Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
His eyes flicker down to Gigi, whose eyes are glued to the TV screen. Then, he looks back to me.
I love you, he mouths.
My smile widens so big, I’m sure my face is about to crack.
I’m just about to mouth the same words back when there’s a knock at his door.
Both our eyes turn in that direction.
“You expecting anyone?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. He goes to move, but I tell him to stay put.
“I’ll get it,” I say, so he doesn’t have to disturb Gigi.
I push up to my feet and pad barefoot to his door.
I check the peephole, and when I see who it is, a bad feeling drops into my stomach.
I unlock the door and pull it open. “Rich, Emilio,” I greet them.
Emilio is also an officer at the station, and they’re both in uniform, which means they’re on the job. My bad feeling sinks lower.
“Everything okay?”
“Is Zeus here?” Rich asks me.
“Um…yeah. He’s just in the living room with Gigi.” I protectively hold the door close to me. “Why?”
“We just need a word with him, Cam,” Emilio says.
I hear footsteps behind me. Then, Zeus’s hands are pressing gently down on my shoulders but in a possessive manner.
I don’t miss Rich’s eyes going to them.
“What can I do for you, boys?” Zeus says.
At the term boys, Rich straightens up to his full height, which is still nowhere near as big as Zeus.
Testosterone. The cause of most of the world’s problems.
“There’s been a complaint of assault and malicious destruction of property made against you, and we need you to come to the station with us,” Rich tells him.
“What?” I gasp.
The paparazzi guy.
“And you’re here to take me in?” Zeus says calmly.
“No,” I say, panicked. I turn my eyes to him.
He must see the fear in them because he says, “It’s okay, Cam.”
“No, it’s not!” My voice rises in panic, and I internally chastise myself. I don’t want Gigi to come here and see what’s going on.
I step forward a little, toward Rich and Emilio, but Zeus doesn’t relinquish his hold on me.
“Isn’t there something you can do?” I plead to Rich.
Rich gives me a sad look. He shakes his head. “It’s out of my hands.” He reaches for the handcuffs from his belt.
Tears spring to my eyes.
Zeus moves around me, shielding me. And I instantly see Rich and Emilio stiffen.
Zeus holds his hands up in surrender. “Gigi’s here,” he says directly to Rich, a surprising quietness to his voice. “I’ll come quietly. I’m not gonna make a scene. I just don’t want my daughter to see me in those.” He nods at the cuffs in Rich’s hand.
Rich glances at Emilio, who nods.
Rich clips the cuffs back on his belt. “Okay,” he says. “But we have to go now.”
Zeus turns to me and takes my face in his hands. “I love you, and I’ll be home soon,” he tells me. “Tell Gigi…just tell her I’ll be back real soon.”
The ache in his eyes brings the tears back to my eyes. He firmly kisses me on the lips before I can start bawling.
I hold on to him tight, not wanting to let him go. Breathing him in, like I’m never going to see him again.
I’m going to see him again.
“I love you,” I whisper against his lips.
He pulls away from me, leaving me cold, and walks out the door, past Rich and Emilio, who immediately follow him, but I catch sight of the hurt in Rich’s eyes before he turns to leave.
Rich and I were never together properly, but he did have feelings for me, and I did for him to a certain degree even if he did let Zeus run him off so easily. But it’s hard to care about his feelings right now when he’s putting Zeus in the back of his patrol car and shutting the door.
My heart is beating like a drum against my chest.
He’s coming back, Cam. It’s going to be okay.
“Mommy, why is Daddy going in a powice car with Wich?”
The sound of Gigi’s voice beside me has me shutting my fears away and clearing my expression. I reach down and pick her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck.
“Daddy’s just helping Rich with something.”
“Daddy a powiceman now?” Her eyes light up.
“No.” I kiss her hair. “He’s just helping Rich with some questions; that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”
I watch the car pull away, catching sight of Zeus in the backseat of the police car. His eyes on me and Gigi.
And my heart starts to hurt.
Closing the front door, I turn my face to Gigi, painting on a bright smile. “How about we bake some cookies for Daddy to have when he gets home?”
“Chocowate chip?” She smiles hopefully.
“How does double chocolate chip sound?”
“Yay!” She excitedly claps her hands.
“I just need to call Granny Elle real quick. Why don’t you go watch Tangled for a few more minutes, and then we can go to the store to buy the ingredients, as I’m sure Daddy doesn’t have any?” I smile at her.