Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25896 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Rhys opened the door to his apartment quietly, expecting Dean to be fast asleep on the couch. The glow from the television and quiet sound of the volume had Rhys going into his living room. His cousin sat there with the remote in his hand.
“You could’ve called,” Dean said with a snippy tone before he chuckled. “How was your date, dear?”
“Fabulous.” Rhys didn’t hold back.
“No fucking way? Seriously?”
Rhys tossed his tie and jacket onto the chair and sat down. “Thank you for encouraging me to go.”
“Wow, bonus points for Dean.” He gave himself a high five. “Deets.”
Rhys cocked his head slightly and smirked.
“No, you didn’t.” Dean knew his cousin too well. “You dirty dog.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
“Bullshit.”
Rhys shook his head. “She’s fucking beautiful. Like, way beyond what I remembered.”
“Is that so?” Dean muted the television and turned the lamp on.
“Long, chestnut hair with these big brown eyes. Curves in all the right places. The perfect pouty lips. Sassy. Confident. She’s so fucking sexy.”
“And when did she realize who you were?”
Rhys looked at his cousin and smiled. “That’s just it—she didn’t know. Zero recollection or if she figured it out, she didn’t let on. Not once did she mention the store or anything.”
“Is she new in town?”
“Nope. She lives on the island. Works at the hospital as a nurse in the emergency room.”
“How odd.”
Rhys shrugged. He liked that she didn’t recognize him. It was nice to have dinner with someone without them going on and on about his store, his family or where he lived. For once, the conversation wasn’t solely about him. He learned about Maisie, her profession, and what made her laugh. He had made her laugh.
“So let me get this straight, she had no idea who you were and still hooked up with you?”
That fact made Rhys smile. And proud. “Yup. I got to be normal for the night and it was really fucking nice.”
Dean raised his hand and this time waited for Rhys to give him a high five. “Damn. Smooth. Are you going to see her again?”
“I asked her out for this weekend before we even left the parking lot. I really like her and can easily see myself spending time with her.”
“Quietly dating?”
Rhys nodded. Every one of his past relationships had been public and all over social media. If things with Maisie were to progress past this coming weekend, he’d vow to keep their lives as private as possible. Of course, that would only last for so long. More so, he didn’t expect to be able to keep his hands off her this weekend, and someone would likely notice and say something. He would have to come clean about who he was when he picked her up for their next date. It wasn’t fair to Maisie to go into something with him unsuspectingly.
Dean bid Rhys a goodnight and went down the hall to the extra bedroom. Rhys stayed in the living room a while longer before heading into the bathroom. He showered quickly, checked on Trey, and then headed to bed for a few hours of sleep until his son woke up.
As he laid in his bed, he stared up at the ceiling. Everything about the blind date went so well, he couldn’t help but wonder when the other shoe would drop. They probably shouldn’t have hooked up. Would that cause her cancel on him? He hoped not.
Rhys reached for his phone and sent Maisie a text.
I just want to reiterate how thankful I am that you took the ad out in the paper. See you Saturday.
He waited to see if she’d reply and after a few minutes, he gave up and put his phone back on his nightstand. Rhys hoped Maisie was asleep and not ignoring him.
Before he drifted off, his last thought was that he had made a mistake when he took them to the beach and that’s why she hadn’t replied. He needed to fix his blunder before Maisie slipped away from him. But how? He could send flowers, but would that embarrass her or seem presumptuous?
“Just fucking stop overthinking,” he said to his empty room. “She’s asleep. You know she had a good time. She proved that over and over again.”
That thought made Rhys smile.
Rhys pulled into the parking garage of the complex where Celeste lived. He helped Trey out of the back seat and held his hand until they were almost at the elevators. His son raced forward to press the button and then waited with his dad for the doors to open. Inside, Trey pushed the button for their floor and then asked his dad to pick him up.
Trey rested his head on Rhys’s shoulder. He did this every time Rhys brought him back to Celeste. Deep down, he knew his son didn’t want to be at his mom’s. The living arrangement needed to change, but actually doing so was a complete hassle. Rhys had spoken to his father about his desire for full custody but had yet to speak to his lawyer. He didn’t want to strong-arm Celeste, but it was in Trey’s best interest for him to live with Rhys full-time.