Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
“Why are you scared?”
“Because I do not like to be hurt and men seem to always the worst.”
“I won’t hurt you.”
She frowned and tried to step back. “No one ever starts out thinking they will, but somewhere down the line they do, Gale.”
I held her still. “I, Prince Galahad Fitzhugh Cornelius Edgar of the House of Monterey, will not hurt you, Odette.”
She opened her mouth, but I shook my head.
“Remember what I told you on our first date,” I said, brushing her curls from her face. “Do not try to look at the end. Instead, enjoy the present with me.” I was not sure what she was trying to see in my eyes, but she stared for a long time before nodding.
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?” I asked, not sure if I heard her over the sound of my heart beating.
“Okay, I will date you.”
I grinned. I would take it. Letting go of her, I stepped out of their study. “Iskandar? Wolfgang? I am ready to go.”
“You’re leaving?” She gaped, amazed. “Just like that.”
“Yes. If I stay any longer, I’m worried you will feel the need to push me away.” I smiled. “I will come close, and then I will back off to give you space until you get used to me.”
She made a face at me. “You don’t have to do that.”
“We will see. For now, I do not plan on risking it.” I winked.
She didn’t get to reply as Iskandar and Wolfgang came toward me. Wolfgang gave me my coat.
“Goodnight,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself as she came to the door to see me off.
I wanted to kiss her again so badly. “Goodnight,” I said and nearly slipped because I was watching her and not my own feet.
“Hmm...” She actually clamped her lips to hold back her laughter.
You bloody idiot! I mentally cursed. Standing straighter, I waved back and headed to the car, wanting to smack the grin off Iskandar’s freckled face.
It was only once inside that I just fell onto the back seat.
What the hell was wrong with me?
And why did my heart keep beating so hard?
Chapter 19
“Don’t say anything,” I said to my mother when I walked back into the kitchen.
She sat, smugly drinking her evening tea. “Why would I say a thing? It’s not like my beautiful daughter finally came to her senses and took my advice.”
“By saying that, you are saying something,” I muttered, lifting the stack of bills she must have picked up while pretending she wasn’t spying on us. “I can’t believe you just let all of these pile up.”
“Someone is changing the subject,” she sang, leaning over the counter and wiggling her eyebrows. “It was Disney, right? When you kiss a prince, do you see fireworks?”
I rolled my eyes so hard my head felt heavy. “First, I don’t think Disney created that notion. Second, it was just a kiss, Mom, so chill. Can we talk about these now?”
“Why would you want to be depressed over bills when we could be gushing about boys?”
“Because I’m not six. I’m an adult. I’m adulting.” Why was she like this?
“You aren’t six, but you definitely need some se—”
“Mom!” I cut her off. “You’re supposed to tell me to be careful so I don’t get my heart broken.”
“If anyone does any heartbreaking, it will be you. Poor Gale has been bending over backward for your attention—”
“You owe a half-million in lawyer fees?” I snapped, reading the first bill. Quickly, I opened the second one just to see more zeroes, each one of them worse than the last to the point where my stomach began to churn. “How do we owe so much!”
“See what I mean? Now you’re depressed,” she joked, but this was serious.
“Mom, we owe millions. How can you be joking right now? Look at all of these mortgages, late fees, car notes, what?”
“Why are you so shocked?” she questioned, still too calm for the situation we were in.
“What do you mean, why am I shocked? Look at these.”
“Our bills are exactly the same as they were last year and the year before. But the only difference now is your father is not taking care of them. You are. Welcome to the land of adulting. You are late. The richer you are, the higher your bills are. Just because you are not spending money doesn’t mean you do not have bills. All the assets your father left still need to be run and paid. Now that Augusta has her share, the rest is on you to take on or give up. That is how this works.”
I pushed her to mom mode, and now I was getting ripped a new one for it. She was all but saying I was spoiled. She was right. My father did take care of everything. It allowed me to focus on my music, and I had fooled myself into believing I was independent when I truly was a trust-fund baby.