Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
She plucked a blue mini marshmallow off the top of her obnoxiously pink milkshake with its multicolor sprinkles, and tossed it at him. It landed on his cheek and kind of stuck there for a second before sliding wetly down the craggy planes of his face.
He reached up and removed the marshmallow from his cheek, bringing it around to stare distastefully at the bright blue, gooey confectionary. The blue was coming off on his fingertips.
He quirked a brow at her and—maintaining eye contact all the while—popped the sticky treat into his mouth.
“That milkshake looks revolting by the way,” he pointed out, and Lilah wondered if she should tell him that his teeth were blue. “What the fuck is the thought process behind it? Was the unicorn supposed to have been blended into it? Because if that’s the case, it’s grim as hell.”
She blinked at him, having never really considered that angle before.
“Uh…” She snort giggled as she contemplated his words. “Maybe it’s meant to be something unicorns consume? Like unicorn nectar or something?”
Another skeptical brow quirk.
“What’s it taste of?”
“Wanna sip?” she asked, holding the glass toward him and his face actually contorted in revulsion which made her giggle even harder.
“God no. I just told you it looks repulsive.”
She stirred the confection again and held it up for him to see the swirled together blues, pinks and purples.
“It looks awesome,” she disagreed.
“Looks like unicorn barf.” His disgruntled words had her chortling, and it truly felt wonderful to just laugh at silly shit again. It was especially gratifying when her laughter coaxed another one of Ben’s rare smiles from him. Seriously, the man was entirely too selfish when it came to those beauties.
She took an experimental sip from her milkshake, smacked her lips and lifted her eyes to his. “Yep… that’s it. That’s the flavor. Unicorn barf. And it’s delicious.”
He palmed his face and his shoulders shook helplessly, while he strove to hide his laughter from her.
When he finally dropped his hand, the laughter had faded, but it still shone in his eyes.
“I always found it absurd how you could be fascinated and amused by the simplest things,” he said. “I remember you once stopped dead in your tracks to watch a squirrel drag a couple of nuts up a tree. It annoyed the hell out of me, I had important business to discuss with Cyrus and you kept him there for nearly half-an-hour making the most ridiculous off-color comments.”
Lilah recalled that day, she’d been nearly sixteen and had been possessive of her time with her grandfather. When Ben had approached them on their daily walk around the gardens, she’d seen the purposeful look on his face and had been desperate to keep Gramps with her a little longer. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Ben lingered as well, she’d truly had the most embarrassingly obvious crush on him.
“Oh yes, I remember that squirrel. He kept dropping both nuts, but refused to leave one behind.”
“I never realized how many dirty testicle related puns you knew before that day,” Ben said. “I probably would have been impressed if I weren’t so irritated.”
“Students at all girls’ schools have to keep themselves occupied in some way,” she said with a laugh. “Blake was the worst when it came to dirty jokes, she picked them up from her older brothers.”
“The thing is,” he said, his voice reflective. “I can’t for the life of me remember what the urgent business was I needed to discuss with him… but I clearly remember how happily Cyrus laughed at every one of your stupid puns.”
“What are you getting at, Ben?” she asked softly, and he lifted his shoulders awkwardly.
“I don’t know… I guess maybe that you’re like sunshine, Lilah. You brightened up Cyrus’s life and, lately, I’ve found myself appreciating the light you bring to my life and my home as well.”
Lilah wasn’t sure what to make of that. How to respond to it. Why he was saying it. Was it some kind of ploy? Another way of trying to convince her to stay in this marriage with him?
But he looked painfully embarrassed, red creeping up from his collar and into his face and she could tell that it had been an honest, spur-of-the-moment comment. And that Ben himself wasn’t sure how to react to the confession.
“I just thought you should know that,” he said, his cracked voice much raspier than usual.
“I appreciate that. I cherished my moments with Gramps. I so desperately wish there had been more of them.”
“He cherished those moments too. He cleared his schedule, switched off all his devices and forbade his staff from contacting him when he had anything planned with you.”
Lilah smiled and swiped at a sneaky tear that had crept its way onto her cheek. Ben looked alarmed and regretful at the sight of the tear.