Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
After breakfast, we clean up the kitchen, and then I tell Erik and Gray goodbye before Brax and I set off in his truck. On the way there, I idly finger my necklace, a gift from the men. A garnet, an emerald, and a sapphire are clustered in a white gold setting, representing the four of us. I love it and never take it off.
Josephine sends me a text. “Movie night this week?”
“Sounds good,” I write back, and give her a few times that will work.
“Want to invite Lexy and Ember again?” she asks. On a whim, I’d invited my three closest friends to go to a painting class with me last month, and though I was afraid they wouldn’t have much in common, they all got along really well. It was so nice to have all my friends with me at once, instead of feeling like they belong to different compartments of my life.
“Sure,” I tell her. “Look forward to seeing you then.”
Josephine, the Todds, and a few other people have started their own little church. When they volunteer at the soup kitchen—on a different night than my old church—I go along to help out. I’ve given up my daily schedule at the yarn shop so I can focus on school, but I still teach classes there as often as I can.
Brax pulls up outside the community college and leans over to give me a kiss. “Have a good day, darlin’. I love you.”
“I love you too. Design all the things!”
He grins and pulls away, and I walk onto the campus. I’m studying elementary education. I already know teaching is something I love, and I think working with little ones will be rewarding on a whole new level.
Even though we’re into autumn, the days are still hot, so I’m glad to be getting an early start. I’m taking some preliminary coursework here, and should be able to transfer to a four-year college in a year or two.
Becoming a student again has not been entirely easy, but I’m loving the challenge. And I’m very fortunate that my men want to support my education, so that I don’t have to juggle this new part of my life with a full-time job.
My men. The words still make me glow, even after all this time. I have moments when I can’t quite believe this is my life now, but then I ask one of them to pinch me, and things usually progress into something fun from there..
The one dark spot on my sunny, happy life is my family. My anger at them has largely faded, leaving behind the pain. Despite everything that happened, I love them and wish we could be reconciled, but they still think they’re in the right. I can’t go back to living like that.
We figured out eventually that the person who sent me the text about my father was his girlfriend, or mistress, or whatever he called her. She was hoping he’d end up divorced, so she could have him to herself. It didn’t work; what I hear through the grapevine (which is mainly Josephine) is that my parents have given up their affairs and are trying to repair their marriage.
It hurts to think about them, and my brother, so mostly I don’t. I can only hope that with time, things will get better.
I’m finishing my last class of the day when Ember texts Lexy and me. “Do you ladies have time for lunch?”
“Works for me,” I answer. “Where are we meeting?”
We settle on a spot about a mile away. Exiting my class, I slip on my dark glasses as a wave of heat hits me. It’s already in the 90s; maybe I should ask one of my men for a ride instead of walking that far in the heat.
I’m debating what to do when I reach the parking lot and someone taps their horn. I look up to see Gray’s sleek sports car at the curb. How did he know?
When I slide into the passenger seat, he says, “It’s too hot for you to be walking. Are we headed home, or do you have other plans?”
I make a mental note to add “psychic” to Gray’s list of potential careers. He’s still bartending, for now, but intends to give it up for something new; he just hasn’t decided what yet. We’ve all offered suggestions: secret agent, runway model, private detective, actor, criminal mastermind …
For some reason, he doesn’t seem to take any of our ideas seriously.
“I’m meeting Ember and Lexy for lunch,” I say.
GRAY
“Okay. But first …” I whip the car into an empty parking space and have Ava in my lap before she can fasten her seat belt.
“You’re making me way too horny,” she protests breathlessly after a few minutes of making out. “It’s not fair when we can’t do anything about it.”