Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79509 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79509 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
After we had breakfast, we went outside and played in the snow. Deacon and Derek garnished a snowman with the vegetables in the fridge, and I took a few pictures. Then we dragged the sled to a nearby hill and took turns going down with Derek.
The afternoon passed quickly, and after we went home and had lunch, Derek was out cold.
“He’s not usually this tired on a regular day,” I noted.
“But he’s not running around in the snow either.” Deacon chuckled then carried Derek upstairs to put him down for a nap. When he returned, he sat across from me at the dinner table, his watch on his wrist.
I loved seeing him wear it. I loved feeling the metal when he touched me. I loved knowing my father was always with us, that he had a legacy. A hospital wasn’t named after him and he didn’t have a company with his name on the front, but he had something.
Deacon stared at me across the table, his elbows on the surface and his hands extended.
“You want to watch a movie?” I was pretty tired from last night, so I wasn’t opposed to napping on the couch.
He didn’t answer. He stared at me for a while before he bowed his head. “I need to tell you something…”
The magical afternoon was instantly ruined. “Alright…”
He raised his chin again, this time sighing. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but now I feel weird keeping it from you.”
“Maybe it’s best if you don’t tell me.” Maybe he kissed someone when we weren’t together. Maybe he went on a date and felt guilty for not being more truthful about those two months. But it really didn’t matter, and knowing that information would only hurt me. Hearing Dr. Hawthorne made a move had just made me sick to my stomach.
“You’re going to find out anyway. I’m surprised it hasn’t come up, honestly.”
“Okay…” I wished he would just rip off the bandage and get it over with.
“I ran into Jake in the lobby…and broke his nose.”
I stilled at the revelation because that was not what I expected him to say. “Uh…what? When did this happen?”
“A week before Thanksgiving.”
“Why did you break his nose?”
He shrugged. “Talked some shit…”
About me, probably. “Deacon, he could sue you for assault.”
“You think I care?” he asked coldly. “I’d settle. It’d totally be worth it. And he’d look like a pussy if he did that—which would make it even better.”
I’d forgotten that billionaires didn’t have problems like everyone else. Being sued for tens of thousands of dollars was no big deal. “Deacon, you still didn’t have to do that…” I could easily picture what happened because I knew Jake so well. He saw Deacon, got pissed off, and made some jackass comment.
“I really had no control over the situation. That’s never happened to me before. It was the first and only time in my life when I simply didn’t think. My fist slammed into his face before I took my next breath.”
I wished Jake would move out of the building. It would eliminate the problem altogether.
“I’m not letting an asshole talk shit about my woman.”
“What did he say?”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t believe anything he has to say.”
I was touched by the loyalty, touched by the fearless way he trusted me, even when I’d screwed everything up. “I’m sorry that happened.”
“I’m sure it won’t happen again. He got his ass handed to him, so…”
I smiled. “Yeah, I bet.” I couldn’t picture Deacon being the physical type, to throw a punch like that. He didn’t even seem like someone who knew how to fight. “You didn’t get hurt, right?”
He shook his head. “I hit him in the perfect spot, broke his nose, sent him to the floor… That was pretty much it. That’s why you shouldn’t fuck with a doctor. Because I know how to break shit so another doctor can’t fix it.”
“Thanks for…looking out for me.” I didn’t want him to get in trouble or cause problems, but I did appreciate the fact that he’d protected me, that he’d done something instead of just standing there. His feelings for me were enough to make him not think.
He nodded. “I’ll always defend you, whether you’re there or not.”
When Deacon put Derek to sleep that night, I went into our bedroom and opened my suitcase. Wrapped in a t-shirt was the lingerie I’d bought, a black teddy, garters, and black stockings. I’d owned a few pieces of lingerie in my life but never anything this extravagant. I wasn’t the sexy woman who strutted the runway and showed off her perfection. I was more on the demure side, more on the self-conscious side. But I wanted to do something different…and hoped Deacon liked it.
I went into the bathroom, put everything on, then teased my hair to make it big, and reapplied my makeup. I didn’t bother with the heels since I wore them enough as it was. It was nice to be barefoot for once.