Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“No way!” I couldn’t believe that, not of the Derek from high school I remembered, and definitely not the cool as a cucumber man I knew today. “How did he stop?”
“How did who stop what?” Derek leaned over me and set two plates piled high with food in front of me. One plate held meat and the other sides. “Well?” He sat close, his thigh pressed against mine, our shoulders almost touching.
“How did you stop puking before every show?”
He froze and glared at his brothers. “You told her?”
Both brothers nodded unapologetically. “Of course we did.”
“Thanks for the mountain of food,” I muttered to Derek, mostly to take the attention away from him. “How much food do you think I eat exactly?”
“It’s for both of us,” he said and flung an arm over my shoulder, a menacing glare still aimed at his brothers. “You guys are so dead.” He picked up a sausage and ate it like it was commonplace for us to share our food.
“It’s what we do, embarrass each other in front of our women.” Ryan winked at me and bit into an oversized spoonful of potato salad. “She’s your woman now, and we’re your brothers, this ain’t hard like math.”
Roman snickered at Derek’s shocked expression. “I’m not his woman,” I insisted. “We’ve been on, like, two dates.”
“That’s practically an engagement for Derek.”
“Coming from you? That’s rich,” he scoffed and plucked a chicken wing from my plate. Or our plate, I guess. “Damn that’s good, taste it,” he said and turned to me with an amused expression as he held the chicken up to my lips. “Go on, try it.”
What the hell, why not? My lips parted and Derek grinned, heat flared in his eyes as he put the meat in my mouth and I bit down on it. I grinned. “Mom’s famous lemon, garlic and pepper seasoning. My favorite.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” This was the weirdest afternoon ever, and not just because there was a social worker rifling through my home and my life, but because Derek and I were acting like a real couple. Only it didn’t feel like acting, which had to mean that I was slowly—but surely—losing my mind.
Right? This man sold fantasy for a living, and here I was, starting to believe it.
Chapter 20
Derek
My appetite fled the moment Kathy made her way across the backyard and asked to speak with Bella. That’s right, Bella was talking to the social worker about keeping her kid, and I was nervous for her. That wasn’t the kind of emotion I was accustomed to feeling, and definitely not in a pretend relationship.
“Sit down,” Angelea said gently, and reached out to grab my hand. “Pacing isn’t going to change what’s going on inside that house, Derek.”
I stopped and looked down at Bella’s mom with her kind smile and soothing voice. “I know, but they’ve been in there a long time. Right?”
Angelea shrugged. “I’ve never been through this before, so I’m not sure. But there is one thing I know about my girl, as much as she worries she doesn’t choke. Not ever, so sit down with the knowledge that however a person can ace a conversation like that, she’s doing it.”
“Thank you, Angelea.”
She smiled a little brighter as she shoved a bottle of beer in front of me. “Does Bella know?”
I frowned, and then I blinked. “Does she know what?”
She sighed, but her smile was fixed in place. “That you have real feelings for her. And don’t bother lying to me, like I told Bella, I saw the photos.”
Whatever denial was on the tip of my tongue, died at her last words. “I invoke my right to remain silent.”
She laughed, and the sound was so similar to Bella’s I had to look around to make sure it wasn’t her. “That’s all I need to know. Go mingle with the remaining guests. You are the de facto host with Bella currently occupied.”
I nodded and took the beer with a nod of thanks. “You’re a special lady, Angelea.”
“Don’t you forget it, superstar.”
I shook my head and how similar Bella and her mother were, smiling as I made my way to the table where the last of the guests had congregated to graze over ribs, sweet tea and dessert. “Hey guys. Anyone need anything?”
“Just the man we wanted to see,” Carlotta said in her thick Tennessee drawl.
“And to give us answers,” Valona added, a mischievous expression on her face.
I feigned innocence, because no one did it better than I did. “Answers on the questions of the universe? How I keep my skin so fresh and young looking?”
Pippa snorted. “Answers about what’s going on with you and Bella. You’re all touchy-feely, you were soothing her earlier, and just now you were pacing like an expectant father.”
Leave it to Pippa to just lay it all out there like that. “What’s there to say? We’re seeing each other.”