Series: The Laws of Opposite Attract Series by Vi Keeland
Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“Can I ask you something, Fanny?”
“What’s that, dear?”
“Did you know in your heart that you and Arthur would be married for almost a half century when you got together?”
“I was only twenty-two. I don’t know that I looked that far ahead, but the one thing I knew for sure was that I’d regret it if I didn’t take the chance with that man.”
I smiled and looked over my shoulder at the brownstone one more time. The thought of missing out on putting up a tree or not having magnets on the fridge made my heart squeeze.
“Thanks, Fanny. I have to run. There’s something I just realized I need to do.”
She winked at me. “Go get ’em, girl.”
I practically ran all the way back to the apartment. I had no idea what I was going to say or do, but I was done letting my fears control me. Even if it didn’t work out, Owen was worth taking the risk. I wanted it all.
The baby.
Two teenage siblings.
Owen to come home to every night.
Maybe even a dog or cat.
And screw it—I wanted the brownstone, too.
Oh my God. I’d definitely lost it! I’m not even an animal person.
But I didn’t care. After my epiphany, the only thing that mattered was getting to Owen.
At the apartment, the elevator didn’t come in three seconds, so I bolted for the stairs. Thank God he only lived on the second floor, because I was completely out of breath by the time I ran up.
Owen opened the door, took one look at my red face and huffing and puffing, and freaked out. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I bent over and put my hands on my knees.
“Are you sure? Why are you out of breath?”
I held up a finger as I gulped air. Once I was able to speak, I stood. “Sorry.”
“What’s going on, Dev? You’re scaring me.”
“Well, that makes two of us. Because I’m scared to death.”
“What am I missing here? What are you scared of?”
“You, Owen! I’m scared of you!”
“Why are you scared of me?”
“Because what happens if you leave me?”
Owen’s face fell. “You got the results? I’m not the father?”
“Oh my God! No! The results didn’t come back yet.”
“Then what is it? Why would I leave you?”
“I don’t know. But I’m afraid…”
Poor Owen had been totally lost, but suddenly he seemed to catch on. His face softened, and he stepped closer and cupped my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere, Dev.”
“Good. Because…because I love you.”
His eyes widened. “You do?”
Tears welled in my eyes as I nodded. “And I want it all with you. Even the dumb dog.”
“What dumb dog?”
“Just shut up and kiss me.”
He slipped an arm around my waist and hauled me against him. “Yes, ma’am.”
It was like the Earth shifted as our mouths collided. All of my fears seemed to melt away.
At least until my cell phone rang…
CHAPTER 28
Owen
A call from Devyn’s doctor had interrupted our moment, and we’d both thought the results were ready. But Dr. Talbot was only calling to give Devyn the results of some other bloodwork. It had taken a while to come down from the adrenaline rush of thinking we were about to answer the paternity question.
And now, two days later, we were still waiting. I remained on cloud nine after Devyn told me she loved me, but also on the edge of my seat. We were now on day five of what was supposed to be three to five days before we got results. The wait was pretty much killing us at this point.
Today Devyn had accompanied her siblings to the indoor pool at the Y for the afternoon. Since my showings were over for the day, I was jumping out of my skin waiting for her to get back. I decided to visit Holden in one of the empty apartments I knew he was fixing up for new renters.
The door was open, so I let myself in. Holden was under the sink.
“Knock. Knock.” I announced myself.
He slid out from under the cabinet. “Hey! How you holding up?”
I was thankful at least one of the guys knew so I could vent.
“Still no results.” I blew out a breath. “Pretty much a nervous wreck, but not as bad as I was before.”
“What changed?”
“Devyn said she wants to make this work regardless of the results. That was huge. She told me she loved me, which she hadn’t done before. So that takes some of the pressure off when it comes to the DNA test.”
“Nice.” He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Robert might try to interfere if the baby is his, but knowing she made the decision to be with me before the results came in means a lot.”
“Yeah. No shit. You’d always have wondered otherwise.”
“Right. I’d never want to feel like she was only choosing to be with me for the baby’s sake.”