Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 134531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134531 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
She was still going back to school, and I missed her already, but I felt great comfort in knowing that all of her things would be with me.
In our new home.
The one that we were apparently driving to. The one I apparently needed to be blindfolded for. I’d played along, only because it was one of Violet’s birthday demands.
“It’s Violet who’s the one who should be getting a surprise,” I whined.
“Trust me, Mom, I’ve had enough surprises to last a lifetime,” Violet commented dryly.
I smiled for her benefit more than anything. My girl had taken all of the news about Preston in stride, and despite her breakdown on that first night, she had not shed a tear. She had refused to talk about her father, committed to her notion that he was dead to her.
I worried about that. About everything that she was burying. But I couldn’t force it out of her. She would talk to me when she was ready.
As it was, she had thrown herself headfirst into club life, into helping Julian at the café, babysitting for Caroline, Freya or Macy. Going to the gun range with Colby—the two of them had formed quite a friendship that amused me yet pissed off Swiss. She had told me one night that she was not attracted to him in the slightest because he was ‘too young.’ That had not put my mind at ease since he was at least five years older than her, but I had to trust that the older men in the club who she likely had her eyes on were much more mature, therefore smart enough to stay well away from my teenage daughter.
The smell of lavender wafted through the air, then I was lifted into Swiss’s arms. I let out a little squeal at the unexpected movement.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“Tradition,” he grunted.
“Tradition?” I scowled. “That does not give me any of the information that I need.”
“Calm down, Countess,” Swiss replied with amusement.
He shifted my weight so one of his hands could reach back to remove my blindfold. “Gotta carry you over the threshold,” he explained, nodding to the front door.
It was not the front door I was focusing on, though. Well, my gaze went there for a second, but then it went everywhere else. To the entryway of my new home. The entryway that was covered in flowers. And candles. There was soft music playing from somewhere in the house.
And then, when I looked for Swiss, he was down on one knee.
Holding a ring.
A simple but stunning solitaire garnet. It could’ve been a sister to the one around Violet’s neck.
It was absolutely perfect.
My eyes instantly filled with tears.
“Know we’re already technically engaged.” His voice was thick with emotion. “I also know that you know I’m not one to stick to tradition normally. But I’m gonna make an exception for you.”
Swiss took the ring and slid it onto the fourth finger of my left hand before laying a kiss on my palm. “I also know that you didn’t want a big wedding. That the most important thing to you is family.” His eyes navigated to Violet who was watching with a radiant smile on her face. “So I enlisted the help of your daughter and a few others to give you a wedding and a home.”
I struggled to keep my breathing under control.
A wedding.
Today. Swiss had organized a proposal, a new home and a wedding. With my daughter.
“What do you say, Countess?” he asked. “Wanna get hitched today?”
Instead of speaking, I did a little hiccup sob thing.
Swiss looked to Violet. “That sound like a yes?”
She nodded rapidly. “A total yes.”
Swiss stood, pulling me into his arms and kissing me lightly. “I’ll let you go and get ready,” he said against my lips. “I’ve got to go and make myself pretty for my wife.”
He laid a kiss on my nose before sauntering off.
As if he hadn’t just rocked my world.
I didn’t even have time to process what was happening because Macy, Freya and Caroline appeared, and they, along with Violet, spirited me away to ‘get ready.’
For my wedding day.
The house that Swiss had bought for us was perfect.
Beyond perfect.
It was exactly what I’d been imagining, sitting on Freya’s patio that night months ago. It was on six acres. Not a house to be seen in any direction. A sprawling garden that was wild, colorful and perfect. A large pool, the water glimmering off the sunlight, visible from our bedroom.
Or should I say, our wing.
The room itself was huge with a private patio, views to die for and a gigantic closet and bathroom.
The only thing hanging in that closet had been my wedding dress.
The wedding dress that I didn’t pick but somehow fit me to a T. That was somehow utterly perfect for me. It was simple, such a pale pink it was almost white. The neck was high but dipped way down low in the back. It molded over my new curves, complimenting every one of them before trailing down delicately to the floor.