Malibu Rising

“I thought, That girl doesn’t belong with Jay.”

“Did you think I belonged with you?”

Hud shook his head. “No, you’re far too good for me.”

“Well, at least you recognize it.”

What was so hard about dedicating yourself to a woman? It felt so natural to him.

because husbands can’t be stolen. Carrie Soto wasn’t a thief; Brandon Randall was a traitor.

Mick was in an impeccable black suit, leaning over and winking at a young woman in the front row, at the very moment that his first son, three hundred miles away, cried at the shock of the world

She had not quite figured out how best to handle the sense of ownership that people felt over her. She wondered how her father had tolerated it. But she also knew they didn’t touch him the way they touched her

She had not quite figured out how best to handle the sense of ownership that people felt over her. She wondered how her father had tolerated it. But she also knew they didn’t touch him the way they touched her

If June didn’t want her mother’s life, then she couldn’t take her mother’s advice. Plain and simple

Twenty-five but she felt forty. Married but she was alone. Childless and yet, hadn’t she raised children

Mick didn’t want to go through the world alone. He had one of those hearts that stick to things. And he wanted to stick to her. She seemed like such a good one to stick to

Mick wanted a woman with an entirely tender heart, not an edge in sight. A woman who could never yell, never raise her hand. Who would radiate warmth and love. Who would believe in him and encourage his career.

He was starting to think June could be that woman. And so, in a way, you could say that this is when Mick fell in love with June, if falling in love is a choice. He chose her.

But for June it wasn’t a choice at all. For June it was a free fall.

And after Mick took her face in his hands and kissed her that night on the beach, June Costas was a goner