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)
Dressed in sweats and a loose shirt, her hair pulled up on her head in a messy ponytail, glasses perched on the end of her nose, and looking as confused as me, was Mila.
She was breathtaking.
“Nick?” she asked, her hands covering her mouth.
“Shortcake,” I breathed.
Then I was moving. Darting around the huge man and rushing toward her. I caught her as she launched herself off the bottom step, dragging her into my arms and kissing her with utter abandon.
I didn’t care who was watching. Who the man cursing behind me was. All that mattered was Mila was back where she belonged. In my arms.
She tasted of coffee and Mila. Felt perfect against my body. All the anxiety I had been feeling, all the worry that with time and space between us she would reconsider us, fell away. She was here. I had her. That was all I cared about.
Except I heard a throat clearing to my left.
“You know,” a deep voice mused. “I’m getting pretty tired of seeing strange men playing tonsil tag with my daughters before we’re even properly introduced.”
I opened my eyes, meeting Mila’s golden irises. I pulled back a little. “Your dad?” I murmured against her mouth.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Shit. I’m a dead man.”
Since I was about to expire, I had to kiss her again. Mila had no objections, flinging her arms around my neck and returning my affections wholeheartedly.
“Damn, boy, you really need to step away,” another voice said.
With a sigh, I let Mila go, setting her on her feet. I framed her face and pressed a kiss to her head. “It’s been awesome, Shortcake.”
Then I turned and met the dark navy eyes of her father. Up close, he was even bigger. He stared at me, unrelenting and stern, his arms crossed over his massive chest. The woman next to him was no doubt Mila’s mother, but unlike her husband, she regarded me with a slightly bemused expression and a smile playing on her lips. She had a small hand resting on his large bicep, as if holding him back. Another man, tall and big, stood to one side. His grin was wide, his eyes dancing.
“Now this wasn’t the behavior I was expecting from you, Mila.”
Mila laughed, the sound nervous. She slid her hand into mine. “Mom, Dad, this is Nicholas Scott.” She pointed behind her dad. “That’s my uncle Aiden.”
I held out my hand. “Mr. Morrison. A pleasure to meet you, sir.”
He looked at my hand, then at me. I held my ground. Aiden chuckled. “You might wanna wipe Mila’s lip gloss off your mouth before you shake her father’s hand, Nick.” Then he grasped my hand, shaking it vigorously. “I’m happy to meet you. Big fan.”
I felt my eyes widen, and I turned my head slightly, meeting Mila’s gaze. She bit her lip and nodded, and I tried to be inconspicuous as I wiped the pink gloss away, wondering why today of all days she’d chosen to wear it. I attempted to signal to her to do the same, and with a giggle, she brushed her smudged lips as well. I wiped my hand on my pants and turned back to the small group. Aiden was still smiling, waiting for me to speak.
“Nice to meet you, Aiden.”
When he let go of my hand, I smiled at Mila’s mom. “And you must be her sister,” I said with a wink.
She began to laugh. “Oh, I see why she likes you.” Then she shocked me, pulling me in for a hug. She was small and warm, and she smelled like cookies. I shocked myself and hugged her back, then stepped away and met her father’s eyes. “Sir,” I said. “I meant no disrespect. I just missed Shortcake so much, I forgot.”
“Shortcake?” he asked.
“She’s little and sweet,” I replied.
His wife sighed and nudged his arm. “Isn’t that lovely, Van? He has a nickname for her. Just like you have for all of us.”
“Pumpkin,” I said. “You call her Pumpkin.”
“You know that?” he questioned, looking between us.
“Daddy,” Mila warned. “Don’t make me mad. You know I’m scary when I’m mad.”
We both snorted at the same time. “Scary, right,” we muttered together. Then we began to laugh. Our eyes met, and something clicked. He held out his hand. “Nicholas. Welcome to Port Albany.”
I shook his hand in gratitude. “Thank you, sir.”
“It’s Liv and Van,” her mom insisted.
“I kinda like sir,” Van mused, rubbing his chin.
“Is that what Liv calls you in bed?” Aiden quipped.
Van narrowed his eyes, and Aiden began to run. Van chased after him, and I started to laugh again at their antics. They acted as if they were six, not sixty-plus. Aiden turned as he ran. “Come for drinks later at the Hub! I need to talk about my back story for my character!” he shouted before disappearing around the corner.