Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 31838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 159(@200wpm)___ 127(@250wpm)___ 106(@300wpm)
After all, our reconciliation was incredible. To know that he’d been avoiding me because he wanted to do the right thing makes me grateful. I have an honorable man on my hands, even if I didn’t want Ryder to be honorable. Instead, I was done waiting. I needed him inside me, and I knew what I was doing when I started going down on him, even though it was so unlike me. I don’t exactly consider myself some kind of sex vixen, but I had a suspicion Ryder would finally give in and claim me if I did it. And I got what I wanted. And so, so much more.
After hours of letting him take me in different positions, all over the house, we finally fell asleep in each other’s arms, exhausted. When we woke up it was evening, and we were both famished, so Ryder smiled and ordered Chinese. Then, we ate straight from the take-out boxes while laughing and kissing, and it was so comfortable that even I was amazed. After all, it feels like we’ve known each other since forever, even if it’s only been a few weeks.
Now, here I sit, beaming, as I look around at the warm lights of the decorative chandeliers of Ryder’s favorite restaurant, Sushi BRGR. As its name suggests, it’s a fusion sushi and burger place, and my date just ordered almost everything on the menu, which is totally crazy. But I love him for it, even if he had to go outside to make a call. Hell, I’ll forgive him. Ryder played hooky and ended up staying in bed with me all day instead, so he’s just making sure he can reschedule the meetings he missed.
In fact, I’m thinking about making a phone call of my own, but my hand doesn’t move because I’m not sure what reception I’ll get. I still haven’t spoken with Angela since that day she kicked me out, and I wonder if she’s softened somewhat. Hell, maybe she’ll even want to be a part of my child’s life.
Yet I don’t move because I can’t help but feel Angela should take the first step. If she kicked her pregnant daughter out of the house, does she really deserve to be in her grandchild’s life? She should apologize first, as petty as that sounds. I know I shouldn’t be keeping score, but still. What happened totally sucks, and I’m just lucky Ryder found me on the sidewalk that morning.
At that moment, my date strides back into the restaurant, and all thought of Angela flies out of my mind. I flush as I see him making his way towards me, a tall, impossibly handsome man with piercing blue eyes, his athletic build accentuated by an immaculately white shirt. Hell, Ryder’s drawing the eye of every woman in the restaurant, from sixteen to sixty, and yet he’s here with me.
“No harm done,” he growls with a smile, sitting down opposite me. “I haven’t lost any clients, although if I had, it would have been worth it,” he adds with a wink, making me blush. My belly growls with hunger, and my hands go instinctively to the small life growing inside me.
“Oh good. But I’m glad you’re back because I can’t wait for all that food you ordered,” I giggle. “I’m starving and so is the baby.”
“You’re going to love the dishes here,” Ryder assures me. “Because this place is amazing. Are you more hungry now that you’re pregnant?” he asks curiously, and I nod. “Good, so then eat all you want, honey. You’re eating for two and you look glorious with the pregnancy weight.”
It delights me to hear him say that because I’ve always been insecure about my size, but Ryder seems to appreciate my curves. Moreover, the fact that he’s encouraging me to eat more is a sign he’s a good guy. But then my man shoots me a curious look.
“Have you told the father of the baby that you’re pregnant?” he adds with a growl, changing tacks. “I can’t believe we haven’t talked about it, but then we haven’t really talked much because we’ve been so busy making love.”
I hesitate. Should I tell him about how I got pregnant? It’s kind of a sordid story, and I don’t know. A tremor of uncertainty shakes my form.
“Well actually,” I begin in a careful tone. “I’m not sure who the father is,” I admit. The look of surprise that passes over Ryder’s face tells me I should hold off on telling him the truth. At least, not all of it. Not now.
“Really?” he asks in a befuddled tone. “But how did you get pregnant?”
I decide to go with a myth that’s been circling around campus.
“Actually, a lot of girls at Coleman University have been getting pregnant lately, and there’s been a rumor about the pool water,” I say instead. It’s not exactly a lie because there are a lot of girls who got pregnant after the new pool opened, and there is a rumor that it could be from random semen in the water. After all, lots of people have skinny-dipped in that thing, so there is a lot of come inside.