Total pages in book: 211
Estimated words: 201554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1008(@200wpm)___ 806(@250wpm)___ 672(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 201554 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1008(@200wpm)___ 806(@250wpm)___ 672(@300wpm)
For the rest of the afternoon, we hang out at the hospital, and while some might say it’s for show, I know it’s more. Eric’s father is just that—his father—and no one can wipe away the invisible bond of parent and child. It defies hate. It is simply nature.
Later that evening, we eat pizza in bed, and laugh over Friends reruns, and it’s good, really good, but as we lay down to sleep, with Eric’s mind calm enough for him to actually do so in the bed, unease roughs up my belly, a sense of foreboding, a vise on my chest. Somehow though, with Eric’s arms wrapped around me, the shadow of slumber overtakes me.
I wake with a jolt to sunlight and sit straight up to find Eric standing at the window, fully dressed, staring out at the new day, a cup of coffee in his hand. “What time is it?”
He rotates to face me, sunshine lighting his blue eyes with a hint of gold, the stretch of his black T-shirt over his perfect chest, awakening all the parts of me that hadn’t yet caught up until now.
“Early.”
“Oh God. Why? What happened? Did Isaac do something? And your father? Is he okay?”
He laughs low and rough. “That was a lot of panic in thirty seconds,” he says, crossing to sit down next to me. “Everything is fine. I just woke up so I got up.”
I reach up and stroke my fingers down the damp tendrils of hair curling at his temples. “I wish you would have woken me up.”
“I kissed you and told you I was getting up, but you never even moved. Obviously, you needed rest.” He presses his cup into my hand. “Now you need caffeine.”
I accept the cup, the intimacy of sharing his cup, a dash of sweetness I clearly need this morning. I’ve barely had a sip when my mind jolts again. “My mother—”
“Chartered a late flight into New York. Blake texted me right after you fell asleep. She’s in a hotel room sleeping. She didn’t get in until a few hours ago. Her flight was delayed.”
I scowl with this news. “That can’t be good.”
“We have everyone in one place now,” he says. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing. When people play in the same pond they start fighting and we’ll be here to see.”
“Okay. I guess. What about other news?”
“None.” He covers my hand where it rests on the cup and sips, his eyes holding mine. “Just you, sharing my bed, and my coffee, the way it should be. So relax, baby, and enjoy the ride while we can.”
His voice is velvet that soothes my frazzled nerves, the endearment of “baby” a splash of happiness. It tells me he’s in a good place this morning and he doesn’t want to be there alone. This lights me up and I smile, before I sip the coffee. “It’s delicious,” I say, savoring the chocolatey flavor like I’m savoring this moment with this man. “What is that?”
“Coconut creamer.”
“Okay, no wonder. That’s sinful.”
He laughs, his lips curving into a smile, and God he has beautiful lips. He doesn’t smile often and it’s another thing that pleases me. I decide right then to see that smile often. It’s a mission and one I will embrace for the rest of my life. “Finish that cup,” he says. “I’ll grab another.” He stands up and heads toward the kitchen, a hero who gives away his coffee for his woman. What more could a girl want?
More of him.
I want more of him.
Exactly why I stand up and follow him, remotely aware of the fact that my hair must be standing on end, and my make-up smudged everywhere, but I don’t care. I feel that comfortable with Eric. It’s hard to believe we fought over the apartment and me feeling like I didn’t belong. It was like a bleep on the screen, an emotional day that wasn’t about us at all. Because the truth is, I feel that at home here, and so very easily, and that’s a bit surreal. Everyone wants that kind of comfort with another human being, but how often do they find it?
Eric makes a beeline for the coffee pot and reaches above it to a cabinet to remove another cup. I stop at the island behind him. Obviously aware that I’m here, he eyes me over his shoulder. “You should explore the apartment. Find out what’s here. We can go shopping.” He fills his cup and turns to me.
I laugh. “You are shopping.” I set my cup down. “I love everything here, especially you.” I sober, thinking about my mother. We’re going to run into her. Of course, we will. “Nothing my mother says matters to me. You know that, right?”
He puts away the creamer and steps to the island across from me. “I know, baby. I know.”