Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101505 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 508(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“No apology necessary,” Andi says, smiling. “I am perfectly happy being a career odd jobber. And Jesse is perfectly happy being my sugar daddy.”
“Barf,” Jake says. “Please don’t call him daddy in front of me.”
“What’s an odd job?” Maddox asks. “Is that like when a girl gives you a handjob with her left hand? Because I agree, it does feel kind of odd. Not bad, of course. Just odd.”
For the first time all night, Nolan bursts out in true genuine laughter. The rest of the guys join him, including Maddox, who doesn’t appear to know why anyone is laughing, but doesn’t want to miss out.
I watch Nolan laugh and something dangerous happens deep inside my chest. It’s like the spark of a memory igniting. I can almost feel the heat of it rippling through me, threatening to set everything I’ve been pushing down and burying ablaze.
And then Nolan meets my eyes. His gaze falls to my mouth as his smile fades. For a ridiculous second, I think he’s about to lean over in his chair and try to kiss me in front of everyone. For an even more ridiculous second, I think I want him to.
Then I stand up, my chair screeching loudly enough to kill the moment for everyone. “S-sorry,” I stammer. The attention of too many eyes makes my brain feel fuzzy and dumb. And then I feel the sensation of my time of the month coming several days early, as it loves to do when I get too stressed. “Uhh, sorry. I gotta go,” I say.
“What’s wrong?” Caroline asks.
“Do you have a headache?” Jake asks.
“Something in the food?” Nolan asks.
“No, I’m fine. Really. It’s just… that time of the month,” I say, feeling self conscious announcing it in front of so many people. But I also don’t want them to think it’s something more serious. “I just get really bad cramps when this happens and I want to get my heating pad ready. Really, it’s fine. Sorry if that’s T.M.I.”
“Bro,” Maddox says. “You think a little pussy blood scares us?”
“Can we not call it pussy blood,” Andi asks? “Just, you know, for the future?”
Maddox squints as every part of his brain works overtime. “Baby house blood? Cause it’s like blood from the baby’s house?”
“Or you could always just not talk about it,” Caroline suggests in an overly sweet voice.
Maddox shrugs as if this was an option he hadn’t considered yet.
“Blood is blood, dude,” Carter says. “Do you call it nose blood when it comes out of your nose?”
“I call it a nose bleed,” he says, raising a finger, as if he’s made a clever point.
“I’ll drive her home,” Nolan says, cutting off the debate of intellectual giants.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“No. I’ll drive you,” Nolan says again in a voice that shows he’s not planning to listen to arguments.
I pause with my purse in my hands, then decide it will be easier if I don’t try to fight him on this. “Alright,” I say.
He gets up and comes to walk me to the door like I’m in danger of falling over.
I look up at him, smile crooked. “It’s just a period. I’m not going to fall.”
“No, you’re not,” he agrees, but he doesn’t make any move to give me space or stop hovering over me as we walk out of the cabin.
I smile to myself when he’s not looking. I guess the old, protective Nolan is still in there, too. I never minded that side of him.
13
NOLAN
Mia has her knees pulled up to her chest in the passenger seat of my rental as we’re driving back to the cabin. I glance over at her.
“Seatbelt,” I say, pointing.
She grunts, sounding annoyed, but pulls the strap and clicks it in place anyway.
I look her way once more but can’t think of what to say as we share a silent drive.
“Sorry,” Mia says after a little while.
“What could you possibly be sorry for?” I ask.
“Making a scene, I guess?”
“Don’t apologize. The guys all get it. Jake has a sister. Jesse has a sister. Liam has three sisters. Carter… well, he paid attention in anatomy class, as we had the misfortune of learning back there. And Maddox? I doubt Maddox even remembers what happened.”
She chuckles. “Then thank you for trying to make me feel better, even if it’s suspicious as hell.”
“What is?”
“Nothing. Just that I’m getting whiplash over here. One minute you’re my tormentor. The next you’re being all sweet and concerned about my period cramps?”
I tap my finger on the wheel, searching for the right way to explain. “I took care of my mom a lot growing up. She’d get these cysts on her ovaries and they acted up during her periods. It went on for years. Every few cycles, she was basically bedridden and couldn’t function. Dad just kind of disappeared when it happened, so I was all she had. It’s not that I minded helping. I was glad I could. But I just remember how often I swore I’d never be like him–disappearing when someone needed help. Ignoring my responsibilities.”