Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 145123 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145123 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 726(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“Thank you, sir. As someone who’s grown in the industry admiring the way you work, it’s truly an honor to have your recognition.”
Jonah’s smile is playful, and I swear it takes a whole ten years off his handsome but hardened face. “You don’t need my recognition, Dawson. You’ve got the recognition of readers worldwide. Congratulations,” he finishes, turning to me and flashing a smile. “To both of you.”
I thought at first that Chase’s and my relationship might be a problem at Longstrand, and to be honest, Chase and I went back and forth for an entire contentious week about whether we should keep it a secret. He was adamant that Jonah Perish was a man of sound mind and rationale, and that a relationship between the two of us wouldn’t be a problem as long as it didn’t affect the work.
I, however, as a watcher of many an episode of All My Children, feared there would be a clandestine scheme to break us up, involving one or many of the following: poison, a train accident, hit men, several days caught out in the cold of a snowstorm without shelter, and an evil twin of his or mine.
Chase, obviously, won. And surprise of all surprises, the world didn’t end. Jonah didn’t fire Chase or cancel my book, and well, here we are…at the top of the heap emotionally and professionally.
Still, the air lightens immediately when Jonah finally steps away to go rub elbows with some of the other important people, and Chase takes a deep breath only someone standing as close as I am would know he was holding. I smile and draw him into a hug, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to pull him close.
“Now that, my love, that was an attaboy!”
Chase laughs and picks me up off my feet, only to have me wrestled out of his arms by a woman three-quarters his size.
Sammy screech-yells and pulls me into a hug so hard that we tumble to the carpeted floor of the ballroom without a touch of grace. Thankfully uninjured, we both laugh ourselves stupid as I untangle my dress from hers and climb to my feet with the help of my man.
Once I’m settled, he reaches down to help my sister up too, and the two of us fall into a hug all over again, this time much more controlled.
“Oh, Brookie! I’m sorry I’m late. The restaurant was absolutely crazy tonight!” She looks over my head as though she’s talking to Chase. “Mo and Vinny will be here soon, I swear, but it was really hard to leave.”
I pull away and wave her off with a smile. “It’s fine! We’ve got all night, right?”
Sammy’s success here in New York has been a sight to behold. She officially took over my old apartment when I moved in with Chase, and she and the boys have been flourishing ever since. In fact, she proved so valuable at La Croissette that Mo and Vinny promoted her to the general manager position. I swear, sometimes when I look into the pretty aqua-green of her eyes, I don’t see any evidence of her ex Todd Brown’s assholery at all.
I just see my happy, confident, thriving sister living the life that she deserves.
Well, besides the whole “I really think she and Noah would be a good match” thing. Everything else is set. Just that one tiny thing we still need to achieve.
I look from Sammy to Chase when both of them are suspiciously quiet, but just as I’m about to ask them about it, Chase lunges in to kiss me.
“Whoa—” I start to say in surprise, but his lips cut me off.
And it’s a good kiss—a great kiss, even—so every thought in my head escapes in a blink, confusion forgotten and replaced by the sweet feel of Chase’s tongue against mine.
When he finally pulls away, I feel like the human version of the heart-eyes emoji. Just a giant head with two big red hearts for my eyes.
“Wowee, Mr. Dawson, sir. Now that was a kiss. I have no idea what it was for, but I don’t care. Kiss me like that for the rest of my life, and I’ll be a happy girl.” I spin in a circle of pure happiness; I can’t help it, and Sammy and Chase both laugh at my performative gestures.
But it’s moments like this, standing here with two of my favorite people in the whole wide world, that make me feel so damn thankful for how everything has turned out.
Chase and I are both on top of the world at work, we’re happy in our relationship together, and Sammy is so settled in her new life in New York that I don’t think she’ll ever get knocked off her feet again—except when we hug, maybe.
I’m one happy girl. The happiest, really. Ninety percent of the time, I can’t believe this is my life.