Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 16066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16066 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Marco shocks the heck out of me when he walks up and wraps an arm around my waist before addressing his niece. “I’m glad you guys could stop by.” He hugs me close as I attempt to step away before his niece gets the wrong idea.
“Brendan needed to come by to see Tony, so I thought we would tag along and meet your girl.” She glances over at me and smiles apologetically. “I hope you don’t mind our interruption.”
“You have this wrong.” I attempt to explain this crazy situation.
“No, she doesn’t,” Marco cuts in. “They are interrupting, and you are my girl.”
“Don’t worry.” Hunter looks over at me and smiles. “You’ll get used to his overbearing ways soon.”
“Overbearing?” Marco glares at his niece.
“That’s right. You’re overbearing and overprotective, and I love you, anyway.”
“I can tell.” He shakes his head and laughs.
I hear steps behind us and look over my shoulder to see another man walking across the yard. “Rosita said I’d find you guys out here.”
“Daddy!” the twins yell at earsplitting decibels, and I wonder if my eardrums are bleeding from the damage.
“They act like it’s been years since they saw me.” The man laughs before holding out his hand to me. “I’m Brendan Russo, Hunter’s husband.”
“Tabitha Sheldon.” When I reach for his hand, Marco grumbles under his breath and gives me a little tug, keeping me from shaking his nephew-in-law’s hand.
“This is like Christmas at Disneyland.” Brendan laughs. “Getting to watch your ornery ass fall is a sight to behold.”
Okay. This whole family is crazy. Nuts. Insane. I’m pretty sure I’ve found my forever home.
While the men occupy the rambunctious boys, Hunter and I sit under the patio and talk. She’s smart and quirky, and I instantly know we could be great friends. “Would you like to do lunch tomorrow?” she asks me, and I suddenly realize I’m in Las Vegas for my job. I’m supposed to be at the Accounting Seminar first thing in the morning.
“I’d love to, but I have to attend a conference tomorrow.” Work suddenly sounds boring and unappealing.
“Oh.” Hunter sits back and takes a sip of her drink. “Then maybe some other time.”
“Definitely,” I fib. I’m not sure it will happen. I’m dying to get to know Hunter, but my time in Las Vegas is limited. My heart squeezes in my chest at the thought of going home and never seeing Marco and his family again.
We’re standing in the front hallway telling them goodbye when Hunter turns to me. “I hope we can get together once you get your work done.”
“Work?” Marco cuts in. “What work?”
Every set of eyes in the room turns and stares at me, waiting for my answer. Feeling like a bug under a microscope, I take a deep breath and explain, “I’m in town for the New Methods in Accounting Seminar. It starts tomorrow morning.”
“You’re an accountant?” He looks a little shocked at my choice of career.
“I’m a CPA,” I tell him proudly. It took me six years to finish college while working two jobs, but I managed it all on my own.
“We have some talking to do,” Marco tells me before turning to kiss the twins and his niece goodbye. It warms my heart to see the way the grumpy mob boss treats his family, but there’s nothing he can say that will make me miss my seminar. I can’t afford to lose my job. Even if it’s not my dream job, I have bills to pay.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
MARCO
The real world is interrupting way too fucking fast. Knowing my time is going to run out if I don’t do something fast, I text Tony and tell him to get his ass to my office in an hour.
“Come into the family room.” I take her soft hand and lead her down the hall. “We need to finish our talk.”
After she sits on the sofa, I drop down next to her and take her hand. “Tell me about your job.” It’s time for me to find out all there is to know about my girl so I can make plans.
“I work for a small accounting firm in Sweetbriar, Colorado.” As she explains, I go from fucking impressed to ready to kill some motherfuckers. My girl put herself through college without any help from her useless mother and stepfather. The assholes refused to support her when they realized she wasn’t going to follow the career path they’d chosen for her.
“There’s no way I could become a doctor like my stepdad.” Tabitha shudders. “I freaking faint at the sight of blood.”
“I’m sorry those assholes treated you that way.” I’m more than sorry. I want revenge for my girl. How dare those assholes treat her like this. I’m appalled that her mother remarried so soon after her dad’s death. And she chose a goddamn high-society asshole who didn’t want to deal with someone else’s daughter.