Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Jesus, you got a gift, babe.” Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I smile.
“Guess I don’t need to practice on a shot glass after all?” My brow rises in triumph.
He laughs, grabbing his shorts and underwear from the floor.
“I guess not.”
After getting dressed, he opens his arms wide, and I take the bait, going in to hug him. He kisses the top of my head, and I’m feeling nothing but bliss at the moment. “Maybe I should put a ring on that mouth of yours, make you mine forever?”
I tense and look up at him. A heavy feeling spreads over my chest, making it difficult to breathe. It’s too soon. We still have to figure out how to settle down with each other.
“Just a thought.” He winks, giving off that Ryan Phillippe vibe again. He grabs an apple from the counter, bites into it with a crisp crunch, and heads to the bedroom, leaving me swirling in emotions and thoughts.
Holy shit, Owen was right.
He’s going to propose.
20
Next day
Sitting on Owen and Flynn’s back patio, I eye the cloudless sky, while Owen fills a glass of lemonade for me—his specialty when I come over for our little visits.
“So, he actually said he should put a ring on it?” Flynn asks. I nod in answer before taking a drink.
“I told you!” Owen chirps. “I knew he was going to ask you.”
Sighing loudly, I set the glass down. Tension in my neck makes my shoulders ache. I can hardly relax in this chair.
“So, if he does, indeed, ask you to marry him, what will you say?” I can feel their eyes on me, watching every time I blink or swallow, sizing me up.
“My mother used to say doubt causes chaos, so I shouldn’t think so much into my own stubborn doubt, and go forth, if he does happen to ask me.” I can practically remember my mother saying the words to me when I was scared to move forward with my pottery and not get a “real job.”
“What doubt do you have?”
“My experience with marriage makes me feel as if I’m an animal only available for mating rather than a person of my own mind and beliefs.”
“If that’s so then I agree, you shouldn’t concentrate on the past, but rather more of what the future holds.” Flynn coincides, my eyes swiftly move to his. His fingers interlock into a fist under his jaw. “The past will always be there if you don’t move on, babe.”
“I see why Owen likes you. You’re a romantic,” I say. I do have a lot of baggage from my first marriage and I know I often dwell on it. It’s a part of my life that scarred me, questioning everything and turning me into the indecisive person I am today.
He smiles, and Owen grins back at him, as if they’re having their own private conversation with just one look at each other.
Taking another sip of the bitter, sugary drink, I decide it’s best to change the subject.
“So, did you guys get to meet Tenly’s husband?”
Owen rolls his eyes, finally sitting in a chair next to Flynn.
“No, she didn’t answer the door, and you see his car is gone today.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.”
“How the woman can live without the caring and comfort of her partner at least a few days a week is beyond me.” Owen’s face wrinkles in bewilderment, almost insulted that Tenly didn’t invite him in and tell him all her dirty little secrets.
But, pondering his feelings on a woman being away from her husband so often does make me wonder how she does it. I’d go stir crazy if Heston was gone that much because I wouldn’t feel connected to him and our relationship would suffer from it. We have to be able to have sex. We could be silent all day, but when we slip into bed and into each other’s arms, our bodies do all the talking. It’s how we communicate.
“Sharing your life with someone is more than just carrying their last name. It’s setting the bar for everyone else in your family. You should marry your best friend for passion and the desire to be together as much as possible, nothing else,” Flynn adds. I’m jealous of how a buff guy can have such a big heart.
“I can’t help but wonder if Tenly is with the hotshot doctor for other reasons,” Flynn says.
“Like, what? Money?”
“Or free plastic surgery,” Owen mumbles, looking off at the birds flying.
“I don’t know if that’s true. She wants a kid with him. Then again—that would mean more money,” I add, making everyone ponder.
My phone dings.
Heston: I have a surprise!
Curiosity has me place my hand on my collar bone, and anxious.
“I better get going,” I tell them.
“Bye, Love!” Flynn hollers. I start walking around their house, the grass tickling my ankles. “You better get this mowed before Tenly sees it.”