taking Her Home Series. Can be read as a stand alone. Author: Samantha Ely Publisher: EasyReading
Can be read as a stand-alone, but will make more sense if you read Small Town Lights first. Maddy's senior year of college is something she has looked forward to for so long. But choosing the wrong guy leads her back to her childhood best friend. Will he be able to help her through her biggest fear being realized? Will he stay by her side, even though he isn't obligated to? Author: Samantha Ely Publisher: EasyReading
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?