Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
She rinsed off and shut off the water, then stepped out of the shower, where Panda waited to lick the droplets of water off her legs. Winter wrapped her hair and her body in plush towels, her mind immediately returning to her being pregnant.
Thank goodness she was financially secure, though it had been hard won. Her early years in journalism and interviewing had consisted of beating her head against male-dominated walls.
The professors in school and the arrogant bosses she’d interned for had seen her as naïve, good for getting coffee and doing their research, never giving her a real shot to show her talent.
The men she’d casually dated within the industry had been even worse, just as demanding and using her contacts and abilities for their own gain while also expecting her to put out after they split the dinner bill.
Then came her lucky break. She’d gone to a fundraising event where Erin Sawyer, a well-known news anchor and Winter’s idol, had been speaking. Winter had seen the journalist alone in the hallway and approached her, gathering her courage to ask how a woman could move up in their profession.
The anchorwoman had looked her over, pulled out her card, and told Winter to be in her office the next morning. Just like that, she’d gained a mentor, and as time passed, Erin had become not just a friend but a surrogate mother. She’d taught Winter that women help women, a lesson she’d never forgotten and always paid forward, and it was Erin whom Winter had trusted to break the story of her father, the senator. Knowing Senator Bettencourt planned to quit his position and acknowledge Winter as his daughter, Winter and her siblings had agreed to put the story out on their terms.
Winter’s career would enable her to support herself and a baby. Undercover reporting had never been her gig, so she worked from home unless she was doing an extended set of articles like she’d done with Harrison and his partners. Despite this pregnancy being unexpected, Winter couldn’t be in a better position to raise a child by herself.
She walked to her bedroom and pulled on a pair of silky lounge pants and a matching top. Her hair fell past her shoulders in wet waves, and she squeezed out the water, deciding to let it air dry. She would be okay, something she knew she’d have to keep telling herself as time went on. Her mother had been an independent woman, and Winter turned out the same way. She’d learned to make fast decisions and stick by them. Though she was thrown by her new circumstances, she already knew she could handle it.
The next step, she wasn’t so sure about. How to tell Harrison he was going to be a father. When the phone rang, she’d been so lost in thought she jumped at the sound.
She glanced at the screen to see it was her doorman calling. “Hello?”
“Mr. Harrison Dare is here to see you, Ms. Capwell.”
She blinked in surprise. “Umm…” She thought she’d have time to prepare herself and figure out what to say, but maybe it was better this way. Spontaneity, and she’d get the truth out there. No living with it like she’d done with knowing she was Nikki’s sister and keeping the news to herself. It was better to get it out there and let the cards fall where they may. “Send him up, please.”
She had no time to primp, not that it should matter. She and Harrison had ended their relationship when the interviews had, and their Labor Day oops had been just that. An oops.
One that tied them together for the foreseeable future. She’d like to say she didn’t have any lingering feelings for the man, but that would be a lie. Even after she’d left the Hamptons, Harrison Dare had never left her mind, which explained why she’d fallen back into bed with him so easily.
Winter wasn’t someone who slept around. Her relationships weren’t deep, but she cared about the men she had sex with. The problem was, nothing about Harrison had been about just sex, no matter what they’d agreed upon at the time.
So, did she care that he wasn’t going to see her at her best? Of course. But she had no choice. Drawing a deep breath, she went to let Harrison in.
She opened the door, and he stood waiting, one arm on the doorframe.
“Hey,” he said, and of course, he looked good.
He hadn’t shaved and his scruff was dark and sexy, making her remember how it felt abrading her thighs.
Forcing her thoughts away from trouble, she glanced into his deep-blue eyes. “Hi. What are you doing here?” she asked.
He shoved his hands into his front pants pockets. “You left so suddenly last night. I wanted to check on you.”
Ignoring the twisting in her stomach at the concern in his voice, she rushed to assure him. “I’m okay.”