Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 25205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
And asked me to marry him.
“He loves me…” I whisper to myself, smiling. I see it in everything he does. The way he watches me like he’s the luckiest man alive. How he holds me like I’m a delicate treasure. The way he whispers lovingly into my ear, words that sends my soul soaring.
We’re engaged.
My whole body goes hot every time I think about it. Just a few days ago, Emily was trying to set me up with a guy I would never go out with, and now I’m off the market forever. I smile to myself as I sit in the shop, wearing yet another one of Nash’s old T-shirts, watching Craig and Nick work on a flashy new Mustang they’ve got up on a lift.
Nash left about an hour ago. He said he had some errands to run and that he was going to sort things out for us. Make things all better. I asked him for more details, but he just kissed me on the forehead and left. I know better than to doubt him now. Whatever he’s up to, I trust him completely.
“Yo, girl!” I look up as Emily walks in through the open garage door. She’s got two iced coffees with her and is looking at me with that look she always has when she knows exactly how I’m feeling.
“Somebody’s on cloud nine,” she teases, dancing over to me and handing me my cup. “Mrs. Nash.”
“Mrs. Nash!?” I laugh. “It will be Mrs. Emerson when the day comes.”
“Oh, good. Because that’s much better than Mrs. Nash.” I smile and take a sip of my drink.
“You know, I thought you were going to punch him yesterday,” I say. “The way you got all up in his face.”
Emily rolls her eyes and chuckles. “I honestly was close. But he had the receipts. Smart guy.”
“Very.”
“And you two are obviously completely obsessed with each other.” She smiles. “But if he didn’t have those pics on his phone? If he was just stammering and trying to get past me? I might have laid him out!”
Emily mimes throwing a punch in the air, drawing odd looks from the boys.
I smile but look down. Guilt still runs through me, like ice in my veins. “I hate that I doubted him.”
“Grace,” Emily says gently. “You were ambushed by a psycho bitch. The fact that you even gave Nash a chance to explain himself shows that you have a good heart. Most girls wouldn’t have.”
“You think?” I ask.
Emily wraps an arm around me–a comforting arm like a mom teaching her daughter a lesson. “I know,” she tells me. “From what I saw yesterday, Nash would die before hurting you. You found yourself a goodie.”
Tears sting my eyes. I wipe them on the sleeve of Nash’s T-shirt. Nodding, I look at Emily. “Yeah, I did.”
The loud sound of an engine and a car pulling up outside startles me. Emily and I both look up, and my stomach drops as a black SUV pulls up and parks. I know who it is before he even steps out.
It’s my father.
Bill Sinclair, in a tailored navy blazer, a pressed white dress shirt, and designer leather loafers that have never seen a speck of dirt until today. Emily glances at me, her eyes wary.
He walks straight at me, two of his bodyguards behind him in step. His face is stiff with the same look he always has when he looks at me: disapproval. He stops in front of me and glances around the garage, his nose twitching like he’s found himself suddenly in a landfill.
“I heard the rumors but I didn’t believe them. This is where you’ve been hiding?”
“Not hiding,” I reply. “Living my life.”
He sighs, putting a hand to his brow. “This has gone on long enough, Grace. You’ve had your fun playing house with the riff-raff. It’s time for you to come home where you belong.”
“Where I belong?” I scoff. “You mean living under your thumb? Being just another pretty little rich girl at one of your business galas, smiling for men who just want me so they can get to you?”
“Grace, be reasonable. You have no idea how privileged you are.”
“Privileged?” I laugh. “I’ll gladly give up all that ‘privilege’ for a life that truly makes me happy.”
My father’s eyes narrow, accentuating his sharp, stern features. “Where is this man?” He growls. “This…mechanic who has tricked my daughter? He’ll ruin you, Grace–”
“She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her,” Emily says protectively, stepping forward.
“She’s a child! And she has no idea what she’s doing.” He glares at me with fiery anger in his eyes. “Grace, if you remain here, you’ll lose your grandmother’s cottage. It’s in my name. I can sell it tomorrow.”
“Fine.” I glare back at him. “If you want to be that petty and get rid of Grandma’s cottage, so be it. But you won’t control me anymore. I’ve made a choice for my life, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”