Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76364 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Thank you for that,” I murmur, my eyes starting to droop. Between it being the middle of the night and having just climaxed, I’m suddenly exhausted.
“You never have to thank me, Kels.” Pierce settles into bed and props his phone up as well. “I would do anything for you.” After a few moments of silence, he says, “I love you, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”
“I love you,” I rasp, my eyes closing.
When I reopen them a few hours later, my phone is still propped up, but the screen is blank. I click on my messages and find one from Pierce:
Pierce
Sleeping next to you is my favorite thing to do. Four more nights, and we’ll be sleeping together for the rest of our lives. Have a good day. I love you.
Four days? And that’s when it hits me… I agreed to move in with Pierce on Sunday. I wait to regret the decision, but when it doesn’t happen, I allow myself to get excited. Because for the first time since Trent passed away, I’ve put myself first, and in doing so, I’ve fallen in love.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
PIERCE
Pierce
I think you should consider giving Dorothy your notice. Between planning the wedding and the holidays, we’ll be busy.
I’m staring down at my phone, watching the message bubbles appear and disappear. With every disappearance, I can feel Kelsie’s anxiety rising. We’ve been texting and video chatting like crazy over the past two days since I’ve been at work. Tonight, while we were talking, she groaned at the mention of her having to go to work tomorrow. After we hung up, it got me thinking: why the hell is she still working when we’re moving in together?
I stare at the bubbles for a few more seconds—ready to send another text—when the bubbles disappear again and my phone rings. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Pierce,” she rasps, sounding half asleep. I probably should’ve waited to have this conversation in person, but when I heard the dread in her voice, I felt like it was something that needed to be said.
“Kels…”
“As much as I’d love to take off the next few weeks, that would mean no money coming in, which would mean paying my rent late—”
“I didn’t say to take off. I said to give your notice, meaning to quit. You don’t have to worry about money. I paid the rent for next month, and the realtor is putting it up for sale. Mrs. Jenson said she’s happy for us and she’s ready to sell the house. Aside from your cell phone, you have no other bills. So, you have no reason to work unless you want to. But you said you’d love to be home with Jordan.”
“I know I said that,” she says softly. “However, it’s scary. What if something happens, and Jordan and I are left with nothing…” again, is what she’s thinking but isn’t voicing. Because when Trent died, they weren’t prepared, and she was forced to rely on his parents, who treated her like shit. She told me all about them one night, and I swear to God, if I ever meet them, they’ll be getting a piece of my mind.
“You’re not alone anymore. In two weeks, when we get married, you both will be added to my insurance and life insurance policy, as well as my will and my bank accounts. God forbid something happens to me, not only will you be taken care of financially, but you’ll have my entire family, who already considers both of you part of our family.”
“Pierce…”
“And if the idea of divorce is running through your head, you better knock that thought away right fucking now,” I continue. “You’re it for me, Kels. You and Jordan are mine.” I release a harsh breath then say the next words I don’t want to say but need to. “With that being said, I don’t want you to ever feel trapped. If at any point, you aren’t happy and don’t feel I’m the person you want to spend your life with…”
“No, Pierce. It’s not that. It’s just… I love you and appreciate everything you’re saying, but I feel like I’ve never been able to stand on my own two feet. First, Trent took care of everything, and then I lived with his parents. When we moved here, I was finally independent, even if I was barely making ends meet.”
“You’re so damn strong, Kels. The day I saw you in the grocery store, despite the shitty situation, you held your head high and handled it gracefully. You go to work every day to provide a roof over your daughter’s head and fill her belly with food. She’s more than taken care of.
“You don’t need me, and you’re not depending on me. We’re a team now. If you feel the need to work, I’ll support you one hundred percent. But find a job you love instead of one you take out of desperation. We both know you don’t want to work there, and you don’t have to.”