Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
“I’m gonna kill the bastard.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Daddy, no!”
“He was a jerk to you, so I’m gonna kill him.”
“He wasn’t a jerk to me! It was my fault.”
Reuben eyed her for a long moment. “Nope. Nice try. I’m gonna kill him. Name.”
“Daddy! I’m telling the truth. I broke up with him because I . . . ” she sighed, looking sad. “The truth is that I had a business. It was a floral shop. But it also had some pretty knickknacks and homeware. Matt ran it with me.”
“What happened? Did you break up with him and he took half? I’m gonna kill the bastard.”
“Daddy!”
To his shock, her lips twitched.
He narrowed his gaze at her. “You think this is funny?”
“It’s a little funny how you keep saying you’re gonna murder him.”
Oh. She thought he was joking.
Well, she’d find out the truth once he turned up dead.
“He didn’t take half my business. I . . . I ended up having to close the shop. I thought we were doing okay. I didn’t even know anything was wrong. Matt said he kept it from me, so I didn’t worry. And by the time he told me, the business was bankrupt and I was a failure.”
Fuck.
Reuben actually felt that old, dead, shriveled-up organ in his chest crack a bit.
His poor baby. He could only imagine how awful she felt.
“I had to lay off the lady I had working for me. Matt hadn’t wanted to hire her, but I was getting so busy and tired. He was right though. I shouldn’t have hired her. She gave up a job to come work for me, then she couldn’t find another job for ages. I gave her as much money as I could gather to help tide her over.”
“Baby.”
“I hate being a failure. I hate that everyone knows I’m a failure. I let them all down, Reuben.”
“Hey, that’s not true. Owning a business is risky and hard. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I lost all their money, though.” Her confession was filled with pain and self-loathing.
He’d do anything he could to take that away. To make everything better for her.
“Their money?” he asked.
“My parents and my three brothers . . . they all invested in the business to help me get started. My dad even let me use some of his land to grow flowers. Land he could have profited from by growing corn on it. I lost it all.”
“They wouldn’t have given you money that they weren’t prepared to lose.”
“I don’t know if that’s true. After the business failed, I heard my mom and dad talking about how tight things on the farm were going to be and how they were probably going to have to postpone retirement.” She sniffled.
“Oh, baby.”
Fuck. He hated that she felt like this. Why the fuck hadn’t her parents made certain that she couldn’t hear them?
“I’m going to make it all better.”
She reared back, her eyes wide. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.” This was an easy fix. He’d just pay off her debts. Done.
“Reuben, you can’t.”
“I can. All I need is their details and how much you owe them.”
“I’m not giving you that.”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “You won one argument today, baby. Do not push your luck.”
“I . . . what? I didn’t win any arguments? It’s impossible to win arguments with you. You are so stubborn.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, Daddy!” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pouting look.
She was so gorgeous, even when she was grouchy at him.
All he wanted was to tuck her into his pocket and keep her with him always.
“I don’t like that look in your eyes,” she told him.
“What look?”
“The one that says you’re plotting to overthrow the world.”
Not the world. Just one cute Little.
“Ahh. That look. I know it well.”
“Fudge knuckles,” she muttered. “Daddy, I don’t want you to pay them back because I want to do it. And I’m actually getting somewhere now that I work for you and can send more money home.”
“Wait . . . you’ve been sending money home to your family?”
“Not all of it. I give some to Cammie for rent and utilities.”
What about food? Did she actually eat anything when he didn’t basically force her to? Because she seemed to be getting thinner.
And you barely fed her any breakfast.
He’d have to remedy that.
“But, yeah, I’ve been splitting it between my parents and my brothers. And Matt.”
“Matt? Why the fuck are you giving him anything? I’m gonna kill him!”
“You can’t keep saying that.” She waggled her finger in front of his face.
Leaning forward, he caught her finger in his mouth and nipped it. “Don’t use that finger on me, Little Blossom.”
“Daddy! No biting.”
“But you like when I bite you.”
She blushed, looking away.
Yeah. So damn cute he could hardly stand it.
“I need to do this myself.”