Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 553(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
This time, his words hadn’t been spoken as a demand. They weren’t harsh. Instead, there had been a flickering of unease. Was he scared to keep her? I watched him carefully. Taking in the moment of weakness I’d never thought I would see on this man. All over Stevie. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. Already, he cared about her safety. An odd feeling settled in my chest. One I couldn’t yet define.
Eleven
Branwen
Linc had gotten a phone call and excused himself to go take it after telling me to make myself at home. I wanted to laugh at that, but he was stalking toward the glass doors before I could respond at all. I’d gone to sit on the sofa and pulled Stevie into my lap, where we watched two more episodes of Bluey. Burying my nose in her hair, I forced myself to relax. Her hair smelled like wildflowers from the shampoo we’d used at the motel last night. Focusing on her and only her, I was able to bring my anxiety down enough that the pounding behind my temples slackened.
We remained like that for well over an hour, and then Stevie wanted to go find the pool. She was over the moon and begged to go swimming. I promised her she would get a chance to. She didn’t know yet that the pool would soon be a part of her daily life. I had almost told her several times but stopped myself. I wanted to wait until Linc was here. She’d want to ask him things, and I felt like his presence would make it more real for her.
Jayda came to collect us and show us the bedrooms that would be ours. The rooms were across the hallway from each other and identical in size and layout. Both had en suites and walk-in closets that were as big as the bedrooms in our apartment. The only difference was that mine had a balcony overlooking the backyard. Stevie’s room had a window nook with fluffy pillows and a small ledge, where several books were currently tucked.
There was a selection of swimsuits for Stevie to choose from hanging inside her closet, along with clothing, underclothes, and pajamas. I’d not expected that, and Jayda informed me that if anything wasn’t to my or Stevie’s liking, I should let her know, and she’d take it back. Apparently, she’d been sent out on a shopping spree.
Not just for Stevie either. I had several bikinis, cover-ups, a couple of sundresses, some shorts and tops, and a drawer full of panties, bras, and nightgowns. The sizes were accurate, and the lingerie looked more expensive than anything I’d ever owned. Most of my underthings had come from Target. When I did splurge, it was at Victoria’s Secret. The ones that had been bought for me here were from neither. The delicate lace and silk ranged from white to a dark rose.
The bathrooms were also stocked with every toiletry we could possibly need. High-end lotions sat on the counter, along with face creams and salon-quality hair products—from shampoo to heat-protecting oil. I didn’t own half of this stuff and wasn’t sure what to do with some of it. How she had managed to buy all this in such a short amount of time I didn’t know, but I was impressed.
The large, oval tub that looked big enough for three people had bath salts, body wash, soaps, bubble bath, and something called bath potpourri in a basket on one side and a cluster of white pillar candles on the other. The thought of soaking in there, under the warm, scented water with the candlelight, sounded heavenly. It still didn’t make me want to live here for a year, but it wasn’t a bad perk to the situation. My tubs had always been small shower combos.
Stevie was high on life. The entire day had seemed to bring her one new exciting thing after another. After spinning in circles and running around to explore her room, which she had labeled the princess room, she was determined to go swimming. Knowing that, this evening, she was going to be told about the change in our lives, I gave in.
She chose a shiny pink two-piece with a tutu attached. She was well aware of how adorable she looked and admired herself in the mirror while I coated her with the sunblock that had been among all the other items in our bathroom.
I’d had a harder time choosing a swimsuit from the three that Jayda had chosen for me. When I had gone with the sky-blue one simply because it covered my bottom more than the other two, I’d been thankful for the cover-up even if it was slightly see-through. I wouldn’t have chosen any of the bikinis for myself or even tried them on. They were too revealing. Jayda had much different taste in swimwear. I was flattered she thought I could pull these off.