Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
And there was Johnny, throwing me a flask to hold on to for dear life. Could he have really known then this is how it would turn out? I’d like to believe that he did. The romantic in me truly wants to believe he knew he wanted to marry me right then and there.
But I was a different person then. I had to meet him and argue with him and make love to him before I could become this person who’s so empowered and so comfortable with herself. He had to kidnap me from my life and show me there’s so much more to the world than pleasing a family that doesn’t care about me.
I look at the man I love and watch his lips twitch in his sleep. He looks like he’s smiling. I hope he’s having a good dream. Since I’ve met him, all he’s given me are good dreams. Because of him, I have the freedom to dream of my future. And as long as he’s in it, I know it will be bright.
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER
Ivan
She’s at it again. Ever since the semester began, she’s been sick every single morning. She claims it’s the stress of the new semester, but I suspect it’s a little more serious than that. A little more life-altering.
I won’t push her to tell me, though. She probably hasn’t figured it out herself. I know that when she does, and when she’s ready to share with me, I’ll be the first to know.
She comes back into our bedroom, her engagement ring sparkling. Her face is pale, and she looks miserable. I hold out my arms to her and pull her down on the bed, against my chest. I rub her back as she groans in pain.
“I think I have the flu,” she cries. “That’s the only thing that can be making me so sick, right? If it was food poisoning, it would have gone away days ago.”
I chuckle, pressing my hand to her forehead. “Well,” I say. “You don’t feel like you have a fever. Do you have any other symptoms? Body aches? Fatigue?”
“Not really,” she concedes. “I’ve been tired, but I’ve also been working a lot. This semester is kicking my butt.”
I nod and pull her close, placing a kiss on her forehead. I’ve always loved her innocence, and that hasn’t changed a bit. She’s going to be delighted when she figures it out. At least, I hope she will.
I get up to get ready for work and let her lie in bed for a little bit longer. I make her a hearty breakfast, knowing that once the nausea passes, she’ll be starving. She hasn’t figured out her patterns as well as I have. I grab a tray and load it up with the food, knowing she won’t want to get out of bed until she has to leave for class.
It’s a Wednesday, so her first class isn’t until noon. She looks up at me miserably as I carry in the food.
“No,” she groans. “I don’t want to eat anything. Are you crazy?”
When she sees the bacon, though, she changes her tune. As I suspected, she’s ravenous. She eats everything on the plate, even asking if there’s more in the kitchen. I laugh and tell her I made her a second plate, but she’ll have to get up to get it. I need to get to work.
Knowing she’s feeling better helps me get out of the apartment. I hate leaving her like this, but duty calls.
Life has been so much easier since Dimitri finally backed off. We haven’t had any more attacks since I threatened him a few months ago. He knows well enough not to cross me. I was too lenient on him before, but not anymore. If he incurs my wrath again, he’ll deserve every ounce of it that he receives.
I sit in my office with my bookkeeper, going over our latest budget reports. Business is going well, and all of our businesses are flourishing this quarter. My phone chimes, and I look down at it and smile.
My bookkeeper, an older woman named Elaine, smirks knowingly. “I’d know that face anywhere. That must be your bride-to-be.”
I grin even wider, loving how that sounds. When I took her away from her wedding all those months ago, I could only dream this would be the outcome. I didn’t know if she would accept me as I am or forgive me for the wedge I drove between her and her family.
Of course, I came to realize the wedge existed long before I came into the picture. She was a porcelain doll, never allowed out of the packaging. Her life was spent pleasing other people, and now it’s her own. Well, soon it will be wrapped around someone else’s, but she doesn’t know that yet.