Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“I just—” I looked between them, my voice faint. “Three days?”
“Why wait?” Otto asked, lifting my hand to kiss the back of it. I thought he was laying it on a bit thick, but the gesture still made my stomach swoop.
“We can pull something together in three days,” Heather said with a shrug.
“Cool, thanks,” Otto said offhandedly as he tugged me toward the door.
His mom snorted, putting her hand up to stop him. “I think Esther may want a hand in planning her wedding,” she said wryly.
“You wanna pick decorations and shit out?” Otto asked me, like he already knew the answer.
“Yeah,” I replied softly, glancing at his mom.
I hadn’t been kidding. I didn’t plan to get married more than once. If this was the only chance I had, then I was going to at least make it something I could tell the baby about.
“Alright,” he replied almost instantly. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. In a few quick movements he was laying a pile of hundred dollar bills onto my hand.
“Holy crap,” I breathed in disbelief. Why the heck did he carry so much cash?
“Jesus, Otto,” his mom muttered.
“Emergency stash,” he said with a shrug. “Buy what you need.”
When I hesitated, still staring at the money, he leaned down to catch my eye. “You need more? You can take my debit card.”
“No,” I practically shouted, grabbing for his hand before he could open his wallet again. “No, this is plenty.”
“You sure?” he asked, looking over at his mom.
“I’ll pay for any extras,” she said, grinning. “Moneybags.”
“Whoa,” his grandpa muttered, catching sight of us from the hallway. “You carry that much cash on you?”
“It’s my emergency stash,” Otto said again in exasperation.
“We got an emergency?” Grease asked.
“Mom and Esther are gonna get shit for the wedding.”
“Wait,” I breathed, gripping Otto’s hand. “We’re going right now? You’re not coming with us?”
“I’m happy with goin’ to the courthouse,” he replied easily. “You wanna do the fancy shit, my mom’ll help you.”
I tried not to scowl as he turned back to his grandpa. It was his wedding, too. Didn’t he care? For all he knew, I’d buy him a bright purple suit. I looked over his hoodie, leather vest, jeans and work boots. Never mind. I’d never get him to wear a suit.
Of course he didn’t want to go wedding shopping. Why was I letting it bother me? He was about to take care of all the problems I’d been afraid of for the past four months. I should be grateful. My stomach still sank as he let go of my hand and took a step forward to follow his grandpa.
Heather’s foot came out and Otto tripped over it, making him stumble.
“The hell?” he barked, glaring at his mom.
Heather glared right back, and this went on for a long moment.
Suddenly Otto turned back to me and leaned down to drop a quick kiss on my lips. “I’ll make sure you guys are set to go. Back in a minute.”
Heather shook her head as he hurried to catch up to his grandpa. “He’s a good boy,” she said, watching him go. “But you have to train them to be husbands. They’re clueless in the beginning.”
“Oh, okay,” I said softly, gripping the cash in my hand.
Heather scoffed. “Come on,” she ordered. “You have a purse?”
I shook my head. The wallet I carried was in my suitcase out in the truck.
“You can borrow one of mine,” Heather said easily. “Let’s see if I have an extra in here somewhere.”
I stood in the middle of the room as she rifled through her dresser and a shelving unit, looking for something to carry the money in.
“I can just put it in my pocket,” I told her as she cursed under her breath.
“Nah, you need a purse.” She grinned at me over her shoulder. “You’re a grownup now, kid.”
“Does he really want to get married in three days?” I asked, watching her scour the room. “He was just joking, right?”
“He definitely wasn’t joking,” she replied. “Aha! I knew I had one.” She lifted a black leather purse over her shoulder in triumph, the fringe on it whipping wildly from side to side.
“Um, thank you.”
My hands were shaking a little and growing damp around the money. What in the heck was I doing? Was I really going to marry Otto Hawthorne? Suddenly, and with a ferocity that surprised me, I wanted to be back in my quiet little cabin. It was all too much. Everything was too much.
I dropped the money on Heather’s bed like it was on fire.
“Whoa,” she muttered gently, her hands out in front of her like she was trying to tame a wild animal. “It’s okay, honey. It’s okay. Just breathe.”
I gasped, wrapping my shaking arms around my waist.
“My son’s a moron,” she murmured, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. “Men usually are.”