Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“He’d like that.”
“What about his sister? Would she like that?”
She picked up another taco. “Yes.”
“Great. We’ll figure out a day when we know there will be some clouds around. You can show me.”
“All right.”
I ate another taco. “Was it an accident?” I asked. “The reason for the crutches?”
She swallowed, setting down the taco she was eating. She took a sip of her drink, not meeting my eyes. “Yes.”
“I don’t want to pry or upset you.”
She lifted her gaze to mine, and the pain in her eyes was prevalent.
Without thinking, I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to say anything.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. There was an accident. A drunk driver. He plowed into a crowd. He killed my parents and left Evan badly injured. They weren’t sure he would walk again.”
“But he did.”
“Yes. He needs the crutches, though.”
“Does he have trouble at school getting around?”
She sighed and wiped her fingers. “He does okay. It’s a pretty small school. I think he gets picked on a lot, though. He refuses to tell me, and I know he ignores a lot of it, but…”
“You hate it.”
“Yes.”
“He seems like a great kid. He’s a lot younger than you.”
She smiled. “He’s twelve. He was a whoops baby. My parents had tried for years after me and gave up. I was in my teens when they had him. I adored him from the moment he was born.”
“So, you’re very close.”
She met my gaze. “Yes. He is a huge part of my life.”
I knew what she was saying. Evan came first. She had responsibilities. Lots of them, I was discovering. It didn’t faze me, though, or make me want to get to know her any less. If anything, I only admired her more. Wanted to spend more time with her.
“So, you said you were close to your family?” she asked.
“Yes. We’re pretty tight,” I admitted.
She smiled, picking up her taco again. I decided to keep the rest of the night light. I had a feeling she didn’t get enough light.
“Enough about families,” I announced. “Tell me about Beth.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything. Your favorite color, food, movie, book, season. Anything you are willing to tell me, I want to hear.”
“You’re a great date, Ronan.”
“Just getting started, Beth. Trust me.”
* * *
After churros, we took a short drive and ended up at the waterfront. We strolled around, got ice cream, and walked along the water’s edge. It was getting later, the sun disappearing fast and not many people around. It wasn’t even close to being as nice as Port Albany, but for Toronto, it was okay. She sighed as she looked over the water.
“You like that?” I asked. “Water, I mean?”
“Yes. I love to swim.”
I thought of the Hub. The pool. The lake. The exercise room I could help out Evan in. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her. But then the whole family thing, the triplet angle, all of it would come up. I decided to stay silent until I was sure there was something ahead of us besides tonight.
When I was ready to share.
“There’s a pool in my condo building,” I offered.
“Maybe,” she replied. “I might take you up on that.”
I nodded, looking out over the water. The desire to kiss her was predominant. She stood close to me, her head barely grazing my shoulder. I could feel her warmth. Smell the scent of her light perfume. Flowery, pretty. Unique—like her. She finished her ice cream, wiping her lips, the action bringing my gaze to her mouth. Her lips were full. Pink. Would they be as soft as they looked? Would she taste of the cherry ice cream, the cinnamon of the churros? Both?
I wanted to know more than I had wanted anything in a long time. She turned her head, her eyes meeting mine. Slowly, everything around us faded. All I could see was her. Wild hair, dark eyes that beckoned. A full mouth I wanted to claim. Her lush curves that invited my hands to sculpt over them, pull her to me.
She blinked, her long lashes fluttering. “What are you thinking?” she whispered.
The atmosphere was heavy. Serious. Too serious.
I gazed into her dark eyes. “I was wondering if I should switch my home and auto insurance to Geico,” I deadpanned.
For a moment, there was no reaction. Then she laughed. The loud peals I found so enticing. And suddenly, she was in my arms and our mouths fused together, her amusement shared only between us. I kissed her deeply, her lips parting for me right away. I tasted the ice cream. The cinnamon. Her. She delved her hands into my hair, pulling me closer. We both groaned. I bent, lifting her into my arms so I could kiss her longer. Harder. She was perfect in my embrace. Soft. Warm. Melting into me as if she belonged there. Nothing existed outside this moment. I slanted my head, kissing her deeper, taking everything she gave me and wanting more. Every nerve in my body lit up as if on fire. My heart pounded a fast rhythm in my chest, her name echoing with every beat. She whimpered as I dragged my lips across her cheek to her ear.