Prince Charming Can Wait (Ever After) Read Online Free Page A

brown eyes flickered over her face. "Griffin wanted me to meet you. He's a good guy. Let's give it a chance."
    Emma swallowed, her heart pounding. She glanced over at Clare, who was cuddling baby Rosie. Astrid was laughing with Jason and Griffin. It was a scene of pure domestic bliss, a world that her two best friends lived in, a lifestyle she wasn't a part of, not anymore. Where was she going to escape to? She had nowhere to go. This was her life. She had to find a way to make peace with it and to belong. She managed a smile at Brady, even though her stomach was churning. All she wanted to do was leave, but it was her party. How could she? "Yeah, okay."
    "Okay." Releasing her arm, he leaned against the wall, his body too muscled and appealing for comfort. "Tell me, Emma Larson, what is it that makes you tick?"
    She was surprised by the depth of that question and shifted uncomfortably. "You can't just ask me about the weather?"
    His dark eyes were brooding. "I don't care about the weather."
    The moment he said those words, she knew he wasn't a man she could control. He was a man who would consume whatever woman he was with, stripping her of her defenses and demanding access to every one of her private thoughts and feelings. He was a man who would fight for all of a woman, and never be satisfied with halfway. Once, too long ago, that was the kind of man she burned for.
    Now? He was the kind of man who terrified her.

Chapter Two
    Astrid lived here? The house was incredible, a lakeside retreat nestled at the edge of the woods with a two acre yard, a carriage house, and a view of the mountains on the other side of the lake. And this was his sister's house?
    Harlan pulled his truck up behind a silver Mercedes and four other cars. Scowling, he studied the vast home that Astrid had mentioned in her last email to him, the one where she'd told him that she'd gotten married and had a kid. He'd known this was Jason's house, but logically, he'd never actually comprehended that his sister had landed in a place like this. As he studied it, a slow grin began to dawn on his face, and the most tremendous sense of relief seemed to fill him as he shifted his truck into park.
    This was good. She deserved this. His little sister had finally found someone to take care of her and make sure she was all right. He wanted to fist pump the air for her. You go, Astrid.
    He got out of his truck, grimacing at the pain in his shoulder from his latest mission. He rubbed his jaw as he strode up the walkway, past all the cars lining the circular drive. Five cars. Was she having a party? He slowed his steps as he neared the front door, feeling out of place in this domestic scene.
    It had been almost a year since he'd been back in Birch Crossing. A year since he'd consorted with people who lived normal lives. He glanced at his reflection as he walked past a shiny black SUV, and then grimaced. His face was a grizzled mess. Once he'd been dropped back in the States, he hadn't bothered to even change, let alone shave or shower. He'd just come straight here, still haunted by the image of his father dying alone. He had only forty-eight hours until his next mission, and he needed to see his sister before he went.
    The sound of laughter and music assaulted him as he reached the bottom step. Definitely a party. He vaulted up two steps, ignored the front door, and peered in the window instead. He found his sister right away. She was laughing with Jason Sarantos, the bastard Harlan had punched in the face right before he'd taken off.
    The man was grinning at Astrid as if she were the very reason he took a breath every morning, and Astrid was looking at him the same way. A young boy was in Jason's arms, chatting animatedly to Astrid. In her arms was a small baby. Rosie? Wasn't that what she'd said? Named after their mother. The scene was pure domestic bliss, which was something that he'd never associated with anyone he was related to. The furniture was perfect, and the