Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“I hear you,” she whispers.
“Will you call me when you get wherever it is that you’re going? Will you call me while you’re gone? Fuck, I just got you back, Reese. I can’t stand the thought of being without you.”
“I’ll let you know that I made it.”
“I love you.”
“I need to go. Bye, Coop,” she says, and the line goes silent.
Just like that, the bliss of having her in my arms, of us finally being together, is ripped out from under me and is replaced with fear. I was prepared for her decision to marry Hunter. I was prepared to lose her, but after last night… after what we shared, losing her isn’t an option. Grabbing my clothes, I get dressed, and as I’m slipping on my shoes, there’s a knock at the door. I rush, thinking maybe she changed her mind. I pull it open to find Nixon standing there with a bag and two coffees.
“Hey.” I open the door, allowing him space to walk into the room.
“You look like shit.” He places the bag and the coffees down on the small table, pulling up a chair.
“Yeah, well, when you fall asleep with the love of your life in your arms only to wake up to an empty bed and a phone call telling you she’s going out of town and won’t tell you where, that happens.”
“I know. She has my fiancée with her.”
“Tessa’s with her? She didn’t tell me that.” I feel a little of the tension in my shoulders release knowing she’s not alone.
“Yeah, you piss your girl off or scare her away or whatever the fuck happened between the two of you, and she runs off with my fiancée, so thanks for that,” he says sarcastically.
“I didn’t piss her off or scare her away. Not that I’m aware of. Fuck, man, I don’t really know. When we went to bed last night, we were in a good place. I thought we were on the same page.”
“That, my friend, is what you get for thinking.” He points at me, along with an accusing look on his face.
“I don’t even know what she was wearing.”
“Clothes?” he offers.
“Yeah, but I kind of tore her dress last night.” I more than just tore her dress. I tore it off her body. Not just a rip, it’s ruined. There is no way she could have worn it out of this room.
He raises his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. “Oh, do tell.”
“No. But I will tell you she wouldn’t have been able to wear it out of here.” I shrug because I’m not the least bit sorry about it.
“She texted Tess to bring her some clothes at around five this morning.”
“I’m glad.” The thought of her traipsing around in a robe from the hotel or worse, those thin pieces of lace, sets my blood on fire. Reese Latham is for my eyes only.
His phone rings, and I freeze, eavesdropping on him as he answers. “Hey, babe.” He listens and smiles. “I love you too. Call me when you land,” he says, then hits End on his phone.
“Where are they?”
“I’m not allowed to tell you.”
“Why the hell not?” I ask, frustrated. She already told me she didn’t want me to know, but damn it, she’s the love of my life. I should know where she is.
“We all know you, Reeves. What’s worse is we all know you when it comes to Reese. You’re the dumbass who just figured it out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve been telling you for years that you were in love with her. Go ahead, say it. I was right.”
“You were right.” I don’t even hesitate because I am in love with her. I have no plans of ever denying that truth ever again.
“Hold up.” He grabs his phone from the table, hits a few buttons, and points it at me. “All right, say it again. A little louder for those in the back,” he jokes.
“Fuck off.” I laugh at his antics. “What did you mean, you know how I am when it comes to Reese?”
He takes a swig of his coffee before answering. “You’ve always been protective of her. Not just ‘she’s my best friend’ protective, but ‘I love this girl, and you’re not getting near her’ protective.”
I don’t reply to that, because I know deep down he’s right. Reese has always been special to me. “So what? I’m just supposed to sit around and worry about her while she’s gone?”
“She’s fine, Cooper. Do you really think I would be okay with Tessa being in any kind of danger? If something happens, which it’s not going to, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” I run my fingers through my hair and let out a slow, choppy breath. It’s going to be a long… hell, I don’t even know how long she’s going to be gone. I assume she had time off work for her honeymoon, but I don’t know where they were going. No, as soon as I got the wedding invitation, I made sure to sidestep any wedding talk. I couldn’t bear it.