Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 824(@200wpm)___ 659(@250wpm)___ 549(@300wpm)
“You’re my safe place,” I breathed into his neck.
He snored loudly in response. Holy crap. He’d fallen asleep right on top of me. That was how much today had fucked him up.
Just before I wiggled my way from under him, I caught his sleepy whisper.
“You’re mine, too.”
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Oliver
“We need to talk.”
At Briar’s words, I groaned, slamming a pillow over my face and willing the sunlight to go back to where it came from. “Can it wait until after the room stops spinning? I don’t like this ride. I want a refund.”
“Speaking of refunds …”
I poked an eye out from beneath the pillow, sparing a glance at Briar, who white-knuckled the ring box. A dent cratered half of it. I wondered when that happened. Come to think of it, how did she find that?
Well, fuck. The room swayed as I forced myself upright, trying to remember what happened after Romeo and Zach carried me back home hammock style. The fuckers had bumped my skull into every wall they could on the way up the stairs.
All I remember after passing out was waking up to Briar’s warm fingertips on my cheek, vomiting all over the hardwood, then her delicious mouth around my cock. And just like that, the man in question sprung to life, saluting me beneath the sheets.
Briar stared at the tent forming around my hips, her mouth parting – hopefully to wrap around it and not “to talk,” because that sounded serious, and I couldn’t handle serious with this hangover.
Her phone danced on the nightstand, interrupting what could’ve been the most splendid morning after a hellish day.
It struck me that I hadn’t even bothered to check on Sebastian after I’d dropped him off in his wing like a kid in a time out.
Briar’s ringtone was the Succession theme song. I was going to marry the fuck out of this woman if it was the last thing I did.
“Let me get this.” She set down the ring box, exchanging it with the phone. “Huh. Unknown number.”
“Don’t answer those,” I warned. “You don’t need your credit card debt lowered. You’re about to marry a billionaire, who is too crazy about you to ask for a prenup.”
I’d turn the fake engagement into a real engagement once I had my proposal details ironed out.
Briar’s grin faltered before she replaced it with an incredulous look. “It could be Dallas. Her number is private whenever she calls.”
Ah, yes. Last year, Dallas got blacklisted from a few local restaurants for accidentally double and triple booking.
Briar swiped the screen, putting the call on speaker. “Hello?”
“Briar?”
The temperature in the bedroom dropped ten degrees. At Philomena Auer’s unmistakable voice, Briar’s hopeful smile melted into a scowl. I wasn’t a violent man, but in that moment, I didn’t rule out doing things to her parents that were so heinous, the law had yet to find a fitting punishment for them.
“Yes, Philomena?” Briar’s voice came out as arctic as her expression.
“I wish you’d call me Mom.”
“I wish I had wings and a cute, fluffy tail. We all wish for impossible things sometimes. What’s your point?”
You would look adorable with a fluffy tail, I mouthed to Briar, managing to milk a laugh out of her.
“Fine.” Philomena cleared her throat. “Have it your way. Let the record show I tried to patch things up between us.”
“You mean hop on the gravy train bandwagon? Noted. Now, how can I help you?”
“It is my understanding that you will not be inviting me and your father to your wedding.”
“You mean you and Jason, who is not my real dad? That’s correct.” Briar pressed her knees to her chest, tucking them beneath her oversized shirt – my shirt, I realized. I did my best not to puff out my chest, the only appropriate response to the hottest girl alive wearing your shirt. “As I said before, I’ll only consider it if you give me information about my biological dad.”
“Why do you even want to know him? He obviously deserted you.”
“He wanted to be a part of my life. You pushed him away.”
Ribbons of pride laced around my chest. It must’ve been hard to stand up to someone she once begged to love her. Briar would make a great mother one day.
“I will give you information about your sperm donor.” It sounded as if Philomena had to physically tear the words out of her lips. “If …”
“Yes?” Briar’s eyes cut to mine, hope glittering inside them.
I offered her two thumbs up.
“If you give us money to cover our legal fees,” Philomena finished. Motherfucker. She made Dee Dee Blanchard look like a competent mother. “Paying those nasty people back bled us dry. Your father—”
“Not my father.”
Atta girl.
“Jason,” Philomena corrected, “has been working at a golf club selling coffee to pay the bills.”
“Ah, good ole work. You’d be surprised how many people do that for a living.” Briar paused. “How much do you need?”