Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
“So, do you have a few minutes, or . . . ?” Roman asks.
“Oh. Yes.” I clear my throat. As wary and nervous as I am, there’s no way in hell I’d say no to meeting Roman’s son and parents. “Just give me a minute to finish up here, and we’ll go.”
“Great.” Roman steps back while I finish brushing Butterscotch. While I work, he asks, “Do you think you might have some time to put Maverick on a horse this week? He saw all the horses as we drove up and begged to ride one for his first time.”
“I can saddle up a pony for him right now. Is he wearing close-toed shoes and long pants?”
Roman nods. “Sneakers and jeans.”
“Perfect. We’ll do it now, then. I’ve got the perfect pony for him. A gentle cutie named Tornado.”
“Oh, man, Mav’s gonna love the sound of that. Put him on a ‘stallion’ named Tornado, and he’s gonna think you’ve lived up to your billing.”
My heart stops. My billing? “Does that mean you’ve told Maverick about me?”
He bites back a smile. “My parents, too.”
My shallow breathing is back. “W-what’d you tell them?”
He takes a step forward and his chest heaves. “That I met a special woman with a heart of gold in Hawaii. A trustworthy, kind, hilarious, sweet woman who never once failed to show me her true self.” His smile drops. “But, unfortunately, I was too stupid—or maybe too scared—to let my guard down and return the favor.”
Oh my God. Seriously now, what’s happening?
“Oh,” I say vaguely, as my mind races and swirls. This feels momentous. Like Roman’s come here for more than a simple, weeklong visit with me. In fact, I can’t help feeling like I’m Cinderella, and Roman’s come to my house with a glass slipper on a pillow. But that’s a crazy thought, right? The kind of thought that could get a girl’s heart shattered, only even more so than last time with Brandon.
Roman sighs at whatever he’s seeing on my face. “I’ve come to correct my mistake, Iris. Or at least try. If you’ll let me.”
“I . . .” I blush and clear my throat. “Honestly, I’m not sure what that means. How I’m supposed to ‘let’ you do anything. But you can certainly try to do whatever you came here to do, and I won’t try to stop you.”
Chapter 28
Iris
As Roman and I approach his group, his parents have their backs to us, but I can plainly see Harper’s wide grin and Maverick’s cherubic little face. Holy crap. Roman’s son is his miniature replica. The boy is Roman’s spitting image!
An intense feeling of déjà vu slams into me. Have I seen this beautiful boy before, or does he remind me of Roman so much, my brain is feeding me false memories? Before I settle on an answer, Roman’s parents turn to greet us, and I’m met with a face that’s instantly recognizable to me, despite the brevity of our prior encounter. Roman’s mother! She’s the kind woman from the airport in Kauai. Consider my mind officially blown.
Of course, it’s wonderful to see this sweet, maternal woman again. I’d love to properly thank her for the nurturing kindness she showered me with when I needed it most. But I’d rather eat rusty nails than thank his mother in this context, and in front of Roman, thereby reminding her and Roman of the pathetic, rock-bottom state I was in upon my arrival in Kauai. It’s one thing for a kindhearted mother to offer comfort to a pitiable, distraught stranger at an airport, but quite another for that same mother to approve of a pitiable, distraught stranger as a romantic interest for her beloved son. That’s got to be especially true when the son in question is a world-renowned athlete with his pick of romantic partners. Not to mention, when the distraught stranger recently starred, against her will, in a mortifying viral video.
“Everyone,” Roman says, his tone brimming with excitement. He motions proudly to me as we come to a stop. “This is Iris Benedetto. Iris, these are my parents, Edward and Ava Maguire, and my son, Maverick.”
“Hi, everyone,” I squeak out, waving and averting my eyes from Roman’s mother. “It’s great to meet you.”
“This is Iris?” Roman’s mother gasps out. “Iris, we’ve met! Don’t you remember? It was at the airport in Kauai!”
Welp. The jig is up.
I meet Mrs. Maguire’s gaze with a smile. “Of course I remember you, Mrs. Maguire. I’ll never forget you. You were my guardian angel that day.”
“Please, call me Ava.” She pulls me into a warm hug, and I’m hit with a lovely floral scent. “You look wonderful, sweetheart. So much happier and healthier than when we met before.”
“I’m like new. Even better, actually. Time heals all wounds, as they say.”
“So glad to hear it.”