Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
“She’ll deny it.”
“I know. But there is no other explanation. She switched the pills. I will never trust her again. I hope once this is over, her reputation is in tatters. The only thing she can manage will be a 7-Eleven store.”
“I love you,” she whispered. “And you’re not less. You’re everything to me.”
I bent and captured her mouth. She was sweetness and light. The exact opposite of the darkness that had surrounded me for so long.
A voice interrupted us, and I looked up to see Aiden walking up to us. “Enough of that,” he scoffed. “Pizza, wings, and board games at the Hub.” He rubbed his hands. “And I’m calling dibs on the top hat for Monopoly.” He grinned. “I look great in a top hat.”
Mila began to protest. “Oh, Aiden, I’m not sure—”
I cut her off, the idea of games and pizza, surrounded by her family, suddenly appealing. “I get the race car.”
“You’ll have to arm-wrestle Mad Dog for it.”
I sniffed. “I can take him.”
“We start in half an hour.”
“We’ll be there.”
“That’s twelve hundred bucks for rent,” I said to Aiden.
He growled, sliding me the cash. “You know, if you get tired of being an actor, a slumlord would work for you.”
I waved my hand. “I’ll make improvements to the property when needed. You just keep landing on my places and paying me the money you owe.”
Bentley chuckled, lifting the dice to take his turn. When I had met him the other night, I’d thought he would be aloof and cool. He was anything but. All of Mila’s family was the same. Loving, caring, and fun. Tonight had been exactly what I needed. Pizza, beer, and games. Laughter and teasing. There weren’t as many people as usual, but it was perfect. Maddox had whipped my ass at pool; Bentley and I took him and Aiden at darts. Van and I went head-to-head at ping-pong, and we called a draw. Reid and I talked computers and games.
Bentley landed on his own property and smiled, sitting back and crossing his arms, satisfied. Mad Dog landed on Chance and turned up a “Get out of jail free” card.
Mila sat down beside me, laughing when she saw the piles of money in front of me. I waited until Aiden shook the dice, once again landing on one of my properties. “Ah, a good one. Fifteen K, my friend.”
“I don’t have it.”
I sat back, tapping a finger to my lips. “Perhaps we can work out a deal.”
“Oh yeah?” he grinned, running a hand over his torso. “You want a piece of this?”
Bentley barked out a laugh, and Mad Dog grinned widely.
I blinked. “I meant some training. In the gym.”
“Oh. Well, we could do that too.” He batted his eyes. “You don’t think I’m pretty enough for you?”
I winked at Mila and grinned. “Sure, big boy. You wanna go a round with me? They’ll be peeling you off the walls. I promise you that.”
He looked shocked as everyone else laughed. “We’ll do the gym thing,” he muttered.
“Sounds good.”
He looked at Mila. “Rein him in, Mila.”
She kissed my cheek. “Nope. He’s doing just fine on his own.”
I kissed her back. She was right.
We strolled home in the inky dark. “Will you sleep tonight?” she asked.
“I hope so. I’m not feeling as restless, but it will take a bit for the meds to even out. I need to see my doctor when I get back to LA.”
She hummed, but I felt the way she tensed.
I pulled her closer. “That’s not for a while, Mila.” I pressed a kiss to her head. “And I was thinking about what Tom said earlier.”
“Which part?”
“Living somewhere other than LA.”
“Ohh…” she breathed out. “Anywhere in particular?”
“Wherever you are,” I said honestly.
“Here?” she whispered.
“Well, with Sammy marrying Luke, you’ll need a roommate. I can give you references.”
“I’ll have to think about it,” she teased, but I caught the glint of tears in her eyes as she turned her head.
I squeezed her waist. “You do that.”
“I might want to use her bedroom as an extra office. You’d have to share my room.”
I sighed heavily. “I suppose I could live with that.”
We stopped at the end of her driveway. The porch light was on, its glow a warm welcome.
“You really want to stay here?”
I looped my arms around her waist. “I know it’s fast, and I know nothing is settled, but yeah. The thought of being here with you. This place. Your family. A real home. All of it makes sense to me in a way nothing ever has before. I always felt as if I was adrift. My apartment was a pit stop, my life on hold. Nothing felt permanent. I never felt settled.” I looked around. “This place makes me feel grounded. You make me feel as if I belong.”
“You do.”
I looked down at her, knowing what I was feeling, what I wanted, was right. I wanted a life that included her. She would hate LA, but I would love it here. And she would be my world. My career came second.