Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready,” I offer, though the curiosity and worry are eating me alive.
“No,” she says quickly, shaking her head. “I need to. I should’ve told you a long time ago.”
She takes a deep breath, her gaze fixed on her hands. “When I was in high school, I went to a dance with a boy—the most popular boy, actually—and I thought he liked me. He pretended to for weeks—held my hand, walked me to class, told me all the right things. But it was all a lie. A bet.”
My stomach twists as she recounts the story, her voice steady but hollow. When she gets to the part about the cameras, the laughter, the humiliation, my blood is boiling. By the time she’s done, my fists are clenched so tightly my knuckles ache.
“That son of a bitch,” I growl. “I’ll kill him.”
Farren lets out a humorless laugh. “You can join Rafferty. That’s on his agenda too. He still lives in Calgary and you play there in ten days. Knock yourself out.”
“Good. We’ll make it a family outing,” I say darkly, but I hurt from the pain she’s been carrying. “I can’t believe you went through that. That was unbelievably cruel to do to someone so young and innocent.”
She nods with a limp smile. “It’s affected me more than I’d like to admit,” she says quietly.
“It’s why you don’t do relationships. You can’t trust.”
“Yes,” she drawls. “And it’s also why I’ve always chosen the wrong guys. I never got involved with someone unless they were either a bit self-centered, controlling or egotistical. I picked people with less than admirable qualities because I knew they wouldn’t last and it would be easier to bail.”
“And me?” I ask, my voice soft.
She looks up at me, her eyes glistening. “You were different. That’s what made you dangerous. You’re kind, patient and genuine. Everything Liam pretended to be to lure me in. And that scared me, North, because I didn’t know if I could trust myself to believe in someone again. But I know now that you’re not him. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever dated. And I want to be brave enough to trust that.”
I reach for her hand, holding it gently between mine. “You don’t have to be brave alone. I’ll be here, every step of the way. I’ll never let you down, Farren. I’ll never hurt you. I just want to make you happy.”
Tears spill down her cheeks as she smiles. “You have every right to run in the opposite direction, you know. I’m still a work in progress.”
“And I’m a pretty determined son of a bitch,” I assure her.
“I might get spooked again,” she says hesitantly. “You’ll need to have patience with me.”
“I can do that,” I promise, reaching out to wipe a tear off her cheek. “Just as long as you know, I’m going to keep pushing you. If you’re going to go for this with me, I want everything. I want to be a couple. No walls. No holding yourself back.”
She nods. “I know. You deserve nothing less and I promise I’ll try.”
“That’s all I need.” I pull her across the couch and wrap my arms around her. She nestles in and we stay that way a few moments, but then she squirms free.
Farren leans back, stares me in the eye. “There’s something I need to tell you. It’s something I never thought I’d say to a man.”
My heart thunders, hoping beyond hope she’s going to say what I think she’s going to say. Because I suddenly realize it with such clarity… I love her and I’m eager to let her know it.
But I don’t want to rain on her parade, so I wait patiently.
She presses her hand against my chest, her voice low and warm. “If I’m going to live with you, then there’s something you need to know.”
I move into her. “You can tell me anything.”
Relief spreads over her face, her eyes shining. She swallows hard and I imagine this must be so difficult for her. “If we’re going to give this a go, then you need to know…” Her gaze drops and she takes a breath. “You need to…” Her eyes lift to mine, and I can scarcely breathe from the anticipation. “That I really want the right side of the bed. It’s closest to the bathroom.”
For a moment, I don’t understand. I’m so shocked she didn’t say the words I wanted to hear that my vision dims. But when I refocus on her, I see her lips quirked in a playful smirk and a wave of euphoria hits me so hard that she’s teasing, I pounce on her.
She shrieks as I tackle her backward onto the couch, my fingers at her ribs to tickle her mercilessly. Farren laughs and squirms, trying to push my hands away. I straddle her hips to keep her from wiggling free. “You’re quite the smart-ass,” I growl, tickling under her arms.