Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
He was bone weary and was moving to join her, when she sighed and stirred.
Not wanting to be caught staring like some creepy pervert, he was about to retreat when her eye opened unexpectedly. She spotted him instantly, of course, and her gaze sharpened. She turned her head to stare at him fully.
He remained standing there—pinned by that sleepy gaze—not sure how she’d react to his presence.
“Cade?” Her concerned voice was croaky with sleep. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything’s fine,” he reassured. “I was just checking to see if you were awake. I’m about to make breakfast.”
She stretched lazily, the sinuous movement reminding him of a graceful cat, and then yawned.
“What’s the time?”
“Just after eight. How’d you sleep?”
She sat up and his eyes ran over her messy bed head, her tear swollen eyes, and blotchy complexion. She had a sleep crease down the side of her face and some drool on her cheek. And he still found himself captivated by her.
He couldn’t wrap his head around it, maybe it was the pregnancy or something, but sometime between the night they’d met and now, Fern Lambert-Hawthorne had quite simply become the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Like a log,” she said in reply to his question. She smothered a yawn behind her hand and must’ve felt the wetness on her cheek because she not-so-discreetly wiped it away with the back of her hand.
“Any requests for breakfast?” he asked, and she yawned again.
“I’m not fussy,” she said. “I’ll grab a shower and join you when I feel more human.”
“Today?” Fern repeated incredulously as she tried to process the information Cade had just given her as they finished the last of their scrambled eggs and toast. “We’re leaving today?”
“This afternoon, yes.”
“But we just got here. And didn’t you tell Iris we were leaving next week? Why today? Why leave at all? I believed we were moving here because of your work?”
“I thought you wanted to live in Cape Town,” he said softly.
“Is that why we’re going? Because it’s what I want?” That couldn’t possibly be the reason.
“Well,” he began slowly. “I invited Gideon and Beth to dinner like you asked me to but we never got the chance to host them.”
“We’re going back because you invited Beth and Gideon to dinner?” she repeated, not at all sure she’d heard him correctly. “Against my express wishes, I might add. I told you I’d changed my mind about that.”
“I thought you’d change it back, but then this shit with Abernathy kicked off and I forgot to mention it.”
“So, we’re going back for a dinner date?”
He sighed and the sound was laden with exhaustion and tinged with exasperation but Fern wasn’t about to feel bad about that. She needed clarification on this matter, because it made no sense. He couldn’t be serious.
“Well, that and because…” His brow furrowed as he stared at her in mute frustration.
“Because what, Cade?”
“Your doctor’s there.” His voice softened and Fern’s jaw dropped as she searched his eyes for the truth.
“My doctor’s there?” She knew she was starting to sound like a parrot but she was completely lost. This was the most confusing conversation she’d ever had.
“You like her, right? Dr. Khan?”
“Yes,” she admitted softly.
“And you like the flat? The view and location?”
“I mean, I could do without all those stairs,” she said absently, not really thinking about her reply as she tried to make sense of this exchange. “And easier access to the beach would be great, because right now it feels completely out of reach. But I do like seeing the ocean every day.”
“The company has a branch in Cape Town. If you’re happy there, Fern, we could live there for now. I may have to do a little bit of commuting in the beginning but the bulk of my work can be done from our Cape Town branch.”
“You’re serious about this?”
“Yes, although I’m not too happy about the proximity to Abernathy, and I’m going to be looking into a personal protection agency to help keep you safe. That’s what Trystan, Mike, and I were discussing last night.”
And after the way she’d simply wandered off last night, Cade felt the extra security was necessary, just for his own peace of mind. Her security detail would never curtail her movements—if she wanted to leave like that again, she could—but at least she’d be safe.
“I think, if it’s what you want, Fern… it’s something to consider.”
“But why? You were so adamant about us living here.”
He shifted his shoulders awkwardly.
“My brothers and Kenny are there as well, and if we’re going to pretend to be a happy newlywed couple, with a baby on the way, it makes sense to do so in a place where one of us has family already. Nesting couples usually require support networks, don’t they? It’ll sell our lie more convincingly.”
Fern searched his features in bafflement. He couldn’t seem to meet her eyes and that confused her even further. Yes, she’d told him that she’d prefer to live in Cape Town, but she’d meant living apart from him.