Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
He shakes his head. “You hold all the power, Roe. If anyone gets hurt in this, it’s going to be me.”
Unable to stop myself, I lean forward and kiss him. “I really like you, Landry Reynolds.” Every moment with him feels natural, as if it were meant to be.
“Good. Now, eat your breakfast.” He winks, and just like that, playful Landry is back.
There are so many sides to him. The jokester, the brother, the friend, the uncle, the football player, and then the man who’s snuck inside my chest and made a home. I can’t tell him yet. This feels like a Tilt-A-Whirl of a ride, but I meant what I said. I’m not running. I want to ride this one until the very end.
“Come on, Rowan, we need some tunes.” Corie taps Knox’s thigh for him to slide out of the booth.
I look at Landry, and he puckers his lips. “Pay the price.”
I feel my face flush. “Someone might see,” I say, just loud enough for him to hear.
“Good. Let them see me kissing my girl. That way, they know you’re mine.” He leans in, and I give him a quick peck, and he finally moves to let me out.
Corie links her arm through mine, and we make our way to the jukebox in the back corner of the pizza place.
“I’ve never seen him like this, Rowan,” she tells me. “He’s never been public with anyone, never been affectionate outside of being playful. He really likes you.”
“I like him too.” I smile at my friend. “Are we okay, Corie? I know I should have talked to you first, but things just sort of progressed.”
“What? Of course I’m okay. Two of my favorite people are happy together. Did you forget I secretly dated my brother's best friend and teammate? Then, I married him.” She holds up her hand and wiggles her ring finger, showing off her diamond engagement ring and wedding band. “As long as the two of you are happy, that’s what matters.”
“If this doesn’t work out, I don’t want to lose you or Sloane as a friend.”
“You won’t. Sure, if tensions are high, we might have to take a break from hanging out with the guys, but what if things do work out? You’ll be my sister. Our kids will be cousins.”
Tears prick my eyes. “I’ve never had a family,” I whisper.
“Rowan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s not you. It’s… being with him makes me feel like all of my dreams might finally come true. I’d given up hope, but then your brother crashed into my life as my fake boyfriend, and he stole my heart,” I confess.
“Does he know?”
“No. I’m not ready to tell him.”
She nods. “Knowledge is power, I get it—however, not this time. You should tell him. I’m certain he feels the same way.”
“I read the text messages.”
“Yeah, Knox handed me his phone and told me to read it. He said Landry told him not to tell me, but he couldn’t contain himself, so he let me read the messages instead.” She’s beaming with happiness, and I feel it wash over me and take root inside my chest.
She bumps her hip into mine. “When they’re not with us, I want details. Okay, maybe not all the details, but you can figure out what parts I don’t want to hear. Save those for Sloane.”
“Deal.” We make our song selections and head back to the table to see our food has arrived, but the guys aren’t eating.
“You waited for us?” Corie asks.
“Yep.” Landry beams at his sister.
“You waited to consume food?” She’s shocked.
“It’s rude to eat before my girl, Sis, you know that.” Landry stands to let me slide into the booth and proceeds to add a slice of pizza onto my plate before doing the same for himself. Glancing across the table, I see Knox doing the same.
“Rowan, you broke him.” Corie laughs.
“Nah, he’s just finally trained. It took finding a woman worth keeping to make it happen. You should be proud of yourself, Rowan,” Knox teases.
“Hush it, or I’ll eat both of yours too,” Landry threatens. We all laugh and dive into our food.
Lunch is perfect, with lots of laughs. It feels as if I’ve known these people all of my life. And Landry? He’s always touching me—kissing my cheek, hand on my thigh, tucking my hair behind my ear, leaning in close, wrapping an arm around my shoulders—any excuse to make contact.
“We better get going,” Knox tells Corie. “My sisters are coming to stay with us this week, and they should be getting to our place soon.”
“You two should come over for dinner one night,” Corie offers.
“We’ll be there,” Landry tells her.
He and Knox pay the bill, and just as we step outside, a little boy comes running up to us. “You’re Knox Beckett, and you’re Landry Reynolds!” he shouts with awe in his voice.