Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 36185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
I booked a room at Sugar Lake for Thursday and Friday. I’m going to the rehearsal dinner with you.
I shut and lock my apartment door and then fall onto my couch before replying.
I didn’t go today so that you would go to the rehearsal dinner.
His text is immediate.
I know you didn’t. Thank you by the way. For today, I mean.
I smile at the phone.
You already thanked me three times today.
The bubbles pop up to let me know he’s texting me back.
Yeah, well, it meant a lot that you showed up. I know you’re busy.
He wasn’t lying when he said that people were going to be curious. I had two calls at the shop today and then one journalist stopped in wanting more details about our relationship. But I don’t regret going.
When I don’t respond, he sends another text.
So I booked a room but if you don’t want me there, I won’t go.
I start typing, stop and then start again.
The agreement was one night. I think if we do more than one night, it’s going to get confusing.
Bubbles appear and then they disappear. Seconds later, my phone rings, and it’s Cruz’s name on the caller ID.
Hesitantly, I answer. “Hello.”
His smooth voice comes over the line. “Hey, Tara.”
“Hey,” I croak and then clear my throat.
“So I don’t want this to be confusing or to make this hard on you. But I want to be there.”
I laugh because there’s no way this man wants to go to a rehearsal dinner. “You want to go?”
“Yes,” he says firmly. “Look, I don’t like that your family disapproves of your job or that everyone is just acting like it’s okay that your sister is marrying your ex-boyfriend that cheated on you. I want to be there for you.”
“It’s going to be awkward.”
He’s quick to respond. “I can handle awkward.”
“People are going to talk about us.”
He chuckles. “Please, they can say what they want to about me. I don’t care.”
“But—”
He cuts me off. “Are you trying to talk me out of this?”
I grip the phone a little tighter. “I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into, that’s all.”
He blows out a breath. “Look, I know this is supposed to be one night. Neither one of us wants this to be anything more—it can’t be, right? There’s so many reasons why this won’t work.”
Before I can ask him what those reasons are, he keeps going. “But if you’re there, I want to be there.”
Already, I can feel myself falling for Cruz, and I know that’s a bad idea, so I try again to dissuade him. “You don’t have to come.”
“I want to,” he states matter-of-factly.
“Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll send you over the times for the party and everything, and Cruz, I really do appreciate this.”
He groans. “You don’t have to thank me.”
Again, I roll my eyes. This from the man that has thanked me four times now for attending his press conference today. “So you doing okay after today? I think for the most part, people were supportive.”
“It was good. I think I was more worried about telling my team than anything. I’m going to miss them, but yeah, I feel good about it.”
“Hold on, I’m going to put you on speaker phone.” I put the phone on speaker and lay it on the bed. I grab my pajamas and start undressing. “So can I ask you a question?”
His voice gets louder. “Your voice is muffled. What are you doing?”
I put my shirt on and then pick up the phone. “Sorry, I was putting my pajama shirt on.”
He groans into the phone. “Fuck, don’t tell me that, honey.”
I giggle. “Don’t tell you that I’m changing into my pajamas?”
His voice is husky. “I shouldn’t ask. Are you dressed?”
I pull my sleep shorts up my legs. “I am now.”
“Okay, so I’ll never sleep tonight with that image in my head.”
I lie down in the bed and can’t help but make a joke. “So what are you wearing?”
He grunts into the phone, and I start to laugh. “No seriously, can I ask you a question?”
I hear rustling, and I wonder if he’s lying in his bed too. “Yeah, you can ask me anything.”
I clench my eyes shut and then open them. “You said there’s a hundred reasons why this is a bad idea. What did you mean by that?”
He laughs darkly. “You do realize I don’t have a job right now, right?”
I’m shocked into silence. Is that really his reason? Because if it is, it’s not a very good one. “If you don’t want to date me for real, then just say it. Don’t make up crazy excuses.”
“Crazy excuses? That sounds perfectly legit to me. I wouldn’t want Lexi to date some guy without a job, so how can I ask you to?”
I roll over on the bed and bang my head silently on the pillow in frustration. “Cruz Payne, you’re being ridiculous, but whatever. You’re right, maybe there are reasons we shouldn’t be together. Let’s just change the subject.”