Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 109777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109777 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
“We’d like that,” Griffen said.
Grams’ gray eyes shifted from friendly to hard. “You take good care of Hope. It’s about damn time she got out from under Edgar’s thumb. I don’t want to see her under yours.”
“No, ma’am,” Griffen agreed. “Hope doesn’t belong under anyone’s thumb. I’m lucky to have her at my side, and don’t think I don’t know it.”
Grams squeezed his arm before stepping back and turning to head to the kitchen. “Like I said, you always were a clever boy. And a good one, despite what your father did.” To J.T. and Daisy, she said, “Finish up their order and let them go. They’ve got business to see to.”
Another eye roll from J.T. “Yes ma’am,” he called out. “I’m just going to box up this cake and tag it in the fridge. We close at five, but I’ll be upstairs if you’re running late.”
Daisy finished up with our order and sent us off after tugging me aside and saying, “Late lunch? Later in the week or the weekend?”
“Definitely. Saturday? I can come into town or you can come out to the house.”
Daisy’s eyes widened. “You’re staying in the Manor, aren’t you? Of course, you are. Oh, I’m coming to the house. I’ll bring lunch.”
I gave her a hug, not minding the flour on her apron. “I’ll see you then. Thanks for the cookies.”
Griffen was halfway finished with his first cookie by the time we got back in the car. He hadn’t bothered with the treats Savannah had left in our room, but he answered that question before I could ask. “If I’d known her baking was this good I would’ve eaten the brownies before you got to them.”
“Over my dead body,” I said without thinking.
My mind skipped back to the look on Griffen’s face at his first bite of cookie. He wasn’t stealing my brownies, but I could share. Especially if it was naked sharing. I squirmed in my seat.
Business, Hope. Sex later, business now. I sighed. I’d rather have sex now and forget our business.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Hope
What was that for?”
I blinked at Griffen. What was what for? Oh, the sigh. Heat flooded my face. I was not going to tell him what I’d been thinking about. No way. I settled for, “Just thinking about how long a day it’s going to be.” Not entirely a lie.
He gave my hand a squeeze. “Things will settle down soon. Then we can find a new normal.”
A new normal? I was married to Griffen Sawyer, living in Heartstone Manor. I hadn’t seen my uncle Edgar in days. None of that would ever be normal, new or not. A twinge of guilt hit at the thought of Uncle Edgar, one I tried to push away.
He replaced you, I reminded myself. He told you to go off with Griffen and have babies. And it’s not like he’s called. Not once.
From Uncle Edgar, my mind skipped to the idea of babies. Griffen’s babies.
I let out another sigh. There was too much stuff on my mind, and most of it I couldn’t do anything about. Griffen and I were being safe, except for that one time. There wouldn’t be any babies any time soon.
And Uncle Edgar was a grown man. He loved me in his own way. I had to believe that. He’d sacrificed years of his life to raising a child he’d never wanted. Who was I to expect him to want me around forever?
He’d given me a home, an education, a job. Apparently, he’d even given me a husband. For a while. That was a heck of a lot more than most people got.
The car came to a stop and I looked up in surprise. We were here already? I had to love early spring traffic in town.
The Sawyers Bend Police Department was adjacent to the Town Hall, connected by a covered breezeway. With their tall, arching, white-framed windows and white columns, both the police department and the town hall were stately, the epitome of turn-of-the-century charm.
We climbed the brick steps to the big white doors and pushed through to find the receptionist waiting for us. I couldn’t remember her name, but she knew mine. Her eyes skittered past Griffen to me. “Hope. And, uh, Mr. Sawyer. The Chief is waiting for you. I’ll show you back to his office.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Griffen again before turning away. We followed her down the hall where she left us at a door bearing the nameplate Weston Garfield. Griffen rapped his knuckles twice on the door before pushing it open.
West was already standing and coming around the desk, hand held out in front of him, a smile on his face. “Griffen, good to see you. Sorry for the reason you’re back in town, but it’s good to see you.”
Griffen took his hand in a firm shake and leaned in to clap him on the back in that thing men did that was kind of a handshake and kind of a hug. West clapped him on the back in return, and I thought I saw a flash of relief in his eyes.