Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)
“Huh. Interesting. So you’ll get to travel.”
I grin. “Yes. I think I’ll be traveling most of next year. It would be an incredible opportunity to build my portfolio and my social media following.”
“Sounds…” he studies me while pressing his lips together for a few beats “…perfect. You deserve all the best life has to offer. Suzanne thought so, and I do too.” He lifts a single shoulder. “It’s why I married you.”
My gaze drops to focus on rewrapping his gifts. I know that’s why he married me, even if my heart thrives on foolish dreams. It might be too early to tell him that Suzie wanted me to love him. And I think she wanted him to love me too. Can I fall in love with my husband and chase my dreams? Or are they mutually exclusive? “It would be … a great opportunity. But I don’t have the job yet. Still, I’m really optimistic. And I’d be out of your hair. That’s good. Right?”
“When is your first trip?” He slides his hands into his pockets.
“Again, I don’t have the job yet. But she’s going to Hawaii in January.” I can’t hide my grin.
A sincere smile touches his lips the way it touches every inch of my skin. “I take it you’ve never been.”
“Hawaii?” I laugh. “No. I’ve never been. You?” Before he can answer, I roll my eyes. “Duh. Of course you’ve been. There are probably very few places you haven’t been.”
He nods.
A slow smile slides up my face, and it feels so good. I don’t need his approval to travel and experience my next chapter in life, but I want it. I want him to be happy for me. I want to know that he’s going to be okay. “I’ll spend Christmas with you.”
He grunts, but it doesn’t stop his face from relaxing into something resembling satisfaction.
“Besides…” I hold up a perfectly wrapped present “…I need to be there to take credit for these masterpieces.”
“You think they’re going to be more impressed with the wrapping than the gifts inside?”
“Yes. I overheard you last month talking to your mom. You guys exchanged gift lists. You might not know the exact item you’re getting, but you know it’s something on the list you shared. So the surprise will be lukewarm at best. But the wrapping…” I waggle my eyebrows “…is perfection.”
“Oh, Em …” He smirks before turning and disappearing down the hallway. “I’m not that predictable.”
Em …
He’s never called me Em. Everyone calls me Em, except him. Until now. How did he make something ordinary and common feel extraordinary? How do two letters and a sound so similar to a tiny hum make that beating thing behind my chest skip and flutter?
Butterflies …
I could … just maybe … be on the verge of a new adventure starting in Hawaii—taking a risk and diving into the life I’ve always dreamed of having. But … I also want this job because I need to run from these feelings. These feelings that I have for my husband.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Christmas
Zach
“I’m nervous,” Emersyn says as we pull into my parents’ circle drive nested in a neighborhood of older homes with spacious lots.
“Don’t be.”
“They live in a mansion.”
I chuckle, killing the engine to my Mercedes sedan. “It’s not a mansion, but it has been in our family for three generations.”
Emersyn opens her door and makes a sloth’s exit. Her jaw drags on the ground as she gawks at the white two-story with six garland-wrapped pillars framing the entry. An enormous chandelier hangs a few feet from the black-painted door adorned with a lush pine and winterberry wreath.
It’s all just home to me. What must she be thinking after living out of her car? I’m so glad she’s here. Suzanne would be too. But now, I think I’m glad for myself more than Suzanne.
Emersyn is no longer Suzanne’s friend; she’s my friend. And my wife. She’s not a charity case. She’s more. That definition of more still needs time to work itself out in my head.
“Are you going to help me carry the presents? Or are you too busy tinkling in your pants and chattering your teeth?” I ask Emersyn.
She shoots me her best scowl before loading her arms with presents.
“Breathe, Emersyn. You know them and they know you.”
“As the maid. Maids don’t attend the family Christmases of their clients.” She follows me to the front door.
“You’re my roommate. We’re friends. That’s what they think of you. I promise you won’t have to do the dishes or any manual labor today.”
“I’m going to do my part. That’s just good manners.”
I balance a pile of gifts on my lifted knee and give her a quick glance before opening the door. “Your part is being my guest. No dishes for you tonight.”
“Merry Christmas!” My parents greet us in the foyer along with my brother.