Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“You’re going to have to find out.”
“Jackson!” Jagger smacked his arm. “No. I made sure he didn’t. You’re safe for at least this meal.”
Wiping away her tears, she sniffled some more. “Thank you, guys. This is the best birthday ever.”
“You’ve been down all week,” Jagger stated, making her and I briefly lock eyes. “We just wanted to see you smile.”
Within a moment’s notice, she avoided my stare, glancing away.
“We’re giving you the weekend off too. Noah’s picking us up soon. Skyler misses Journey and he’s taking us to the Monster Truck rally. You won’t have to pick up after us till tomorrow night. The house is all yours.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Jagger. I love having you around.”
“Just giving you a break from that asshole.” He nodded to his brother.
“What the hell? Why you dragging me under the bus, bro?”
“Jackson and Jagger.” I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Hell is not a cussword. God says it in the bible.”
Before they spoke another word, I left to take a shower in the hall bathroom. Giving them some alone time with her on her birthday.
To say I wasn’t a little stunned my boys put so much thought into her day, would be a lie. They used to do this for their mother on every holiday, and to see them do it for another woman completely caught me off guard.
By the time I walked back into the kitchen, she was sitting at the table by herself. Deep in thought. The kids must have left with Noah already, the house was oddly quiet.
Slowly, I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the archway. Wanting to remember her in this moment.
With her messy bedhead.
With her pouty pink lips, swollen from sleep.
With her thin cotton robe wrapped around her body.
There was no taking my eyes off her. I couldn’t, and I didn’t fucking want to.
She was breathtakingly beautiful sitting there. Her dark brown hair gleamed in the rays of the sunlight coming in through the bay window. Her soft, creamy skin flawless as ever.
She looked like a dream.
My dream.
She didn’t turn toward me or even acknowledge I was there. Lost in her own little world. A world I desperately wanted to be a part of.
I gazed at the side of her gorgeous face, willing her to say something, but her eyes remained front and center toward the middle of the table. While mine remained on her.
“Happy birthday, Cami.”
Finally, she peeked up at me through her lashes. “Thank you.”
The breeze blowing through the thin white curtains did little to cool the surge of heat between us.
“If you’re hungry, I can make you something to eat.”
“I’m fuckin’ starving.”
She quickly stood, walking over to the fridge. I caught her wrist, the momentum causing her to fall into my chest.
I didn’t waver, adding, “For you, my Tiny Dancer. I’m fuckin’ starving for you.”
“Oh…”
“Oh?”
“I thought… I mean… last Saturday and you’ve been—”
“Hung up at the hospital?” I paused, contemplating what she was going to say.
I could see it in her eyes. The doubt, the insecurity, the sadness for me. Everything I shared last weekend, continued to weigh heavy on her mind. It was one of the reasons I didn’t like talking about Bailey. I hated the expressions on people’s faces.
There was nothing worse.
I wanted to recall the way she looked at me then, rather than the way she was looking at me now.
I had no idea where we went from here. Camila was my biggest weakness, and at the same time my greatest strength.
There were so many “what ifs” racing through my mind.
So many consequences and scenarios that could happen.
So many fucking choices that could be right or wrong.
Unable to help myself, I reached over and caressed the side of her face. She leaned into my embrace like she had been waiting for me to do so, since the second I walked back into the kitchen.
Her eyes closed, melting into my touch.
One thing I was sure of in this instant. She missed me this week, just as much as I missed her. Although she was never far from my thoughts.
When I was with her, there was nowhere else I wanted to be.
“Aiden…”
My heart sped up and my cock twitched, hearing my name roll off her Spanish tongue. Never hearing that tone come from her lips before.
The smell and feel of her was all around me, making me burn with desire to claim every last fucking inch of her heart, body, and soul.
I wanted to capture this moment and hold onto it for as long as I could. I wanted to remember her just like this.
For me.
Mine.
“I didn’t get to finish what I wanted to say to you last weekend.”
Her eyes snapped open with so much fucking emotion, it almost knocked me on my ass.
“You make me forget about the pain in my heart. About the life I had and lost. About the woman I loved, who left me.”