Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107204 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Daddy walked behind us with a box as Wesley followed his steps like a puppy dog.
“Ready to get to the new place, Buttercup?” Daddy asked.
“Ready! I’m going to ride with Avery and Willow. You and Wesley can meet us there.”
Daddy grimaced and leaned in. “You sure? I ain’t got nothing to talk to that science nerd about,” he complained.
I smiled at Daddy and patted his shoulder. “Wesley is nice, Daddy, and he’s been dating Avery for years. You might as well give him a chance.”
“Last time I gave a guy a chance, he broke my baby’s heart,” he said, referring to Cole.
“Well, luckily, Wesley isn’t Cole. He’s much smarter.”
“Book smart, maybe. But he’s still a man, which means he’s an idiot,” Daddy argued. Leave it to my father to hate men more than we girls did. In his mind, no one would be good enough for us, and Wesley was literally a rocket scientist. He worked for a space agency in Chicago.
“Uh, you do know I can hear you, right?” Wesley asked as he raked his hand through his red hair.
“I’m not one to mince my words,” Daddy replied. “Come on, Harry.”
“Wesley,” he corrected.
“Whatever,” Daddy said. Over the past two years, Daddy had never called the guy by his actual name. I’d be scared the day he did call Wesley by his name. It would mean the end of time was near.
We headed to the apartment, and we girls gladly sat on the sofa delivered earlier that day while Daddy and Wesley moved all the boxes in for us. Daddy refused to let us help at all. Us Kingsley girls were certified princesses in our father’s eyes.
Once the guys moved all the boxes in, we ordered Chinese food and ate at my new table. My table. It was mine. Everything in that space was mine. Sure, maybe I maxed out my credit cards to buy everything, but I didn’t care because everything belonged to me. That was a freedom I couldn’t express with words. The best part about life was that nothing lasted forever. Not even heartbreak.
After dinner, Avery pouted when she was getting ready to leave.
“I don’t even know when I’ll see you again,” she dramatically whined.
I laughed. “Well, we have our morning hike tomorrow at sunrise. So you’ll see me in about seven hours.”
She scowled. “I was hoping you forgot about that.”
“Not a chance.”
After our goodbyes, everyone headed off, leaving me alone in my new space with Cocoa. The hardest part of having Cocoa was that Cole requested shared custody of the sweet dog, which meant every two weeks, we had to meet up for a dog swap. I figured that was just Cole’s way to keep one foot in the door of my life. Even though I wanted to slam said door against his big toe.
My phone rang as I cleaned up the food and packed the leftovers. Willow’s name flashed across the screen.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Hey! There was one last box in the car. Do you want to buzz us in to bring it up or come get it?”
“I’ll come get it. No worries. Be right there.”
I tossed on my slippers and hurried downstairs. After grabbing the box from Willow, I thanked her and returned to my building. As someone left the building, I slipped into the door they held open. When I reached the elevator, I struggled to push the button due to the box in my hand.
“I got it!” a voice said from behind. As a muscular arm reached across the box and me, I looked up to find the most beautiful pair of hazel eyes I’d seen in a very long time, paired with a breathtaking, welcoming smile. A smile with a perfectly trimmed beard wrapped around it. A smile I had never seen in the little town of Honey Creek.
My heart skipped a few beats.
Fresh. Meat. On. Deck!
“Hi there,” he said with his pearly whites fully displayed. With a British accent. Are you kidding me?! Um, how dare he? What was a British accent doing in Honey Creek, Illinois? I tried to wrap my thoughts around the fact while my heart was doing cartwheels of excitement within my chest. What in the Bridgerton Experience was happening right now?
“Hi?” I replied. It came out as a question because I was caught off-guard. Who was this new person standing before me who decided to steal the air within my lungs? Not only with his looks but his vocals. Who was this Prince Charming, and why hadn’t I seen him in town?
Why hadn’t the women of Main Street mentioned him at all? Not even in passing? Gossiping was their favorite hobby, yet somehow, this man slipped through without a whisper.
Did he say something—his name, maybe? I wasn’t sure because not only did I mentally check out when I found new prospects with accents in town, I forgot how to use words and how to listen. Too much time had passed to ask him to repeat his comment, so I smiled and nodded.