Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 155037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 517(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 775(@200wpm)___ 620(@250wpm)___ 517(@300wpm)
“Loki.” Her voice was so tired. More guilt landed in his gut. But he’d earned this.
“No. I want you to say it,” he told her. “I don’t owe anyone an apology.”
“Then why do I feel like I do?” she cried. “Why do I feel so awful? You’ve barely spoken to me since we left the grocery store. Remy has texted me and I haven’t replied. I said I’d go to dinner as a thank you and now I’m going to tell him I can’t because I don’t want you upset. I’m trying to keep everyone happy, and yet, somehow no one is happy. Least of all me!”
She burst into tears and he swore quietly as he sat on the couch next to her, drawing her into his lap. He held her tightly, rocking her gently. He grabbed Razzie, who’d fallen off her lap, pressing him into her arms.
Isa turned her face into his chest, soaking his T-shirt. But he didn’t give a fuck.
Standing, he held her cradled in his arms as he walked into her bedroom and got her pink, fluffy blanket. He laid it out on the bed, putting her and Razzie in the middle, before wrapping it around her.
He reached into the nightstand and drew out her pacifier.
“Tink, here you are.” He held it to her lips.
She opened her mouth and took it. Immediately, her tears started to slow.
The panic inside him eased.
He’d never seen her like this before and he hated it.
Then he remembered that he had a present for her. Turning, he headed out of the bedroom.
“Ki-Ki! No!”
He winced. Ki-Ki. She only called him that when she was really sleepy. When her Little was close to the surface. Sometimes, he wasn’t even sure she remembered doing it.
“I’m coming back, Tink,” he told her gently. “I have something for you.”
“You. Want you.”
Walking back over, he found the pacifier and put it back into her mouth. Then he picked her up and navigated his way out of her room. It was a mess like usual. He should clean it for her.
Heading to his room, he pulled open the bedside drawer and drew out the gift he’d gotten for her. It was a soft blanket toy with the head of a teddy bear and a blanket as the body. And best of all, it had a clip on it for her pacifier.
As soon as he clipped it on, she reached up to grab hold of the pale yellow blanket and rubbed it against her nose. Loki carried her back out to the living room and just sat with her on his lap, letting her have time to come back to him.
After about twenty minutes, she reached up and removed the pacifier.
“This is so cute.” Her cheeks were tinged with pink as she studied the toy he’d bought her.
He knew she’d love it.
“Not as cute as you,” he told her.
She stared up at him in surprise and then she winced. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“I think we’ve already had this conversation,” he said sternly. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head back. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“Um, what about just losing it and you having to take care of me?”
“You say that like taking care of you is a problem, and we both know it’s not.”
“You’ve been taking care of me pretty much my whole life. I don’t want to become a burden.”
“Strange, I was thinking the same thing.”
“About me being a burden?”
Her face was tear-strained, and she was still sniffling. Reaching over, he grabbed a tissue from the side table. She took it from him, wiping her face and blowing her nose.
“Ew,” she said.
“That was pretty gross,” he said. “You’re like a giant snot-ball.”
“Loki!” she protested, whacking his chest. But she was smiling.
“You need to text him and tell him you’ll go to dinner. Go tomorrow night.”
Her eyes widened and she stared up at him, midswipe.
“Can you move? Have you had a stroke? Be pretty embarrassing to be stuck in place while wiping your snotty nose.” He teased her as he fought the urge to clean her up himself.
“You want me to go out to dinner with him?” There was a hint of hurt in her face.
He was confused.
“You don’t want to go?” he asked.
“I . . . I don’t know.” She closed her eyes and rubbed at her forehead. “I’m so confused.”
“You don’t do anything you don’t want to do, understand me?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” she whispered. “But he wants us to be more than just two friends going out for dinner.”
“He’s pressuring you? I’ll kill that motherfucker.” He stood and placed her on the sofa. “Stay here. I’ll be back after I teach him a lesson.”
“No, wait, Loki! Argh!”
He turned just in time to catch her as she tripped on the blanket.