Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 169272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 846(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
It’s a surprise to be feeling this way, but there’s no denying it. Is my biological clock suddenly going off because of the giggling cutie pie playing dolphin in the swimming pool? Have I had too many mai tais today? Has this week’s dreamlike wedding extravaganza inspired me? Whatever has brought me to this point, I’m positive it’s real and what I genuinely want. I want to be engaged to Henn when we get home and then ultimately to have the kind of happy marriage Jonas and Sarah do. The kind Josh and Kat will undoubtedly have, as well.
I smile at Sarah. “You and Jonas are so amazing. Hashtag-relationship-goals.”
“You and Henny, too,” she replies. “I predict you’ll be following in Jonas’ and my footsteps before long.”
Am I that transparent? “Oh, for sure,” I say, and as the words leave my lips, I’m certain I mean them.
“Really?” Sarah says, sitting upright in her lounge chair. “Have you two talked about marriage?”
I feel myself blush. “Yeah, right after I caught the bouquet at your wedding, Henny and I talked about it. And a couple times after that, too. We’re definitely going to get married. The only question is when.” I explain that my sister is coming to UCLA in the spring and I’m going to live with her for at least a while. Also, that Henn has decided to start looking for a house in LA when we get back and has invited me to move into it with him, whenever I’m ready.
“Well, whenever you guys decide to get engaged,” Sarah says, “maybe Tessa would be willing to share some of her amazing spreadsheets with you. Before helping Josh and Kat with their wedding, she helped Jonas and me find some vendors quickly, too.” She smiles at Theresa lying next to her. “Tessa is such a superstar.”
We both look at Theresa, but she’s clearly distracted by the Morgan brothers’ shenanigans in the pool.
“Hey, T-Rod,” I say, prompting her to look at me and blink rapidly. “I keep noticing Kat and Sarah and Mrs. Morgan calling you Tessa. And yet it seems like Josh and Henn and all those guys keep calling you Theresa. Do you have a preference?”
“Tessa, honestly,” she says. “That’s what my friends and family have always called me.”
“Okay, then. Tessa it is.” I’m hoping she understands the subtext of my comment. Namely, that I consider her a friend. I don’t know Theresa—er, Tessa—all that well, but she was incredibly friendly with me at Jonas and Sarah’s wedding, and I’ve only heard good things about her from Kat. I think it might prove difficult for Tessa to fully relax this week, given that she’s a guest of her longtime boss and probably used to scurrying off to deliver on Josh’s every instruction, so I want to make it abundantly clear she’s more than welcome to join our friend group as a full-fledged member.
In response to my comment, Tessa smiles gratefully at me, which makes me think she’s understood my intended meaning and is grateful for it.
A squeal of happiness pulls our attention. It’s Coco in the pool. She’s sitting atop Ryan Morgan’s broad shoulders while battling Keane and Zander in a splashing, chaotic game of chicken.
“Oh my God,” I say. “My left ovary exploded when the Morgan brothers played dolphin—and now my right ovary’s gone, too.”
“He’s so freaking hot,” Tessa whispers.
“Yep,” Sarah agrees.
“A man who loves kids,” I murmur. “Gets me every time.”
With a high-pitched growl, Coco pushes on Keane’s chest with all her little might, and the totem pole that is Keane and Zander topples backward dramatically into the pool. As Keane and Zander punch the surface of the water like sore losers, Ryan guides a giggling Coco to standing atop his broad shoulders like a cheerleader, his strong hands gripping her calves. Once he’s got Coco safely situated, Ryan takes his tiny teammate on a victory lap around the shallow end of the pool.
When Ryan and Coco’s victory tour makes its way to our side of the massive pool, Tessa, Sarah, and I applaud and cheer effusively.
“Hey, ladies,” a male voice says.
I look to my right and discover the source of the voice. It’s Reed Rivers. He’s standing before us, shirtless and in swim trunks. Good lord. At this rate, Henn is going to get a workout this afternoon.
Reed pulls up a chair and sits down, his dark gaze noticeably raking over the length of Tessa’s bikini-clad body before landing on me. He flashes me a polite smile—one that bears no resemblance to the wolf-like smolder he just flashed Tessa—and asks me how I’m liking my new apartment in LA.
“Oh, I love it,” I say. “Thank you so much for the amazing deal you’re giving me on the place. I can’t thank you enough, Reed.”
Reed replies to me the way he always does—by politely insisting it was nothing and I’ve already thanked him enough. “Congratulations on the new job,” he says. “When do you start?”