Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Maja managed a little smile. "I'm done thinking about killing him. You don't have to worry anymore."

Annie looked at her, uncertain. Maja nodded, trying to reassure her. "I'm serious. I'm letting it all go-whatever grudges we had, they end here."

She couldn't keep holding on. Even the stubborn resentment she'd carried for so long had finally worn out.

Seeing how pale and empty Maja looked, Annie's heart clenched. She remembered too many cases where people ended their own lives because something inside them just snapped. "Maja, please... don't scare me. Whether it was Emmery or Dean, all they ever wanted was for you to live well. You can't—"

Maja reached out and flicked Annie's forehead gently. "I'm not going to do anything stupid."

"Promise?" Annie's voice was small, younger than her years. For a moment, she was a little girl again, running to her sister after being bullied, whispering her fears.

Maja shook her head, a tired smile flickering on her lips. "Go to sleep. You're pregnant-you need rest. Once Dean's better, I'll take him back to Bash, then I'll come home and stay with you and Mom and Dad. Spending the rest of my life like that sounds pretty good, actually."

Annie lay down, but she couldn't relax enough to sleep.

turned and tried to change the subject to something lighter.

shook her head. "Conner has, though. He's gotten all superstitious- wanted to hire a fortune-teller

herself mentioning Conner again and clamped her mouth shut. "Pregnancy dreams are supposed to be pretty magical, though. People say

Conner once dreamed about

to become dads sometimes dream about jewels, which means they're having a girl. After that, he got obsessed

had just rolled her eyes, half-laughing, half-exasperated, and pulled

Maja had seen for herself-her

year, too. The plan was to have one now, and maybe another when the first started preschool. We were so young once. There was this one time I got pregnant by accident, but we were both still in school, way too young. We didn't keep it. Now, I look back, and I wish things had been different." Her voice was steady, as if she were

happen?" Annie was surprised;

still in eighth

ourselves. He covered for me, told everyone we were traveling, so

body. Either you're careful