Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“Ugh, it sounds needy when you put it that way. I lived by myself for years and was never lonely. Even when dipshit moved out, I welcomed the peace and quiet.”
“But not now?”
“No.” I inhale a large gulp. “Ford’s house is always bustling. Jewls sassing, Major bossing, Talon flirting, whistling, and cracking jokes.”
“And Ford?” Alex raises his eyebrows knowingly.
My heart aches at his name. Between his job and the Reserves, it’s been seven days since he’s been home.
Seven days of rushed, distracted phone calls and brief texts.
“I accidentally left a towel on the floor the other morning in my mad dash to get to the salon.”
They stay quiet, waiting for my explanation.
“I had to get to the salon because we were hosting the Med-spa nurses and management to introduce them to my product line. Shayla and I worked for days on my presentation, and the store was bursting at the walls with customers interested in learning more. When I got home, it was too quiet, too still.
“I’m not typically messy, but in the off chance I leave something out of place, Ford always picks it up and places it where it belongs. When I went to the bathroom, the towel was still on the floor. No one had been there to pick it up. Such a little thing. My chest physically hurt missing him. How’s that for needy and pathetic?”
“It’s called love.”
I snap my head to Alex, whose face is close to entertaining.
“This is not funny.”
“It is to those watching. Nothing about that is needy or pathetic. It’s the little things that make up a relationship. You look after each other in different ways.”
“I’ve never been co-dependent on anyone.”
“Co-dependent is such a derogatory connotation. Sometimes it’s falling madly in love.”
“I’ve never been in love before.”
“And that’s why it’s amusing. Let me give you a little insight.” Cruz takes a large swallow of his drink and moans in approval. “Such a wonderful concoction for a summer drink.”
“Cruz,” Alex urges.
“Right, the insight. It doesn’t happen often anymore, but when Robbie has to go away for more than two days for work, we all know what’s coming. When he gets home, the kids come to us, Uncle Thad, or Chloe. Sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for the night.”
“That’s sweet and helpful.”
“Maybe, but it’s all on Robbie. After what happened to him, Finn, and Max in the Marines, he was intense. Then he found what settles him. That’s Ember. He needs that time to just be with her. No kids, no work, no distractions.”
My heart swoons at the thought. “That’s incredibly romantic.”
“Look at Declan. He won’t even think of more than a week away from Raven. It’s written in their contracts. He learned the hard way. Amongst all the chaos of being a rockstar, she’s his grounding. Finn’s the same. Hell, all the men are the same in their own right.”
“I think it’s the same with Major and Ace.”
“And Ford. I bet he’s sitting in some training room about to crawl out of his skin to get home to you. It’s part of being soulmates.”
Dread fills me and I swallow way too much trying to ease the path burning in my chest.
“Something else going on?”
“It’s not only about the loneliness. I wish Ford could talk to me. He’s taken on so much of my burdens, but I can’t return the favor. His work is private, and it makes me feel left out of something highly important to him.”
They exchange contemplative glances, neither of them replying.
“No words of advice?”
“It fucking sucks. Being in the business they are, with the confidentiality involved, is challenging.”
I think about this, my mind wandering to Ember, Jewls, Presley, and Harley. Are they in the same position as me? Not knowing where the men rode off to on Sunday afternoon and with minimal communication.
Or do they know? Is it a wife-slash-girlfriend divide? Am I in the dark because Ford and I are fairly new and not married?
“Whatever you’re thinking, zip it out of your head.”
“You can’t possibly read my mind.”
“Girlie, I’ve spent most of my career in retail and am a licensed lawyer. Reading minds is in my DNA.”
I force my thoughts to something abstract. Last Saturday night comes to mind. Ford drove us to an open field outside of the city where we had some of the hottest sex of my life in his truck. “What about now?”
“Now you’re naughty. My guess is it includes multiple orgasms.”
My skin heats and I jump mental subjects to my day at the salon. The hustle and bustle of my business growing. Shayla announced we were now on a month-long waiting list for new clients. The retail profits are skyrocketing, all from word of mouth.
It’s more than I ever imagined. The dark mood that plagued me on the drive over withers as I realize how fortunate I am. “What am I thinking now?”