Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22999 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
“Vaughn is halfway in love with Berkley.”
“Nah, he’s full-on in love,” I correct. Vaughn was a goner the second he saw Berkley. He followed her for days like a love-sick puppy.
“And you have a thing for him?”
“Just his cooking.” I sigh dramatically. “I’m going to starve to death.”
Xander drops his fist down onto the counter. “Yeah, well, you’re going to be the death of me.”
Chapter Three
Xander
“I need to learn how to cook,” I spit out as I fall back on the couch in Kade’s living room.
“You also need to learn how to knock. I’m married, remember?” He rolls his eyes as he walks in the room and flops down beside me.
“I saw her leave.” I grab the remote and flip through channels without really looking at the television. “I’m surprised you weren’t hot on her tail.”
“She’s going to the main house to get a pedicure with the doctor. I’m planning on giving her seven whole minutes of uninterrupted girl talk.” To make his point he looks at his watch and hits a button as if starting a timer.”
“She’s really got you by the balls,” I huff and shake my head as I stop on a cooking channel and lean in closer. It can’t be that hard if Vaughn can do it.
“And I’ll gladly place them in her hands. Now do you want to tell me why the fuck you’re watching someone make baked Alaska while you insult my marriage, or do you want me to just kick your ass again to get it out of you?” I glance over at him and he’s smiling as his eyes narrow. “You know how much I enjoyed it last time.”
“Fuck off.” I toss the remote down thinking I can just watch YouTube videos to find out how to cook.
“Don’t come in here like a sour asshole and expect me to keep the kid gloves on.” He sighs as he throws a pillow at me. “Has the doctor got you all worked up?”
I grumble as he turns off the television, but I don’t look at him. “Are we sure she’s been given a proper background check? I’d like to run my own. I mean, do you really want some random person who may or may not have passed medical school caring for your pregnant wife?”
Kade sighs as he shakes his head. “I’m not doing this again with you.”
“Doing what?”
He shakes his head as he checks his watch. “We’ve been over this. She’s more than qualified and I trust her with my wife’s life. That should tell you everything you need to know.” He gives me a hard look and I ignore it. “I’m not sending her away, X. Lula is here to stay.” When I don’t say anything else he lets out a long sigh. “I can show you how to make pancakes. Vaughn showed me and it seems to impress Collins.”
“Okay,” I agree as I follow him into his kitchen area.
“Tell me why you’re so desperate that I send her away, yet you want to impress her.” I open my mouth to deny it and he cuts me off. “Don’t tell me you decided you’re tired of your personal chef creating all your meals and you want to starve to death?”
“No.” I make notes on my phone of the ingredients he’s getting out of the cupboard and setting next to the bowl. “Maybe I just don’t like Vaughn being better at something than me.”
“Vaughn is better at a lot of shit than the both of us.” He raises an eyebrow and I don’t correct him.
“I don’t like that she misses him.” I hate how the words feel on my tongue.
“They became friends when you all but glared at her every second of every day. What else was she supposed to do with her time here?”
“Keep to herself.” I look around as if that’s the logical answer. “This is paradise. Is it so hard just to be alone and be happy?”
“For some people it is.” He chops strawberries and I make another note in my phone. “Like you, for instance.”
“Me? I’m perfectly content to be alone.”
“And yet here you are.” He cocks his head to the side and I ignore him.
“You know what I mean.”
“I know that she is a good person that is stuck on this island because I pay her an ungodly amount of money to stay. What other options does she have if she wants to make this place her home?”
“Her home?” My brows furrow at the thought.
“Have you not thought about the fact that even after the baby is born she may decide to stay, that I’ll pay her enough to keep her here?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I got that far.”
I’ve thought about hardly anything else but her since Lula came to the island. I don’t know why the idea of her making this island her home never occurred to me. I was so busy going between not letting her go and packing her bags for her, I never really stopped to think about what this all must be like from her perspective.