Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 162369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 812(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 812(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 541(@300wpm)
“If I have to, I’ll keep telling you until you believe it.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that,” he warns with a weak smile.
“Good. I want you to.”
Contented, I lie back against the pier and stare up at the dark sky studded with bright stars.
“I love nights like this,” I say dreamily. “The warm air, the breeze, the sounds of the crickets and owls. And all those stars. Look at the sky, it's like black velvet and—”
“Glitter,” he says at the same time I do.
I laugh. “How’d you know I was going to say that?”
“I don’t know. I just did.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Something tells me you will, even if I say no.”
“Were you hoping I’d come out here to see you tonight?”
He flashes me my favorite grin—the one that’s crooked in a sexy but adorable way, making my heart flutter like a drunk butterfly. My veins begin to hum.
“Maybe a little,” he says.
I quirk my eyebrow up. “Just a little?”
“Okay, a lot. Happy now?”
“Maybe a little,” I tease back.
He chuckles. “Is that how it’s gonna be?”
“I’m very happy.” I hold his gaze and let the smile fade from my face so he knows I’m serious about what I say next. “I honestly couldn’t wait to see you,” I say softly.
The rhythm of his breathing shifts from steady to a held breath to a slow, cautious exhale.
“Same,” he finally says.
Pulse thrumming, I absorb his admission like a sponge. “I’m glad.”
My racing heartbeats come to a standstill as he slowly leans down and kisses the tip of my nose.
“Something about you really rattles my heart up somethin’ fierce, little darlin’. When I look at you, you’re just like the stars in the sky. All glitter and magical mystery, and I cherish every fucking minute with you,” he says in a husky whisper that makes my insides turn to jelly. “But that’s gotta be enough for right now.”
Nodding slowly, I reach up and touch his lips. “Okay,” I whisper back. “That can be enough. For now.”
His mouth curves into a smile beneath my touch, and nothing has ever made me happier.
Chapter 27
PENNY
“I’m heading out,” I call out to Kris, the veterinary office manager. Since graduating two weeks ago, I just completed my first week of working full-time, and I’ve loved every minute of it. There’s never a dull moment here, but the worst part is resisting the urge to adopt every homeless or neglected pet that comes in. If I had my own house, it’d be filled with cute and furry critters.
“You have any plans for the weekend?” Kris asks, switching off the light to her office and joining me in the hall.
“Nothing exciting. How ’bout you?”
“My in-laws are coming for dinner tomorrow.” She grimaces. “So, I’m in for a night of my mother-in-law’s condescending remarks and hearing stories of how much she loved Mark’s high school sweetheart.” Kris rolls her eyes. “You’d think after twenty years and two kids, she’d accept that he’s in love with me, but no.”
I make an apologetic face. “That sounds awful.”
“It is. But I’m going to conveniently forget how much she hates chocolate cream pie and make that for dessert, so she can’t have any.”
I laugh. “Great revenge plan.”
“Do you need a ride home? I’ll be heading out in about ten minutes.”
“Thanks, but I’m going to walk. It’s really nice out, and I might stop by the café and get a slice of quiche and a smoothie.” I’ll pick up the same for Lily, as it’s also her favorite.
Kris’s brown eyes light up. “That sounds delish. I may just get the same on my way home.”
“I’ll see you Monday. I hope your mother-in-law doesn’t wreck your entire weekend.”
“I won’t hold my breath,” she says with a laugh. “Have a good weekend, Penny.”
Waving goodbye, I take the back door to the employee parking lot.
I don’t have a car yet. The original plan was my parents were going to fly out here for my graduation and take me car shopping while they were here. But then their flight got canceled twice, and they couldn’t get flights that worked with their work schedules, so they watched me graduate via video chat.
After thinking about it, it seemed silly to buy a car when I wasn’t sure if I’d be moving to California. As a new driver, there’s no way I’d feel safe driving alone across the country. It’d cost a fortune to ship it, and it’d be a pain to sell it. Lily doesn’t mind sharing her car, so it hasn’t been a problem. But now that I’m certain I’ll be staying in New Hampshire, a trip to the car dealership is in my near future.
I blink rapidly when I see Alex in front of me, leaning against a black SUV.
“Alex?”
I blink some more, positive I must be hallucinating. I’ve never seen Alex out in the world before. He’s always seemed somehow oddly bound to his home and property. It’s been weeks since he kissed my nose the night of prom and I’ve been thinking of him nonstop since. Perhaps I’ve manifested him right into the parking lot.