Total pages in book: 16
Estimated words: 15143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15143 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 76(@200wpm)___ 61(@250wpm)___ 50(@300wpm)
We freeze when we hear a loud knock on the door.
“Yo!” Erika opens the door a crack but doesn’t come inside. Good, because Tyler still has his pants down. “You might wanna lower the moaning because you have two clients outside who probably think you’re murdering a cat.”
She closes the door before either of us can form a response.
Tyler and I look at each other, his eyes shining. “I love you, Maura Beck.”
I kiss his lips softly. “I love you too, Tyler Reid.”
EPILOGUE
TYLER
“You know, when we were in high school, everyone called Maura the Ice Queen? She was just so aloof, you know, and cold and arrogant. I mean, everyone knew she was on a whole ‘nother level of rich, but you know, she didn’t have to shove it into our faces?” This blonde girl named Elena can’t seem to say anything without saying ‘you know’ multiple times. Her sentences always end with a slightly rising pitch, which confuses the hell out of me whether she’s saying a statement or asking a question.
I’m trapped between her and a brunette whose name I can’t remember. Kathy? Katherine? Karen?
We’re at a wedding reception for one of their friends, and Maura’s in the bathroom. I was waiting for her outside, minding my own business, when these two crowded me and started talking a hundred miles a minute.
I tune them out, only nodding once in a while, but I perk up the moment they start talking about my woman.
“What do you and Maura even talk about when you’re alone? I bet it’s nothing but buildings and architecture and numbers.” Elena laughs and sips on her cocktail.
Kathy or Karen pipes up. “Martin once told his friends they spent the entire dinner with her just staring at him. I mean, is that even normal?” She rakes her eyes from my shoes to my hair. “You can tell us, and we’ll keep it a secret. How do your conversations go? Does she say anything when it’s just you and her? What comes out of her mouth? She must be a total bore, just like she is on our monthly lunches.”
I make a show of putting down my glass on the nearest table and shoving my hands into my pockets. These girls have gotten on my last nerve, and my patience has snapped when they choose to speak maliciously about Maura. The love of my life. The reason for my happiness.
“Nothing,” I say.
“Nothing?” They both speak at the same time, with matching looks of confusion.
“Nothing comes out of her mouth because she likes it full.” I chuckle at how baffled they are, thoroughly pleased they won’t understand this little inside joke between Maura and me. “And we talk about anything and everything, just not other people’s business because Maura has more important things on her mind than gossiping.”
I spot Maura leaving the bathroom, and her eyes find mine. She narrows her gaze at the girls, and I know we’ll talk about this later. Despite what I just said about Maura not gossiping, she actually does. With me. Because I’m the only one she’s comfortable enough with to be her normal self. Gossip included.
“And you’re right, when it’s just her and me, sometimes she says nothing. Because she’s busy moaning and screaming my name. She’s no Ice Queen. She just didn’t warm up to any of you.” I walk to Maura but stop to shoot them a look over my shoulder. “One more thing. I don’t tolerate anyone saying shit about Maura, especially if it comes from a place of jealousy.”
My face hurts from smiling so much when I reach Maura. She gives me a questioning look, but I don’t give her a chance to speak. Instead, I kiss her with the same passion and urgency I had the first time our lips touched.
“What was that about?” Maura asks when we break apart.
“They shared stories about you, calling you Ice Queen and shit.”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course, they did. What did you tell them?”
“What makes you think I said anything?”
“The smug look on your face.”
I bury my face in the crook of her neck, which is a damn hard thing to do, given how small she is. “I told them it’s not your fault they’re jealous of you.”
Maura’s mouth forms an ‘o’, her eyes bulging. “No way.”
“Not in those exact words, no. Same message, though.”
She laughs, and I draw her close by the waist. “God, I love you.”
I look deep into her eyes and see a reflection of my own feelings. “And I love you. Now, let’s go. I got an Ice Queen to melt.”
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
MAURA
If Tyler was protective as a boyfriend, nothing could beat him as a husband and father. From the moment he found out I was pregnant, he bought an SUV.
The man who hated cars because they felt claustrophobic bought an SUV that could fit twelve people. He had it customized so I could go in and out easily, especially as my belly grew. By the time I was two trimesters in, he had enrolled in a parenting class and prenatal yoga for couples.