Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 170878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
I scowled at him because how dare he remind me of sexual promises right in front of his daughter and sister-in-law?
He kissed me again, chastely this time, but my body was already erupting in sensation, expectant for what was to come when I got home.
“Love you,” he murmured.
My muscles constricted. I still hadn’t returned the words, and he hadn’t seemed bothered. But it created tension, especially with spectators.
Calliope saved the day.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s a modern-day love story, cute and everything, but booze won’t drink itself.” She grabbed my arm with astonishing strength and dragged me away.
Beau and Clara waved me off.
My heart hurt just a little, leaving them, but less so knowing I would come back home.
Home.
Because that’s what they were.
“Beau’s probably going to fuck this up,” Calliope said as soon as she reversed out of the driveway.
Her car was so fancy I was afraid to touch anything. She was an aggressive driver. She kept to the speed limit on the family streets, but her car vibrated with a low purr that told me it had a lot of horsepower.
I glanced at her profile, surprised by her words, dread building in my stomach.
“He’s a masochist, an alpha, a grumpy bastard.” She listed the qualities off on red-tipped fingers. “But he’s also a good man. And he’ll talk himself into all sorts of bullshit circles that had you two dancing around each other so long in the first place.”
It didn’t astound me how perceptive Calliope was, but it did surprise me that she had been paying so much attention to us.
“It was that obvious?” I felt sheepish, embarrassed.
“He all but thumped his chest and yelled ‘mine’ whenever you were around.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “But he let misplaced nobility get in the way, which I don’t doubt he’ll do at some point again. I’m not here to make excuses for men. In fact, I hate making excuses for men. I prefer ruining their lives.”
I smiled at her words, not doubting them for a second. I let myself wonder, not for the first time, what Calliope’s life was like. She was an enigma to me. Powerful, obviously rich, ruthless. But also sweet and patient with Clara. In love with the most carefree man I’d ever met.
“Beau can have some leeway because of his past, and because he dragged me out of an ocean and saved my life, blah, blah, blah.” She flicked her wrist dismissively. “If I’m wrong, which I rarely am, he may not fuck it up, you may live happily ever after without any messy hiccups.” She glanced sideways at me as we reached a stop sign. “But real love is always messy with a lot of hiccups. It’d be boring otherwise, wouldn’t it?”
I wasn’t sure I agreed with her but nodded anyway.
“It’s my heads-up. When Beau tries to fuck things up ‘for your own good’ or whatever the fuck, don’t let him. You’re stronger than him. Women always are.”
She roared off before I could reply, leaving me to stew on it for the rest of the drive.
I followed Beau’s instructions and got drunk.
Not that it was hard. My glass was never empty, as there was always someone around to fill it.
Most notably Fiona, who wasn’t drinking herself—because she was pregnant and had indeed done it “the old-fashioned way.”
It hadn’t happened the night I was drinking with them; it took a little longer, and she was very early but quite obviously excited.
And fielding texts from her quite obviously overprotective husband all night.
All the husbands were overprotective, from the stories I’d heard. And man, were they some stories. Overprotective, yes. But not controlling.
It was clear that I was invited tonight because everyone, like Calliope, had seen the writing on the wall with Beau and I, and had, apparently, been quietly rooting for us.
The attention, while good-natured, felt overwhelming. I was not used to being in the spotlight, so getting pleasantly buzzed on champagne felt like the right call.
Not that the night was purely about me—thank god. There was Fiona’s pregnancy announcement, Nora’s bakery being featured in a huge magazine spread, and Avery’s restaurant being awarded a Michelin star. All the women celebrated each other passionately and without effort.
It felt nice to be a part of it.
I still felt on the outside, though. Like I didn’t quite belong. It was one place I did feel the age gap that Beau was so focused on. They weren’t quite Beau’s age, but they were all more accomplished than me, both personally and professionally.
Lori’s absence didn’t help any. She’d told me she was on a “retreat” away from her family drama and Finn drama. She needed it. But I selfishly wanted her here.
I was amused to learn from the women that Finn had been all but stomping around town with a scowl since she left.