Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
He had carried my bags to the SUV, setting them in the back seat, then turned back to me.
“Thank you, Little Dragon.”
I nodded, my throat suddenly thick. I swallowed. “Have a good week, Hunter.”
He laughed low and slid his hand around the nape of my neck, yanking me to his mouth. “I will now.” He held open the door, waiting until I climbed in.
“Try to have a good week, Ava. Tell them all to back off if it gets too much.”
I managed a smile, wondering why it was so hard to leave him.
“I’ll see you around,” I managed to say.
He tilted his head, studying me, then winked.
“You can count on it.”
Then he disappeared into the house, Cash following him.
For some unknown reason, tears coursed down my cheeks on the short drive. Wiping them away, I shook my head at my behavior. I was being silly. It had been a great, unexpected weekend. It was exactly what I had needed, and we had agreed on the rules. It was only supposed to be one time. That became one night, which stretched into two.
Still, a small part of me wished it didn’t have to end.
I tamped down that silly voice. That wasn’t how life worked. At least not for me.
* * *
I carried my plate to the sofa, setting my coffee on the table in front of me. The room buzzed with voices, lots of various conversations happening around me. Once a month, we had a group brunch—it was casual, whoever wanted to come could. Usually, the same people joined us, but today, there were more than normal, and the place was full.
Watching everyone settle into their groups, I felt a strange pang. Everyone seemed to be a couple today. Liam and Paige. Ronan and Beth. Paul and Diane, Jeremy and Kim. Brayden and Addi. Gracie and Jaxson. Theo was laughing on the sofa with Anne. Reid and Becca’s daughters, Lily and Melissa, had their boyfriends with them, and they were in the first stage of love, sitting close together, gazing at each other with adoration. Both Michael and Timothy seemed like nice guys, and I was happy for them. Even quiet Shelby had her boyfriend with her. Simon Kent owned one of the small art galleries in Toronto. He had been in love with her for ages, but she never noticed—until the day she did. Since then, they’d been inseparable, and I had a feeling another wedding would happen soon. The way he looked at her, hovered close, and paid attention to her made my chest ache at times, even though I was thrilled for her. He got along well with everyone—especially his prospective father-in-law, Maddox. They were both businessmen with a head for numbers and a shared love of Shelby. She looked happy and more at ease than ever.
I heard Heather’s loud laughter and Reed joining in before the only other single person flounced over and sat beside me on the sofa. I grinned at Sammy Morrison, Reed’s sister.
“Is he being a brat again?”
She flipped him off, settling herself and taking a bite of toast. “Being his usual self, yes. Such a pain in my ass,” she grumbled. Then she winked. I knew how much the two of them adored each other. They were incredibly close but loved teasing and sparring. Much like my siblings.
“Where’s Mila?” I asked.
“Deep into edits. She’s up against a deadline.”
“When does the book come out?”
Sammy pursed her lips. “November. There is already talk about it. Her publisher is very excited.”
Mila was Van’s youngest daughter and had always loved writing. She used to make up stories and tell them to us, reading as she said from the “pages in her head.” She was quiet and shy until she began to talk about her work. She had written several novels and had been picked up by a publisher, who purchased her series in a rare, lucrative deal. She was excited and nervous and working very hard to learn the ropes of the industry.
“Me too. I can’t wait to read it. How are things with you?”
“Busy.”
“Done any cool projects lately?”
“I converted a loft. It was stuck in the seventies. It’ll be featured on the show in a few months.”
Sammy worked independently. She was incredible. She could build anything, design, renovate, fix, and change spaces so you didn’t recognize them. She’d inherited her design talent from her mom, Liv, and her dad, Van, had taught her everything when it came to construction. He was incredibly proud of her.
On occasion, she did work for us, but she preferred the freedom of choosing her projects. She was featured on one of the renovation channels on occasion—again, choosing which ones she took on. Her work took her all over the country, and it was rare to see her at one of the brunches.