Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 185(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 123(@300wpm)
He doesn't say anything to me. Instead, he pulls Elodie in for another hug and then steps back. "Give me a little fucking time to process this shit," he mutters. "It's a lot."
Her chin wobbles. "I love you, Keegan."
"I love you." He turns to walk away and then pauses, looking at me again. "Don't even fucking think about getting her pregnant, Coby. I mean it. You'll be shitting your teeth for weeks."
"Keegan!" Elodie cries.
"I'm fucking serious," her brother says, strolling down the sidewalk to his truck.
We watch in silence as he climbs inside and then drives away.
Elodie's shoulders droop as soon as the truck disappears from sight.
"Come on, princess," I murmur, swinging her up into my arms. "Let's get you inside."
"You were supposed to wait for me at your place," I say, running my hands through her hair as we lay facing one another on the bed a few minutes later.
"I was worried you guys were going to fight. And I wanted him to know that you never wanted to keep it from him." She smiles sadly. "You always wanted to do the right thing. I just wouldn't let you."
"I made my own choices, princess."
"You did what you thought you had to do."
"So did you." I tuck strands of her behind her ear. "I wish I'd known about that motherfucker."
"It was a long time ago."
"Not long enough, Elodie." I brush my lips across her forehead. "I want to hunt down everyone who ever hurt you and destroy them one by one."
"I don't want that," she whispers. "I just want you. The other stuff doesn't matter. Besides, no one ever really did anything to me. Parker tried to kiss me, but mostly, guys just made lewd comments or said nasty things when I turned them down. Girls were rude to me sometimes. It's funny, really. Until I grew boobs, everyone acted like I didn't exist. But then, all of a sudden, I couldn't seem to disappear no matter how hard I tried." She traces a tattoo on her arm. "I tried hiding in hoodies. I tried baggy clothes. Eventually, I turned to ink. I got fewer comments with every new tattoo. Instead of being catcalled and propositioned, people just shook their heads and said what a shame."
"It's your armor."
"Yeah. No one sees me with the tattoos. They just see them. I'm freer with them than I have been for a long time. It's so nice, Coby. I can wear what I want, say what I want, and do what I want, and no one cares because they don't see past the tattoos. For the first time since puberty, I'm allowed to just freaking live. I haven't been that free since I was fourteen."
"You're free with me, princess." I cup her jaw, tipping her head back. "You don't have to hide from me. I see you."
"I know." Her lashes flutter, a little smile curving her lips up. "You know what's funny? The day I stole your invitation, I was convinced that you'd never see me clearly. But I think you probably see me more clearly than anyone else ever has."
"That's because I never take my eyes off you, Elodie. If you're in the room, I'm watching you. You might not have noticed, but I'm obsessed with you."
"Yeah?" Her smile grows. "I'm a little obsessed with you too, Coby."
"Oh, yeah?" I grin. "Obsessed enough to let me put a ring on your finger as soon as your brother is ready to deal with a wedding?"
Her lashes flutter again, her lips parting. "Are you…?"
"Asking you to marry me? Yeah, princess, I am." I reach into my pocket, pulling out the ring I've been carrying around for the last few days. "I know you probably won't want to wear this until shit with your brother is sorted out, but I know what my future looks like. It's you. I love every single thing about you, Elodie. I need you to marry me. Having you for the rest of my life is the only way my life works. I won't settle for anything less."
"Coby," she whispers. "Please don't make me cry. I've already cried a lot today."
"I know, princess. And I'm not trying to make you cry again now. But I need you in my life permanently. So I need you to say yes."
"Yes."
"Fuck." I press my lips to her forehead, slipping the ring on her finger. The solitary diamond looks fucking perfect on her.
"I want to keep it on," she says.
"Yeah?"
She nods. "I'm not going to hide it, Coby. We tried that already and it didn't end so well. So this time, we're doing it differently. We're going to be honest with him. I'm not ever asking you to hide anything ever again. You deserve better than that." She meets my gaze. "You deserve the world."