Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
“Only before you came along,” I insert quickly, refusing to let him think for a second that he didn’t give me anything but the best.
He doesn’t acknowledge the correction, but he doesn’t need to. It’s there in the softening of his expression. “It’s normal to be afraid of the unknown, even more so for guys like us. We often self-sabotage thinking the things that have gone wrong in our lives are our fault, but that’s not always true. It definitely isn’t true in your case. You deserve this, Gunnar. You deserve Ellie. Just like she deserves you because we both know no one will take care of her and this child like you. It’s what you do best. It’s what you have always done best.”
His faith in me strengthens my own. It helps that he has an instinct for disaster and if he thought for a second I was making a mistake, he would tell me.
“Thanks, Ryland,” I choke out, voice rough.
“Anytime, kid.” He claps me on the shoulder, stepping back. “Who knows, maybe this is fate running its course for you two. After all, this is Passion Falls where the legend of true love resides …”
I grunt at that statement. “Says the guy who has lived here longer than I have and is still alone at sixty.”
He occasionally spent the night with a woman, but he never committed to any of them. I always wondered if that was because of me.
“That’s because I never had an Ellie to sneak out with to put the legend to the test.”
Shock rocks me to my core, every muscle in my body stilling at the knowledge reflected in his gaze.
“You two were never as sneaky as you thought you were. You might have pulled a few fast ones on Paw, but never on me.” Chuckling, he walks away, leaving me stunned by the revelation.
Ellie
The scent of fresh flowers envelops me as I start on the final bouquet of the enormous wedding order I’ve been working on for the past two days.
My fingers move instinctively as I arrange the delicate stems, a sense of relief washing over me to know I will pull this off after all.
Despite burning the midnight oil, the looming deadline seemed impossible, which is why I called in my two good friends, Penny and Harlow. The two arrived at dawn ready to work and even brought the lifesaving gift of coffee and breakfast, something I desperately needed.
If Hollis didn’t have the Christmas store to open, she would be here too, but I’m grateful she was able to help last night. She and Poppy had dropped in to say hi before heading home as they usually do, and when she saw how swamped I was, they both stayed. Thank goodness because I was exhausted.
It doesn’t help that prior to last night’s marathon, I’ve been up later than usual, having my body worshipped by Gunnar in all the wicked ways.
It’s been nearly a week since we took our friendship to a new level, and it has been one of the best of my life.
Not only do I get to savor the sheer pleasure of his touch and seductive kisses, but I also get to fall asleep in his arms. It’s become my favorite way to end the day.
Last night was the first time since Friday that he wasn’t nestled beside me as I drifted off to sleep, our busy schedules keeping us apart, and waking up this morning never felt lonelier.
I drop the depressing thought as Penny and Harlow come walking out from the back room.
“Everything’s packed up and ready to go,” Harlow says, taking a seat on the stool behind the front counter. “We made sure to leave room for the final bouquet.”
All the stress I’ve been feeling the last two days completely melts away. “You guys are the best. I owe you big time.”
Penny waves away my gratitude. “Don’t be silly. You don’t owe us a thing. This is what friends are for.”
Harlow nods her agreement. “Besides, you’ve bailed my ass out enough times with last-minute orders. This is the least I could do.”
Harlow is a successful wedding coordinator and has brought a lot of business my way, including some spur-of-the-moment shotgun weddings that have landed at her feet. Those are the ones that usually require some last-minute overtime, not that I ever mind.
“Still, I appreciate both of you coming in on your day off.” If they hadn’t, I’m not sure I would have pulled this off in time. This order was clearly too much work for one person, and I should have known that.
Lesson learned.
“What else can we do to help?” Harlow asks, hopping off the stool. “I’ve got nowhere pressing I need to be for another few hours, so feel free to put me to work.”
“Me too,” Penny adds, echoing the sentiment.