The Redemption by Nikki Sloane

Author:Nikki Sloane [Sloane, Nikki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: contemporary romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Shady Creek Publishing
Published: 2020-03-31T05:00:00+00:00

The sun was low, and the gardens were mostly in shadow. The lights strung overhead were already on, casting a warm glow on the lawn and illuminating the rose bushes that lined the edges of the space. While the setup for the party was similar to the events I’d hosted in the past, there was a distinctly different energy tonight.

Excitement hung in the air, and it felt like I was on the cusp of reaching a new level. Smiles and laughter seemed to come quicker to the guests as they mingled around the tables and temporary dance floor.

I made the requisite rounds with Evangeline on my arm, keeping my razor-sharp tongue quiet whenever it craved to lash out and cut someone down to an appropriate size. I smiled so frequently I’d begun to worry I came off looking maniacal.

The red, white, and blue décor served both Damon’s campaign theme and the upcoming holiday, even down to the enormous birthday cake and the sparklers decorating it. After I introduced him, he gave a speech full of promises and patriotism, and when it was over, Kristin led the crowd in song.

The liquor was flowing, so I assumed the money into his campaign was as well.

When dinner and dessert were finished, the sun had set, and people moved to the dance floor. Evangeline was off in deep conversation with some of her friends, and I sat at an empty table, surveying the crowd.

It was an upbeat song, but Marist and Royce were out on the floor, swaying slowly, completely oblivious to the fast-moving dancers around them. For the first time, I saw my son and his green-haired wife as they were meant to be—two people in love, who didn’t care what anyone else thought. It almost made me smile, but my muscles were taxed from overuse.

Sophia was out there too, snapping selfies and pictures with her friends, and it was impossible not to follow her with my gaze, which I’d done most of the night. Some guy—probably from Damon’s staff—had been annoyingly hovering around her all evening like an eager puppy, and his lack of subtly made me groan.

This boy had no skill or finesse. Couldn’t he see she was so far out of his league that he was embarrassing himself? I wanted to pull him aside and inform him to stop leering at her.

She’d worn that gorgeous dress for me.

The fast song ended, and the next one was slow, the female singer crooning about love and longing. My pulse increased as the boy leaned much too close to whisper in her ear, and she reluctantly nodded. My breathing went shallow as they strolled out onto the hardwood tiles and he set his hands on her narrow waist.

No.

The word was wrapped in barbed wire as it tumbled through my brain. I’d lived silently with jealousy for so long, it didn’t make sense why I wasn’t any better at dealing with it. Every slow circle they turned as they danced together, his hands inched downward, and my blood pressure climbed toward the sky.

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