Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 37200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37200 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“Okay, should I keep the coffee shop open? I’m not sure what the right thing to do is. Are they missing? Did they have an accident? Did they just pick up and leave? That would be hard to believe. They trained me, knew that I wanted to potentially buy Books and Brews from them. Something isn’t right, Ezra. Something really isn’t right.” I drop my arms to the desk and rest my head on top of them, doing some deep breathing because this stinks, stinks to high freaking heaven.
“Continue on as planned until we’re told anything differently. If you don’t mind, I’ll call Perry and fill him in about the situation, send him as well as the detective who will be handling the case the contact information. No sense in your loan sitting open until we know something.” One of his hands moves to my back, rubbing it in gentle circles.
“Yep, that’s fine. I’m just going to have a pity party for one over here. Why does this shit have to happen to me? And now I feel guilty. What about Bonnie and Chad? Oh, Jesus, what about Scott?” I sit back up, moving so I can see Ezra’s face.
“Breathe, sunshine. Let’s see what happens and where to go from there. It’s your day off. Try to focus on that girl stuff you always do. I’ll make lunch, and we’ll go from there, okay?” He calms me down.
“Okay, right, you’re right.” I take a deep breath. He moves me until I’m settled more comfortable in his lap, wrapping his arms around my body and comforting me in a way only he does.
TWENTY-FOUR
Ezra
“Are you feeling better?” I ask Millie after what seems like hours later. She’s been holed up in the master bathroom since she calmed down from the news I handed her. I kept myself busy, emailing Blake back, calling Parker to let him know in case Millicent calls Nessa and needs her in a way only a woman can console her, by talking their ear off for hours and hours on end about the same thing. It’s what they need, and while she knows I’m there for her no matter what, the comfort Millie needs is her best friend.
“Kind of. Thank you for handling all of this for me. I’d have already given up,” she admits. An over-sized tee shirt, one of her own, covers her body. She’s leggings on beneath them, hair down in curls from it air drying, skin that pinkish color where it’s not covered up.
“It’s not in your nature to give up. You would have figured something out or kept pushing through. It’s who you are, Millicent.” A quality I love about her. I had that epiphany long before right now, that she’s it for me. It took a lot of fucking soul searching and talking to my mother, and I’m talking daily, with her listening to my worries, telling me that I’m making up excuse after excuse. I’ve broken the cycle already, never having touched a drug in my life.
“I’m not so sure about that in this equation.” Millie plops down on the couch. Sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks are on the coffee table in front of us. I pull it closer so she won’t sit down on the floor even though it’s what she prefers. The temperature outside has dropped, and even with the heater running, it’s still too cold to sit on a damn floor.
“Millicent, I’m not going anywhere, not now or ever. I was going to wait to tell you this after the news I delivered this morning, but I’m tired of fucking waiting. We’ve done that enough due to my stupidity.” She is looking at me, nothing but the pure sunshine that she is. The world weighing heavily on her chest, yet she’s pushing through. Not allowing it to pull her down. “What you need to know is that my future is right in front of me. I want you any way I can have you.” She crawls her way toward me, hands going to my cheeks, legs straddling my lap.
“Ezra.” Only she can say my name like she does—soft, sweet, and breathless.
“Sunshine, I love you. Took me almost losing you to pull my head out of my ass and do a shit ton of soul searching. I’m not letting another day go by that you don’t know what you mean to me. I want everything. I want you to move in with me, and soon, my ring on your finger, and one day, our child growing inside you, if that’s something you want. The last part, that is. You’re moving in and marrying me no matter what.” I wipe away the tears that slide down her cheeks, memorizing this moment. Even if Millie doesn’t reciprocate the words, this is enough. It will always be enough as long as she’s around.