Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94639 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Get ready to go swimming and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
“Okay, Mom. I love you.”
“Love you too, Hunt.”
As I’m walking downstairs, I pull my phone out and send a text to Richard that we need to talk soon. I find Ella outside in the back with Bridget, Simon, the twins, and Brendan all hanging out by the pool.
“Mommy, can I go in now?” Ella asks, knowing she’s not allowed to open the pool gate until I’m here. I turn the alarm off and then tell her to go ahead. She and Brendan both run and jump in at the same time. Hunter comes out a few minutes later and joins Ella and Brendan in the pool.
“So…” Bridget starts. “The kids are home early?”
“Yeah, apparently Hunter overheard a conversation about Richard moving and it upset him. He demanded to be taken home.” I debate whether to say the next part, but figure, screw it. “And of course, when Richard texted and called, I was too busy in bed with my blind date to check my phone and they showed up while we were… eating breakfast.”
“No way!” Bridget exclaims. “Oh my God!” She bounces up and down in her seat in excitement. “I knew it!”
“So, does that mean your date went well?” Simon asks with a knowing smirk.
“Very well,” I admit.
Simon grins. “Which means I win.”
Bridget gasps. “That doesn’t count! They were together before.”
“How did you know?” I ask.
“Your story… duh.” She rolls her eyes playfully. “I put two and two together. But when I approached him about going on a blind date with you, he said he wasn’t interested.”
“Oh my God!” I look between the two of them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t sure if it went against the rules.” Simon laughs. “And I really, really wanted to win.” He waggles his brows up and down.
“He was supposed to be mine,” Bridget argues. “I knew when they reconnected they would hit it off.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Simon smirks cockily. “It was my setting them up that got them back together. It’s not my fault you couldn’t close the deal. Hell, I should get double the prize for accomplishing what you couldn’t.”
“And that’s my cue to go… anywhere but here.” I get up and leave Simon cracking up laughing while Bridget insists he didn’t win.
As I’m walking over to the pool to dip my feet in the water, a text pings on my phone.
Landon: Your text shows as read, which means you’re ignoring me. Don’t make me sneak back in through your window…
Oh shit! I didn’t even think about that. Great. Now I have to respond, especially since he knows I just read this one.
Me: I really enjoyed last night, but I feel it’s best if we just leave it at that… One amazing night.
I don’t even read over the text before I send it. It’s for the best. I’ve already broken Landon’s and my heart once. I’m not about to do it again. Without waiting to see if he read it, I turn off my phone, throw it onto the lounger, and then join the kids in the pool.
I’m lying in bed, staring at my phone. The moment I turn it back on, it immediately chirps several times with new texts. I shouldn’t read them. I should delete them and move forward. But my curiosity gets the best of me, and before I can stop myself, I’m clicking on the thread to read the messages.
Landon: Yes, it was an amazing night… and morning. And it will be happening again. Soon.
Landon: I’m not going to let you push me away.
Landon: Either you’ve turned your reads off or you’re ignoring me.
Landon: I’m giving you until tonight at 10:00 to respond and then I’m taking matters into my own hands.
Landon: T- two hours
Landon: T- one hour
Landon: T- thirty minutes
Landon: OMW!
Holy shit! I glance at the clock on my phone. It’s three minutes till ten o’clock. There’s no way he’s going to show up here, right? He’s just messing with me. As my fingers fly across the keyboard on my phone, there’s a tapping sound on my window.
I drop my phone onto the bed and then run over to the window, where I find Landon grinning cockily at me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I whisper-shout once I lift the window up.
“I warned you.” He shrugs nonchalantly.
“You can’t just show up here. What if my kids were in my room?”
“Your blinds are open and I saw you in there alone before I made my presence known. I warned you I wasn’t going to let this go.”
“There’s nothing to let go,” I argue. “We had a great night—”
“And morning.”
“And morning… before my ex-husband showed up with my kids and we almost got caught.”
“So, we’ll be more careful,” Landon says.
“It’s not about that.” I release a harsh breath and sit on my reading bench. “Our lives are just so different. I’m a divorced, single mom and you have the entire world at your fingertips. You don’t need to be weighed down by my baggage. You date models and fly on jets to award shows. You were the freaking MVP and named the Most Eligible Bachelor for like four years in a row. I was awarded PTA mom of the month. I bake cookies for fundraisers and stay up late sewing costumes for shows. And let’s not even get into the fact my ex-husband is a selfish asshole who will probably make our lives a living hell once he finds out about us.” I take in a deep breath before I pass out and Landon chuckles.