Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 140(@200wpm)___ 112(@250wpm)___ 93(@300wpm)
“Good,” he says. “Let’s go inside before anyone else shows up looking for Owen.”
I can’t get over how amazing Rex’s house looks with its sleek design. The sun setting behind the house gives it a majestic appeal. It matches his silent ruggedness. The way his clean-cut appearance fades whenever he’s protecting me is like watching a switch flip.
Inside the home is even better than the exterior. There’s dark gray carpeting throughout except for the kitchen, which mirrors the dark gray stones outside with a matte finish. I don’t want to track dirt inside so I take off my shoes.
“I think we should hang out here instead of heading to the cabin,” Rex says.
“Is the cabin a bad idea?” I ask him. “Was it because of that man who was waiting here for you? Was he here for you? Or Owen?”
Rex turns to face me. “He said he was a federal agent, but he could have been anyone. Said his name was Chuck.”
“Chuck doesn’t sound like the name of an agent,” I mumble to myself.
“I agree. If he is or if he’s one of Lorenzo’s patsies, I’d rather be here. I have buddies nearby I can call if things get crazy, and my favorite guns are in the chest by the back door. Chuck said Owen left the hospital last night.”
“They let someone with broken ribs and a broken leg hobble their way out of a hospital?”
Rex shrugs. “Knowing Owen, he probably has some help.”
“You’re right. One of the many things he’s great at is getting some poor woman to feel bad for him. Some nurse is helping him right now and has no idea the mess he’s getting her into.”
“I think we should hang around until he resurfaces. Hang out, look around, make yourself at home, baby girl. I’m going to pull my car into the garage and bring our stuff inside.”
Rex takes a moment to walk outside of the house, and I find myself exploring the first floor. The front door opens directly into an open living room and kitchen. The entire left wall is covered in the same colored stone as the kitchen floor and pathway outside. There’s a black iron staircase on the right wall with a door under the stairs leading to the garage.
The kitchen is gorgeous and I can see myself cooking—well, learning how to cook in it. The amount of recipes I know is less than impressive. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are a steady rotation of the ten or so meals I remember my mother cooking for me as a young girl.
Thoughts of my mom cross my mind and while I’d lost her when I was 8, one of the things Owen got right was marrying my stepmother, Laura. One of the things Laura got right was divorcing Owen. We still keep in touch, and she’s been a motherly voice of reason throughout my life.
The white cabinets line the back wall with the matching fridge at one end and a door leading into the backyard at the other. The amount of work that’s gone into this home makes me wonder about Rex’s career as a lawyer. It makes me wonder if becoming a tattoo artist is worth it.
I’m lost in thought, wondering where my life goes after this passes. Will we have to leave Colwood if Owen doesn’t resolve this issue with Lorenzo? What am I going to do if that has to happen?
Will Rex leave if it comes down to that and will he take me with him?
My head begins to buzz with the onset of a migraine. There’s too much going on and I don’t know what to do or what to think.
“Raina?” Rex’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. I’m standing at the bottom of the steps as if something’s waiting for me at the top. Rex’s gaze shifts from me to the second-floor landing, undoubtedly wondering what’s keeping me in place. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” I huff and nod. “Just stuck in my head a bit. I think all of this stuff with Owen is just making me second-guess what I want.”
He’s carrying my bags and motions for me to head upstairs. The carpet continues on the second floor where I see three doors.
“There’s a spare bedroom that way and that door is a bathroom you can use. I have my own bathroom in the master. If you need to lie down and get some rest, feel free to make yourself at home.”
His home is beautiful and I want to call it mine. “Thanks, Daddy. I think I’ll take you up on that.”
He groans, biting his lower lip to let me know how much he enjoys it when I call him that. I only want to call him Daddy since he does an excellent job taking care of me, in all ways except one.