Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Aiden Reed.” Dad shakes Levi’s hand, then wraps his arm around my mom’s shoulder. “My wife, Fawn’s mom, Katie Reed.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Reed,” Levi says as I try to shrink into myself. Where is a sinkhole when you need one?
“You, too,” Mom whispers, and I look up, noticing her eyes—glued to Levi—have glazed over. Great.
“Are you heading to the show now?” Levi asks, dipping his head toward me and leaving me no choice but to look at him.
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to take Muffin out for you while you’re gone?” he asks quietly, and I swear I hear my mom swoon and melt into a giant puddle at his feet.
“She should be okay. I took her out not long ago,” I murmur as my eyes unconsciously drop to his mouth. Watching a smirk form on his lips, my brows pull together and my eyes narrow.
“Give me your key—I’m home for the evening. I’ll take her over to my place, and you can come get her when you get back.”
“No—”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Dad cuts me off, and my eyes close briefly. Why, oh, why couldn’t my dad be like any normal father who would grumble at the idea of a man being inside his daughter’s apartment whether she is home or not?
“Yes, I agree that’s a great idea,” Mom chimes in, sounding far too happy about the idea.
“Fine.” Shoving my hand into my pocket angrily for my key, I freeze, then feel in my other pocket, coming up with nothing but a five-year-old ChapStick. Dammit. “Um . . . I forgot my key,” I say softly.
“Do you want me to call a locksmith?” Levi asks, and I look up at my dad, knowing that he’s going to be pissed when I say what I’m about to say. But I don’t want to have to pay for a locksmith to come out when I don’t really need one.
“There’s a key under my doormat,” I whisper.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” It’s growled, but not by my dad, whom I’m looking directly at. No, by Levi, who’s standing next to me with his hand on the back of my coat, clenched into a fist around the material. “Do you know how unsafe that is?”
“The building is secured,” I whisper, and my dad’s jaw clenches tight, shifting the beard on his face.
“You know that doesn’t matter, kiddo,” Dad growls.
Levi mutters, “Damn straight it doesn’t.” Oh great, now I have both of them growling at me.
“It’s been there forever and nothing has happened.”
“You know shit can happen, Fawn Grace Reed. My career is based off bad shit happening to people who don’t expect it to happen to them.” Dad shakes his head, and I know he’s really mad, since he didn’t just use my name—no, he used my full name.
“I won’t put it back after tonight.”
“No, you won’t,” Levi mutters, and I turn to glare at him—not that he notices. His eyes are on my dad’s and they are sharing a look that doesn’t bode well for me.
“We should go or we are going to be late,” Mom says, and all eyes go to her. “We still need to pick up our tickets at the box office.”
“Right,” Dad mutters, looking from her to Levi. “If you’re not working in the morning, come on over for breakfast. Katie’s making pancakes, and Fawn’s sisters will be over, so there will be plenty.” Um . . . what? No!
“I’d like that,” Levi agrees, loosening his grip on the back of my coat. “Have a good night, Mr. and Mrs. Reed.”
“Aiden will do.” Dad takes his arm from around my mom to take her hand on the stairs. With his other hand, he pats Levi’s shoulder.
“And you can call me Katie,” Mom says with a bright smile, and I roll my eyes at both of my parents.
“Okay, Aiden and Katie, I’ll see you both in the morning—and Fawn.” He dips his face close to mine. “I’ll see you tonight when you come to pick up Muffin. Have a good time.”
“Thanks,” I grumble, watching him smile like he thinks I’m cute. Whatever. I pull my eyes from him and head down the last few stairs, hearing my mom and dad behind me as I open the door to the building. As soon as I’m outside, I inhale a deep breath of cool air. I’m no longer embarrassed about what Levi heard me say. No, I’m annoyed with him for being high-handed as well as pissed that he’s going to be coming to my apartment to have breakfast with my parents and sisters tomorrow. I don’t want them to get to know him yet, not when I don’t even really know him, and I don’t want them to try to influence my feelings for him.