Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Somehow, he's putting them back together, too. It's been a long damn time since I felt this alive. But I can't help the little whisper of fear in the back of my mind telling me that this could all end at any minute, just like it did last time.
I want to ignore it…but it isn't wrong.
I'm supposed to leave at the end of the week. Crudup is waiting for my answer about the position they offered me. And despite all the interviews I've gone through, no one else has put out an offer yet. We're going to have to face reality soon—really soon—and reality looks a lot like it's ready to slap me in the face all over again.
I'm not ready to face it. I'm not ready for more hard conversations and heart-wrenching decisions. I just want to be wildly in love and in my little bubble for a little while longer. Is that too much to ask?
Not today, it isn't.
"Bounce wif me?" Lyra asks Ridley.
He glances over at the bouncy castle and then chuckles. "You should talk Uncle Bastian into bouncing with you, Sprout. I bet he'd love that."
I hide a smile behind my hand because Bastian would most definitely not love that. But he's also a sucker for Lyra. I don't think I've ever seen him tell her no. Even when what she wants is the absolute worst thing he can imagine, he never tells her no. It's really sweet, honestly. He acts like a big grump, but underneath, I think he's really a big teddy bear.
"Ohh!" Lyra squirms in Ridley's arms, demanding to be put down.
He stoops, lowering her to the ground. She immediately takes off across the grass like a rocket, shouting for her uncle Bastian to bounce with her.
His eyes immediately lock on Ridley before narrowing, as if he knows exactly who set him up.
Ridley sends him a little wave, smirking.
"You are diabolical," I say, giggling.
He loops an arm around my waist, a shit-eating grin stretched across his handsome face. "So I've been told. But it'll be good for him. Maybe it'll shake that monumental stick out of his ass."
"Ridley!" I bury my face in his shoulder, laughing loudly.
"Fuck, I love that sound," he mutters, pressing his lips to my crown.
I tip my head back, smiling up at him. Yeah, I can definitely stay in my little bubble for a little while longer.
"You look happy." Lucy eyes me across the picnic table an hour later, her expression serious. "Are you happy, P?"
"Yeah," I whisper, watching Ridley dancing with Lyra with a stupid smile on my face. He's so good with her, and it's clear that she adores him. He may not have been around much, but their bond is undeniable. He's a good uncle, even if he feels like he isn't. "I'm happy."
"Really happy?"
"Really happy," I confirm.
"Good." She takes a giant bite of cake, her eyes rolling. "Jesus Christ. This is so frigging good."
"Let me taste."
She snatches her plate off the table with a horrified look on her face, cracking me up in the process. "No way, Paisley Molina. Get your own cake."
"Not even a little bite?" I pout at her.
"Um, definitely not." She takes another giant bite while balancing the plate. "Their old chef left this recipe for Oliver's mom and aunts. I swear to God, the man figured out how to make an orgasm for the mouth."
"Okay, well, now I definitely need a piece of cake," I mutter, peering at what's left of the rapidly vanishing two-tiered princess cake set up next to the presents.
"Here." Oliver drops a piece in front of me. "I brought extra."
"You're my favorite, do you know that?"
"What?" Lucy gasps. "I thought I was your favorite."
"You didn't give me cake. Your man did," I retort, scooping a big bite onto the fork. I pop it into my mouth, moaning as the red velvet melts on my tongue. "Holy shit. That's really fuc…freaking good."
"Told you." Lucy scowls at her husband. "Wait. Did you just give her my extra slice of cake? I thought you loved me."
"More than life, Luce. But you wouldn't share." He drops a kiss on her forehead. "You have to share, baby girl."
"You are not my favorite," she mumbles, earning a playful growl from Oliver before he flattens his hand across her belly.
"How is my baby?"
"Mad that you gave away our extra cake."
Oliver chuckles again, his eyes soft as he stares at his wife. And then he glances at me. "You happy, P?"
"Yes."
"You sure?"
I groan loudly. "Is everyone going to ask me that?"
"Probably," Lucy says around another bite, shrugging. "You're basically family. Everyone loves you. And we love Ridley. We just want to know that you guys are good."
"We're good," I promise. "We're figuring it out."
"Does that mean you're staying?" Lucy asks hopefully.
"Um…" I take my time cutting another bite of cake. "I don't know. We haven't talked about it."