Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
McKenzie already has her head in her hands.
“Enough, Charles!” his mother replies, her voice rolling high like a queen. “I am going to give a toast!”
I glance over at Allie and roll my eyes as the mom starts blathering on about how she knew from the get-go that this was a match made in heaven, and how it was her that set up McKenzie with her son, and how they never would have gotten together if it wasn’t for her—typical drunk narcissistic mom stuff.
Allie just rolls her eyes back and tries not to laugh.
I hide my hand using my napkin and point back toward the house. She looks at me questioningly as I stealthily get up from my seat and head back in the same direction, leaving her with a sly little wink as I go. “Gotta hit the john,” I whisper to the guy next to me, who just nods like he could care less and takes a sip of his drink.
I stay low and to the shadows of the shrubs to keep the attention of the drunk mom off me, and it’s not long before I’m slipping through the back door and into the house. But I don’t go to the bathroom—I just take a turn and lean against the wall to wait. It’s only a few seconds before I see Allie coming up the lawn toward me, a naughty smile on her plump lips.
“You’re a bad girl,” I whisper as she reaches me and I sweep her into my arms.
“I couldn’t stand another second of that.” She giggles, and it’s like a warm wind sweeps through my chest.
This girl really is something. My reasoning for showing up at this wedding may not have been the best, but I don’t really care at this point. Allie really is a gift. And at this point, I want nothing in the world more than to make her happy.
“So where are we going now?” she whispers. “Back to the room? Or…”
“Oh, no,” I respond, shaking my head. “I’ve got a little surprise planned for you. Come on.” I take Allie by the hand and lead her to the side stairwell that the staff uses.
“They always leave this door propped open,” I explain as we go inside and start taking the stairs up. “I found it on the first day.”
“Where do these stairs go?” she asks.
“I can’t tell you.” I grin. “That would ruin the surprise.”
Allie frowns playfully back at me but keeps coming up the stairs until we reach the second door that leads to the roof. I push it open and prop it with a trash can so it won’t close on us.
“The roof?” Allie asks. “Why are we up here? I mean, it’s a nice view and all, but…”
“Watch,” I say as I start taking off my suit jacket. I point out over the water in the distance. Allie does this for a second but then turns back to me, clearly confused.
“Watch?” she asks.
“Watch!” I smile, pointing back out as I lay my jacket down on the hard tar roof finish beneath us. Allie frowns.
“Are you messing with me, Grant?”
“Nope.” I grin.
“I think you are,” she replies.
“I promise you, I’m not.”
“Grant,” she giggles. “What is this–?”
It’s then, at that precise moment, that the first of the fireworks goes off.
10
Allie
I spin around as fast as I can when I hear the sound, but I miss the explosion. I still manage to catch the red and blue sparks are they light up the water and rain down from above.
“Oh my God…” I whisper. “Grant.”
I feel his arms around my waist as he comes up behind me and wraps me up tightly, making me feel protected and safe. “Fireworks?” I ask. “During dinner?”
“You know McKenzie,” Grant chuckles. “She likes to be extravagant.”
I hear the faint sound of a pop off in the distance, followed by the explosion high up in the sky. Bright colors burst everywhere—greens, yellows and purples, arching up like shooting stars before they fizzle and cascade down.
“So pretty.” I smile as Grant leans in and presses his lips gently against my neck.
“Should we sit?” he asks, nodding to his suit jacket below us.
“Won’t we ruin your coat?”
“Ah, it’s no big deal,” he scoffs. “You can just do your womanly duties for me and wash it.”
“Womanly duties!” I gasp, spinning around, my jaw hanging open. “Washing your clothes?”
“That’s right,” he chuckles, scooping me into his arms. “And I’ll do my manly duties like taking care of you, protecting you from the big bad monsters of the world, keeping you safe, and giving you a million orgasms a year.”
Another firework explodes overhead as he lays me down on his coat and takes his place beside me. His green eyes are blazing. I can see he’s just teasing me, but part of what he’s saying is actually working on me.