Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Okay, what’s the safe word?”
“I don’t know . . .” I look around. “How about octopus?”
“So you’re randomly going to blurt out octopus?” He raises one brow.
“When you say it like that, it sounds like a stupid idea.” I sigh, and he laughs.
“How about you just say, ‘I love this song, dance with me’?”
Tipping my head to the side, I study him, then ask, “Do you know how to dance?”
“Maybe.” He kisses my nose. “You’ll find out if we need to make an escape.”
“Fine.” I pull in a breath, then let it out. “I really hate the idea of sitting across from her and breaking bread knowing that her man is a dick.”
“You’re not Mafia, so you’re not ‘breaking bread’ with her; you’re sitting at a table with her at a charity event.”
“Tomato, tomahto.” I wave him off, and he smiles, then dips his head, kissing me.
“It will be fine. Now come on, I’m hungry.” He puts my hand back in the crook of his arm before leading me across the room toward our table. We stop a few times to say hi to people I know so I can introduce Wesley to them.
When we make it to the table, Edward gets up and comes around the table to hug me. I feel Wesley tense up.
“You look amazing,” Edward says against my ear before Wesley pulls me away from him. Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, I turn toward Tex and Elizabeth.
“Hey, guys.”
I greet them both with a hug, then introduce them to Wesley, whom they haven’t met until today. While Wesley is busy talking with Tex, I turn to Bonnie.
“How are you?” I greet her with a smile and a hug.
She hugs me back and replies, “I’ve been good.”
“Great.” I take a step away from her. “I love your dress.”
“Thank you.” She runs her hands down the silky black material at her sides and hips. She really does look beautiful. It accents her long, dark-blonde hair perfectly, and her California tan makes her big blue eyes stand out.
“Elizabeth, seriously, you look amazing, too,” I say to my friend.
Then I look up at Tex, who towers over her by at least a foot. “That dress shows off her long legs, and the red is beautiful on her. How hard was it for you to let her out of the house?”
“Hard.” He grins. Tex and Elizabeth met on an airplane going to London from JFK. When they arrived in London, they spent a week together. When they came back to the States, Tex moved from Texas to New York to be with her, and they’ve been together ever since. And now they are working on Tex’s football team—they’ve got three boys already, and a few weeks ago, Elizabeth told me that she’s pregnant again. She keeps trying for a girl—and Tex just keeps trying because he secretly loves Elizabeth pregnant.
“Here, gorgeous.” Wesley pulls out a chair for me, and I take a seat, then rest my hand on my own flat stomach. “You have that look I hate,” he says close to my ear.
I turn to look at him. “What look?”
His fingers touch my chin, then run across my jaw. “The one that says you’re about to run on me.”
“I’m not going to run.” I take his hand off my chin and twine our fingers together. “I promise.”
“You better not.”
“I won’t.” I smile and he leans in, kissing me softly.
Sitting back, I take a breath to steady myself. Bonnie’s ring catches my attention, and I can’t help but admire it again. It’s beautiful, with one large, center diamond that’s somewhat elevated above the rest of the stones that drip down the band.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Bonnie asks, holding it up.
I meet her gaze and nod, giving her a smile.
“It’s really beautiful. He did a good job.”
“I know.” She turns her hand from side to side. “It’s a little small, but Edward promised that when he makes his first million, he’ll get me a new one.”
“Oh . . .” I try not to frown.
Edward shifts like he’s uncomfortable. Not that I can blame him. His fiancée just said that the ring he gave her isn’t good enough. Maybe they deserve each other.
“So, Wesley, tell us a little about yourself. What do you do for a living?” Edward cuts in to break the awkward moment.
“I’m a detective with the NYPD,” Wesley answers, sitting back and undoing the button on his tux jacket.
“He actually works with Fawn’s fiancé, Levi,” I explain, covering his hand with mine on the top of the table.
“Is that how you two met?” Elizabeth asks.
I feel a blush spread up my neck and cheeks.
“No, we actually met before we knew about that connection,” I say.
She squints her eyes at me, and I shift uncomfortably.
“It seems like there is a story there. You need to come over for wine so you can fill me in on all the dirty details,” Elizabeth says.