Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
I’m going to remedy that.
Now that I’ve got her, well…I’ve never been happier, even if I hate the fact she was ever in danger in the first place. Knowing my girl’s at home waiting for me makes the long shifts far more pleasurable too. I make sure to keep the freezer stocked with ice cream for her, and if I get to spend the rest of my life doing it, I’ll be the happiest man alive.
Normally, I’d still be in bed with her, waking her up with my tongue, but today, I have somewhere important to be. I give my girl one last longing look before I force myself to turn away and get going. I’m probably already late. Still, I stop and scribble a note for her, leaving it next to the fresh pot of coffee I’ve brewed for her and the croissant I picked up from one of the new cafes we’re trying out to find our new favorite. Like fuck will either of us ever step foot into the last one ever again.
Satisfied that she’ll have what she needs before she leaves for work, I down the dregs of my own coffee, shove my feet into my shoes, and slip out.
First things first. I send a thank you over to Isaac at the precinct for getting Autumn’s stalker dealt with so fast. The asshole will spend the next decade of his life behind bars, and even if he gets out, Autumn has an iron-clad restraining order in place—meaning that if I so much as get a glimpse of his face, I’ll have his ass right back in a concrete cell.
I absolutely plan to be by her side ten years from now, more than that actually. For the rest of our damn lives.
I order a chocolate pie from the diner to be delivered to Isaac and his coworkers as a gesture of the gratitude I’ll never properly be able to repay.
The next call I make is to Autumn’s boss. After she told me about her job, including her boss’ name, I realized that I knew him. Not only do I know him, but I was at the scene of the car crash he and his wife ended up in four years ago. It was no fault of their own, but they were lucky to get out of the collision with nothing more than whiplash and a broken arm. Had to cut them out of their seats because the car was so crumpled. After they recovered, he and his family came to the station to say thank you.
Since then, if I see him around, I always stop to say hi. This all makes it way less awkward when I call him to ask for a favor that includes one of his best employees.
Calls made, I work through my mental to-do list. The day passes quickly, and by four o’clock, I can barely contain my excitement as I step into the lobby of Autumn’s office building. I hope to God she’ll like the surprise I have for her, but I can’t deny there’s still a hint of nerves to my giddiness. I want her to know how much she means to me, how committed to her I am, and how I can’t picture my future without her in it.
I love this girl. She’s mine, and I’m hers. Plain and simple.
My girl looks up from her desk, her customer service smile quickly giving way to a bright grin as her eyes meet mine.
“Aidan!” she greets, standing up and rushing around her desk. She barrels into me and I wrap my arms around her immediately, savoring the way she fits against me so perfectly. Made for me in every way. “What are you doing here? I got your note. I thought you were busy, and I won't get off work for another hour.”
“Actually, today, you’re already done with work,” I tell her, leaning down to kiss the furrow of confusion between her brows.
“What? How?”
“I pulled some strings,” I say simply with a shrug. “Pays to know people, and your boss is a good guy. All you need to know is that I need you more than work does right now.”
Despite her obvious confusion, Autumn pulls away to collect her stuff and lifts her bag onto her shoulder. “What’s going on, Aidan?” she asks as I take her hand and lead her out of the building.
“It’s a surprise,” I tease, chuckling as she pouts. “Patience, sweetheart. I have something special to show you, okay? You’ll like it, promise.” God, I hope she likes it. I’m sure it’s perfect, but I won’t relax until I know she agrees.
The place isn’t far away, and we make a stop at a coffee shop to grab a snack when Autumn admits she didn’t eat much at lunch. I refuse to let that slide and watch her until she takes a bite out of the sandwich. She deserves to be taken care of completely, and I take that job very seriously.