Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
I’ll let her and Beau have a little time together while I attend to some business I’ve been neglecting. In fact, I should go do that right now. There are contracts on my desk that I can review. Proposals that need attention.
“Here it is,” Beau cries. His little arm is outflung like he’s some salesman exhibiting the latest goods.
Lila is stuck in the doorway. “This…is all for me?”
The room is not red and blue but a classy mix of pale greens, yellows, and pinks. The decorator called it Monet-inspired.
“It’s like a painting,” Beau explains. He was with me when I made all the decisions. I’m surprised at how neatly he’s become part of my life. Everyone now knows I have two wards, and when I have meetings, I’m often given gifts for them. Lila’s range from dolls to electronics while Beau has every Lego set known to man.
“It’s beautiful.” Her eyes glow when she looks at me.
It makes my clothes tight and the back of my neck itch. Feelings swirl around that I shouldn’t have. I step back until I’m out of the room. Hurt flickers across her face, and part of me wants to reach out and crush her to me, but that’s the part that needs to be shut down, excised, thrown away.
Resolutely, I ignore the pain I’ve inflicted and give her an abrupt nod. “You’re welcome to change anything you don’t like.”
Beau tugs at Lila’s arm. “You won’t change anything, will you? We worked very, very hard on this. We had to make a lot of decisions. It took a long time. Drix said we had to get it right.”
“Did he?” She sounds so uncertain, so hopeful. The glow is starting to creep back in.
“If I didn’t, I’d be accused of mistreating you, which would be bad for business,” I bite out tersely.
Her face grows stone cold. “And everything is about what’s good for the business, like when you found us in your basement and couldn’t have anyone else know.”
“That’s right,” I fire back. “Remember that. You’re a Mason now. Don’t do anything to embarrass me.” With those unnecessarily cruel words, I turn and leave, not wanting to see what wounds I’ve inflicted. Not wanting to acknowledge that my own needs are turning me into an unrecognizable bastard.
6
LILA
I’ve basically gone from one prison to another. At least this one has Beau in it. He makes it all worth it. I would tolerate just about anything to make sure he’s taken care of. That includes Mason’s harsh words and actions. Even though they tend to sting more than some of the mean girls back at boarding school.
I’m starting to think he doesn’t like me. Something about me seems to rub him the wrong way. It’s so confusing because he’s different with Beau. He’s so much more patient and tolerant. His eyes are always kinder and his words softer when he’s dealing with him. With me, at times his words are clipped and straight to the point. More often than not, I think he looks right through me. I should be used to feeling invisible, but for some reason, it’s worse when Mason is the one making me feel that way.
“Can I stir it?” Beau asks, coming to stand beside me.
“You have to be careful.”
“I will,” he swears.
I let out a grunt as I pick him up to sit him on the counter next to the meat sauce on the stove. I turn the burner down a few notches before handing him over the spoon. I treasure these moments with him. He grew so much while I was away. I don’t want to miss another second of it.
Over the past two weeks since I arrived back, I’ve taken over some of the tasks around the house. Meals are one of them. I’ve never really gotten the chance to cook before. I’m finding it’s my new favorite thing to do. I spend half of my days in the kitchen. Someone should be in here making things. It’s practically a sin with how breathtaking the kitchen is that it’s hardly ever used. I’ve taken it upon myself to make sure that’s no longer the case.
Mason usually has all the meals delivered. Don’t get me wrong; they are yummy and typically healthy, but I wanted to be a part of something around here. Cooking for Beau gives me a bit of purpose. Plus, he enjoys doing it with me.
“Is this right, Lila?” Beau asks as he continues to stir the sauce the way that I showed him.
“You’re the best little helper in the whole wide world.” That earns me a smile. I drop a kiss on top of his head before I grab the noodles to drain them.
“Drix, I’m cooking!” Beau announces when Mason enters the kitchen. I peek over to see he’s not in his usual suit. He’s in a tux tonight. He looks so damn handsome it takes my breath away for a moment. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask him where he’s going, but I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself. He doesn’t have to explain himself to me, but that doesn’t mean that I have to be happy about it.