The Dangerous Ones has hit one million reads!!!!! I can't believe I'm writing this in all honesty! This is because of you guys,  ALL my readers, the chatty ones, the silent ones, the wild ones (hehehe). To celebrate, I wrote this bonus chapter🥳🥰🥳🥰

A few of you have asked about Mark's and Virginia's wedding and why it wasn't included in the sequel. The real reason was I didn't know if I could write a wedding scene without having it drag on, but then I got the idea to do it from Janine's POV. I hope you like it. It is long, I will warn you. ENJOY! AND THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!👰🏻❤️🤵🏻

Janine watched the hair lady push the comb in above the top twist at the back of her mother's head. Branches of crystal beads spread out from there, floating above the curly waves that hung down her mother's back.

The woman looked over at her. "Your turn, sweetie," she said, smiling as she held up a similar comb. Instead of crystals, it had little white flowers with pearl centers. Janine had helped picked them out. She and her mom had gotten the same hairstyle, a partial upthingy the hair lady had called it, and so she turned and felt the teeth dig in at the exact same spot.

"You two look beautiful," Barbara Sullivan, her grandmother, said softly.

Janine grabbed both sides of her skirt that went all the way to the floor and spread it wide. She could bring her arms straight out like a T and still have room to spare in all the folds. "I feel like a princess."

Her mother turned away from the standing mirror to smile down at her. The wedding dress she wore was kind of the same, just touching the floor, only the skirt part was straight, not as poofy. "Flower girls are princesses." She smiled, and in Janine's mind, her mother had never looked so happy. Even before they had put on the makeup, her face had been bright and joyful.

Her mom turned her attention to her own mom. Brushing a hand over the baby in her tummy, she said, "Should I have waited until after the birth?"

Grandma laughed. "I don't think you could have made that man wait a minute longer." There was a hug, and whispered words were passed between the two of them. Janine had no idea what was being said, but her grandmother had tears in her eyes when she stepped back.

Janine frowned, wondering if it was something about her father, angry that he had suddenly popped into her head. Whatever he'd done, he had hurt her mother badly, and she didn't want to think about him.

Ever again.

Especially not today.

So instead, she pictured Mark and the look on his face the day he had picked her up at the Kellys' house to bring her home. He had asked to speak to her alone. She remembered thinking she had done something wrong, but that quickly changed when he sat her down and asked if it would be okay if he married her mom. Janine had thrown herself into his arms, and her friend had held her for a long, long time until she finally whispered a "yes, please" into the shoulder of his shirt. He'd gone on to explain that she was having a little brother or sister, but that was no surprise. Janine had already figured that one out. She just hadn't told any of them what she knew.

Since then, the three of them had been inseparable, and Janine was counting down the days on her calendar until the baby was due. Only sixty-nine left. She secretly hoped it was a boy, because she'd overheard them talking one night and they were going to name him Simon if it was. She missed Simon soooo much. Maybe it would help if she could tell the baby all about the boy he was named after.

"Do you think the dress is too much?" Janine knew the question wasn't aimed at her, but she glanced over anyway in time to see her mother tugging on the thing like it was itchy or something. "It cost a small fortune. He insisted on the designer. I think it's one his sister knew. Jake somebody or—"

Grandma grabbed the hand that was doing all the fussing. "It's gorgeous. You are going to have to learn to let your husband lavish you with things once in awhile—for his sake if not for yours."

"Well, his lavishing can be a little extreme." When grandma tilted her head, her mother sighed, "Fine, fine, I'll let him spoil me. Sometimes."

"Good."

There was a hard knock at the bedroom door, and through it came Uncle Paul's voice calling, "The limo is here."

Which meant . . . "Louis!" Janine darted past her mother and grandmother, hearing their laughter and one of them call out "careful" before she yanked open the door and ran down the hallway. Her uncle seconded the "careful" as she flew by, but she was too busy searching to answer him. Her grandpa's voice by the front entrance drew her in that direction.

And there he was.

Louis spun around as she made the corner and his eyes went really big. "There's my best girl," he said, spreading his arms wide. "Don't you look pretty."

She ran over, and Louis swept her up before turning to the woman behind him.

"Janine, I want you to meet my other best girl. Rosie, this is Janine."

"Hello, Janine," Rosie said, her voice soft. "Louis has told me all about you."

"Are you Louis's wife?"

"Yes, I am." The woman had a huge smile, but she seemed a little heartbroken when her eyes drifted back to her husband's face.

Louis must have sensed it too because he shifted his grip to one arm so he could slide the other across Rosie's shoulders and pull her closer. "How's your mommy? Panicking?"

Janine shook her head. "No, she's ready."

"Imagine that," Louis laughed. "A woman ready on time."

"Hey." Rosie smacked him in the chest, making Janine giggle.

Suddenly, everyone's attention went to the living room, and Janine glanced over her shoulder. Her mother was standing there, the wedding dress shimmering in the light from the front window.

Janine shrugged. "See? Ready."

Louis looked a little stunned as he lowered her back down to the floor. "You were right." Then he straightened and said, "What a beautiful bride. I can't wait to see the boss's face."

Everyone else said something similar. Except for Grandpa. He didn't utter a word as he walked over and kissed her mother's forehead. It was hard to tell, but Janine thought he might have been crying.

Once at Mark's house, they all had to wait inside the limo until the coast was clear. The police were there, her mother's coworkers, directing traffic and telling people where to park. The wedding guests were already showing up, and as soon as one was led away to the garden in the back, another would arrive. Her mom tried to make a game out of, but Janine could tell she was getting a little nervous.

It wasn't until Captain Beal went down to the gate and stopped traffic that they had a chance to sneak in. The two of them rushed to Mark's bedroom. Everyone else set off to make sure things were running smoothly, or snoopervise as her grandmother had called it. It was quiet, except for the sound of Lily directing the food people in and out of the kitchen.

Her mother started to pace. Luckily, Janine had brought her sketch book along, so she set herself up on the table in the corner.

"Do you want me to draw you, mommy?"

Her mother stilled and turned her head. "That would be lovely. Where do you want me? Here okay?" Standing by the bed, she stared out over the long driveway. With a little laugh, she pointed out the window. "You know, I first met Mark right there."

That explained the sudden dreamy eyes.

"I know, but tell me again. I love that story."

As Janine worked on her sketch, her mother did just that, looking much more relaxed, her voice soft and whispery as she described her first encounter with the man she was about to marry. As the tale went on, Janine added some of the things from that night to her picture. She was almost done when a quiet click click click drew her head up.

There was a woman in red standing just outside the bedroom, her gown long and flowing, including the scarf that fell from her neck and trailed behind her like two stretched out reins. Everything else about her was matching too—the purse, the lipstick, the long painted nails tapping on the wood. She looked familiar. And perfect.

Evil queen perfect.

"A Donovan," the woman called out.

Her mother spun around. "Julia," she breathed, sounding surprised. "You're here."

"I flew in yesterday. May I come in?"

"Of course."

Their guest seemed to float across the room. "I love how Jake takes the Grecian goddess thing and brings it into this century. You look beautiful."

Her mother blinked a few times before replying with, "Thank you." She pointed to all the red. "You do too."

It went real quiet for a moment, and Janine looked from one to the other. Who was this person? Curiosity got the best of her, and she stood up, catching the woman's attention.

"Oh, sorry," her mother said, "you haven't met my daughter, Janine." With a beckoning wave, she added, "Come meet Julia, Mark's sister."

Oh, Janine thought as she made her way over. That's why she looks familiar.

The hand that reached out and touched her face carried about a million rings.

"You're Simon's mother," Janine blurted, looking up at her, feeling bad when she saw the woman flinch. Wanting to make up for it, she told her the good news. "We are going to name the baby Simon."

"Janine!"

Her mother's yell made her jump. Embarrassed to be reprimanded in front of a stranger, she wanted to run out, but a hand came down on her shoulder, locking her in place.

Julia didn't seem to notice—she was far too focused on her mother's belly. "It's a boy?" she asked, her voice low and soggy.

"No, ah . . . actually, we don't know . . . I'm so sorry. Janine is young"–her mother's grip loosened–"and too clever for her own good sometimes." She took a deep breath. "She's right, though. It will be Simon or Simone. I hope that's okay. We would have asked your permission first, of course."

When Julia said nothing, her mother stepped closer to her. "I haven't seen you in a long time, not since . . ." Her focus went to the ground and stayed there. "I'm sorry . . . for everything."

"Me too." Julia said, bringing her mother's head up. "I knew the life Mark was leading. I should have kept Simon far away from it all and been there for my son, been a real parent." Her chin trembled and her eyes went all shiny. "I do love that you would honor him that way."

Sighing, Julia fanned her face a few times with her hand. "Happy thoughts. For the sake of the makeup." She smiled, but it was the saddest smile Janine had ever seen. "You and my brother will do it right. He's a lucky man."

"I'm the lucky one."

There was more silence and some unspoken message seemed to pass between the two adults. "Well,"—Julia pushed her shoulders back—"I'd better get back out there. Adam is waiting for me."

Her mother smiled a little. "Oh?"

"Yeah, he's a nice guy. Not my norm, but I'm trying to have better judgement." Julia wiggled her eyebrows. "Who knows, maybe he'll be getting lucky later too," she said, making her mother laugh.

Janine didn't quite get what was so funny, but as Julia turned to leave, she realized there was something she needed to do. "Wait!" she called to her. "Can I go see Mark? I want to ask him something before the wedding."

"Oh . . . sure, I . . ." Julia looked to her mother.

Janine did the same. "Please, mommy," she begged, pressing her palms together under her chin. "I really need to talk to him."

"That's fine." Her mother wagged a finger. "But come right back."

Janine grabbed Julia by the hand and started pulling her out the door.

"Okay, I'm coming," Julia muttered. "Just remember, no talking about the dress. At all."

Janine nodded.

"Not even about how much yours looks like the bride's."

"I know, I know."

Suddenly, Julia came to a standstill. "My, you are in a rush."

Frustrated, Janine tugged on her arm, impatient to find Mark now that she had made her decision. She really didn't want to explain, but Julia seemed to get that.

"Hang on," she said, lifting the dress and stepping out of her shoes. "These things are killers." Grabbing them up to her chest, she gave Janine a little smile, latched onto her hand again, and started a slow jog with her toward the stairs.

The big man named Adam came walking out of the kitchen, dressed all in black and white and holding a napkin up to his chin with one hand while shoving food into his mouth with the other. Spotting them, he dumped what he had on a nearby table, brushed his fingers against each other, and hurried over to join in as they reached the stairs. Halfway up to the second floor, he muttered to Julia, "What are we doing?"

With a little lean, she breathed back, "I'm not sure."

Janine ignored them.

Once at the top, Janine could hear laughter and a number of deep voices coming from down the hall. She froze, losing her nerve. "I was thinking he'd be alone, like mommy," she whispered, more to herself than the woman beside her.

Her soon-to-be-aunt leaned down and studied her face. "You must have something really important to say."

"It is . . . but . . . I—"

"I'll tell you something about men, little one. If you've got something to say, you march in there and demand their attention."

"I got yer back." Adam balled one hand into a fist and slammed it into his palm. "I'll make sure they listen to ya."

Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, Janine squished her lips together and nodded.

Her steps began to slow as they neared what she knew to be the upstairs living room. Julia reached a hand out to Janine's shoulder, keeping it there until they passed through the doorway.

Mark stood near the far wall with his back to her, laughing at something Louis was saying. There were so many of them spread about—Steve with the hair, Ben who did magic tricks, Bruce who liked to call her "mini V," and of course, her grandfather, Uncle Paul, and Louis. They were all dressed the same. Like penguins.

Really big penguins.

"Mark," she called out, but it was like ringing a bicycle bell in traffic.

She tried again. "Mark!"

Still nothing.

"Yo, listen up morons!"

Janine covered her ears as Adam's booming voice rushed forward, filling the space and bouncing off the walls.

The room went dead quiet, all heads swiveling in their direction. Janine lowered her hands, feeling the burn in her cheeks as the attention zeroed in on her.

"That's more like it," Adam scoffed. "The little lady's got something to say."

Mark crossed the room and sank down onto his heels in front of her. "Hey, squirt." He looked so handsome with his big smile and his blue, blue eyes. She couldn't wait to tell her friends he was her new dad.

Which was exactly why she'd come up here.

He captured both her hands and brought them together in his big, warm ones. "You look very pretty."

She shook her head. "I can't talk about the dress."

He nodded with a deep chuckle that seemed to come from his toes. "Wedding rules. I get it."

After that, it went silent, everyone waiting for her to speak. Janine's heart started to pound, but she concentrated on Mark, trying to pretend he was the only one there. Determined to say what she wanted to say, she plucked up her courage and started with, "I was wondering . . ."

He squeezed her hands.

"After the wedding . . . can I call you Daddy?"

Whispers. Lots and lots of whispers, swirling around them like dandelion fluff on a spring day. Mark seemed to lose his balance, and for a moment it looked like he might land on his butt, but he ended up falling forward onto his knees instead. "Janine . . . I . . ."

His eyes grew shiny and he briefly let go of one of her hands to swipe underneath them. Then he sniffed, and she realized there was more sniffing going on behind her too.

"You pack quite a punch there, little lady," Adam muttered.

"Dude, are you crying?" Steve called over.

"Leave him alone," Julia answered. "I think it's adorable."

Why was everyone crying all the time? Grownups sure acted weird at weddings.

"Janine," Mark repeated, moving his hands up to her shoulders. "I would love that. In my mind, I'm already your dad, and I was hoping someday you would see me that way, but I never dreamed . . ." He wiped at his eyes again.

Then he rose, towering above her, and picked her up in his arms, her dress bunching up into a big puff ball. "I think this calls for some champagne," he said to the room, "for I am doubly blessed. By the end of today I will not only have a beautiful wife, but a beautiful daughter too."

With that, he hugged her tight to his chest and whispered, "I'm the luckiest man in the world."

Janine was back downstairs and starting to get a little anxious, but for her mother's sake, she didn't let on. It was almost time. Dominique would escort Janine down the aisle, just as they'd practiced the day before. He was part of the wedding party, the man of honor her mother had called him.

When he entered the room with Grandpa, Janine's eyes went wide. She almost didn't recognize him.

"Dominique." Her mother held out both hands. "We need to get you out of those gym clothes more often. Don't you look nice."

"No comparison to you," he said, moving in close and grabbing hold of what she'd offered. "You look gorgeous . . . and happy." He spread her arms, as if to memorize the moment, before shuffling his feet and reaching into his jacket. "I made this for you. You don't have to wear it, but I wanted you to have it." He held up a blue, braided rope, something similar to the friendship bracelets Janine liked to make, a single pear dangling from its clasp. "I thought . . . if you don't have anything blue."

"Yes, of course, I love it." Her mother held out her wrist to him.

As Dominique fastened it on, he softly spoke, "It's made from the laces of that first set of boxing gloves Jack gave me. Do you remember?"

Her mother made a strangled sound in her throat before her other hand clamped over her mouth. She nodded over and over as tears flooded her eyes.

Uncle Jack, Janine thought, grief stabbing at her heart. He should be here too.

Once the bracelet was on, Dominique stepped back and took a deep breath, his usual grin falling away in a sad slide. "I know he would approve."

"Thank you," her mother choked out, practically throwing herself into Dominique's arms. "Thank you," she repeated, holding him tight.

Dominique cleared his throat as he patted her back. "Hey now. All those tears are going to get me in trouble."

She leaned back and brushed a hand over his shoulder. "And ruin your suit."

"Nah, don't worry about that."

As her mother excused herself to fix her face, as she called it, Dominique turned to Janine.

"And for my date." He pulled a blue braided circle with a flower-shaped knot from his jacket. "I can't forget about you," he said, sliding the ring onto her finger.

"Thank you," she said, feeling a sting start behind her eyes.

There was a knock at the door. "We are ready," the woman in charge of the wedding called into the room.

Dominique kept his gaze on Janine. "Are you ready?"

With her whispered "yes," he straightened and offered her his arm. "Then let's do this thang."

It was a fairyland, the trees dressed up in tiny lights, flowers lining the aisle and the white arch in front of her. Janine held tight to Dominique's arm with one hand and the smaller version of her mother's bouquet with the other as they walked. People smiled, some waved, others dabbed at their eyes. The crying seemed to be contagious.

Janine's goal was right in front of her, wearing the biggest grin she'd ever seen. If she could just make it to Mark without stumbling, the hardest part would be over.

She knew the moment her mother appeared behind her. A gasp echoed out over the audience and Mark's smile evaporated. His eyes never strayed from the bride after that.

Her mother reached the alter seconds after Janine did. As she stood before Mark, he whispered, "You take my breath away."

Her mother reached up and caressed his face.

"Shall we begin?" the minister said.

"Wait!" Mark took the bouquet of white roses from her mother and looked around like he was about to toss it. Then he grabbed Janine's too and shoved both of them into Dominique's chest. They hadn't practiced that part. Her escort blinked a few times, but recovered from the change in plans quickly, bringing the flowers up to his nose with an exaggerated sniff and making the guests laugh.

"There are three of us," Mark said as he pulled Janine over to stand between them. They clasped hands, forming a tight circle. "You can start now."

Janine finally understood what all the tears were about. As she stood looking up at her family, a joy like no other erupted with so much power, she wanted to crumple at their feet. Instead, she held firm, and all the happiness was forced to find another outlet.

She started to cry.

Thanks so much. I hope you enjoyed it!

Dedicated to each and every one of you♥️