Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
He pressed a kiss to the back of my head, giving me a little squeeze before he withdrew and went to grab his car keys from where he’d dropped them on the coffee table.
While he was gone, I made a start on setting up Zara’s things in one of the bedrooms. Then I called Glenda to let her know I was staying in the apartment, and she wouldn’t need to stop by this week. She was wary at first, but when I told her she’d still be paid, she was much more chipper about the arrangement.
When Jace and Zara got back, we spent a few hours playing cards, which was Zara’s latest obsession since her granddad had started teaching her. After that, she and Jace had a guitar lesson while I went to take a bath. I smiled as I sank into the warm bubbles, hearing Zara attempt to play what sounded like “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. Jace sang along encouragingly, and when I heard Zara’s small voice join in, I felt a little lighter in my soul. Everything was crazy right now, but maybe, like the song said, everything would be all right in the end.
Later that night, after Jace had put Zara to bed, I wondered where he was going to sleep. There was a third bedroom, but his bag still sat in the entryway, no sleep spot selected yet. It was almost ten when I went to make a cup of mint tea and noticed he was still sitting on the couch watching a talk show with the volume low. He stared at the screen, absently toying with his lip ring, like his mind was a million miles away. I approached, briefly touching his shoulder, and he turned his head to me. Sigh. He was so handsome, even with the tired lines around his eyes. It had been a day.
“I’m going to bed now,” I said quietly, and his gaze softened.
“Okay,” he replied, and I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
“Are you staying up for a while, or …”
“I’ll stay up a little longer, yeah,” he answered, and my hopes deflated. Perhaps after everything that had happened, he was rethinking us getting back together. We were taking things slow for Zara’s sake but also for our own. After how our marriage had ended, it was a bad idea to rush into something we might not be ready for. Yet I yearned for the comfort of his warm, strong arms, his steady heartbeat in my ear as I rested my head on his chest.
I reached out to touch him but then lost my nerve, retracting my hand at the last second. Jace clearly needed some time to destress after the day we’d had. “All right, well, goodnight,” I said instead.
“’Night, Shannon.”
I went to grab my tea and take it into my room. I sat up waiting on him for a while, but when it became clear he wasn’t going to join me, I shut off the lights and went to sleep. I didn’t even realise I’d forgotten to set my alarm until I woke up, and it was almost nine. With a sense of panic, I darted up in bed and hurried out into the kitchen only to find a note from Jace.
Shannon,
You looked so peaceful sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you. I’ve taken Zara to school, then I’m going over to Bren’s for a few hours. My parents invited us for dinner at their place, but don’t worry if you’re not feeling up to it. Call me if you need anything.
Jace.
The note was softly worded, but I still couldn’t read much into it, couldn’t tell where his head was at. He’d been staring at the TV screen last night, but he wasn’t really watching it. He looked like he had a million thoughts racing through his head. Was I one of them? Was our increasing closeness cause for concern? I pushed the thought away because yesterday had been unusual to say the least, and it was only expected that neither of us would be ourselves after so many shocking discoveries. Trying not to fixate, I went to make breakfast and get dressed before I settled into work.
It was a normal day like any other. The weather was mild, so I ate lunch out on the terrace, enjoying the autumn colours of the foliage before I returned to my computer. I was almost done for the day, expecting Jace and Zara back any minute, when I had one last peek at my emails. There was the usual work related requests, but there was one from only a half an hour ago that caught my attention. I didn’t recognise the sender and almost sent it to my junk folder when I hesitated. The subject line read “IMPORTANT” in all caps with several exclamation points. At first glance, it definitely seemed like spam, but something in my gut had me opening it anyway.