Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
I long ago decided that Scott’s seemingly stuck-up attitude masks his insecurity. Ava’s still sitting at the same table, so I gesture her over. “Ava, meet my boyfriend, Scott Peyton. Scott, meet Ava … is it still Martinez? Yeah? Okay. Ava and I went to school together.”
Ava takes her cue like a pro. “So, Scott, tell me about yourself. What do you do?” She leads him away, and I know she’ll keep him occupied while I do my job.
The DJ arrives just then, and I go to see if he needs help. We finish setting up just in time for the bride and groom to make their entrance. I watch as my dad and Belinda come in holding hands, smiling.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time with my father in the last couple of days, the most I’ve seen of him since my parents divorced. Their breakup was spectacularly acrimonious, and I did resent my dad’s philandering ways; Ava wasn’t wrong about that. I didn’t want to visit him, and he didn’t make an effort to visit me, either. We were estranged for a lot of years.
We finally started talking again when I was in college, and gradually, my feelings changed and I started remembering the good things about him. We got to be friendly enough that I was happy to say yes when he asked me to plan his wedding—especially since I knew he was asking as a peace offering, an apology, a way of reaching out.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear it for Mike and Belinda!” the DJ announces. The guests applaud, and I slip to the back of the room to keep an eye on everything.
It all goes smoothly: the food, the toasts, the first dance. Now everyone’s out on the dance floor, cutting loose. All that’s left is cutting the cake in a little while, and then the big send-off.
Two more hours, give or take, and I’ll be able to pat myself on the back for another successful wedding. And shortly after that, I’ll be leaving this town, with all of its sad and complicated memories, and getting back to the life I’ve made for myself.
A deep voice says, “Lexy.”
Another person from my past. As I turn, I have a flicker of premonition, but it’s not enough—not nearly enough—to prepare me.
I’m facing a broad chest. I look up.
And my whole world tilts out of kilter.
LEXY
From a distance, I’m not sure I would have recognized him, this massive man who stands before me. He’s so tall, and built like a gladiator, with biceps and thighs that strain his clothing. A tattoo snakes up one side of his neck.
But up close, there’s no mistaking his face, especially his eyes, as deep and dark and hot as the strongest coffee. “Kai,” I whisper.
He takes my hand and leads me out into the hallway. The contact sends a shock through me. This is real; this is happening.
His presence disturbs me on every possible level. As soon as he stops us, I take my hand back. “What are you doing here?”
“Heard a rumor you were in town.” His eyes roam my face, as if memorizing every detail. “Had to come see for myself.”
“Well, as you can see, the rumors were true.”
His gaze flicks down my body and back up. “You look different.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “So do you.” The gangly teenager has grown up into a smoking-hot man.
With every second that passes, this new Kai is merging with all my old memories of him. The weight of emotion, combined with his overwhelming physical presence, makes the need to touch him a craving I can scarcely control. I curl my hands into loose fists, fighting the urge.
His voice somehow gets even deeper. “You disappeared. You never called, or wrote, or sent an email. Not once.”
Guilt makes me defensive. “Neither did you.”
“You left a hole in our lives, Lexy.”
Fifteen years of pain threaten to rip open my chest. “What about my life? How the hell do you think I was feeling? At least you still had each other.”
Kai and I always argued; it was our standard mode of communication. He smiles now, his eyes warming. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
That smile was one of the best parts of my first twelve years of life. It could make the darkest day brighter, give me strength when I was down, soothe my temper when I was mad. If Kai was smiling at me, nothing could be truly wrong in my world.
My heart reaches for him like a plant stretching toward the sun. I’m resisting the pull to launch myself into his arms when Scott appears.
“Alexandra.” He looks between me and Kai and frowns. “Who is this?”
Kai scowls at him, the way a general might react to a pesky civilian who barges in on an important briefing. “Who the fuck are you?”