Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 25313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
My Neverland will always be my home, and that’s the only place I want to be.
9
MELODY
All morning I haven’t felt right. I should be excited. My agent is in a war with my publishing house about the next few books, and I still owe them one. It’s not due yet, but they are pushing me to get it in sooner because of how well the first one has done. They want to move up the preorder date.
I think I’m writing fan fiction of my own life. Even in this second book, it’s still Easton and me. This time, we met by accident. I think he’s my blind date. He quickly realizes and plays along to steal me away. That would be something Easton would do. Or something he would’ve done back when I knew him.
My heart grows heavy at the thought. I don’t actually know what he would do now. The Easton I know was always mine. Now he’s engaged. What did I expect? I should be happy for him.
He should get to move on. He already waited for me when I was in high school. I shouldn’t expect him to wait again. If I’m being honest with myself, the reality is he could have already forgotten all about me.
I want him to be happy, but it’s so damn hard. No matter how hard I try, I can’t pull myself out of this rut. Change is coming. I know it. A shift. I wrote what I always wanted our story to be, and now I have to move on. He has.
“I’m going out,” I tell my dad, poking my head into his office. “Do you need anything?” Maybe getting out of the house for a while might help. God knows my sister is never home. She caught on to my secret, but she’s holding tightly to her own.
“I’m good, sweetheart.” I step into his office and give him a kiss on the cheek. There is always so much sadness in his eyes. I wasn’t going to let resentment rip another person I loved from me.
As mad as I feel at times, I wish there was something I could do to make my dad whole again. But what do I know? I can’t move past Easton. A boy I shared a kiss with. It was more than a kiss, but it can be a little easier to tell myself that it wasn’t. How the heck do I expect my father to move on from the love of his life, my mother?
In a way, I can almost relate to my father. After he lost Mom, he went down a dark path. He thought if we couldn’t have Mom, he would give us so much more. The best of everything. He took a risk and lost it all.
I have also taken a risk. It was stupid to name a book Neverland and have my author name be Melody Ledger. I didn’t think anyone would notice but my sister did. Hopefully, because she was so close to me those pieces clicked together only for her.
“You sure? I can grab takeout or something,” I offer.
“Still have leftover lasagna, and I actually just got a pile of spreadsheets sent to me to go over.” I glance at his computer screen, not understanding anything on it.
“All right. I love you.”
“Love you too,” he says before I start to head out. I grab my bag with my laptop inside. It’s so nice out I debate if I should walk the half mile to the coffee shop down the road instead of driving. Most days, the heat can kill you here, but there is a nice breeze, so I decide to walk.
“Lyla,” Ethan calls when I step into the coffee shop. It’s midafternoon. There are only a few people inside. “You want your normal?” he asks.
“Yes, please.” It’s still hard to get used to having a new name. I hate it. I have to make a conscious effort to answer people.
“You want a sweet today?” I peek over at the display of pastries. They all look yummy, but for some reason I don’t want one. My stomach is unsettled. It has been ever since I laid my eyes on that article about Easton’s engagement.
“No, just my normal coffee.” He scans my card.
“Anything new?” He scribbles on my cup before handing it off for someone to make. I know he’s asking about my sister. Pretty sure he has a crush on her. Not that she would ever notice.
“Nah, I’m going to hang here to get out of the house for a bit.”
Ethan nods. “How’s your sister? She hasn’t been around.”
“Tell me about it.” I let out a small laugh. I don’t miss the disappointment in his eyes, but I’m sure Ethan will be fine. I don’t think I’ve ever come in here and not seen a girl flirting with him.