Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“No apology needed,” Kayla tells her, shaking her head with a soft smile. “I like that you stood up to me when you felt like it was warranted. That’s what good friends… and good people… do.” Grace brightens at the praise from her favorite aunt and sits a little straighter. “I didn’t intend to hurt you, Riley, or Cameron with what I said. I think Riley is amazing for getting your dad to smile, especially considering what a stick in the mud he’s always been.”
Grace laughs at Kayla’s good-natured assessment of Cameron, but then she peeks at me and proclaims, “He’s not that bad. He’s cute, right, Riley?” She blinks innocently, but there is nothing naïve about her question.
My guts churn at being put on the spot this way, and when I quick-glance around the table, everyone is hanging on the edge of their seats with tiny smirks on their faces. They already know my answer. There’s no denying it. I wouldn’t, anyway. Lying’s not my style.
“Yeah, I guess he’s fine,” I drawl out dramatically, making it totally obvious that I’m downplaying Cameron’s considerable attractiveness.
Janey snort laughs, and I catch her eye, remembering that she’s already figured out that I might have a teeny-tiny, little-bitty crush. But she’s pressing her lips together tightly, keeping my secret the way a good friend does.
“Sure, if you’re into blond, blue-eyed guys who spend more time talking about the stock market instead of addressing their completely unavailable emotions, then yeah, he’s… cute.” Kayla clips out the last word, making it sound ridiculously underwhelming as she gives me a knowing grin.
Ironically, beyond his schedule, I don’t think Cameron has once discussed his work with me, but we’ve spent quite a few hours and many cups of tea talking about our feelings.
Dani leans forward and advises, “You might as well give up now. They’re incredibly stubborn, and that’s coming from me, the Queen of Stubbornness. Once they decide you’re in, there’s no escape. You’re basically in the Harrington circle now.”
She makes it sound like a cult, but as I look around the table, meeting the eyes of each of the women, it feels like… family and home. And I really don’t want the feeling to ever end.
CAMERON
“You two ready?” I call up the stairs, looking at my watch again. We need to be in the car in five minutes or less if we’re going to make it for the dance’s start. I always run on time, but we especially need to be timely tonight because the kids are walking down a red carpet and getting their photos taken by a professional photographer before entering the actual dance.
“Coming, Dad!” Grace answers, then I hear giggling and a whispered, “No, you go first!”
A smile finds my lips as the anticipation of seeing what Grace and Riley have put together grows.
They’ve been gone all day, getting their nails done and having lunch with Mom and the rest of the women in my family, and when they got home this afternoon, they bolted upstairs before I could see them, claiming they had to start getting dressed immediately. Meanwhile, I spent the whole day staring at my laptop, mostly pretending to work, while I worried how my family was treating Riley and wondered what she thought of all of them. Thankfully, both Kayla and Mom texted me, giving their enthusiastic thumbs-up to Riley. I’d love to say that I don’t care about their opinions, but it’d be a lie. I very much care, especially since I feel like an ass for the way I’ve been treating Riley this week.
It's not her fault my grip on my restraint is tenuous at best.
But all week, I’ve punished her—stomping around, slamming doors, and barely doing more than grunting at her. I’ve been an ass, especially since what I’ve wanted to do is take her in my arms and tell her that she’s making me question everything I’ve ever planned. Which is downright terrifying.
I think Riley would laugh outright if I told her that she scares me, but she absolutely does.
“Ready?” Riley asks, sounding like she’s right at the top of the stairs, but she’s still out of sight.
“Not at all,” I mutter truthfully. Louder, I say, “Yes, let’s go.”
She takes my breath away the instant she appears. Riley is wearing a satiny ivory dress that skims over her curves to just below her knees. The square neckline frames a stack of chunky necklaces and the sheer puffy sleeves end in buttoned satin bands several inches above her wrists, giving her room for plenty of bracelets. The dress is classic and tasteful, but she’s made it her own with her jewelry, her pink hair, and the boots she affectionately calls her ‘Docs’.
Wait… I check again… yes, she’s wearing clunky boots with the dress. There’s a circle of lace peeking out at the top of the black leather, so at least she has on fancy stockings with them.