Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 65429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
“Oh my God.” There, in front of my eyes, was our own little waterhole in France.
I couldn’t believe it.
“How did you find this place?”
He smiled, big and wide, and what proceeded next happened so fast that I never saw it coming. In an instant, he threw me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing and hauled ass toward the water.
“Ethan! Don’t you dare!”
Of course, he didn’t listen to me. Not that I expected him to. In a flash, he threw me into the stream. For the next hour, we played in the water like two young teenagers with their whole lives ahead of them.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I exclaimed, sitting next to him in the water to watch the sunset.
“I figured you could use some fun that doesn’t involve catering to hundreds of people.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Livvy, you’ve always been a people pleaser. Especially when it came to your parents.”
“Yeah,” I said.
He was right, so there was no point arguing with him about it.
“Do you think if I wasn’t marrying a Hunter, my parents would have still turned my wedding into the social event of the year? I haven’t chosen one thing for this week. Is that normal? Does the bride usually not have a say in her own big day?”
He shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong man. If it weren’t for you, I would have grown up alone. I don’t have two parents who love me like your mom and dad love you. I’m not sure of the protocol, but I’m assuming it probably also has something to do with the fact that your father has always been high profile. More so now than ever.”
“Right…” Unable to hold back, I asked, “Where did you go last night after we spoke on the balcony?”
“I went back to my room and worked some until I knocked on your door.”
Eyeing him up and down, I couldn’t resist. “Were you with Varissa?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I was.”
That felt like a huge knife in my heart.
Don’t cry, Livvy. Please don’t fucking cry.
“Well, I’m glad you got to have some company in such a romantic country.”
“It wasn’t her company I was after.”
“Yeah, okay. I don’t need the details, Casanova.”
“In fact, I wasn’t after anything other than wanting to be alone.”
“So what? You kicked her out after you had sex with her?”
“Something like that.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“Except for one thing.”
I mocked, “I can’t wait to hear it.”
“I kicked her out before I fucked her.”
I chuckled, pretending that I wasn’t relieved.
He nudged my shoulder with his. “You know millions of girls would love to trade places with you.”
“I know, and I’m not trying to be ungrateful, but I can’t remember a time when what I wanted mattered to my parents. You know? It’s always been march in line or else.”
“It could be worse. You could have had a mother you don’t remember and a father who doesn’t give a flying fuck about you until you’re worth billions.”
I turned to face him, surprised he mentioned them. “Have you talked to your dad?”
“Not recently.”
“When was the last time?”
“Two years ago.”
“Oh wow… you never told me that.”
“There’s nothing to tell other than he called me randomly one night asking for money before he even said hello.”
My heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine what that felt like, but you know what? Fuck him,” I snapped. “Look at everything you’ve accomplished without him. In spite of him. You’re Ethan Carter, you’ve been on the cover of Forbes, The New York Times, you’re literally one of the richest men in the world, and you did that all on your own with no one pushing you or helping you.”
“I had you,” he coaxed, locking gazes with me. “You got me through it. You’re not only my best friend but you’re also my family. I love you, Livvy. I’ll always love you.”
My eyes watered as he softly brushed the hair away from my face with the back of his fingers. Music from someone’s house started playing through the trees, and I stood, bringing him with me. Taking one of my hands, I placed it on his shoulder. Intertwining my other hand with his, we moved to the beat of the music while he hummed the soft melody in my ear.
You never realized how much your childhood affected the person you are. How your memories shaped your life and who you became.
All of mine included Ethan.
We spent the next hour just dancing, and I couldn’t for the life of me shake off the memory of prom. And for the first time, I thought to myself…
Am I marrying the right man?
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Ethan
I was down to my last day of finding out anything on Beau Hunter II, but so far, my team hadn’t dug up one fucking thing. Tonight were the separate bachelor and bachelorette parties, and I spent most of the day working in my suite. I knew the bride and groom were spending some alone time together before the big day tomorrow, so I kept to myself in my room.