Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88456 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“So that’s decided. What else do you want to talk about?” he asks, sipping his coffee.
“Kailyn.” I say her name, and he side-eyes me.
“I’m not discussing her with you.” His tone is tight. “She crossed the line, and nothing, and I mean nothing, you can say will change my mind.”
“Maybe I misunderstood.” I try to see if I might have been wrong. “I was already going through so much, I wasn’t really—”
“Did you ask her to come into my office?” He asks me an innocent question, so I just nod. “And did she say no?”
“I mean, maybe she thought—” He holds up his hand to stop me from talking.
“I made it perfectly clear to her when we came back from our honeymoon, if at any time you called or needed me, I was to be interrupted. On that I will not go back. I’ve already spoken with a placement company, and I have a couple of interviews lined up on Monday via Zoom.” I know that nothing I say will change his mind. “I would like if you have time to sit in with me.”
“Okay, I have lunch with my mother and cousin,” I tell him, “in about two hours.”
“Do you want to have dinner with my parents tonight?” he asks, and I nod. “I’ll call my father.” He leans over, and I lean in and kiss him. “Love you, Zoey.” I smirk at him.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say it,” I admit to him.
“Good, because I’m never going to stop saying it.” He puts his bagel down. “Are you ready to go take a shower?”
“Is that another code word for ‘do you want to suck my cock?’” I laugh as I wrap up the little bit of bagel I have left. “Because if it is, the answer is yes.” I wink at him and watch him push away from the counter before grabbing me.
“Mommy and Daddy are going to play.” He looks at the cat. “We’ll be back.” I don’t have a chance to say anything because my legs wrap around his waist, and my laughter is swallowed by his mouth on mine.
Two hours later, I’m rushing into the restaurant, spotting my mother, Aunt Zoe, and my cousin Zara all sitting at the table waiting for me. “Hi,” I greet them, walking to my mother to kiss her cheek before going over to my aunt and hugging her from the back, kissing her cheek before kissing Zara on the top of her head. “Sorry I’m a bit late.”
“You’re four minutes late,” Zara confirms, picking up her mimosa. “We started without you.”
I laugh as I slide into the empty seat. “Imagine if I was later?” I look at her, putting the linen napkin on my lap.
“You’re glowing,” my mother says, and I look over at her and see tears in her eyes. “I’ve seen you on FaceTime, and I saw you were happy, but now seeing you in person.”
“She might be faking it,” Zara goads, and our mothers gasp at the same time. “What? Gabriella called me yesterday to give me the rundown on her not being herself.”
I take a deep inhale. “She was right,” I admit to them, “but since then, things have changed.”
“It’s been less than twenty-four hours,” Zara blurts, shocked.
“Nash followed me here,” I explain, putting my hand on the table.
“What do you mean ‘followed you here’?” my aunt asks.
“We got into a little bit of a tiff,” I start and tell them the whole story. It takes me a lot longer than I thought it would take.
“So wait a second.” Zara holds up her hand. “He bought you a cat?”
“Why is everyone so fixated on the cat thing?” I huff and hold up my hand to get the server’s attention and point at Zara’s drink.
“It’s a living fucking thing, Zoey,” Zara states as her eyes get even bigger. “Like, it’s alive.”
“That has to be the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever gotten,” my mother says, putting her hand on mine. “I would kill your father, but it’s so thoughtful.”
“Remember when Auntie Vivienne got a fish from Uncle Markos?” my aunt says. “It was literally a world war.” They both laugh.
“Anyway, I’m officially moving to LA,” I inform them right as the server drops off my drink. “I love him.” I look down at my ring. “Like for real, real. He’s—” I look up and see my mother and aunt with tears in their eyes. “He’s literally everything I could ever want in a man and more.” I blink away my own tears of happiness. “I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Zara fake vomits from beside me, and when I look over, she smiles big at me with her own tears in her eyes. “I’m just kidding. I’m so, so happy for you. No one deserves it more.”