Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
I watch as Landon walks through the room, smiling and greeting everyone there. Rick, his husband, sticks close as if he hasn't had enough time alone with him yet.
I know Rick and Landon have been staying with Kid and Khloe because their house down the road isn't quite finished yet, even though it's getting close.
Hugs and backslaps, handshaking, and boisterous laughter fill the room, and as happy as everyone is, I still can't keep my eyes from drifting in Juliet's direction.
As if she senses me watching her, she looks over, a soft smile on her face. I grin back, the flexing of those facial muscles has started to feel a little more familiar since I met her.
Her eyes run the length of me, making me want to stand a little taller, but then her smile fades when she sees the beer in my hand.
I can only imagine how out of control her ex was if he were drinking. My father used alcohol as an excuse for his abuse in the beginning. He'd drink and blame my mother for the need for alcohol, and then hurt her while he was drunk.
They both drank so much that I knew from counting how many times I heard the refrigerator opening just how bad the night was going to be.
I drop my eyes to my beer, the bottle still more than half full.
With her watching me, I walk to the kitchen, pour it down the drain, place the bottle in the recycling bin, and grab a Coke instead.
Her lips form a flat line when she sees me again, as if she's worried there might be some form of retaliation from me for what I just did, as if her not liking the beer in my hand would be reason enough to change how I act around her.
If she were closer, I'd reassure her that she has done nothing wrong, but for now, all I can do is smile at her.
I add a wink, that action feeling even more out of place than the smiles, but it seems to calm her some. She gives me a gentle smile before turning back to her conversation with Khloe, who is introducing Landon and Rick to her.
I watch as they greet her, noticing how neither reaches out their hand for her to shake, as if they understand that touching them, even in a normal social situation like this one, isn't something that she wants to do.
Even with the cold soda in my hand, I can feel the warmth of her hand there from last night.
I didn't ask permission to touch her, and maybe I should've, but she seemed a little nervous about all the activity in the room.
Another fifteen minutes go by with me standing on the outer ring of everyone in the room before she breaks away from Khloe and the others. I see her over Legend's shoulder as she looks around the room, and it makes my heart kick up a few notches at the realization that she might be looking for me.
I take a step to the side, making myself more visible, and it only takes her another handful of seconds for her to spot me.
Her smile widens, and for the briefest of moments, I let myself live inside of it, imagining that I'm the only one in the world that she looks at that way.
I keep my feet rooted in place, not wanting to make assumptions as she closes the distance between us.
No one stops her on her journey to me, and my heart rate begins to match the cadence of her steps, only tripled with each one.
Her smile covers her face, nearly from ear to ear, by the time she's standing in front of me.
"There are a lot of people here," she says, shifting her position to stand beside me so she can see everyone in the room.
She's not one to keep her back to others for very long, and I know it's just muscle memory to her at this point in her life, and not because she feels like she's unsafe around any of the people here.
"There are always a ton of people around," I tell her.
"It's good to see the other women mingling."
"It is," I agree.
"And Amelia and Dean seem to have made quick friends."
I look in the direction of the kids playing and spot Daisy sitting on the sofa with her arms crossed over her chest as if the world is against her in every aspect, before glancing toward Amelia and Dean.
Those two are sitting at a table playing some kind of card game. Dean looks so happy, and the dark circles that have been around his eyes every time I've caught a glimpse of him seem to be fading.
"Daisy, on the other hand," she continues with a light chuckle.
"She doesn't seem very happy," I say without judgment.