Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
But I know Julie’s already guessed, and Yasmin pretty much just told me.
Even so, my voice is way too loud. Mom could walk in here any second…
And then what?
I’d tell her. She’d understand.
I know she would.
I hope she will.
Julie smiles. “I knew there was something going on between you two.”
“I’m not sure how to describe it,” I mutter. “But yeah, we’re…we’re close, I guess you could say. Way closer than we should be, considering we only met a few days ago.”
“When Felix told me,” Yasmin says, “it was like seeing him when he was a kid again before Mom and Dad passed. He was so excited, Freya. Obviously, I know you even less than Felix does….”
She pauses, smiling as Felicia slams the book shut and then immediately opens it again.
“But I know my brother,” she goes on. “He hasn’t had a relationship in years. Over a decade, actually.”
He didn’t lie to me. He kept his word. He’ll always keep his word.
“And even when he did,” Yasmin says. “He was never like that. He smiled, Freya. That’s a rare thing for Felix.”
“Is it?” I ask. “I’ve seen him smile quite a lot.”
Yasmin beams, sitting up. “Exactly. That’s my point. He’s like a different man.”
Julie narrows her eyes. “You only met him a few days ago?”
“Yeah,” I tell her. “Why?”
“I just thought… earlier, when he walked out onto the balcony, I don’t know. The way he was looking at you, Freya, it was like you’d been together for weeks at least, months, years.”
“But it’s only been a few days,” Yasmin continues with a sense of wonder. “Isn’t that amazing? You’ve changed him more in a few days than any woman ever has. Which is why….”
“What?” I urge when she trails off.
“It’s silly,” Yasmin says, laughing humorlessly. “It’s more than silly, in fact. It’s ridiculous.”
I wait, and then Yasmin leans forward, sighing.
“I want you both to try and make this work. I want you to fight for it.”
Her gaze moves to Felicia, and she swallows.
“It’s a rare thing to find a relationship worth fighting for. And it would be good for Felicia to have some cousins to play with.”
Julie’s eyebrows shoot up at this, almost clear off her head as if they’re going to fly away. She’s rarely looked more shocked than she does now. But I only glow within, feeling like Yasmin has seen me, right to the heart of what I want, what I need.
“Not right away.” Yasmin waves a hand. “It was just a thought.”
“That would be crazily quick,” Julie murmurs. “A few days, and suddenly they want kids? They’re not even in a relationship yet.”
“We are,” I cut in. “We became official just before he left.”
That makes me think of him out there, looking for Mike, Mr. Red, the monster who tried to make him kill me.
And yet I can’t hate him because he brought Felix and me together.
My gaze flits to the tattoo on my wrist.
“Wow,” Julie says. “Congrats.”
“Thank you. It’s all moving so fast. But it feels right. I just hope he makes it back.”
“He will,” Yasmin says firmly. “He’s dealt with people far more dangerous than this Mr. Red character. I just wish it hadn’t been me he was protecting.”
“Why?” I ask.
“If this Mr. Red freak had acquired anybody else’s debt – if he’d been threatening somebody else, not me, not...,” she trails off, but Felicia is fully absorbed in the book. “Then Felix would’ve gone after him sooner. He wouldn’t have gone along with the plan. But he didn’t want to risk us. He’s always taken care of his family.”
“I think he did the right thing,” Julie says softly. “Mike is a terrible person. He’s completely evil. I really believe that. Who knows what Mike would've done if Felix had gone after him right away?”
Yasmin shakes her head. “Maybe, but look at what’s happening now. We’ve got protection. Felix and Kenny are out there, and they’re going to catch him. Or…or do what they have to do.”
Kill him.
I think about that for a moment, whether or not I care that my future husband has taken lives. And the truth is, I don’t, because I know he did what he had to do, and I believe him when he says the dead men deserved it.
“Felix was scared,” Yasmin says. “He’s rarely scared. Or he rarely shows it. But he was terrified of what would happen.”
“Do you really think he’ll be okay?” I murmur, looking out the window at the sun slowly beginning to set over the countryside.
“Yes,” Yasmin says firmly. “That was the worst thing Mr. Red, Mike, whatever his name is, ever did…letting Felix go from scared to angry, from scared to wanting to keep us safe. Not just me, Freya, and not just Felicia. But you as well. That’s what he’s fighting for out there.”