Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
"Jesus Christ," Colt whispers, "he isn't as dumb as he looks."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, you bastards," Ryan says, rotating in a circle with his middle finger in the air when the entire room breaks into raucous laughter. "But just remember why I'm the best man when he chooses me over the rest of you useless dicks."
I'm absolutely not choosing him as my best man, but I might name our future child after him if his plan actually works.
It's genius. Simple and genius.
Chicago in the middle of winter is a beast. Minneapolis is another thing entirely. It's so fucking cold when I step out of the hotel, my balls instantly shrivel, retreating into my body like they're fleeing for their lives.
I briefly consider turning right back around and going back to my room. But then I remember the look on Tia's face when she walked away at the airport, and my resolve hardens.
She's had three weeks of peace. I'm beyond ready to ruin it. And thanks to Ryan and her boss, I've got a foolproof plan. Delivering the news in person is just an added bonus.
I hop into the Uber idling on the curb, sighing as soon as a blast of warm air hits me.
"Uh, hey. You really are Briggs Ward," the driver says, looking startled. Drivers usually are, as if they can't believe athletes catch rides, too. It's amusing, honestly.
People treat us like we're a foreign species and never know how to react when we do normal people shit like catch a ride or go to a "normal" restaurant or shop. But we have the same needs as anyone else. And right now, I need a ride.
"Hey. Do you know where Hearthstone Endowment is located?" I ask him, stretching out in the backseat of his SUV. "It's a nonprofit in the city. That's where I'm headed."
"Uh…yeah," he says, curiosity in his gaze as it flicks over me in the rearview. "Yeah, I can get you there."
"Perfect." I settle in, closing my eyes. Almost immediately, an image of Tia forms behind my eyelids. Christ, I never knew it was possible to miss someone you barely know until her. But I miss the hell out of her.
Does she miss me? Has she been thinking about me? I fucking hope I'm haunting her the same way she's been haunting me.
And I hope like hell that she loses it a little when she sees me today. I want her off balance. I want her a little bit desperate. And I absolutely want her to know that I'm willing to play dirty to get what I want from her.
Whatever she thinks she knows about me is wrong.
It takes half an hour to get to Hearthstone, a newer construction in Downtown West. The building is modest compared to some of the others beside it, with a small courtyard out front. In the summer, it's probably beautiful. In midwinter, it's frozen over, nothing but a blanket of snow and ice.
I hop out of the Uber, thanking the driver.
"No problem, man," he says, beaming at me when I hand over a sizeable tip. He passes me a card in exchange. "You ever need another ride when you're in town, hit me up."
"I'll do that," I say, shoving the card into my pocket before glancing up at the building again. My heart is already going wild, just knowing she's somewhere on the other side of all that steel and glass. And even better? She has no fucking clue that I'm coming for her.
Chapter Five
Tia
"You have a visitor," Lorna says, poking her head into my office a little after noon.
I blink at my screen and then at her, confused. "A visitor? I don't have anyone on my schedule today."
She just shrugs like that's not her problem. "You want me to send him back?"
"Who?"
"Lacy didn't give me his name," she says. "She just told me to tell you that you have an important visitor. Guess he's rich and wants to donate." Her eyes light up as soon as she says it, as if the prospect excites her. Truthfully, it does me, too. It takes a fortune to keep a nonprofit running. Even with Kingston and Evie's support, we don't have the resources to do nearly as much as we'd like for low-income students. "She said you'd take care of him."
I love my boss, really, I do. But a little heads up once in a while would be nice. My office is a natural disaster right now, not suitable for a meeting with a potential donor.
"Give me two minutes, and then bring him back," I mutter to Lorna, glancing at my messy desk. I quickly set about straightening it, shoving paperwork into drawers, dusting crumbs off the surface, and tucking the trash can out of sight. And then I run my hands through my hair, fluffing it a little.