Crazy to Believe

Crazy to Believe All's Crazy in Love (Book One) Madison Michael Copyright ©2023 by Madison Michael All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without prior permission from the publisher/author, except in the case of brief quotations embordied in reviews, or as permitted by U.S. copyright law. All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation to anyone bearing the same name or names. Any resemblance to individuals known or unknown to the author is purely coincidental. BISAC: Contemporary Romance, Billionaire Romance, Women’s Fiction ISBN: Cover design by www.AuthorsWriteHand.com Contents . Chapter . Chapter 1. Chapter One 2. Chapter Two 3. Chapter Three 4. Chapter Four 5. Chapter Five 6. Chapter Six 7. Chapter Seven 8. Chapter Eight 9. Chapter Nine 10. Chapter Ten 11. Chapter Eleven 12. Chapter Twelve 13. Chapter Thirteen 14. Chapter Fourteen 15. Chapter Fifteen 16. Chapter Sixteen 17. Chapter Seventeen 18. Chapter Eighteen 19. Chapter Nineteen 20. Chapter Twenty 21. Chapter Twenty-One 22. Chapter Twenty-Two 23. Chapter Twenty-Three 24. Chapter Twenty-Four 25. Chapter Twenty-Five 26. Chapter Twenty-Six 27. Chapter Twenty-Seven 28. Chapter Twenty-Eight 29. Chapter Twenty-Nine 30. Chapter Thirty The Crazy Eights Journey Continues... Books by Madison Michael Introducing the All's Crazy in Love Series The Beguiling Bachelors Romance Series About Madison Michael Dedicated to the remarkable women who inspired the characters in this novel and to all the remarkable women who have touched my life. "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16 Chapter One It was the onesie with the pink unicorn that ultimately did her in. Outwardly, Sofia remained stoic as the baby shower guests passed blankets, tiny sweaters, overalls and even the nipple cream and hemorrhoid pillow, for Pete’s sake. But when that sweet little unicorn onesie made its way around the group and into her hands, something snapped. All her mental pep talks flying right out the window, Sofia rushed to escape the crowded suburban living room. The sobs were seconds away and—damn—she would not lose it in front of her in-laws with their faces full of pity, just waiting for her to crumble. Mumbling an unintelligible excuse to the surrounding partygoers, Sofia maneuvered her high-heeled sandals through wrapping paper and diaper bags, struggling to hold it together. She headed for the powder room as fast as her legs could carry her without making an outright run for it. Straightening her spine, she held her head high and forced herself to slow her pace, all too aware that fourteen sets of eyes were boring into her back.The minute she was out of sight, Sofia raced down the hall, grateful for the thick carpeting muffling her steps. Tears were already trickling down her cheeks when she reached her refuge. Turning the doorknob, Sofia was horrified to find it locked. She wiggled the handle desperately, knowing it would do no good but unable to stop herself. Shit, now what?The tears were about to become torrents. Defeated, Sofia was sliding down the door into a crumpled heap when a lilting voice stopped her mid-slide. “Be right out,” the voice promised. Damn! It was Randi, Nico’s sister, mother of three, always chipper. Sofia couldn’t face her. She needed a hideaway, and she needed it now. She bolted for the kitchen and yanked the swinging door shut behind her. Sofia slid to the floor beneath the harsh fluorescents, her back against the center island strewn with the luncheon leftovers and her feet stretched straight in front of her. Alone, she allowed the tears to flow at last. Sticking a fist in her mouth to stifle her sobs, Sofia blindly reached up and behind her, fingers tapping the counter in search of a stray dishcloth or napkin, anything to mop up the mess of runny mascara, runny nose, and tears. Before she could connect with anything suitable, she was jolted from her pity-party by an arm jangling with bracelets and holding a badly needed box of tissues.“If you insist on accepting these invitations, you really must wear waterproof mascara,” Gabriella stated bluntly, shoving a tissue under her best friend’s nose. Sofia eyed Gabriella from the length of her lace-clad arm to her bejeweled neck and finally to her lovely face. Her expression was full of compassion. “Why do you keep putting yourself through this?” Gabriella asked, her tone mixed with criticism and pity. Gesturing toward Sofia’s tear-stained face, she shoved the tissue box closer and lowered her voice to a sympathetic murmur. “This always happens.”“I usually avoid baby showers, new moms, babies, and…Oh, Gabriella, how could I say no? She’s Nico’s first cousin. We grew up together like sisters.” Sofia inhaled slowly to regain control and swiped Kleenex under her lashes until Gabriella nodded approval. Blowing her nose in a most unladylike manner, she moaned, “Everyone from my family was coming. You flew in from North Carolina. I needed to come.” Tissues muffled Sofia’s words.Gabriella deciphered enough to release a frustrated sigh that sounded remarkably similar to a horse’s whinny. “Who cares? Kira would have understood, and the rest of them are a bunch of old biddies and you know it.” Sofia responded with a watery smile punctuated by a sniffle. As usual, Gabriella was right. The close-knit Russian ex-pat community was full of harpies and gossips, always ferreting out the next juicy tidbit. It was bad enough when you weren’t the target, but Sofia couldn’t escape their focus today. She winced, thinking of what they must be saying after watching her dash out like a scared rabbit. Gabriella snapped her fingers in Sofia’s face to regain her attention. “Don’t worry about them, Sofie. Just do what you need to do. You are getting too painful to watch and I can imagine what it’s like to live it.”“Awful,” Sofia confessed with a soggy sniff. “It’s awful. And it’s inescapable. Moms, babies, pregnant women. They’re