Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
I raise my chin a bit, sniffling. “I was hurt, Tripp. You hurt me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I thought we were building a future together, but I see that you value more what your family thinks than what I do. I don’t understand why you were afraid to tell them. Was it because of Brock?”
He rifles a hand through his dark hair. “At first, yes. I was afraid to tell anyone because I wasn’t sure what Brock would say, but then I didn’t care anymore because I knew I loved you. Love you. I am in love with you and I didn’t give a fuck what Brock thought about it, but there’s more.”
I inch closer. “What more?”
“It was Callum.”
“Did he say something bad about me?” I ask him, wondering what I could have possibly done to ever make Callum Atwood unhappy with me.
“No,” he says, shaking his head, reaching out to me to take my hand. “Nothing like that. Callum was pressuring me to take on more responsibilities at Atta Boy, and if I’m being honest, I don’t fucking want to.” He squeezes my hand. “I want to be a writer. I want to spend my days writing, working at the bookshop, and being with you. I have ideas on how to expand. We could sell Anya’s chocolates at your shop. We could have local author signings.”
My head swirls with possibilities. “Wait,” I stutter out. “Wait.”
He blinks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about any of this until I was driving here. Until you walked out of Atta Boy and I saw my whole future crumble. The future I want is with you, Millie. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I’ve told everyone how much I love you. I told my brothers that my future is not the brewery. I love you, Millie.”
I cross my arms over my chest, not sure if I’m ready to forgive him just yet. “You think you can just snap your fingers, apologize, and everything will be okay?”
He shakes his head no, quickly. “I just…”
I cut him off, “Tripp, you hurt me. I’ve had to live without a family for a long time, and you can’t possibly understand what that’s like.”
He steps closer, grabbing my other hand. “You’re right. I don’t know what that’s like. And if you’ll have me, my family will become your new family, Millie. I want you to have a big family. I want to be the one to give that to you. I want to cherish you every single day for the rest of my life. I will never intentionally hurt you ever again.”
“But unintentionally you will?” I smirk.
He smiles, drawing me in closer as he wraps his arms around my waist. “I can’t promise I’ll never hurt you, Millie, but I can promise you that if I do, I’ll fight like hell to make it up to you. I promise I’ll always fight for you. I’ll always love you. So fucking much.” He leans in, but I pull back. “I want to fight with you, Millie. And then I want to have crazy make up sex with you. I want a real life with you. One where we don’t hide or pretend. I want the good, the bad, the messy. I want it all with you.”
A tear slides down my cheek and he swipes it away. “I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you more than you could ever possibly understand.” He leans in and captures my lips, kissing me, holding me, promising me a future I’ve always dreamed of. And when we break the kiss, he kneels down at my mother’s grave and speaks to her headstone, “I love your daughter, and I’m going to take care of her for the rest of my life. I promise you wherever you are, you don’t ever have to worry about her.”
A soft and gentle breeze brushes past us, and I lose it. Tears flood my eyes as I stare at the man who is my future.
Tripp Atwood is everything I have ever wanted, and I’m glad I wished upon a star that night, because it led me to him.
To my ex-boyfriend’s brother.
Epilogue
Tripp
"It's almost time. Are you ready?" Millie asks, her voice soft but full of excitement, a smile lighting up her face. Her pride in me is clear, and it sends a warmth through my chest that I never want to lose.
I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close until her body fits perfectly against mine. Her lips are soft, inviting, and I press a gentle kiss against them, savoring the moment. No matter how many times I kiss her, it’ll never be enough. That much I’m sure of.
"I’m ready, thanks to you," I whisper, resting my forehead against hers.
Her eyes sparkle, happiness dancing in them as they search mine. "All I did was support you, Tripp. This is your success. You wrote the book. You did the work."