Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
She glanced around, and I laughed, knowing she was looking for her friends. “Greer and Abby left right before we got here. There’s a back road that takes you out onto Ricker Road, so they took that one.”
Bella shook her head in disbelief. “That’s the road that runs along the flower farm.”
I nodded.
Bella placed her hand on her chest as she took everything in. “I’m going to have to do something special for them.”
Pulling her chair out, I leaned down and placed my mouth against her ear. “You already have, from what I’ve heard. Picnic baskets and planning romantic weddings.”
She turned her head and looked at me. Our lips were only inches apart. “I was only helping my friends.”
“And they’re returning the favor.” I quickly kissed her cheek, and made my way around the gazebo to close almost all of the drapes and trap in the warm air from the heaters. I sat down in my chair and noticed Jack had already positioned himself next to Bella. Another reason to love that dog.
“You still like lasagna, right?” I asked, taking the lid off one of the dishes. There was a small candle under the metal container to keep everything warm.
“Yes! I’m a fool for lasagna.”
“Greer told me Candace makes some of the best she’s ever had. Makes her own noodles.”
Bella licked her lips and took off her coat. The two heaters were doing their job keeping the area warm, so I took off mine, as well, and placed it on the back of my chair.
“Do you want me to dish up the salad?” Bella asked, lifting the lid on one bowl.
“Sure, and I’ll get the lasagna.”
We worked in silence while I placed a large piece of lasagna onto each of our plates. Bella put the salad in the bowls and took out two pieces of garlic bread.
“Oh my gosh, did she make this bread as well?” Bella asked, her blue eyes wide with excitement.
“I believe so.”
She giggled and danced in her seat, causing Jack to look up and check on her.
“Jack sure seems to stick to you like glue,” I said, draping my napkin over my lap.
Bella glanced down at him and smiled. “Do you remember Thanksgiving night when we were at Bishop and Abby’s? We were the last ones to leave?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I remember. I followed you home.”
“He wanted to go with me, do you remember?”
I laughed. “That’s right. He wouldn’t listen to me when I called him.”
Her smile drifted away for a moment as she looked at Jack, then at me. “Do you think he senses something’s wrong with me?”
With a half shrug, I replied, “He could. Dogs are known for being able to sense things like anxiety, seizures, stress. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he was picking up on something.”
She nodded, looked down at the food, and picked up her fork.
I motioned to her plate with my fork. “I’m dying to take a bite, but I’ll wait for you to try it first.”
Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. “Oh, sorry!”
She cut off a piece, then placed it into her mouth and closed her eyes as she chewed. My cock instantly went hard when she let out a slow moan, and her face morphed into one of pure pleasure.
Christ Almighty, she was beautiful.
“That is so darn good.”
It was my turn to try it. “Shit, that is the best lasagna I’ve ever had.”
“I bet she makes her own sauce too. Did you know Candace was in medical school?”
That little bit of information made me stop chewing. “No way. Really?”
Bella nodded. “Yep. She hated it and quit. That’s when Greer reached out and asked her to come help with the bookstore. What she really loves to do is bake and cook. I’m slowly trying to steal her away from Greer.”
I laughed and took a bite of bread. It was so damn nice to have such an easy, carefree conversation with Bella. We had definitely grown closer the last few weeks, but today was the first day I truly felt like she was present with me, the weight of her secret lifted off her shoulders.
I would never tell her how I had hardly slept a wink last night. I had woken up early, kissed her goodbye, and hit the gym, taking all my anger and frustration out on a punching bag until my knuckles ached and nearly bled. It was Kyle who had come in and stopped me from tearing the damn thing out of the ceiling. Bella hadn’t even told me everything that had happened that day, and truth be told, I wasn’t sure I would be able to listen to it in detail…not that I would ever want her to relive it.
The anger I felt was something I’d never experienced before. Not toward Arabella. I was mad at myself. For not knowing what had happened. For not pushing her to talk to me, especially when I knew deep down something was terribly wrong. I was angry for the things I said to her. When I told her I’d wanted to hate her…fuck. The way her eyes had widened and filled with tears.