Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Yeah, true. But a documentary would take a while, and we need money ASAP.”
“Which is why we’ll need to do some guest appearances soon, and then maybe a charity dinner. Don’t worry, I’ve got some great ideas, so we’ll make it happen.” She pulled out her notebook and started to go through them. “We’re going to make that charity fund so big that he’ll be able to take care of everyone.”
When we were about finished, the door to the office opened and Derek walked inside.
And just like his brother, he was in a hoodie and jeans.
Must run in the family.
He didn’t seem to notice me because his eyes were focused on the woman behind the desk. “Baby, everything alright?” He walked farther inside and came around the desk, his thick shoulders stiff and in place.
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?” She grabbed her phone and checked the screen. “Oh, sorry. My phone is on vibrate.” She rose to her feet to greet him. “What’s up?”
“You had Francine bring lunch instead, and I wasn’t sure why.” His dark eyes burned into her face, still accusatory, like the momentary fear still had him by the throat.
Her hand moved to his chest, and her eyes softened. “Just busy, babe. Helping Sicily with some publicity stuff for Dex. I guess his charity fund is running low, and they’re trying to raise funds quickly.”
Derek turned to me, and his intense gaze immediately evaporated. “Sorry, I didn’t even see you there. How are you?”
“Good. And don’t worry about it.” It was actually really sweet to watch him walk in there and only care about his wife, so focused on her that nothing else in the world mattered. His priorities were as clear as words on a page, and it was obvious that she was his whole world, along with their kids. That kind of love and commitment was so…beautiful. I was a bit envious. “It’s nice to see you.”
“You too,” Derek said. “Dex still won’t shut up about the pie.”
I chuckled. “I know. I hear about it all day at the office.”
Derek turned back to Emerson then picked up her phone. He flipped the button on the side from vibrate to sound before he set it down again. Then he leaned in and kissed her, squeezing the side of her lower back, pulling her to him with a possessive grab. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” When he pulled away, her eyes were like molten sapphires. Her hand slid from his grasp, and she watched him walk away and leave her office.
Derek gave me a nod before he left.
Emerson smoothed out the front of her dress and gently cleared her throat before she sat down again.
I grinned. “You guys are so cute.”
She flicked her eyes up to me, her cheeks filling with a bit of color. “Yeah, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You’re so lucky, girl. Most of the guys out there are cheaters and liars, and the really good ones are either taken or refuse to commit. So, you’ve won the lottery, if you ask me.” Not only was Derek super hot and rich, but he was so hard up for his wife that it was like reading a romance novel. “I wouldn’t believe something like that could even exist unless I met the two of you.”
Her eyes softened. “Thank you. Trust me, I know how lucky I am, and I know it every single day. He’s become a father to Lizzie when she’s not even his and has given me two beautiful sons and this amazing life together. His family is…wonderful.”
“I think it’s just a Hamilton thing because every other guy out there sucks. They just suck.”
She laughed. “I know.” She looked down at her paper again and finished her notes before she handed it to me. “I imagine it must be hard to work for Dex sometimes. Been there…”
I released the air from my lungs, feeling the weight on my shoulders, the stress I didn’t even realize I carried. Dex didn’t want me, and even if he did, it would never be in the way I wanted him. So, I didn’t even bother to hide it since everyone seemed to know how I felt. “Yeah, it can be.”
Her eyes were full of sympathy.
“I haven’t even really tried to date because I know I’m going to be disappointed. Dex makes every guy I’ve ever been with a goddamn joke. Even before I knew he was a doctor and he was just working with us at the Trinity Building, I knew he wasn’t like the other guys. It makes me so angry that he was married to a woman who just threw him away. What the hell is wrong with her?”
She released a sarcastic chuckle. “Stupid cunt.”
I grinned at her candor. “Yeah, I think so too. He told me what happened. I fucking hate her. I hate her for the way she screwed him up so bad. I don’t understand what he saw in her in the first place…if that’s how it ended.” Yes, she was gorgeous, I figured out that much, but I thought Dex would need more than a pretty face and nice tits to be happy.