Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
“We’ll be there soon, brother.” He breaks into my thoughts.
My phone rings and the name on the screen sets my nerves on overdrive. “Where is she?”
“On the sofa, fast asleep,” Cruz answers. “We found her when we got home. Her phone is on silent.”
The small sense of relief is short-lived at the catch in his voice. “Talk to me.”
“Not much to say. Our calls went unanswered, as well as a dozen others.”
“And?”
“She’s been crying. No telling how long she’s been out, but her cheeks are still pink with tear stains. Pepper won’t leave her side.”
“Fuck.”
“Where are you?”
“Not close enough.”
“We’ll take care of her until you get here.”
“Appreciate that. And, anything she wants…”
“Goes without saying, we’ve got her, Ford. Just get home. She misses you.”
He disconnects and the tension knots tighter in my neck. “She’s at the townhouse asleep.”
“She okay?” Talon asks cautiously.
“I should have been there today.”
“What am I missing? I thought she wanted to sell her house?”
“It’s not that she sold it, it’s the reason she sold it. You saw the place. She loved it. Every piece was a reflection of her. And that fucking bastard took that. All the good memories were stripped away. She shouldn’t have been alone today.”
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, flooring the gas.
Ten minutes later, we’re inside the city limits, him veering to her exit.
The closer we get, the tension tampers down.
The truck isn’t to a stop when I jump out and make my way to the door. Cruz opens it, his face troubled as he gestures me inside.
The image of her curled in a ball with Pepper draped over her sets my heart racing.
I scoop her into my arms and settle on the couch, kissing her head.
She stirs, nuzzling into my neck and sighing. Her cheeks are still flushed and a warm tear rolls down my skin.
“Baby, wake up,” I whisper softly.
She jerks, her head snapping back and eyes popping open. “Ford?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re home?”
“I’m here.”
The haze clears and tears dry up instantly. Her squeal of shock is muted as she twists, curling into me. “You’re here,” she repeats. “I missed you.”
I grunt in response to her hips, grinding down hard on my dick at the brief contact. “Careful.”
She lets out a soft giggle, wriggling again.
“Not sure if this is romantic or pornographic,” Cruz declares loudly.
She shuffles slightly, glancing over her shoulder to where Cruz, Alex, and Talon are watching with amusement.
“Hey, Talon,” she states shyly.
“What’s shaking, Hollywood?”
“Glad you’re home, too.”
“How about one of those hugs?” he invites.
“Don’t dare move.” My grip increases.
She rolls her eyes, but does it smiling.
“Who needs a drink?” Alex speaks up.
“Sounds good,” Talon is quick to answer.
“Should we break out the champagne or something harder?” Cruz raises an eyebrow to Rowan.
“Champagne is great.”
They go to the kitchen, leaving us alone. I tip her chin to me, searching her face and noting the exhaustion and sadness.
“Talk to me.”
“I’m good.”
“You’re a shit liar.”
“No, you’re just a trained interrogator.”
“Doesn’t take training to see the tear tracks. Did you have second thoughts?”
Her attention goes over my shoulder and she chews her bottom lip, working through something. “No. It was harder than I expected.”
“You should have signed yesterday and let your realtor handle the buyers today.”
“Sitting across from them wasn’t the issue. Their excitement was almost contagious. Witnessing someone starting a new chapter in their lives was beautiful. I made the right decision.”
“What hit you hard?”
She drops her gaze back to me, hesitation etched on her face. “Baby—”
“With each stroke of the pen, the memories slammed into me. When I got to my car, it became too much.”
“What was too much?”
“Happiness, sadness, excitement, failure, bad decisions, and vulnerability. The range of emotions was overpowering. I was so… so…” She searches for the word.
“Alone?” I finish for her.
She nods, and anger snakes through my veins. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“You were at work.”
Her answer is immediate and direct, fueling my rage. “I should have fucking been here.”
“Really, Ford, it was nothing. Just a moment of weakness.”
“Those are the moments you reach out to your friends.” Cruz’s voice barely contains his frustration.
From all three expressions, they heard her admission. Talon’s face is hard, his eyes locked with mine. His own anger emanates from his dark glare.
“Guys, it was fine.”
“You silenced your phone and shut yourself off from those who care about you. That’s not cool, Rowan.”
“I’m used to dealing—”
“Do not finish that sentence, Missy, or my head may explode. Promise you won’t do that shit again. You have a village of people who love and support you. Reach out.”
She looks to me for help, but all I can do is shrug. “I’m on his side with this, gorgeous. You fucked up shutting us out.”
“Can’t a woman have a tantrum in private?”
“No,” we all chorus flatly.
She scans us, realization sinking in. “Fine, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want your apology; I want that fucking hug,” Talon growls.