Total pages in book: 235
Estimated words: 224334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1122(@200wpm)___ 897(@250wpm)___ 748(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 224334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1122(@200wpm)___ 897(@250wpm)___ 748(@300wpm)
“Have I?”
“Come on, Dan.” I’m being more than reasonable here, and it fucking kills me. But the last thing I need is another obstacle. “It will crush Ava if she senses bad feeling between us.”
He looks past me to his sister. “She’s a good girl.”
“I know.”
“Deserves the best.”
“I’ll give her the best.”
“Don’t fuck with her.”
I smile, but it’s mild, maybe even guilty. “If I hurt her, I give you full permission to gut me.” Dan doesn’t need to know that I’ll have gutted myself before he gets to me. I hold my hand out, and he looks down. “Truce?”
He nods, accepting, as Cathy wanders in, all smiles, followed by an energetic Luigi. “Excuse me a moment.” I head over and relieve Cathy of her bag, letting her hug me, enduring the pain, again, before shaking Luigi’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for this.” I know Cathy will be in her element. She refused payment. So I bought her some Air Miles instead. She often goes to Ireland, so she’ll have no choice but to use them or waste them, and Cathy doesn’t waste anything.
“I’ll clear the kitchen so you can get on.”
“The tables are being laid on the terrace,” Luigi says. “You can move the party out there.”
“Thanks.”
“Now go,” Cathy says, virtually pushing me back over to a curious Ava.
“What’s happening?” she asks.
“We’re having dinner.”
She cranes her neck to see the hive of activity breaking out. “Here?”
“Yes, I arranged for Luigi to come in and do the honors. We’ll eat on the terrace. It’s a nice evening.” I pull her closer, scanning her face as I clear her eye of a strand of hair.
“I can’t believe you did this.” She doesn’t shy away from my affection. Another good sign.
“Whatever it takes,” I say. “You know this.”
“You might get the loving brother speech.” She feels at my arms, looking so awkward. Too late. “Do you think you could humor him?”
“You mean another man telling me how to look after you?” I ask. “I don’t think so.” It’s bad enough I’ve bent to her brother’s ego already. If he starts throwing his weight around, I can’t promise I won’t help him take the weight off his feet and put him on his arse.
“Whatever it takes?” she says despondently, worried.
I can’t stand it. So I bend again, kissing her sweetly. “Whatever it takes. Come on.”
I herd everyone out of the kitchen to make way for Cathy and Luigi, watching, interested, as Ava’s mother swoons all over the penthouse. It’s a bit of a reality check. I’ve spent my life immersed in luxury, became a multi-multi-millionaire at twenty-one, and I’ve only recently come to truly see what I’ve got. Because for the first time in years, my vision is clear and so is my mind, letting me process my life. My world. A world that I want to be in now, because I’m with this woman.
This incredible, graceful, sometimes challenging, woman.
I watch her as she takes a seat along with everyone, smiling, relaxed, and I take the bottle of white, working my way around the table, pouring wine for all.
Except me.
And Ava.
She doesn’t acknowledge my move, helping herself to a bottle and pouring herself. It’s another challenge. Should she be drinking? Do I have a whole new other reason to curb her alcohol intake?
I sip my water, trying to distract myself, running over my proposal repeatedly, except now, I’m not nervous. It could be because I’ve got Joseph and Elizabeth’s blessing. It could be simply because Ava looks so content in this moment. I smile, continuing to watch her, as she chats, laughs, completely at ease. With her parents and me in the same room. Or on the same terrace of my ten-million-pound penthouse above the dazzling, bright lights of London.
“Dan, come on,” Ava drones, looking a little uncomfortable. It pulls me back to the present, and I follow her attention to her brother opposite me.
“I mean it,” he says, relaxed back in his chair. “You’re my baby sister.” He points his bottle at me. “You’ve had your warning.”
“Daniel O’Shea,” Elizabeth snaps on a hiss. “That’s enough.”
I smile on the inside and raise my glass to my lips. “It’s fine, Elizabeth,” I assure her, taking a sip. “He’s just being a big brother.” And a cunt. I smile across the table at him, all friendly. I have a feeling it’s going to get harder and harder to keep this front in place. But for Ava? I’ll manage. I look away from him before we get into a staring deadlock.
“Kate’s not her normal self,” I say to Ava as I watch her friend chat with Elizabeth. “Is she okay?” I refill Ava’s water, a silent gesture to drink up. Hopefully it’ll balance out the wine, which she’s having far too much of. When should I intervene?