Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Willow stopped her movements. She placed a hand against my chest, against my heartbeats. “It’s okay, Theo,” she whispered. “I can tell when some things are too hard to speak about.”
I nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Thank you for sharing.”
I huffed out a chuckle. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You said a lot. You just didn’t use words.”
A tiny grin found me. “So what? Are you saying you can understand me with no words?”
“I think I’m saying I can hear you loud and clear in the silence.”
I wanted to kiss her.
Right then and there. I wanted her mouth on mine. I wanted to part her lips and taste her tongue. I wanted her.
Fuck.
I was failing at this friendship thing, and it had only been a few weeks. But it seemed that when I decided to break down my walls with Willow, she came in like a wave and knocked me off my feet.
I didn’t know what it was about Willow. I didn’t know why my brain seemed to short-circuit whenever she was around me. All I knew was I was becoming more and more like Alice in Wonderland when it came to Willow Kingsley. I was becoming curiouser and curiouser.
“You know what we should do after this party is over tonight?” Willow asked.
“What’s that?”
She glanced over toward the boat.
And my crush on my new friend was fully activated.
Shit.
CHAPTER 21
Willow
The party was sensational. I truly couldn’t have thought of a way that it could’ve been better. I knew Harry was doing his best to be strong and attentive the whole time even though he was in pain and exhausted. I’d never seen a person who would do any and everything to make sure his partner was okay. Even if he was physically and mentally in pain. I’d seen many love stories before, but Molly and Harry’s was a lesson in the masterpiece of what real love had been.
If I were to ever fall in love, I’d only settle for a story as powerful as theirs. Anything else would be a waste of time.
After everyone left for the evening, I started to clean up, but Theo ordered me to stop. “We can do that in the morning. Now, we fish.”
If I had told vegan Willow from a year ago that I’d be spending the next summer in a small town on a lake with a grumpy man fishing, she wouldn’t have believed me. She probably would’ve thought I was sending out an SOS.
The water was calm that night, and Theo and I didn’t talk much. I always talked so much before I met him. For a long time, I hated silence. I thought there always needed to be words to fill up a space so people would know I was interesting and engaging. Yet I’d learned from Theo that sometimes words weren’t needed. Sometimes just sitting in the middle of the lake with the calmness said more than words ever could.
As I lay on my back, reading the latest book Theo and I had picked to read together, I saw the weirdest thing out of the corner of my eye. It looked like my fishing pole got a tug on it.
I sat up slightly.
“Holy crap! Something is pulling my line!” I screeched.
Theo quickly put down his fishing pole and gestured toward me. “Well, don’t let it drag your whole pole away! Grab it and reel it in!”
I hopped up and yanked the rod into my hand. I began reeling in the line, and it felt heavier the closer it grew. Theo was right next to me, watching the whole time as I reeled and reeled. No one told me fishing could’ve been a form of a workout.
“Go, go, go!” Theo cheered, clapping his hands together. “Holy shit, Willow, go!”
The moment the fish flew out of the water, I yipped and almost dropped the fishing pole. Theo was quick on his feet and wrapped his hands around it, pulling in one of the biggest fish I’d ever seen.
“Oh my gosh! I’m a fisherwoman!” I shouted, staring at the giant fish in front of me.
Theo smirked and nodded. “Yeah, Willow. You’re a fisherwoman.”
“Heck yeah!” My brows knitted. “What is it?”
“It’s a solid five-pound bass,” he said with a slight grin as he studied the fish he was holding by the mouth. The fish was still hooked on, and I was somewhat amazed. But Theo looked really amazed. “Damn, Weeping Willow. That’s an impressive first catch.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is it?”
He smiled wider. “It fucking is. I’m proud of you.”
I didn’t know why, but those words made a swarm of butterflies flutter in my stomach.
I’m proud of you.
Why did that almost make me want to cry?
I grinned ear to ear. “We are so going to be eating good!”
Theo laughed as he unhooked the fish. “Well, we don’t eat bass. We’re gonna toss this guy back. But first, you need your celebratory photograph. Here, let me place it in your hands.”