Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119093 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“Not happening,” Hayden says, “but I agree.”
“Same,” I add. “But we get it. Trust is earned over time.” I lean forward and squeeze her knee, and she looks up at me. “Don’t be embarrassed to talk to us. Neither of us has been in a relationship like this either. But we want to try because it’s worth it if it means we get to be with you.”
“Do you have any more questions?” Hayden asks.
“No, not right now, but I do have one thing I want to say.” She looks at me, then Hayden. “I don’t like that you kept the knowledge that you were both dating me from me. I know I was in the wrong to date you both, but I was confused and unsure how to handle it. You flat out kept it from me. I don’t want things kept from me anymore, and in the future, if I’m unsure of something, I’ll talk to you. I’m not a dating expert, but from my experience while being married, communication is important.”
I glance at Hayden, who flinches, obviously at war as to whether he should mention the sale of the building to her. His gaze meets mine, and he shakes his head, silently telling me to keep my mouth shut before he glances back at Bree and nods in understanding. We’ll have to have a conversation soon because I’m not risking losing Bree over this bullshit. If what he’s saying is true, and his dad doesn’t have a leg to stand on, then it won’t matter that she knows.
“It won’t happen again,” I tell her.
She breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Hayden’s phone goes off, and he checks it, groaning. “I have to head into the office,” he says. “There’s an emergency with one of the properties, and I need to handle it, or my dad will have my ass.”
Since he’s moved closer to Bree during the conversation, he takes her chin and presses his mouth to hers for a quick kiss. “I’m so damn happy that you’re giving this a chance,” he murmurs against her lips before he stands to head out.
Once he’s gone, and it’s just Bree and me, I ask her if she’s eaten dinner, hoping to spend more time with her.
“No, I went over to Lacey’s after work and was going to eat with her and Sam but ended up coming over here.”
“Do you have any plans tonight?”
“That depends,” she says with a sexy smirk that makes me want to pick her up and carry her to my bed and get lost in her. “What are we doing?”
“We can go out to dinner… or we can order in and watch a movie.”
“I choose the second option.”
I cross over to the couch she’s sitting on and lift her into my arms so she’s sitting on my lap. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I kiss her gently and revel in her taste. “I was so scared you were going to tell us no,” I admit, pressing my forehead against hers.
“I definitely have my reservations,” she admits, “but I looked it up online, and it’s actually quite common. There’s a lot to consider, but for right now, I just want to continue getting to know you both.”
“I like the idea of that.” I kiss her again, but this time, instead of pulling back, I deepen the kiss, stroking her tongue with my own. My hands grip the curves of her hips, and I lift her to straddle my lap. We kiss like this for several minutes—tasting, coaxing, and learning each other’s bodies. Until Bree’s phone rings in her pocket, and she jumps back slightly.
“It’s my kids,” she says. “Can I…umm?” She glances around.
It takes me a second, but before she can finish her question, I put two and two together. “You talk to them, and I’ll order us food.” I give her a chaste kiss. “Italian, Thai, Japanese…?” I list a few choices she’s mentioned she loves.
“Mmm, Thai sounds good. I love shrimp Pad Thai and chicken fried rice. Oh! And some spring rolls.”
“You got it.” I lift her off me and set her on the couch. The phone has stopped ringing, but as I walk out of the room to give her some privacy, I hear her call them. A second later, two excited little voices sound throughout the house followed by Bree saying hi and how much she misses them. Instead of walking away, I stop to watch and listen as she talks to them, every word and gesture filled with love. The way she listens with patience and sounds genuinely excited over everything they say reminds me so much of my stepmom, Savy.
My heart swells at the thought.
When Miles says he misses her, she asks if he’d like for her to visit. He tells her that would be awesome and then goes over everything he wants to show her once she’s there. When he mentions going fishing, she tells him that once he’s home, they can go fishing around here, naming several piers they can go to. Miles cheers and says he’s going to look them up. His voice is replaced with her daughter’s, who tells her all about their trip to the zoo and how much she misses her.