Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 95606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95606 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“Hi, Mom. What’s up?” She paused. “I’m sorry we argued, too, but—” Chloe stopped. “You have news? Okay. What is it? Did the dresses arrive from Paris?”
Chloe must have tapped the icon for speakerphone, because a tinny, muffled voice was echoing in the bathroom, joining Chloe’s. Momentarily, anyway. Both voices grew closer as Chloe moved back into view, propping her hip on the bedroom doorway, her gaze fastening on Sig, phone aloft. A line between her brows. As if she’d just now started to sense the impending doom, along with him. As if she wished they’d just climbed into bed and shut out the world.
Too late.
Something told him it was way too late.
“Well. Harvey and I . . .” Sofia paused to laugh, a male baritone chuckle joining her in the background. One belonging to his father. “We’re just a couple of impulsive kids these days. And the wedding planning was becoming so tedious, dear. I was stressed and Harvey hates seeing me stressed, so we decided to cut our losses . . . and own it. Just like you suggested, dear.”
Chloe was starting to breathe faster. “I don’t . . . I’m not following . . .”
“Are you sitting down?” Sofia didn’t bother waiting for an answer. “We got married last night. In Las Vegas. I mean, it’s so not my style, but I think that’s why it was so wonderful . . .”
Sofia continued to chatter on without stopping for breath, but Sig couldn’t hear anything else over the sound of his bones buckling. Loud booms in his head that might have been his pulse or maybe the world was really ending, but reality grew distorted and muffled, his stomach roiling to the point he thought he might get sick on the floor.
Their parents had gotten married.
It had happened.
He hadn’t stopped the marriage from taking place.
Done deal. It was a done deal.
Meaning . . . Chloe was now his stepsister. She’d been his stepsister since last night.
Her fingers were white around the phone, her expression hollow. Dazed.
He needed to get up and comfort her, but his limbs weren’t working.
“You got married in Vegas?” Chloe wheezed. “You’re . . . married now. To Harvey.”
“Yes! And oh dear, we really wanted to include you and Sig, but sometimes you have to go where the wind takes you. After your big, impulsive move to Boston, I knew you would understand.” A prolonged pause. “Are you upset?”
Chloe’s eyes were rapidly turning glassy. “Only that I forgot to see something like this coming,” she muttered, swiping at her moist eyes. But she wasn’t giving her mother the satisfaction of hearing it, even after the barb about being impulsive—and Sig had the presence of mind to be proud of Chloe for that. He wouldn’t have been able to accomplish shit in his current state of destroyed. But Chloe? She squared her shoulders and forced a brave expression, even though he could see the positivity cost her a great deal. “We’ll just have to throw a fabulous party so we can wear those dresses at least once.”
“Now that is the spirit. Maybe we’ll just have a second wedding! Though the planning will be a lot less nerve-racking this time, because I’m already married to the love of my life.”
There was a loud kiss on the other end of the line—and the bomb that dropped in his stomach as a result propelled Sig off the floor. He dressed without feeling the fabric of the clothes in his hands, only bothering with his briefs and sweatpants. Who gave a fuck about a shirt?
“We certainly hope we can celebrate together in person soon! When will you have time to make a trip to Darien? Of course, we’re in Vegas for a stint, but maybe next week?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe responded, beginning to lose that tightly leashed control of her voice with just the slightest wobble. “I’ve hit a breakthrough in training and don’t want to lose any ground.”
“Oh.” Now Sofia was the one trying to mask her emotions. “Well, we’ll work something out. Harvey is trying to get a hold of Sig. You wouldn’t happen to know how to track him down on a Saturday morning, would you?”
She closed her eyes, instead of meeting the look he sent her. Would she no longer make eye contact? Out of shame? The possibility caused an ice pick to lodge in his jugular. “No. He’s been on the road. I haven’t seen him.”
“Ah, very well. Maybe he’s just sleeping in with his ringer off.” Then, quieter, “Don’t worry, dear, we’ll get in touch with him before the day is over.”
Chloe shifted right to left, still with her eyes squeezed shut. “I need to get off the phone now. But . . . congratulations. Enjoy Vegas and we’ll speak when you come back.”