Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“Charlie, Charlie,” I call her by her nickname, squatting down and opening my arms for her and she lunges herself into them.
“Sofia.” She giggles my name as I bury my face in her neck blowing kisses. “That tickles.” She squirms in my arms.
“Wow,” my aunt Harlow says from the doorway, “you are wearing a white shirt and literally just took a toddler into your arms.” She shakes her head. “Courageous.” I look down at my white sleeveless shirt that I paired with my black-and-white checkered pants.
I smile at her and then look back at Charlie, who is playing with my hair as she looks at me. “She could be covered in red paint, and I would still want all the cuddles.”
“I don’t have red paint,” Charlie says, looking down at herself.
“You don’t,” I tell her, and I bring her back to me to kiss her again. Ever since I was a young kid, my aunt Harlow was always by my side. We did everything together until she moved here about ten years ago. She came to attend the wedding of her ex-boyfriend, not knowing the wedding was going to be called off the same day. I heard from a couple of people that they started back again that very same night. Either way, she moved here, and Travis is Shelby, Clarabella, and Presley’s older brother.
“Do I hear my little girl?” Clarabella says, sticking her head out of her office. “I have presents for you.”
Charlie squirms out of my arms and runs out. “Traitor,” I mumble, making Harlow laugh as she comes over to me and gives me a hug. “Where is Theo?”
“He’s having a father/son day,” she says with a massive smile on her face. “Besides, I don’t think Clarabella would be happy if he comes back here. Last time it was like the Roadrunner all over the place, and then he threw up in her office and didn’t tell her.” She tries not to laugh but fails. “Anyway, how is my favorite niece?” she asks and I give her the biggest hug.
“Amazing,” I spout sarcastically.
“What is that tone?” she says, letting go of me.
I walk back to the table, and she follows me and looks down at the pictures of the flowers. “I’m in the middle of planning my first wedding.” I look over at her as she moves the images around. “Matthew’s wedding,” I state, and her head whips to look over at me.
“Matthew who?” she asks, but I have a feeling she already knows what I’m about to tell her.
“No, you are not!” she shrieks out and throws her hands in the air. “You are fucking not.”
“That’s a bad word, Mommy,” Charlotte says from the hallway.
“Sorry.” She puts her hands on her cheeks. “Please explain to me what is happening right now?”
I laugh at her reaction, which I think is why I haven’t told her. “Well, his fiancée, Helena, reached out to me." I start telling her the story as she pulls out a chair. I sit down next to her as I recap everything that has been going on. “The last time he came in, he was alone,” I tell her, the pit of my stomach burning when I think back to the day last week. “He said we should talk, but I cut him off.”
“Don’t you think you two should have a conversation?” she asks and I glare at her. She holds her hands up to me in a motion not to go after her. “I’m just saying, you guys didn’t exactly have closure.”
“I mean, it’s pretty much self-explanatory that he breaks up with me and then dumps my shit at my door,” I point out.
“But didn’t you send his shit back with a guy?” she reminds me, and I roll my eyes. Did I get pissed off when he sent my things back? Yes. Did I do the most petty thing of all time and ask a hot guy to do me a favor? Yes.
“What choice did I have?” I ask.
“I don’t know, maybe calling him and asking him if you could talk?” The glare I had on my face before is nothing like it is now. “I’m just saying that you two never got closure.”
“Oh, nothing says closure like a box of your shit that he had at his house on your doorstep after standing me up for a date and arriving back home drunk.” I shake my head.
“This explains why Grandpa needed me to bring you some extra sweet tea,” Harlow voices, and I shake my head laughing.
“I might have called in a small favor.” I hold up my hands and press them together. “Anyway, it’ll be fine. Today we pick the flowers, and I think I’ll be clear of him until it’s closer to the wedding.” She looks at me, not sure about what I’m saying. “In other news, guess who has a date tonight?” She opens her eyes even bigger now.