Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
“No, don’t doubt it. I know I was an asshole. I didn’t know what it took to raise a girl, so I ignored her for the most part. I figured it would be easy for her. Besides, she didn’t want to be near a drunk.” He shrugged.
Rebel pulled out of his thoughts and looked at Willow.
There had been many conversations he had with Bill, and not once had Willow returned to see her father. He didn’t blame her.
Bill had been honest. He had told him he’d been an asshole to her, and at times even cruel. Without her mother, he hadn’t known how the fuck to raise a girl, and it had put a strain on things. Also, the fact he turned to alcohol and was drunk most of the time.
It was a miracle he’d been able to run anything, but it would seem Bill had loved his daughter dearly, even though he’d never been able to tell her or even show it. He’d done so by giving her a very successful bar. Not one that was running into the ground. Willow also had a knack for it as well. The bar was thriving. Bill would be proud, and it was quite a shame that father and daughter would not get to see what the other achieved.
Willow handed Rebel a fork and he made sure to put her bowl next to him. He didn’t want to be sitting on opposite sides of the table. He wanted her close to him at all times.
Her tits were mesmerizing. He loved seeing the way they moved each time she did. They were still red from his kisses. His mouth watered for another taste and because he was also hungry.
“Are you going to try it?” she asked.
He hated Brussels sprouts so damn much. The last time he’d eaten them, they had been overcooked mush, and the taste alone had stayed with him for days. He was pretty much sure he’d been burping and farting the smell for months.
Willow looked nervous. He didn’t want her to be.
Spearing a sprout, he was shocked to see that it stayed together. He expected it to fall to pieces. This was an improvement.
He didn’t want to inhale it, so he quickly popped it into his mouth and started to chew, only the vegetable didn’t taste the way he remembered. It was spicy, garlicky, gingery, and so incredibly tasty. His mouth watered. He wanted more, so he took another bite.
Willow reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it.”
“Trust me, baby, I’m not the kind of guy who would do that, but this is good grub.”
He saw her smile and he realized that he had never seen her true smile. It lit up her whole face, and brightened the world. She looked so fucking precious, sexy, and … he didn’t want to let her go.
There was that pesky feeling he was having again. The one he couldn’t quite shake. He’d promised Bill he’d take care of Willow, but this wasn’t just about looking out for her. Rebel felt this … desire. To stay. To be with her. To explore these feelings he was having that made no sense to him. He wasn’t a good guy. He wasn’t a nice guy. For Willow, he wanted to be everything she needed.
“Are you going to eat?” he asked.
Willow speared a sprout and popped it into her mouth. “Strange, I know, but I do love these.” She ate another one and he watched her eat.
This wasn’t just sex. He could attempt to pretend all he wanted, but it wasn’t. This was something more, and he didn’t know what the fuck to do with that.
Rebel wasn’t a man who did relationships, but for the last year, he knew in his mind he’d been courting this woman.
Friday had become his favorite day of the week and it was all because of her.
****
Willow wanted to do a victory dance because he liked her food. At least, he liked one dish, but that was a start. She loved cooking for him, and even though she wanted to have this small success, she knew she needed to nip this in the bud.
“I see you love Christmas,” Rebel said.
She lifted her head, looking at him. “Yeah, I love Christmas.”
It was kind of hard to ignore. She had put the Christmas tree downstairs in the bar on the day after Thanksgiving. There wasn’t just a tree, though, she had put decorations all around the room, and it had taken her a couple of days to complete. There were fairy lights as well, and she had even found some stickers she could place in the windows so anyone who stopped by would feel the holidays. Her father had loved the holidays, and even though he’d been a dick many times throughout the year, at Christmas into New Year he always tried.