Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
She would love to be a mother, truly, she would, but she didn’t think it was right to take the truth away from Tara. Humming to herself, she started to move around the apartment, picking up the items that had been left lying around. Having a baby had come with a whole different cleaning schedule.
She was heading into the kitchen, with Tara in one arm, and several mugs in another, when Caleb came out. “So that’s a date. Katherine will cook. I have a horrible feeling they’re wanting to see how the twins react to Tara.”
Annie smiled and listened as Caleb once again started to talk about his friends. She noticed he never talked about himself, but he was more than happy to talk about everything else. She had a feeling he’d been hurt in the past, and by the way he reacted, she’d bet it was a bad breakup, but she couldn’t be sure. There were many times she wanted to ask him about his life, to find out everything, but he was so quiet and reserved, it seemed wrong to even attempt to pry. After all, she’d gone to him, not the other way around. She’d asked for his help at every single level.
“I’m here talking about my friends and you’re struggling. Here, let me take those from you,” he said.
She expected him to take Tara, but instead he took the mugs she had slid between her fingers. Caleb was not afraid of getting his hands dirty. He never avoided changing a diaper, and always helped clean up the apartment. How was it possible for this man to still be single? He was a perfect guy. Sure, he did work a lot. As the weeks wore on, he had no choice but to go back to the office and work some odd hours, but he always came back, often with a fresh suitcase full of clothes.
She wasn’t going to complain.
She enjoyed his company.
A lot.
Chapter Four
“She’s pretty,” Ryan said.
“Shut up.”
“I can see what you see in her.”
Caleb turned to Ryan. He’d much prefer to look at Annie, but his friend was insistent. They had arrived at Ryan’s country home twenty minutes ago. Since then, Ryan had led him to the dining room to pour some drinks, while Katherine had taken Annie to the sitting room where the twins were hanging out. He’d promised he wouldn’t leave her alone, and now his friend was turning him into a liar, and he wasn’t impressed by any of this.
“Is this what today is about?” Caleb asked. “You assessing her?”
“Look, man, I get it, you like her and you know after what Melissa did—”
“Stop. You’ve got to stop bringing her into every single conversation. I’m not going to make that mistake again.” He also wouldn’t have Annie compared to that fucking bitch. “They’re two completely different women. Don’t ever compare the two.”
Ryan sighed. “I’m only looking after you.”
“I’m a full-grown man.”
“Yeah, I get that, but come on, man, you’ve been a recluse for so long. You’ve devoted all your spare time to The Nanny, which is great. It’s a thriving company, and you knew what you wanted, but that’s all you’ve been doing. It can’t be healthy for you.”
“You know I’ve been with women since.”
“Yeah, and none of them mean anything to you. Annie does. You don’t go out offering your services to every single pretty face that comes into the building asking for help. What was it about Annie that was so different?”
Caleb stared at the woman in question. She was kneeling on the floor. She wore a beautiful red dress. It wasn’t too showy, but it was a pretty dress for Sunday lunch. She had come out of her bedroom six times in different outfits and looks, for him to assess. All of them had been stunning. There had been a pair of jeans that molded to every single curve, and he’d been more than happy to spend the day with a hard-on, but Annie had shaken her head.
“Idiot, who goes to dinner on Sunday in jeans?”
He was pretty sure a lot of people did, but he had no problem watching her curvy ass walk away. An ass he’d spent many nights imagining riding his dick, or cupped by his palm. After the jeans, she came out in a pair of soft-looking pants. Again, she shook her head before he could even open his mouth. There had been a tight dress, plunged low, and she had given him a twirl. All he’d wanted to do was grab her, draw her closer to him, and have her straddle his dick. He had no problem with any of the outfits.
The next two dresses had been a no, until she came out in the red dress. She looked so beautiful. She had pinned her long blonde locks down. Annie didn’t wear any makeup, and he’d expected her to refuse to take Tara, but she’d simply grabbed a blanket and placed it over her shoulder in case of any vomiting.