Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
There was a rock growing in my throat the more she spoke, something settling heavy in my gut.
She was right, we hadn't talked about anything that would happen in a month when our contract was up, but I knew for sure I wouldn't want to just pretend like she’d never been a part of my life. I wouldn't want to pretend like this never happened.
But I didn't know what to do or what to say.
This was all new to me. All paths I'd never navigated before.
“Aspen, I'm honored that you trust me enough to meet her. I know how important she is to you and I'm not going to take that for granted. I'll do my best not to fuck it up. And who knows, maybe she’ll be as enamored by my charms as you are,” I said, flashing her the cocky smirk I knew she loved. Wanting desperately to get us back to a more common ground where things didn't feel so heavy.
A month.
I had a month to get my shit together. To figure out exactly what to do when our contract was up. My friends already loved her, and were shocked that she was still around.
I couldn't blame them. It's not like they'd ever seen me in a relationship before. The bet was as good as won in my eyes, but what about after?
In the beginning, I'd never given any thought to actually missing the person I'd entered into a contract with. What were we supposed to do? Were we supposed to just be casual friends that met up once a quarter when she found time?
That didn't sit right with me.
That didn't sit right with me at all.
When I looked ahead at the future, she was in it.
Shit.
Aspen had become someone I found invaluable in my life.
When had that happened?
“She’s more immune than you think,” Aspen said, drawing my mind back to what I'd said about me charming her sister. She looked at me with a little bit of pity as we climbed into the elevator that would take us up to my apartment. “Are you prepared to be grilled?”
“I'm always prepared,” I said as smoothly as possible, not even hinting at the turmoil that was wreaking havoc on my insides.
I tried to calm my nerves by assuring myself I had a month to figure things out. Aspen wasn't going anywhere until then. I had time.
“Good,” Aspen said. “Because while I had four of your very intimidating best friends grill me that first week, that'll be nothing compared to what Brecken will bring to the table tonight.”
I smiled down at her, finally moving away from more complicated thoughts. I bent down and stole a kiss before pulling back as the doors opened and we entered my apartment.
“You know I'm always up for a challenge.”
“How does one make the jump from hockey team coach to investing in developmental research in the energy sector?”
I had just taken a sip of the iced tea I’d ordered, and nearly spit it out at Brecken’s bold question. Our drinks had only just arrived, the three of us barely out of the introductory phase of this dinner.
“I'm the owner,” I casually corrected her. “Not the coach. And honestly, it's not that broad of a jump. I have investments in a variety of different commercial categories.”
“Yeah, I've read all about that,” she said, and my eyes flashed to Aspen for a silent vibe check.
Aspen was still smiling softly, sipping her drink, her eyes bouncing between her sister and me and back again. She was letting me choose how I responded to her little sister's questions, and not doing me the disservice of trying to explain my choices for me.
“What I'm trying to understand is the why?” Brecken continued.
“I was given an empire, and I wasn't going to let it die just because having it grow would be a lot of hard work. I'm always on the lookout for the next opportunity at growth, or expanding my wealth—"
“Because being a billionaire isn't enough?”
“Brecken,” Aspen said, her tone chiding.
But I laughed, nodding respectfully toward her little sister where she sat across from me at the table. This kid had even more unapologetic confidence than her sister, if that was possible. And yeah, I knew she was nineteen and technically an adult, but to me she was just a kid. I admired her for her lack of sugarcoating. She had questions, and she wasn't beating around the bush before asking them.
“It's more than enough,” I answered. “But inheriting wealth doesn't mean you just sit there and live off of it for the rest of your life. Not for me anyway. My parents left behind a legacy, and I've committed my life to expanding it. The more I have, the more successful I am, the more I have to give.”