Total pages in book: 8
Estimated words: 7958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 40(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 7958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 40(@200wpm)___ 32(@250wpm)___ 27(@300wpm)
“Won’t you join us, dear?” Annabeth says, gesturing to the empty chair beside her.
“Sure. My sister is getting married on Saturday, so I have a nail appointment in about an hour, but I’d love to join you.”
“Mimosa or Bellini?” Arissa asks.
“Bellini, please,” I say, settling in with the Holbrook’s. Wow, I think as I sip the offered drink.
“So, how do you know Uncle Aric,” Harry asks.
“Um…”
“You don’t know?” he asks, grabbing a piece of bacon from the plate in the center of the table.
“She’s my girlfriend, bub,” Aric says, making me smile. Do grown-ass men have girlfriends?
“How come we’ve never met her before?” he asks, obviously full of questions.
“She’s my new girlfriend.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. Uncle Aric is the best. My mama said we could go swimming. You wanna come?” and the collective gasp from around the table scares me.
“What?” I ask.
“He’s never called me Mama before,” Arissa says, tears in his eyes. I remember the scandal a few years ago. I was just a kid, but everyone knew that Kate Seneca is Harry’s mom and Sam’s ex-wife. The way she left them was sad and epic.
“Haven’t I?” Harry asks. “Sorry. I didn’t think before I said that. In my head, you’ve always been my mama.”
“Oh, shit. Here come the waterworks,” Sam says, putting his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“Don’t cry, mama. It’s okay. I don’t have to call you that. I can call you Arissa.”
“Mama is fine,” she says, laughing with watery eyes.
“Geez. Can we go swimming or not?”
“Of course, let’s finish breakfast, then I have to feed Annelise, and I’m all yours.”
“Gramps and I are going golfing,” Sam says.
“Gran, you wanna come?” Harry asks.
“Sure. I’ll hold the baby while you guys swim,” Annabeth says.
“You wanna blow off your appointment and spend the day with me?” Aric asks.
“I can’t, I’m the maid of honor, but as soon as she is married, I’m all yours.” He kisses me.
“I’m going to hold you to that,” he promises.
He kisses me again, and I go about my days with Arina, but my nights… those are all his.
I watch as my sister marries the man of her dreams while mine is sitting somewhere in this room. I brought him as my plus one and tonight we’ll go to his parent's big anniversary dinner together.
We get through the wedding, the brunch, and then that’s it. Tomorrow they are off on a three-week honeymoon in Italy. We moved into Hoyt’s room down the hall, but it looks like it wasn’t even slept in. I am sure he was in my Arina the whole time. I smile, thinking this whole thing with Aric and I could have been avoided, but I am so glad that it wasn’t.
I stand with my back to Aric while he unzips my dress. I let it pool to the floor at my feet before stepping out of it. Arina insisted on these nude bodysuits under it, but I got a lacy version, and I watch as his eyes bulge out of his head.
“Fuck, angel. You are so damn beautiful. You know that don’t you?”
“Yes, but only because you’ve told me,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck. I place light kisses along his jawline.
“I want to tell you for the rest of my life,” he says dropping to his knees in front of me.
“What are you doing?”
“Marry me, Ariana,” he says, pulling a ring out of his pocket.
“What? It’s too soon. Everyone will think we are insane.”
“I don’t give a fuck about everyone else. I love you and you love me. Nothing else matters.”
“Aric,” I warn, but he puts the ring on my finger anyway.
“You don’t have to answer now, but yes is the only answer I’ll accept, whenever you are ready.”
“You’re just going to keep asking me?”
“For as long as it takes, Ariana. You’re mine and have been all week.
“Aren’t you going to England next week?”
“Yes.”
“But what about me?” I ask, already knowing spending even a single day without him will be damn near impossible.
“Come with me.”
“My job. I just can’t go to England.” I pace further away from him. I pace when I need to think, and I need to think about this.
“Work for me. You told me you wanted to do something different, but still be in PR. We are always looking for new talent, no matter what field they are in.”
“You’re going to hire me just like that?”
“I checked out your resume. You’re a perfect fit for my new movie.”
“The Mallory Grier movie?”
“Yep.”
“I loved that book,” I tell him.
“So did I. That’s why I’m making the movie.”
“Okay. I’ll come with you.
“Good girl. Now come here,” he says, and I walk over to him. “Any more problems?”
“Nope,” I say and welcome his kisses.
I already know that I am going to spend the rest of my life with this man, but I don’t want to seem too crazy.