Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 737(@200wpm)___ 590(@250wpm)___ 491(@300wpm)
Ugh.
I don’t sound good at all.
More like there’s a lizard trapped in my throat.
He doesn’t take my hand as he leads me through the house, and while he gets ready, I slide my phone out of my back pocket, scrolling through the latest notifications.
There’s plenty rolling in from social media, mostly reposts and a few straggler replies to the latest drama when it first blew up.
Nothing new—except for a DM on Instagram from Meghan Tea.
“What the hell?” I whisper.
Shepherd strides around the house like he’s on a mission, filling his water bottle now, so he doesn’t notice.
Destiny, don’t go. Don’t go anywhere with him.
My heart stalls.
I read it three times.
That’s all it says.
Two stark sentences that come out of nowhere and say so much without telling me anything at all.
I’m not sure what to think.
For one, she shouldn’t know we’re spending time together, though she didn’t mention any specifics. It could just be an assumption.
Still, this feeling of wrongness catches at the base of my throat, making it hard to breathe.
What do you mean? I message back.
For all I know, it’s another cruel mind game. And seeing the dynamic at our meeting, probably some scheme her mother put her up to.
I wonder how much she agrees with Adriana, though.
No, I don’t know her. It’s not like we were ever more than distant frenemies before this craziness blew up.
But when we have messaged before, she’d usually reply pretty fast, thanks to being the terminally online type. She’s always on her phone, checking her socials and analytics, never missing the slightest chance to promote herself or jump on a fresh subject with viral potential.
The minutes tick by and my message stays unseen.
Huh.
She’s probably just messing with my head, trying to shake me up with this creepy-ass vague warning.
But I’m not letting this wreck what might be my last time with Shepherd Foster.
“Dess?” he calls loudly from the kitchen, almost like he can read my mind. “Everything okay?”
I stare at my phone for a few more seconds while Molly flattens herself on the ground. Nothing but more notifications rolling in.
“I’m good,” I call back, wrapping Molly’s leash more firmly around my hand.
When he emerges and heads for the back door, I join him.
We walk down the sun-soaked path to the pier together with Molly weaving between us, her head up and her eyes bright.
“This is her first time on a big boat that’s not a ferry,” I explain.
“We’ll see if she’s impressed,” he says. “I suspect fancy yachts don’t do much for Lancaster girls.”
I roll my eyes but laugh anyway.
His yacht is actually perfectly nice as far as rich guys and their toys go.
I expected nothing less, but as we get closer, I can appreciate just how sleek and modern it is, pretty but functional instead of grossly flashy like some others I’ve been on.
It’s a tall beast with white sides and massive black windows. A few cozy lounge chairs are perched in the front for soaking up the sun, and each cabin below is equipped with its own floor-to-ceiling windows.
We spend a few minutes on the deck before he leads me inside the main cabin.
It’s gorgeous and modern, no question.
Despite the weird tension that still has me checking my phone every few minutes, excitement bubbles up in my chest.
Sei whales.
We’re going to be riding off into the sunset, sipping champagne, and seeing freaking sei whales.
Another dream come true, and all because of him.
The excitement must be contagious. Molly barks and spins in a circle, getting her leash wrapped around her lanky legs.
“See? She’s almost as pumped as I am,” I joke.
Shepherd smiles softly as he glances at me and then the dog, but he doesn’t make any move to hold me again.
I’m worried that kiss was an anomaly.
Something he only did because he couldn’t help himself.
Did he need it like medicine? To soothe the same melancholy that keeps eating me alive?
Sigh.
I hate goodbyes with a vengeance.
Especially when all I want is for him to hold me and kiss me just like he did after we left Adriana and Meghan stewing at the restaurant.
No one ever held me quite like that.
It made me realize it’s been so long since I truly felt safe, sure about what I’m doing with my life.
All the drama in the world doesn’t matter when I’m in his arms, anchored to his massive chest.
We can take on the entire world together.
Alone, there are cracks.
Big ones, splinters, a thousand different reasons we shouldn’t be together.
I’m desperately trying not to hurt.
I don’t even know how to enjoy the moments we still have left.
So I dig my fingers into Molly’s fur for support, counting my breaths.
This is fine.
We’re going to have fun this evening.
We’re going to see the whales.
And whatever happens next isn’t up to me.
“Is Molly holding up all right?” Shepherd asks as he joins me at the window, the husky happily watching with her tongue out. “Do you need—”