Total pages in book: 296
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 284055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1420(@200wpm)___ 1136(@250wpm)___ 947(@300wpm)
I look out over the horizon and focus on the rolling hills in the distance as I lean against the hot metal of the tractor. “I know.”
“You signed the annulment papers. She wouldn’t have sent them if she didn’t have doubts,” he continues. “Her life is in Phoenix. Is she really willing to give that up? Being here on the ranch in the middle of nowhere is a lot to take in. Trust me, it’s a huge change for those city girls, and it takes some adjusting. At first, it seems like a vacation, and then the newness wears off. We love it because it’s in our genes, but this life isn’t for everyone. You know that.”
I think back on all the things Zoey and I have talked about over the past week. Her parents, her life, her job, all of it. “If we’re meant to be, it will be. I’m not forcing anything, but I know deep in my heart she’s the one. The way she makes me feel, Dad. It’s real. There’s no pretending when we’re together. I don’t have any doubts.”
All he does is nod. I wonder if Ma is worried about me getting hurt too. Being married is a change, for damn sure, but one I’m willing to make. All I want is for Zoey to be happy. We deserve each other in a way that I don’t think most people understand. I know that down to the core of my being. Zoey. My wife. I’m completely in-fucking-fatuated with her. Though everything happened so quickly, it’s already impossible to imagine her not being in my life. I’ve never met anyone like her before.
“You know, it only took a few days for me to feel the same way about your mother, yet there was a point in my life when I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again, and it practically destroyed me. It worked out for us, but not everyone is so lucky. I support you and whatever you do. I know you’re smitten, that much is obvious, but marriage isn’t easy once the honeymoon phase wears off. There are ups and downs, and you gotta be able to communicate and work through them. Spend this time really getting to know her. Everything about her. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And she needs to know your quirks too.”
“Thankfully, I don’t have anything to hide. Open book right here.” I shrug.
Dad laughs. “Whatever you say.”
We finish working on the tractor, and he starts it up, then moves it back into the barn. After he hops off, I look at him.
“Mom put you up to talking to me, didn’t she?” I arch a brow at him, suspicious.
The smirk gives him away. “Even though I’m not concerned about you, she is. You’re a Bishop, so I know how this works. It’s hard for women to walk away from us because we’re so damn addicting.” He winks, not at all too proud to admit it.
I shake my head, chuckling. “And that’s exactly how I was born.”
After we’re finished, I check my phone and see I have a text from my mother to come over and pick up some leftovers. I show Dad, and he gives me a pointed look. Groaning, I release a slow breath. “Great.”
“Might as well call it a day. We’re pretty much done anyway. You better not make her wait. She’s on the night shift and will be leaving soon,” he tells me as I walk toward my truck.
I turn and look at him. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Just tell her you’re using protection,” he calls out, and I can see he’s laughing when he turns around.
“I am!” I yell. I hop in the truck and drive across the property to my parents’ house. I walk inside, take off my hat, and see Mom has containers stacked a mile high to the ceiling. Rowan’s digging in the fridge, and Mom is nowhere to be found.
“Oh.” She turns around and screams. “Who the fuck are you?”
I narrow my eyes at her and shake my head at her dramatics. “What’re you talking about?”
“Riley, thank God.” She holds her hand to her heart. “Didn’t recognize you without your shaggy hair. Looks like your wife is changing you already. Gettin’ haircuts and taking showers these days. Damn, ya got hitched and turned into a brand-new man. Who woulda thought?”
“Riley,” my mother calls out from behind me. I turn around and see her dressed in scrubs with her hair in a high ponytail. Mom loves her job at the hospital, taking care of premature babies. She gives Rowan a pointed look, and within a few seconds, Rowan slinks out of the kitchen, and it’s just us.
“Before you even say anything, we’re using protection,” I blurt out.
She tilts her head at me, giving me a confused look. “Good for you…”