Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
“Your birthday’s next week?” I’m learning lots of facts about the man who stole my heart.
He leans on the bar, sliding over the pharmacy bag, and says, “Yep. June fifteenth.”
“Wow. Our birthdays are really close together.”
“Yep. Here you go.” He hands me a glass of water. “Please take your meds, and I’ll order us a pizza.”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you did the shopping yourself.”
“Frankly, I’m just tired and not that great of a cook. I’m not trying to send you running now that I’ve got you right where I want you.”
“I can barely walk. You won’t have any problem catching me,” I tease.
“That you are right about. Tell me what you want on your pizza, Jules.”
“A plain sausage is good for me.”
“That works. Take a seat.” I steal his chair on purpose, which he doesn’t fail to notice. He winks and then makes the call. I watch as he walks around the kitchen, stealing glances at me as he talks. Goodness, the man is gorgeous. It reminds me of all the times at the bakery where he’d sit and stare at me while pretending to actually watch for trouble.
When he ends the call, he tucks his phone away and takes the seat next to me. “Are you going to take them?”
“Oh yeah, of course.” I pull out the bottle and read the instructions. “Where is my phone? I need to put my alarm on it.”
“Sorry, beautiful, but your phone was destroyed when the guys went back for your things.”
“That’s weird. Why would that be? It was in my purse.”
“I don’t know. I’ll find out. Cyber’s going to bring you a new phone in the morning. He needed to try and save the memory on your old phone.”
“Dang. Did someone accidentally step on it?” I ask.
“I don’t know. None of the guys said so. They said they found your phone under the sofa, smashed.”
“Maybe my memory’s off.” I play it off, but I believe it was intentionally broken.
“Speaking of memory—the police want to take your official statement. They took the initial report, but they need a formal one now.” I’ve been dreading that. I know it has to happen, even though I wish it would magically all go away.
“Can we hold off a day or two? I’m not ready to say anything.”
“Of course. They have enough evidence to try and convict him. They just want a solid backing.”
“And his father’s going to stick his nose in it to make sure the media doesn’t get wind of this and do all he can to minimize his son’s actions.”
“I assume so.”
“Given that he was at the hospital trying to hush you and me up, I’m not certain how far he’s willing to go.”
“Don’t remind me. I want to strangle your parents for even daring to sweep this under the rug.” His hand squeezes into a fist until his knuckles whiten. I place my hand over his. “I don’t mean to frighten you, Jules.”
“You don’t scare me. Just the opposite. You left me because you thought it was in my best interest, despite you wanting me.”
“I just didn’t want you to suffer a lifetime of unhappiness.”
“See what I mean?”
“So have you completely forgiven me for pushing you away on your birthday?”
“Yes, Anthony. Although, as a woman, it’s my right to remind you often of anything that once displeased me.”
“How can I make you forget it?”
“I doubt I ever will, but a kiss would be a good start.” Like a flash of lightning, he’s on me, his hands grabbing onto the counter and the back of my chair and his mouth claiming mine. It’s fast, hard, but not demanding. His phone rings in his pocket, forcing us to stop kissing. With everything going on, all calls are important.
“Sorry, it’s my sister.”
“Can we watch a movie when the food comes?”
“Absolutely.” He answers the phone and says, “Hold on a second.” He leads me into the living room where a seventy-inch television is mounted to the wall. I take a seat, and then he hands me the remote after powering it on. “The channels should be all the same as in Dallas. I’ll be right back.” He kisses my temple and walks the other way.
“Shut up,” I hear him say as he heads in the other direction from the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, he’s back, but I don’t bring up the conversation because I don’t want to be nosy. His phone goes off again. This time, it’s my aunt. I’m surprised that she’s calling him, but then again, she probably has his number stored for safety reasons. He hands the phone to me.
“Sweetie, Penny’s in labor.”
“Oh my goodness,” I gasp. I’m so excited to hear they’re having their baby finally.
“They’re back in Dallas General.” The same hospital I just left. “Rest, darling. Don’t worry about coming down there. I’m sure they’ll be home in a couple of days and you’ll feel well enough to visit.”