Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29658 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29658 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 119(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
She has a wildfire inside of her. “Now what?” I finally have her full name. I grab my phone, calling my private investigator. After all of these years I’ve finally gotten a break.
I rattle off the information that I have. I hear him typing away on his computer. Willow Snow Crimson. With a middle name like that it should make it easier to track her down.
“Well, fuck me,” Rick says through the phone.
“What?” I shout, fear creeping up my spine. My heart pounds so loudly I think Emily can hear it. I take a deep breath to try to prepare myself for whatever it is that he’s about to tell me.
“She’s right under your nose. She lives in Kissme Bay. Looks like she moved there eight months ago.” Kissme Bay. That’s only a short drive away. “She lives over the Kissme Sweet Shop, where she works as well.”
I’ve been there a few times since I moved out here to Wild Ridge Mountains. Fate is trying to bring her back to me. I’m not one that usually believes in that sort of shit. Well, not until now, anyway.
“I'm going to email you what I have right now. I’m going to dig some more. I’ll have a full report for you by tomorrow.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Will do,” he says before ending the call. My email dings, and I click it. I decide to start with one of the social media links. A flood of pictures pop up. She’s smiling in all of them, her dimple on full display. She still looks like my angel.
“I don’t see any boyfriend, so that’s good.” Emily breaks me from my thoughts. I clench my jaw, thinking about her with another man. I’m a bastard because I know that wouldn't stop me regardless. She sealed our fate all those years ago when she asked me to marry her. I’d done it. There wasn’t anything she could have asked me back then that I wouldn’t have done for her.
I’d kept my promise and vow to her all of these years—and now the only thing I won’t do is ever let her go.
Willow is mine. She always has been.
2
Willow
“Hot new story?” I ask my best friend Glory. She is always on the hunt for the next big story around here. There aren't many to be found, but she loves it nonetheless. I envy her passion for it, wanting something like that in my life. Nothing really sticks out in my mind that I want to do. I enjoy working at the bakery.
I get to talk to all kinds of people. Lily is always putting me out front of the Sweet Shop. She says I bring everyone in with my charm and because I’m so pretty. I’m not sure I agree. I never thought of myself as charming. But it's sweet she sees me that way.
“Nope.” She lets out a long sigh. “There is a benefit raising money for children in need.” She snags my full attention at that.
“Like medical?” I ask as I steal the pad from her to look at her notes.
“Yeah, and other things.” I stare down at the name Lennon Carver. I trace my finger on the name, but nothing comes to me.
“He’s somewhat new around here. His name isn't new, that's for sure. From what I dug up, he sold his shares of Colossal, Inc. and has retired out to Wild Ridge Mountains. Who retires at the age of thirty-two?” I’m guessing someone who has the means to do so.
“Colossal? Why does that sound familiar?” I wrack my brain again.
“They’re one of the biggest medical supply companies. Plus, they invented some robots that can perform surgery on babies’ tiny little hearts.”
“Wow.” That is so freaking awesome. I bet he’s saved so many babies.
“Yeah, the man is somewhat of a unicorn. He donates more money a year than I can wrap my mind around. And he’s single.” Glory wiggles her eyebrows at me. She’s nuts. This Lennon sounds like he’s a very driven man to have accomplished so many things before the age of thirty.
Glory flips the iPad back around, finding a picture of him to show me. My heart does a weird flutter.
His blue eyes feel familiar. When the light hits them, I think they might be gray too. It’s such a stunning combination. My mind drifts back to the boy I’d gotten to marry me all those years ago. He has the same blue eyes. I’ve even fought with myself if they had been more gray or blue. I shake the thought away. Over the years I swore that I would randomly spot him in places, but it was never him. Instead it was always my mind playing tricks on me. Or maybe it was my heart longing for him. I’m not sure which.
“He’s handsome,” I finally say. The man is built.