Cruel Paradise (Beautifully Cruel, #2)

by J.T. Geissinger

“No. I can’t have word getting out that the head of the Irish mafia had two thousand diapers snatched from under his nose. My reputation would be shot.” Declan nods solemnly. “Next thing you know, old ladies will be holding up your convenience stores for Bingo money, and the Girl Scouts will challenge you to a turf war.”

For a girl like me, attention can be dangerous. It can be deadly.

I bet he can’t remember the last time someone disrespected him. Especially a girl. Score one for womankind.

“That is correct, Sister Neurosis of the Immaculate Order of High Anxiety.”

“Life is short. You don’t get a do-over. Kiss who you need to kiss, love who you need to love, tell anyone who disrespects you to go fuck themselves. Let your heart lead you where it wants to. Don’t ever make a decision based on fear. In fact, if it scares you, that’s the thing you should run fastest toward, because that’s where real life is. In the scary parts. In the messy parts. In the parts that aren’t so pretty. Dive in and take a swim in all the pain and beauty that life has to offer, so that at the end of it, you don’t have any regrets. “We only come this way once. Our obligation for receiving the miraculous gift of life is to truly, fully live it.”