Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
But the way they avoid me kills me. It's like they can't stand to be in the same room with me for more than five minutes at a time. They get antsy and uncomfortable. Liam looks like he wants to throw up. Braxton looks like he wants to hit something. I know I'm a big girl—a size twenty-two—but I've always thought I looked okay. I may not be a supermodel, but I care about my appearance and work hard to ensure I look my best when I come to work.
Sometimes, I don't think they agree. Other times, they both stare at me as if they can't look away. As if they're dying to touch me. During those moments, I can practically feel the need pouring from them. I silently plead for them to crack, but they never do. They flee every time.
I'm ready to give up. But I really do need these hours if I want to graduate in December instead of next spring. Besides, if I quit now, I will always regret it. And if my parents taught me anything in life, it's that it's too darn short to spend it with regrets. My mom almost died in a bad car accident when she was a teenager. And my dad's family was murdered when he was younger. It sent him down a dark path. He doesn't know that I know, but he was a hitman. It's how he met my mom. He saved her life, and they fell in love. They've been happy every day since.
I want that for myself. Maybe I shouldn't love two men. Perhaps the whole world will judge me harshly for it. I don't know, and I don't really care. Fairytales aren't fairytales because they're easy. They're a little dark, a bit twisted, and things get a little difficult…but they still end happily.
I want mine to end happily. So darn badly I can taste it.
I just wish I knew how to make it happen.
"When are you leaving?" Arwen grumbles.
"First thing in the morning," I say, injecting cheer in my voice even though my stomach is twisted into knots at the prospect of spending an entire week alone with the two of them. What if it ends in disaster? What if they avoid me the whole time? It's hard enough here. I think I might cry if I have to spend an entire week sharing a luxury cabin with two men who don't even want to be in the same room with me.
"Fine," Arwen mutters. "But if Liam isn't nice to you, I'm telling Aunt Audrey."
I laugh into the phone, genuinely amused. "He's thirty-two, Arwen. You can't go tell his mom every time he gets on your nerves." I love her for being so protective of me, though. She's the best friend a girl could ask for.
"Oh, yes, I can. He spent my entire life telling my dad if a boy even smiled at me. I am so telling his mom on him if he's mean to you." The smile in her voice lets me know she doesn't really care that he told on boys for flirting with her. She's with the love of her life now and couldn't be happier. But she will absolutely tell his mom if he upsets me. She's tiny and fierce, and I love her to pieces.
"We'll be fine. It's just a work trip. Once we're done on the vineyard every day, I doubt I'll even see him or Braxton. They probably have their own stuff to do," I say, and then my heart sinks. What if one of them decides to bring a woman over? Surely, they wouldn't do that on a business trip, would they? Neither has ever been linked to anyone, and both said they don't date, but that doesn't mean they're virgins. Maybe they're just discreet.
My stomach churns at the thought of them with anyone else. I know they probably aren't innocent like me. They're both in their thirties, and they're freaking gorgeous. But it'll break my heart to see them with someone else. I don't think I can handle that. No, I know I can't handle that.
They may not want me, but in my heart, they're both mine. Is it wrong that I want them both but don't want to share them? Maybe. But it's how I feel anyway.
In my dreams, it's the three of us and only the three of us. There's never anyone else. The thought alone makes me burn with jealousy.
My cellphone vibrates on my desk.
Dad: It's going to storm.
I glance out the windows across from my desk, my stomach sinking. The sky is turning an ominous green color. From the looks of it, it's going to be bad. I hate storms. They freak me out.
Me: I'm leaving early today.
Dad: Good. Make sure you do. I don't want you getting caught out in it.