Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109783 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Millie giggled as Fyfe held her and I slathered sun protection all over her perfect skin. She wriggled and wrinkled her nose, bearing her four front teeth. “I love you so much I could burst with it.” I covered her cheeks in kisses, making her giggle harder. My eyes flew to Fyfe and he gazed at me like …
Well … like he loved me.
My heart beat a wee bit faster as I filed his expression away and made sure Millie’s cheeks were protected. Fyfe straightened her little hat, keeping her on his lap. I insisted on smoothing sun cream on the back of his neck and arms, and he watched me in that same way as before. With a possessive tenderness that reflected what I felt for him.
Was he ever going to tell me he loved me?
I shoved that worry aside, not wanting it to ruin our day. After we were all sun protected, I set out the picnic on our blanket. Fyfe fed Millie first and then we hungrily started on our food. We gave little bits that Millie could eat to quell her growing agitation at being left out food-wise. She always wanted to eat whatever we were eating.
“This girl is going to love her food, I think,” I informed Fyfe.
“Maybe she’ll learn to cook and help her auld da out.”
“You’re a pretty good cook.” We’d taken turns with our evening meals and while neither of us were spectacular cooks, we did okay.
“Ae!” Millie reached for the chocolate hazelnut pastry thing Callie had suggested from today’s bakery menu. It was bloody heaven in pastry casing. “Ae!”
Happiness overwhelmed me every time Millie used her version of my name. “This one is mine, Mills. You’ll get to try this scrumptiousness when you’re a wee bit older.”
“In moderation,” Fyfe added as he stuffed the whole thing in his mouth. He watched me laugh, his eyes twinkling with amusement. When he swallowed, he warned, “If we don’t stop eating at Callie’s, I’m going to put on weight.”
“Put on weight. As long as you’re happy, who cares?” I shrugged.
“Seriously?” He raised an eyebrow. “If I didn’t work out, you wouldn’t care?”
I scowled at him.
Then … fuck it.
“I loved you when you were a skinny wee Clark Kent and I love you as the built Superman I see before me. I’ll love you if you put on weight, lose your hair, go blind and/or deaf, can’t walk, can’t speak, and need help to dress in the morning. Whatever the future brings, I love you, not the fancy wrapping.”
“Ae!” Millie clapped with a grin, as if she agreed with me.
Fyfe barely noticed. He was gazing at me as if I’d just hung the moon.
I waited with bated breath.
His lips parted to speak.
Then Millie reached for his glasses, almost breaking the right temple as she curled her tight fist around it and yanked.
“No, wee yin.” Fyfe gently removed her grip. He shot me a smirk. “I know you like the glasses, but she can’t grab contacts off my face.”
Disappointment curled in my stomach, but I forced a smile as I looked down to pull a bottle of water out of the picnic basket. “Then wear your contacts.”
A slight tension invaded our picnic. I tried not to let my discontent spoil the day, but I found myself giving all my attention to Millie because I didn’t know how to deal with Fyfe’s inability to say those three little words.
In a normal relationship, I’d consider it completely understandable to wait several months before saying it.
But we’d known each other since I was ten years old. If he didn’t love me now, then he probably never would.
After the picnic, we got back into the Volvo to drive on a little farther. I could feel Fyfe watching me as I tidied everything away and loaded it back into the SUV, but I couldn’t look at him.
Today was supposed to be perfect. Maybe that was too much pressure to put on a day, but after the last few weeks, I’d needed perfection.
I’d had to answer a few more questions for the case against Peter Pryor. And when Jasper didn’t take down his videos in which he besmirched my name, I began legal action. It was only then he absolutely shit himself. Danny reckoned Jasper was lulled into thinking I would just take his abuse because he’d gotten away with it for months. Only when he realized I was serious did he backtrack. I agreed not to sue under the proviso he not only take down all content about me but he release a statement retracting his accusations.
He’d done it and hopefully that was the last I’d ever hear of my old friend.
It was heartbreaking to see our friendship turn to such bitterness. It was exhausting too.
I’d just needed one beautiful day with my boyfriend and his daughter, whom I loved.