Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“You gotta taste this.” I wanted Beau to try them all too. Today, my official birthday celebration day, meant that saying no wasn’t an option for Beau. I lifted my tiny spoon to his lips, waiting for him to take the bite. When he did, I said, “Best day since we moved here.”
“You say that every day,” Beau said, eyeing my gelato. “That’s good. Better than mine. Let me get one.”
I didn’t get a say or even an acknowledgement, Beau simply walked away, returning to the booth we had just visited. We’d been lucky all day. Besides the beautiful, warm weather with not a cloud in the sky, we never experienced more than a handful of people in any restaurant vendor’s line. Watching him leave wasn’t the hardship I pretended it to be. I couldn’t help but admire his ass in the cargo shorts he wore.
He effortlessly pulled off the casual yet cool vibe, better than anyone I’d ever seen before. He wore sandals, and a T-shirt, with a backward ball cap, hiding much of his growing out hair, and a pair of aviator sunglasses to block the bright sun. The stud earrings added to his mystique. All the clothes I’d secretly added into his side of the closet before the situation with my family had gone down.
Honestly, screw the legal field, I should have been a stylist with how completely I nailed Beau’s clothing to his personality. I gave myself a nod while taking credit for Beau’s beauty.
What about beauty for his nickname? Nah, he’d cancel that in less than a second.
“Is the gelato food like an ice cream or is it ice, like ice?” Linda asked, coming to my side, curiously glancing in my cup. I was reminded of the melting treat in my hand after being lost in how defined Beau’s thighs and calves were.
“Mom, you want one?” Beau called out.
She shook her head, “I’m stuffed.”
After spending the last thirty days with Beau and his mom, I saw where his personality came from. Linda was a little more open to suggestions than Beau, and her son was significantly taller than his mom, but they were cut from the same cloth. A very pretty fabric based on the changes Linda had gone through since I last saw her. She was thin, the aging on her face was gone—completely erased—and she wore a bohemian style dress that fit her frame remarkably well. She smiled easily, charming the people, mainly men, around her. Beau had a fit every time it happened.
Beau came back to us, handing a cup to his mom. “Son, I’m full.”
“Just take a bite,” he said. His spoon was already scooping a bite from his small bowl. “I’ll eat whatever you don’t.”
Right. The real reason he purchased the extra cup was so he could finish it off.
“My tickets are all used,” Beau said.
“I have five tickets left,” I said, reaching into my pocket, handing over what was left.
“We’re going to the John Hancock Building next, right?” she asked, finally taking the bite, no doubt only because her son wanted her to. The love and commitment each shared for the other was inspiring. I’d work every day to ensure they both continued to love me so completely. Her eyes grew surprised as she glanced down at the cup. “This is delicious. Gelato. I’ve never had it before. I didn’t understand what it was. There has to be milk or cream in here.”
“It’s the way they process the milk fat, right?” Beau asked me. I’d given him a long lesson on the difference between ice cream and gelato, taking my time to explain how it was made. The air content and calorie differences took about three long minutes for me to describe. I knew he hadn’t listened.
“Yeah,” I answered. Neither picked up my sarcastic intent with the single word used. “It’s time to head to the Signature Lounge and find our seats. I heard it gets crowded fast.” We had a twenty-five-minute walk. For today only, Beau somehow secured a reservation for the Fourth of July firework show that included the Signature Lounge, a bar in the building. Our allotted time of arrival was in about thirty minutes.
We’d have a few hours to drink and enjoy the party before going up to our reserved spot at the observatory to watch the fireworks from the best vantage point in the city. Today marked the beginning of my birthday celebration, even though I still had tomorrow to look forward to. The same day that I claimed as mine and Beau’s anniversary.
I started in that direction, but then glanced back, noticing Linda and Beau moved at a snail’s pace. Their meandering this time was caused by a second run through of the vendors, collecting paper menus from the various restaurants. I followed a strict schedule, one I had created inside my head, and they continually threw a wrench in it over and again, making me have to remind myself that I loved them both dearly.