Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 43551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 218(@200wpm)___ 174(@250wpm)___ 145(@300wpm)
“Haven’t read them yet,” I say.
She sighs. “Get to work. We don’t have much time.”
“Haylee, relax. The first book is still killing it. You can sleep at night, you know.”
“Not until this is done.” She sighs and rubs her eyes. “Seriously, Avery. I feel like I can’t sleep until it’s done.”
I frown and stand up. “Listen, you need to take care of yourself. This is a marathon, not a sprint. You have a lot of books ahead of you.”
“I know,” she grumbles.
I grin at her. “How about I turn out the light and you take a nap in here?” I gesture at the couch against the far wall. “You can sleep on that.”
She hesitates. “That’d be weird.”
“Yep. But you really need sleep. I’ll make sure nobody comes in.”
She frowns. “Are you sure?”
“Seriously. Go take a nap for a couple hours and then we’ll dive in.”
She yawns and stands. “I am exhausted…”
“Go nap.” I gather my stuff again. “I’ll check on you in a couple hours.”
She mumbles something, walks over to the couch, and collapses into it.
I smile and flip off the lights. I shut the door and track down the office manager. “Don’t let anyone in the main conference room,” I tell her.
“We have some meetings scheduled,” she says.
“Move them. I’m sorry.”
She sighs but nods and heads off to take care of it.
I make myself some more coffee and go into Julian’s office. Of course, he’s not in yet. I sit down in a chair in front of his desk, take out Haylee’s new pages, and start reading.
The second book is shaping up to be even better than the first. I’m so engrossed in it that I don’t even hear Julian’s door open and shut.
“You can sit behind the desk, you know.”
I jump a little. “Shit.”
He laughs and kisses my neck. “Sorry.”
“Good morning,” I say, standing up. I press myself against my husband’s body and give him a proper kiss.
“Good morning.” Julian grins at me, looking as perfectly handsome as he always does. Even when he’s tired and stressed, he still looks incredible.
We kiss again, not afraid if anyone sees. We’re married now, after all. A big, beautiful ceremony held right in the middle of Fairmount Park.
Everyone was there, all of his old friends, work colleagues, politicians, everyone.
Even my mom.
We break off our embrace and he sits down behind the desk.
“How’s she doing?” he asks me.
“Sleeping in the conference room,” I say.
He laughs. “Really?”
“Seriously. She was practically sleepwalking when I got in there, so I made her take a nap.”
“That girl is insane.”
“I know, but talented. Now we just need to make sure she doesn’t burn herself out.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll take care of her.”
“Just like you take care of me, Daddy?”
He grins. “Just like that.”
I lean over his desk and kiss him one last time.
“Better get back to it. I should finish these pages and mark them up before she wakes.”
“Good luck. Lunch later?”
“See you then.”
He watches me leave and I blow him a kiss on the way out.
I head back into my office and finish the pages. I spend the next hour marking it up, and when I’m finished, I pick up the phone and make a quick call.
“Hi, Avery, dear,” Mom says when she answers. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Just checking that we’re still on for dinner?”
“We’re still on,” she says. “Will, uh, Julian be coming?”
“Nope,” I say, grinning. “Just the two of us.”
“Oh, okay.” She tries not to sound relieved but I’m sure she’s happy.
Mom accepts my relationship with Julian. She hates it, still hates him, but she’s accepting it at least. I see her as often as I can and basically keep Julian away from her in order to make sure there are no more fights or blowups. I don’t talk about my relationship with him and she basically doesn’t ask.
It works. I don’t love it, but for now, it works. She’ll come around, sooner or later. I think we’ll have to have some kids first, but she’ll come around.
I finish with my mom and get up, smiling to myself.
I’m married, a partner at a publishing company, and practically mother to this crazy author girl who used to hate me but now seems to like me. My life has changed so much in the last year, and it’s all thanks to my new Daddy.
He took my virginity and he gave me a new life. I love him more than I can even express.
I walk over to the conference room, still smiling. I can’t wait for lunch. I can’t wait to see him, kiss him, touch him. And tonight, we get to go back to his place, to the apartment we share together, and just live. We get to live together, fuck when we want, do what we want. It’s the sort of bliss I never expected for myself.