Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39475 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39475 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 197(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
When I hear a car coming down the driveway, my stomach instantly starts to flutter. Noah sent me a text letting me know he would be home in time for dinner, which is a bonus with his new position. I guess the overnight shifts he had been working are a thing of the past. Or maybe they’ll just be few and far between now.
As a familiar car comes into sight through the trees, the flutters in my stomach instantly turn to anxiety.
“Lola,” I call, and her head flies around before she starts running my way. Thankfully, all the puppies follow her lead. “Come on, guys. Hurry.” I pat my thigh and open the door to the house as Conner parks his car at the edge of the walkway.
“Bridgett!” he shouts as I try to get the puppies inside.
“Go away, Conner!” I yell back without looking at him, my attention on the pups circling my feet and Lola, who is now barking. Just when I start to step inside, hoping the dogs will follow, he snatches my biceps in a tight grip. “Let me go.”
On instinct, I spin toward him and shove his chest with all my might. Instead of releasing me, he stumbles off the step, taking me with him. I hit the ground hard, my hip taking most of the impact while he lands on his back with a grunt.
He groans. “We need to talk.”
“No.” I scramble to my feet and try to make it to the door, but his hand goes around my ankle, tripping me. I fall face-first toward the concrete steps, barely catching myself with my hands while my knee slams into the edge of the stair. A surge of adrenaline and anger flood my system, and I flip around to my bottom and start kicking, not caring one single bit where I hit him.
“Stop it! I just want to talk to you.” He yelps when I catch him in the jaw with the edge of my foot, but he doesn’t release me. Instead, he grabs the foot that just kicked him and stands.
“Let me go!” I scream, but he doesn’t. Instead, he yanks me fully down the stairs, causing my head to hit the ground with a thud.
“Shut the fuck up!” he roars at Lola, then tries to kick her. Thankfully she’s nimble and quick, and he misses.
Seeing red, I sit, grab hold of his hands, and dig my nails into his skin. That does it. He lets one of my feet go, and I use the opportunity to kick him again. This time, I make direct contact with his crotch, and he releases me and falls to his knees, grabbing his junk.
“You kicked me in the balls!” he howls as I quickly get to my feet.
“You deserved it, you dick. You tried to kick my dog!” I step toward him with plans to kick him again but scream when arms wrap around me, and I’m lifted off the ground.
“It’s just me,” Noah says in my ear. My body goes limp against him. He drops me to my feet, then spins me around to face him and grasps my face. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I pant, only realizing then just how out of breath I am and how hard my heart is pounding.
“All right.” He touches his lips to my forehead, then says, “Go inside, call 911, then grab my duffle from the laundry room and bring it out to me.”
“Okay,” I agree, and he lets me go. I run toward the house, and as soon as I’m up the steps, I hear a scuffle and Conner shouting. I turn to find Noah shoving him face-down in the yard and placing my ex’s hands behind his back. Knowing Noah probably wants his handcuffs from the duffle, I run to the laundry room first, then grab my cell phone on my way back through the kitchen, dialing 911 as I head outside.
“You can’t arrest me!” Conner screams, fighting Noah to get loose, which is about as pointless as an ant fighting a lion.
I carry the bag across the yard to Noah while telling the dispatcher on the phone what happened and that we need an officer to come out. Before I disconnect, she tells me she has someone en route and less than ten minutes away.
“They’re on the way.” I watch Noah pull Conner off the ground once the cuffs are on.
“Good job, baby.”
“So you two are together now, huh?” Conner asks as Noah walks him toward the driveway.
“Shut up, you idiot,” I snap at him. “Seriously, I don’t even know why the hell you showed up here. You should be home with your pregnant girlfriend.”
“He’s having a baby with someone?” Noah asks me.
“Yes. She came into my office today, asking me to sign the divorce papers I’ve already signed.” I roll my eyes, and he grunts.