Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 168701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 844(@200wpm)___ 675(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 844(@200wpm)___ 675(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
“Not harsh at all. Just set her straight is all. She knows now what’s what. Word’s gettin’ around that you saved my life and Mase and Linc’s lives. That we’d all have bled out and died if you hadn’t stopped that shithead. That you didn’t stay away because you wanted to. That I’m a hundred per cent with you. That you and me are forever and gonna be very happy. But she’s been ignoring the phone, not answering the door and keeping to herself the past few days.”
“Worrying about you,” I whisper.
“And to say she’s feeling guilty for how she was just now is an understatement.”
I shake my head. “She saw you in pain. She was bound to be worried about who I am and what I might be capable of.”
“She knows the truth now. And I probably should’ve called her earlier and put her mind at ease. That’s on me. Anyway, it’s sorted. Prepare yourself for some grand gestures. Stopped her from coming back here and throwing her arms around you.”
“Aw, you should’ve let her. Been a long while since I got a good Mom hug.”
“You want I can call her back?” He jerks his thumb toward the driveway, teasing.
“That’s not necessary. Neither are grand gestures.”
“To Lucy Savage it is. I told her your family is heading this way for the meeting. She’s gonna take in your Aunt Mimi and give her the star treatment. She’s gonna call Ivy and Amie and ask if they can take your sisters between ‘em. They’ve got lots of room there. I mean, so do we, really, but I’m not ready for company.”
I shake my head. “They’ll stay upstairs above the drycleaners. Kathleen moved here to Lorenzo’s, so it’s vacant again. Place holds some nostalgia for us since Aunt Lyrica used to live there.”
“Five people in an apartment?”
“Yes. We’re close. We’re always piling into a big bed or throwing sleeping bags on a floor and having sleepovers. Don’t worry. They’re fine in the apartment.”
“If you say so. You call your family about bringing your stuff here?”
“They’ll be here tomorrow. They’re renting a cube van.”
“You got furniture and dishes and shit like that?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nope. I lived with them in Marblehead. I’ll leave all my bedroom furniture there for when I visit. Then we’ll have a nice place to stay by the ocean. Got a big bedroom there with a balcony that overlooks the water that I share with Dani whose room is beside mine. You’ll love it.”
“Sounds good, baby. It’s a nice spot. I saw it when I went lookin’ for you. But if you don’t have furniture and dishes, why do they need a cube van? I somehow have a hard time believing you’ve got hundreds of pairs of shoes.” He looks at my bare feet.
I snicker. “I have a few pairs. But no… I have a lot of art supplies, crystals, and plants. A teapot and teacup collection. And like… a lot of plants. Your little witch has a very green thumb and she’s not afraid to use it.” I hold my thumb out. “Did I mention I have a lot of plants?”
He plants a kiss on my thumb and pulls me close. “Guess I better get on that greenhouse, huh?”
I drape my arms over his shoulders. “Maybe next summer I’ll set up a little fruit, vegetable, and flower stand at the end of the driveway.”
“Not a bad idea. You wanna go see the inside of your home, Mrs. Savage?”
I bite my lip and nod eagerly.
Riley lifts me up and carries me.
I see two teenage girls riding bicycles past the house. They wave with big smiles.
I wave back and so does Riley. And then he takes me up the front steps and I pull in a big breath.
“You’re acting nervous. Why?” he asks.
“I didn’t think this was ever gonna happen. I’m just here hoping I’m not about to wake up from this dream. Though if it is a dream, it’s way better than the kinds I usually have.”
“Not a dream, Rikki. This is real. And it’s very fuckin’ overdue.”
“Yay,” I whisper, throat clogging.
He pushes the door open and carries me over the threshold. Me in that same dress, the same bare feet but a little older and a whole lot wiser.
And then he kicks the door shut and is kissing me before I can take much of anything in. Kissing me while climbing the long staircase with me.
I barely get to take in his bedroom because my dress is being pulled over my head and then I’m falling onto his bed.
His clothes are shucked off quickly and I’m eyeing his fantastic, muscled chest when he abruptly flips me to my belly, lifts me up by my hips, and then he’s slamming inside me from behind.
I whimper but then manage a breathy, “Doggie style happens to be one of my favorite positions so far. Imagine that?”