Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Caroline hasn’t heard so much as a whisper from that Peter asshole and my lawyers haven’t found anything to imply even a fake wedding won’t satisfy the contract.
It’s all going according to plan.
“So…” Jake says, noticing the humor fall from my face, probably. “How are things with Walker? It has to be weird. I know my first season with a kid was. It’s like you just can’t have your head completely in the game. You’ve got a kid and want to be with them and your woman. Although, I guess your woman isn’t really your woman in this case. So that has to make it even weirder.”
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m seeing him a lot. I’m a pro at the diaper changes now, too. And Caroline was having trouble breastfeeding, so she’s pumping now and that means I can help out with night feedings when I’m in town.” All my conflicts aside, it does feel great to come back to Frosty Harbor and let Caroline get a full night’s sleep whenever I can. She never asks for it, but I love seeing how refreshed and happy she looks when I’m there and can give her that.
It’s strange to respect, care about, and feel so goddamn attracted to a woman, and yet… it’s like there’s some kind of fucking chasm between us. Every day, it seems to widen. We’ve both been using Walker as an excuse to avoid sleeping with each other. Even though we share her room at the B&B when I’m in town, we tend to busy ourselves with the routine of getting Walker and ourselves ready for bed, as if we couldn’t possibly imagine fooling around once he’s down in his crib.
We haven’t slept together since that one night in Manhattan. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to fuck my hand to quench the growing sexual frustration that causes, though.
Jesse nods. “So is Caroline still planning to go through with that thing? The wedding extravaganza, or whatever she called it?”
I sigh. The “extravaganza” is probably our one true argument in the last three months. “Caroline can’t help herself from trying to turn everything into a town event for Frosty Harbor. She thinks it’ll be good for us, too. Somehow,” I add with a sour twist of my lips.
Jesse smirks. “That’s Caroline. Try to cut her some slack, though. Our mom was selfless when it came to that kind of thing. If she could turn her own moment into something the whole town could enjoy, she’d do it in a heartbeat–even if it stressed her to hell. She just… All she wanted was for the town to feel like a home. For everybody.”
“I know,” I say softly. Jesse isn’t the most emotional guy, but when he gets talking about his late parents, it’s still an open wound. “Caroline’s doing a damn good job of following in her footsteps. I’ll try to stop pushing back about it. I just… fuck. The idea of having fun and games all week in honor of our ‘wedding’ makes my stomach sick.”
“It’ll be fine, man. When it’s all over, you can just explain to everybody. You needed your contract. But nobody in town is really going to care about that. They'll be happy you did it if they know it was to help Caroline save the B&B. I know they will. There’s no one in Frosty Harbor who wouldn’t consider murder if it meant helping Caroline out. Okay?” He punches my chest. “Trust me on that.” There’s some kind of sparkle in his eye like he’s not saying something, but I decide not to press him on it.
I do feel a little better after hearing how confident he is. Jesse knows that town almost as well as Caroline. If he feels that strongly, maybe it’s true.
“Alright, yeah. You could be right.”
He gives my shoulder a squeeze just as Vlad, fully naked and tall as a fucking giant, runs by laughing. Rio is equally naked and chasing him with a wet towel, trying to pop him in the ass.
Jesse and I both shake our heads ruefully. “Rookies, man,” I say.
“Rookies,” Jesse agrees. But his eyes grow distant. “I’ll miss this.”
And there goes my somewhat improved mood. The whole season has had a dark shadow over it because I know it’s all coming to an end. The original group of my friends is dropping out, one by one.
I plaster on a smile–the same one I’ve used when people say how excited they are for our wedding. “It’ll be great, man. You’ll love retirement.” And I’ll still be here, wishing shit didn’t have to change so fast.
18
CAROLINE
My arms are folded as I watch a fresh leak springing from the lobby's ceiling in my B&B. Cade was right, apparently. I should’ve handled upgrading the pipes after the leak three months ago. Somehow, I completely forgot about it, though.