Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 98736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
“He’ll have to if he wants to be a part of my life.”
“I hate this for you.”
“Not for you?” I ask.
“He’s one of my best friends. I love him like a brother, but it’s your name tattooed on my heart.”
“I like this softer side of you.”
He laughs softly. “I’m just me, Em.”
“I know. You’ve always been nice to me, good to me even. All of you have. I was the annoying little sister.” I cringe at the mention of our age difference, hoping he doesn’t latch on to that next. “But you’re different with me now. Softer is the best way I know how to describe it.”
“I guess that’s what happens to a man when he gets his dream girl.”
My mouth falls open, and he chuckles.
Fucking video call.
He yawns again.
“You should try to get some rest,” I say to change the subject. He really does look wrecked.
“I think with this gift I got today, I might actually be able to.” He gives me a sleepy smile. “Sweet dreams, baby.”
“Night, Rome. Sweet dreams.” I blow a kiss at the screen, and he does the same before we end the video call. Plugging my phone in, I turn off the bedside lamp and close my eyes. I drift off to sleep with my heart full, and my body relaxed.
Chapter
Seventeen
Roman
* * *
“There he is, the birthday boy!” Forrest calls out as I walk into the shop.
“My birthday isn’t until Sunday,” I remind him.
“It’s your birthday week.” He shrugs. “We’re grilling at my place, Sunday, right?”
“Yeah.” I nod. There’s no point in trying to get out of it. This is his thing, and we all accept that. Forrest and Emerson didn’t have the best childhood. Forrest’s was worse than Emerson's because he got her out of that house as much as possible.
“So what’s the plan?” Lachlan asks.
“I was thinking we could head into Nashville Saturday night, hit a few bars, listen to some music,” Maddox suggests.
“Nah.” I’m quick to shut that shit down. “Just not feeling it. Why don’t we just order some pizzas and pick up a couple of twelve packs of beer? There’s a fight on Saturday night, right? Let’s Pay Per View that and just chill.”
“You sure?” Forrest asks.
“Yeah, low-key is the name of the game, my friend.”
“Low-key, my ass. You’re dirty thirty, brother.” He holds his fist out for me to bump into his. “The last of us to leave our twenties. We need to do it up big.”
“Splurge on a bottle of Crown other than just beer.”
“That’s what you call doing it up big?” Legend asks.
I shrug. I can’t tell them that I miss Emerson like a fucking limb, and that in no way do I want to go to bars and have women hitting on me all night. Not because she can’t trust me, but because it will be obvious to them, I’m not into it. Then they’re going to start asking questions. Ones I can’t answer.
Hell, they're already suspicious.
I did break down a few weeks ago and went to Get Hammered, the bar down the street, for beers after work. It’s not that I don’t want to hang out with them, but Emerson only gets so much free time from studying, and I can’t talk to her when they’re around. Since we all work together, they are always around. I just like going home and ending my day with her.
“Thirty is the new twenty, man,” Maddox says adamantly.
“Just not feeling it this year.”
“Fine,” Forrest grumbles. “But we’re getting Peach Crown this time.” He stalks off to his room to get ready for his day.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” Lachlan asks. “I thought you were off today and tomorrow because you’re helping your dad with the deck?”
“Yeah, I am, but I needed to come in and pick up my Bluetooth speaker. I’m going to need some tunes while we work.”
“At least it’s a nice day. It’s supposed to be cooler this weekend.”
“It’s the third week of October. It’s supposed to be cold.”
“Yeah, but at least it’s in the fifties today, so you won’t be freezing your balls off. You might want to reproduce one day.”
Instantly, a vision of Emerson carrying my baby pops into my head.
Fuck me, this girl has me twisted in a way I’ll never unravel her from my heart.
“Not reproducing anytime soon,” I counter, moving toward my room to grab my speaker. Emerson just turned twenty this summer. She’s not ready for kids; at least I don’t think she is. Hell, that’s not something we’ve talked about. We need to get through telling everyone we’re together, and then we can cross that bridge. In the meantime, I’ll leave those thoughts for when I’m alone and missing her, and can’t stop thinking about when she comes home for good after graduation.
I grab my small speaker and the charging cord just in case, wave to Lyra, who’s manning the desk, and head out.