Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
He sure has no problem messing it up when it involves sex. Rawr. “He can mess it up.”
Noah freezes with the glass of water to his lips. His dad doesn’t catch the double entendre, but I have a feeling he doesn’t want to. “See? Take the Jag. It needs to get out and about.”
“You don’t take it when you take Mom out?”
He starts laughing. “She doesn’t like to mess her hair up.”
I take another sip of wine but then start laughing. Covering my mouth, I don’t want to spill it. I swallow. “Like father, like son.”
Noah wraps his arm around his dad’s shoulders. “Couldn’t have a better role model.”
“Don’t go too far, kid. I’ve heard all about your reputation.”
“And on that note,” Noah says, “it’s time to go.”
We’re all laughing again, but Noah pushes his glass forward. “So it seems you have your choice. Convertible or my car?”
“You have a car?”
“I do. I left it here when I moved to the city.”
“Mm.” I raise my eyebrows. “Now I’m curious. Your car, please.”
He reaches into a cabinet and pulls a key fob from a hook. “You ready, babe?”
Our eyes connect the second the name slips out of his mouth. There’s not an apology to be found, but I can tell by his look that he’s waiting to see how I react.
“I’m ready, sweet cheeks.” My lips wriggle, but I do my best to restrain them.
Noah fails at restraining his, though. Holding out his hand for me, I take it and am pulled to his side. He kisses my temple, not hiding anything from his father. I’ve never felt so good as I do in his arms for the world to see.
With his glass in hand, Port walks around the island. “I’m late for a call to my beautiful daughter.”
“I’m surprised you’re not going to the play,” Noah says. “And where’s Mom?”
His dad suddenly grins, but it’s so devious. He’s up to no good. “Um . . . We were banned three nights ago. Apparently, buying tickets to every show is frowned upon by the star herself.” He chuckles. “But I always get a video chat in before curtain call.”
“And Mom?”
“Not all of us listen.” Stopping in the doorway, he says, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Liv.”
I expected something parent-like to be said to Noah and me, maybe even demanding respect. That’s what I’m used to with my father, but that’s not what Port did. He just opened his arms and welcomed me into his life. The gravity of that isn’t lost on me, and I get a bit choked up. “You, too, sir.”
“Port, please.”
I nod. “Port.”
As soon as we’re alone, Noah says, “You survived meeting my dad.”
“He was just as amazing as I expected from knowing you.”
“You would have never said that a week ago.” Leaning down to kiss me, soft and slow, he whispers, “Look at us now.”
With a wide grin, I reply, “Yes, look at us.”
He grabs the flowers and the tickets before we walk outside to the six-car garage. When he opens the door, he glances at me, and asks, “Ready to meet my mom?”
27
Noah
“You failed to mention the drive would be this beautiful,” Liv says, staring out the window. “The view from the helicopter was pretty, but this feels magical. Tall walls of ivy-colored bricks separated by forests and some of these mansions set back from the road are incredible. There’s so much land out here.”
Showing her my world and where I came from means more to me than just a casual date. That’s not what Liv is to me. She’s important not only as Max’s mother but also as someone I connected with more deeply than only physically. I shouldn’t dwell on it when I have no idea what happened, but knowing now that she left her number and wanted me to call her has been pivotal. Things were already coming together prior to discovering that information, but after, a switch flipped in my brain.
No, nothing about this relationship is casual. I’ll take it slow for her, but I’m already all in.
Glancing over at her, I say, “I took it for granted for years. In the past year I was here, I started to see it through the perspective of moving away, and that’s when I started to appreciate it again. Time away or, in my case, the looming threat of moving, kicked my sense of appreciation into gear.”
She rubs the dash in front of her. “This area is pretty, but are you going to mention the car?” I’ve been keeping my hands on the steering wheel, but I’ve been missing this car. “What is it?”
I can’t stop from smiling. “I’ve missed it. I got it not too long ago.”
“Even though you don’t need a car in the city?”
Gripping the leather, I missed the feeling of flying without wings, the feel of the tires hugging the pavement, and the sanctuary of escaping inside here while the rest of the world remains outside. “An Aston Martin DB11,” I say with pride. “I bought it when I cashed out my trust fund to buy the apartment. But you’re right, I don’t need it in the city, so I keep it here.”