Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34593 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 173(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“Okay, okay.” She pops back up. I knew that would get her.
“Let me show you to your room,” Bear says when Paige disappears into her bathroom.
“That would be lovely.” I follow him out of the bedroom, taking in the place as we walk. The house is brand new from the looks of it, but the walls are bare. There are no personal touches anywhere. Even the furniture is somewhat basic.
“You’re here.” He pushes open a door. “My room is there.” He points to the double doors at the end of the hallway. My room is right next to his. “Is this okay?” Bear shifts on his feet as we enter the room.
For some reason he seems nervous all of a sudden. I bet it’s finally starting to settle in that he practically has a stranger living with him. I mean, why else would a man like him seem nervous?
“It’s perfect. This room is bigger than my apartment.” I laugh. He doesn't. His eyebrows pull together. He opens his mouth to say something, but my cell phone starts to ring.
“Sorry.” I dig through my bag and find my phone to clear it. When I see who is calling, I know I have to answer. “I need to take this.” He nods but stands there. “Alone.”
“Right.” He gives me one last long look before he slips from the room. I shut the door behind him, answering the call.
“Honey.” Simon’s voice comes through the line.
“Hey,” I respond, sitting down on the end of the giant bed.
“I stopped by your place, and you weren’t home.”
“Did we have an appointment?”
“No, I was only checking in.” He does that a lot. I’m not sure if that's normal or not. “Where are you?”
“I went out to dinner,” I tell him. I don’t want to bring up the whole nanny thing. I’m supposed to stay away from jobs that are the same as my old one. I’m breaking the rules, and I know it. It’s hard. I love working with kids. I’ve already had to give up so much.
“Oh, with who?”
“A friend from work.” That also isn't a lie.
“That Trevor guy?” I don’t recall telling him about Trevor, but maybe I did.
“Nope.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He pushes.
“I’m fine, but I really need to go. I’ll talk to you later.” I end the call before he can stop me. I’m the worst at lying. I toss my phone onto the bed before having a look around my new place for the next few weeks. I peek into the bathroom, seeing a giant tub that I know I’ll be spending a lot of time in.
When I open my bedroom door, I see my bag sitting there. I grab it, setting it inside the room before I head back toward Paige’s room. I hear Bear reading to her before I even get to the door. I lean up against the wall outside the room and listen to him read the words of The Giving Tree.
“This book is depressing,” I hear her tell him. I fight a laugh, having to agree with her, but I’m pretty sure she only said that to sucker Bear into another book.
I close my eyes and listen to Bear start another book. There is something so soothing about his voice. Hell, there is something calming about him. I still find it hard to believe he beats people up for a living. It must pay well based on his home.
“Night cap?” I jump, letting out a small scream, my eyes flying open. “Sorry.” My hand goes to my chest over my pounding heart. I was so lost in my thoughts of him that I hadn’t realized he had stepped into the hallway.
“No, I’m sorry.”
“You spook easily.” He has no idea.
“Yeah,” I admit.
“Did your call go okay?” He puts his hand on my back, guiding me down the hallway. I should go back to my room, but I do need to know what Bear’s expectations are of me. I know he said this would only be for a few weeks, but no one can predict how long a person will be in a coma for. So it could be longer.
“Yeah, it was fine.”
“Boyfriend?” he asks. I shake my head no. A smile spreads across his face, making my heart flutter. He’s too handsome for my own good. I can’t fall for him. Heck, I can’t fall for anyone. No one can truly know who I am.
Bear is a whole different kind of trouble. The kind that comes for your heart.
Chapter Nine
Bear
“Booze or something else?” I offer when we reach the living room.
“Um, probably something else. I’m here to watch Paige.” Honey looks around uncertainly, as if she doesn’t know if she’s allowed to sit.
I push her into the sofa and cross to the liquor cabinet. “She’s sleeping.”
“She could wake up in the middle of the night with a nightmare. If I had too much to drink, I might be sleeping too hard to hear her cry or I might still be drunk, which means I shouldn’t be around her.”