Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
So much was stolen from us.
I excuse myself quietly, slipping out of the room. I need fresh air after being cooped up in the hospital for several hours. After walking outside, I go a few feet away from the door. Resting against the brick, I text my mom:
Checking in.
My mom texts back:
Having coffee and then waking Maxwell up shortly. All good. Did the baby arrive?
I love that she makes it sound like a stork delivery. I reply:
Yes, a little girl named Mavie.
Her next text comes quickly:
That’s sweet. Congratulations to them.
“Liv?” Noah.
I wipe away the traitorous tears ruining this special day and then control my voice when I look up to say, “Hey.”
He comes to my side, leaning against the red bricks next to me. Staring ahead, he says, “It’s okay.”
“It’s not, though. You know it’s not.”
He turns to look at me at the same time I face him. “We can’t change it. We can’t turn back time. We can wish we could, but that won’t fix it. We’re doing our best by making up for lost time and filling his life with so many good memories that he’ll never know my absence existed. That’s my plan.” He kisses the apple of my cheek, and says, “Pictures will show his mind, but his heart will never know I wasn’t there all along.”
“Promise?”
“I’ll make sure of it. Swear on my life.”
I throw myself in his arms and breathe him in. Although I’m still not sure what I did right in another life, I’m so glad I get to share this one with him. I look up at him and smile. “Mavie, she’s beautiful.”
“She is.” Kissing along my cheekbone, he lands just shy of my ear, and whispers, “I can’t wait to have more kids with you.”
I lean back to see his eyes, which are already steady on mine. “We’ve never talked about having more.”
“We should. What do you think, babe?”
The old me would have been spinning, thinking this is too soon to talk about that. But that was before I met Noah, prior to falling head over heels in love with him, and preceding the three of us becoming a family. Now, I don’t fear the future we’re creating together. I run toward it. “I think we should have that conversation as well. I never thought more kids was a possibility, but I’d love to have more babies with you.”
Our future.
Our love.
Our family.
When we kiss this time, it’s forever.
40
Liv
Two months later . . .
“I have two job offers. Both are lucrative, but I’m not sure if I like the companies.” Noah finishes filling two glasses, then grabs the wine bottle before returning to the living room, where most of us have been hanging out tonight. “I’m looking for something to challenge me.”
Harbor takes one of the glasses and then a sip. “If you’re really up for it, I have a lead for you.”
Noah tops my glass, then Tuesday’s glass with wine before sitting in a chair at the opposite end of the coffee table from me. “What is it?”
“Join the Formula 1 Westcott team. We’re at the stage where I need to build a marketing team. It only makes sense to ask you. Are you experienced? No, but you have the know-how, and I know you have the drive to succeed.”
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“No, I’m not.” He grins and then clinks his whiskey glass against my very sexy boyfriend’s glass.
Noah’s eyes are wide despite the amount of liquor he’s consumed this evening. “Are you asking me to help build this team, to work on it, or to consult? What are you saying, Harbor?”
“I’m saying you can be involved as little or as much as you like. I need an insider to keep the team’s best interest at the forefront and to keep the Westcott name clean.”
He sets the glass down as he edges toward the end of the chair cushion. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? If you’re pulling my leg, I’ll fucking pummel you, dude.”
We’re laughing because of the entertainment factor, but if I’ve learned anything about the Westcott family, they take care of each other.
Harbor is still chuckling when he replies, “I’m not kidding you or pulling your leg. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for a while, but with Mavie being born, I’ve been a little busy.”
Noah flops back in the seat, his eyes set on mine. “This is nuts, right?”
“I don’t think so,” I reply. “I think he’s serious.”
Whipping his gaze back to Harbor, he asks, “Where would we be based?”
“I’m not going to be involved in the day-to-day, so I need a strong team. We need a location where we can buy a sizable plot of land and set up a corporate office, maybe a test track. It would be a great place for my clients to drive their new cars for the first time. In the vicinity of New York City would be beneficial since that’s where my operations are based, and Lark will have the opportunity to return to work if she chooses.” He sits forward, resting his arms on his legs. “Lark’s father is the best mechanic out there. He’s local. He can build out a solid team of mechanics right here in Beacon. Since Westcott Law has been retained as a legal partner, I need my little brother to hit the trifecta to make our racing team dreams come true. How do you feel about returning home?”