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There are no shortage of men looking for a bride, but very few that are looking for a partner.
“I like Artie, I really do, and now I like him even more knowing that he’s ended up so normal coming from a family of spoiled socialites who pay off their problems instead of, oh I don’t know, having a normal conversation about them? Truly, what the hell were you thinking?”
As if her face isn’t already perfect, she needed to have a dimple. Sure.
“Luckily for me, I ran into someone who I have under good authority carries a number of large bills on her person at any given time.”
Vanessa is hot, like stupid hot. She is hotter than me, I am aware. I would probably have to be an Avenger, or a fucking vampire to be as hot as she is.
Hot, and charming. Deadly combination.
I don’t need kids to think I’m cool, I need them to trust me and know that I’m trying to help them learn and that I’m a safe person they can talk to if they need to. They don’t need to be embarrassed around me because I do my best to be as embarrassing as possible around them.
We let the hitmen live, and they all looked at my little sister with a terrified sort of respect. She’s small, but fierce,
“Did you kiss?” she asks once she’s about three miles into her treadmill run. “I almost got him killed.” “But did you kiss, Vanessa?”
“And then she. . . spit on him?” Jenna says.
Meme material
Really, he called me ‘Cousin’ yesterday.
😂😂😂😂
but how could she over the 2000s divorced dad rock
ENOUGH 💀💀💀💀💀
Despite how much I’ve had to do today, it’s somehow still Tuesday.
I’m not one of the hardened people who never lets themself cry; that would be emotionally inefficient. Instead, I allow myself a small amount of stress crying at least twice per month, and that helps keep me level-headed.
it’s my favorite green mug,
Mary is ever the definition of the corny “don’t talk to me ‘til I’ve had my coffee” shirts, though she’ll bite your head off if you say as much.
Realest
“There’s never enough time for matters of the heart.”
When I look out the kitchen window to the backyard, Nate is standing on the grass with his eyes closed and head tilted back, like he’s getting in his morning photosynthesis.
If I had it my way, I’d put her in charge of something else. Maybe we’d expand more into casinos or something. But no, she wants to punch people. One way to get her wiggles out, I guess.
“Good work today,” I say. “Tomorrow, we do 6 AM.” “You’re kidding,” he groans and looks to Leo for sympathy. “She’s kidding, right? Do you hate yourselves?”
“Ultimately, we’re all family,” Vanessa says. “And family takes care of family.” This is very Fast & Furious of her, but I don’t mention it.
Vanessa says she wouldn’t entirely mind a stupid guy so long as I think he could be useful and loyal to her in the long run. He can be stupid but not corruptible, violent but only when he needs to be, a good fighter but not someone that will want to fight her. Arguing is okay, but ultimately his pride cannot be so large that he would undermine her decisions. An underlying tenderness would be appreciated.
I’ve also considered DNA tests, because now she wants to know if they have good genetics—if their kid would be a fighter.
Personally, I love screen time. I get it. This is why I am meant to be an aunt and not a mother.
“I do have good sisters,” I agree. “Well, one good sister,” Nate murmurs. “Mary might scare the baby.”
I can handle any number of things on my own, but I didn’t realize how nice it is, sometimes, to have someone whose job is to handle things with you.
A meal this good should never be wasted on bad company.
I’m moisturized, teeth flossed, in my pajamas and almost ready to drift into the only place where nobody bothers me when my phone shrills.
“You said no training on event days,”
“I never said that.”
“She would never say that,” Mary agrees.
“Can I have some coffee first?” I ask. “No,” all three sisters say. I feel a twitch in my right eye,
Sometimes adversary wears the mask of a friend.”
“You’re the most beautiful person I have ever seen,” I say. “It’s barely human how much I want you.”
I am like a malfunctioning machine, unable to think of anything other than Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa,
I’ve never done drugs, but I think this is what it might feel like.
“Could you shoot a person? If worse came to worse, could you hold that up to someone and pull the trigger?” My mouth is dry at the very idea, it makes my stomach roll over to imagine. “I don’t know.” “You have to know,” Mary says. “You have to decide what you can live with to protect the people you care about.”
For once, I have no discipline. Unacceptable.
I’ve done so many of these interviews that I’ve forgotten what it feels like to have faith in a man.
“You’re being weird,” I said as he helped load the dishwasher. “You’re weird,” he said back, like we are in the third grade.
“I do, I do. I love you. Please,” I whisper, but I don’t even know what I’m begging for. “Please.”
“I want to be the one. I love you,”
“Let me be the one. Please, please.”
He’s the first person I’ve ever killed.
There is a time to do bad things. When the people you love are in danger, lines become blurred between good and bad—and I would do a great number of things to keep Vanessa safe.
