Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
“You’ll what?” she asks with a tiny laugh, wrapping the towel around her chest. I wish she wouldn’t, of course. I’ll never grow tired of looking at her. But I can respect her need to be modest; we have the rest of our lives together.
“Sit your cute little ass down on my lap, and I’ll show you.”
Her blue eyes become skeptical, but she complies, perching gingerly on my lap before I pull her more firmly against me.
Close. I always need her close.
For one second, I allow myself to lean forward and breathe her in. She smells like me and her usual Scarlet scent. Wildflowers, pure. Her scent calms me in an instant, and I suck another greedy breath into my lungs before I grab the comb. Slowly, I comb, carefully untangling her wet locks. They’re a darker shade of blond, thanks to the dampness, shining and fragrant. Her soft sighs along with the proximity of her ass to my dick threaten to get me hard.
I doubt she’d mind, but there are other things to accomplish. I can’t indulge myself in her all day long, no matter how much I wish I could.
Once she’s combed out, I separate the hair into three sections, which I comb again before taking them between my fingers and weaving them together.
“Who taught you how to braid?” she asks with laughter in her voice.
“Who do you think?” I work carefully, keeping the three sections smooth. “Luna. She used to make me practice with her on her dolls back when she first learned how. You should’ve heard her bitching me out when I’d get it wrong.”
Her giggles take me back, reminding me of my little sister’s giggles.
All the times I’ve heard the two of them laughing together. I used to roll my eyes and brush them off. I didn’t have time for their bullshit—or so I considered it at the time.
A wave of wistfulness hits me out of nowhere. Longing. I’ve spent so long wishing for Scarlet, wanting her, craving her, that I forgot everything else I miss after taking its presence for granted.
“I guess we all do it,” I murmur to myself.
“Do what?”
I didn’t mean to say it out loud, so her question took me by surprise. “Take things for granted. Luna, for instance. She’s at the top of the list. There’s never been a day I didn’t appreciate her presence, but I took the little moments for granted. Like when she bullied me into learning how to braid so I could braid her hair when it got too long for her to handle on her own.”
My fingers are suddenly clumsy. Fuck, I miss her. I didn’t understand until now how I deliberately avoid thinking about her so I could avoid the pain coursing through me. The guilt, the pressure in my chest.
There were always going to be sacrifices. Necessary ones.
Yes, and I’m doing this just as much for River and me as I am for her. Aside from Scarlet, she’s the only source of sunshine in my otherwise dark life.
Soon. We’ll be together soon.
I can’t wait to tell her it’s all over. She was too young to understand what went down at Safe Haven, but she lost as much as I did.
She’ll be proud of her brothers. We can finally move on, all three of us.
I’m well aware it’s the presence of the woman in my lap that will get me the rest of the way to the goal line. Not that I was ever doubtful. Even if I lost faith and decided I didn’t have the balls to get it done, River would’ve never let me get away with giving up.
But Scarlet gives me the extra courage and focus needed to push forward. Only the thought of her sleeping peacefully last night, deserving so much more than a tiny cabin in the middle of nowhere, kept me working long past the point of exhaustion. The sooner this is all over, the sooner we can move on to our happily ever after.
And it will be one—for all of us.
Once I finish, I place a kiss on the back of her neck.
“Wanna take a ride with me?”
She turns around fast enough to almost whip me with the braid. “A ride? Where?” The way her eyes sparkle suddenly makes me feel sorry for keeping her here. There’s no other way at the moment. All the more reason to move forward and get this over with once and for all.
“The nearest town is a few miles from here. We’ll need more supplies, and you could use clothes that fit you.”
“That would be great.” I expect her to ask if I have the money—and for an instant, I think she’s about to do just that—but she bites her tongue. I mean, why would I offer if there was no money? But she’s a worrier. I have to adjust to that.