Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
She breathes in. “Is it true? Did you get married?”
I had let my assistant know I got married and would be out of the office a few days. I’m not used to answering to anyone, so I’m not sure what this is about. “Yes, it’s true.”
“To who?” Becca asks.
I’m proud of having Haven as my wife, and I don’t even hesitate in naming her. “I married Haven Weston… well, now she’s Mrs. Haven Beckett. Is there a reason you’re asking? I can add her to my insurance today. I’ll send over all the information to you.”
“I didn’t even know you were dating someone.”
I take my eyes off the road in front of me and look at the screen of my phone that is displayed on the dashboard. “Becca, I’m not sure what you’re asking me, but my personal life is really none of your business and—”
She cuts me off. “I know, sir, but I was here when your mom showed up after you made the Forbes list. She wanted your money, and I just think it’s weird that all of a sudden, out of the blue, some woman—”
I don’t let her finish. “Becca, don’t finish that statement. Haven is my wife, and I will not have her talked about in this manner. You are in charge of human resources for Beckett Construction, and that’s your only concern.”
She’s quiet on the other end, and I almost wonder if she’s hung up. “Do we understand each other, Becca?”
She still quiet, and when she finally answers, she sounds angry. “Yes, sir.”
I press the button to end the phone call and step on the gas. Anger fills me. I hate even thinking of my mother. She gave me up when I was little. She lived in Whiskey Run the whole time and never came to get me, never saw me or anything. It wasn’t until I made that list that she came to see me, wanting money. How dare Becca compare Haven to my mother? Haven is nothing like her.
I am fuming mad the rest of the way to my offices in Jasper. I would give anything to go back and spend the rest of the day with Haven, but I can’t. I need to do this meeting, and then I need to get my office in check. They will respect my wife… or they’ll lose their jobs.
23
HAVEN
I stare into the darkness, on my side of the bed, and wish I could at least see King's face. We’ve been lying here for an hour now, and neither one of us can seem to fall asleep. All I’m thinking about is what he did to me this morning, and I want more of that, but I’m too shy to ask him for it.
“I have a favor to ask.”
He rolls toward me, and even though I can feel his eyes on me, I can’t see him. I sit up in the bed and turn the bedside lamp on.
We both squint at the sudden light, but he doesn’t complain. He sits up in the bed next to me. “Anything.”
I look over at him, see his bare chest, and try to concentrate on what I was saying. “You can tell me no.”
He leans up on one elbow and smiles at me. “I think you know I’m not going to tell you no.”
“But you don’t know what it is.”
He shrugs. “Fine. Tell me what it is.”
I bite my lip because I’ve been nervous about this since I talked to Cassie earlier today and she came up with the idea. I should have just told her no, but I felt so bad for not telling her about the wedding. “So you know my friend, Cassie?”
He thinks about it and then nods. “Yes. Best friend. Her husband is a police officer. Her brother-in-law is Walker.”
“Right. Yeah, right that’s her. Anyway, well, it’s just that…”
He sits up in the bed, scooting up so his back is against the headboard. “Just tell me, peaches.”
I blow out a breath. “Fine. I felt bad for not inviting her—heck I didn’t even tell her about the wedding, and when she came to see me today, I felt so bad. She said we should do a party to sort of celebrate our marriage since no one got to celebrate the day with us. I know it’s crazy-”
He cuts me off. “I think it’s a great idea.”
Shocked, I’m already thinking of all the reasons it’s a bad idea. “But I mean, that’s crazy, right? I could probably just not say anything about it and hope she forgets it.”
He pushes my hair off my shoulder and leans over so he can see my face. “Do you not want a party?”
I shrug. “I mean, it could be fun. I know I said I wanted a small wedding, but it feels weird. It’s like we were trying to hide it or something. You know the town gossip is running wild, and everyone’s trying to figure out how we got married and why it was all hush-hush.”