Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
But when I step around his desk, my heart swells at the sight of the two photographs placed right next to his laptop. One is of the two of us from our trip to London. There was a photographer outside the theater offering to take pictures of the guests. He handed Micah a card afterward and he must’ve ordered this one and had it printed. The other is a photo taken at our wedding with the two of us in the center, surrounded by his parents, brother, and Ellie.
“What?” he asks when I’ve been standing here pensive for a few minutes.
“Your home doesn’t have any personal touches. No pictures or knickknacks. Nothing that screams you. Neither does your office.”
Micah turns his chair and grips the curve of my hip, dragging me over to him so I’m situated between his legs and leaning against the desk. “First of all, it’s not my home, it’s our home. And I’ve honestly never thought about it. When it was built, I hired an interior decorator to handle it all. Before you and Ellie came to live with me, I rarely spent any time there. It wasn’t until you two moved in that it even felt like a home.”
Once again, his words wrap around my heart like a warm comfy blanket on a chilly night. “I like the sound of that,” I admit. “A home. I always tried to provide as much stability for Ellie as I could, but we never had a home… until now.”
“I’m glad you both feel safe and comfortable there,” he says. “If you want to add pictures or decorate, that’s fine with me. If Ellie wants to paint her room and make it more girly or whatever, I’m completely okay with that. It’s your home as much as it’s mine.”
“Thank you,” I say, leaning forward to kiss him. “Now, how about we lock that door and test out this desk. Add our own personal touches?”
“Sounds like a fucking plan.”
“So, remember a few weeks ago when you jokingly said I couldn’t date,” Ellie says to Micah. It’s Friday night and she’s dressed, ready to go out.
“No,” Micah deadpans, making me laugh. We’re lounging on the couch with my feet in his lap as I watch One Tree Hill and he does some work from his phone. “I remember saying hell no, you can’t date, and nothing about it was spoken jokingly.”
“Micah.” Ellie groans. “There’s this guy at school. He’s in a few of my classes, and he’s asked me out for a study date.”
I already knew about this since my sister texted me the second it happened, and of course, I told her she could go as long as I meet him first. The problem is, he’s on his way over to pick her up—he’s sixteen and drives—and there’s no way he’s getting past Micah’s security without him knowing about it, which means, she needs him to approve the kid to come up.
“No,” he repeats, deadly serious, which only makes me laugh harder, and in turn, has him glaring at me.
“Babe,” I say, rubbing his arm. “Ellie is going out tonight, and he’s already on his way to pick her up.” Just as I finish my sentence, there’s a knock on the door.
“He’s here,” Ellie whisper-yells. “Please, please be cool,” she begs Micah, whose jaw ticks. “Remember, it’s a study date, so not a real date.”
“Does it have the word date in it?” Micah volleys. “Then it’s a real damn date.”
Ignoring Micah, she rushes over to the door and swings it open, but standing on the other side is Lincoln, Micah’s brother, not Ellie’s date. “Oh, it’s you,” she says, sighing in disappointment. Me, on the hand...I mentally rejoice because her hanging out with someone else might mean she’s finally moving past her crush on Lincoln.
Only I’ve apparently thought this too soon because as he walks in, the look in her eyes tells me she’s definitely still sporting that crush.
“What’s up?” Lincoln asks.
“Ellie is about to go on a study date,” I say, ignoring the way Ellie is glaring daggers my way.
“Really?” Lincoln says. “Aren’t you only fifteen? Should she even be allowed to date?” His second question is aimed at Micah and me.
“Of course I can date,” Ellie hisses as the security system chimes. “But it’s not a date date. It’s a study date. We’re going to get coffee and work on a project for school.”
She rushes over and answers it. “There’s a Jameson Reynolds here,” security states. “Says he’s here to pick up Eliza.”
“Tell him to go the fuck away,” Micah yells, making Lincoln laugh.
“Ignore him,” Ellie says. “Please let him up.”
Lincoln grabs Micah and him beers from the fridge and then drops into a seat just as Ellie glances my way, silently begging me to save her. Even if this is not technically a real date, it’s still a first for Ellie, who deserves to finally act and feel like a normal teenager. I pat Micah’s leg and say, “Please behave. This is important to her,” and then glare Lincoln’s way so he knows I’m talking to him as well.