Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88841 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” I choke out, plastering on a smile. “I’m just going to grab some tea.”
He nods, thankfully not pressing the issue.
When I have my warm tea in my hands, I take a deep breath and inhale the relaxing scent and then head back through the living room. But before I make it through, Ryder stops me.
“If you want to hang out down here, you can.”
I freeze in my spot. I didn’t want to go back to my room, but I also don’t want to put myself in a situation where Ryder asks me questions that I’m not prepared to answer.
As if he can hear my thoughts, he adds, “No conversation needed.”
I sigh in relief and then have a seat on the couch across from him. After I take a sip of my tea, I ask, “What book are you reading?”
His cheeks turn a soft pink, and I don’t understand it until he lifts the book to show me the cover. There’s a man and a woman in a sensual position.
“Are you reading romance?”
“What if I am?” He laughs.
“I’m not judging. I’m just a little shocked. What made you pick romance to read?”
“I enjoy reading, but after working with numbers all day and taking care of a toddler, I needed something …”
“Mindless.”
“Yeah. Since I don’t have a romantic life of my own, Ana bought me a romance novel as a joke, telling me I can live vicariously through them. I picked it up one night out of boredom, and it was actually damn good.”
“So, this isn’t your first?” I ask, completely enthralled by this conversation.
“Nah, I’ve read several. Then, I got conned into joining her stupid online book club.” He rolls his eyes teasingly, making me laugh. “This is the book of the month.”
“What’s it about?”
“A single mom who hasn’t had sex in years because she was focused on school. She meets a guy, and they hook up, and she ends up pregnant.”
“No! Ugh, that would be my luck. I haven’t had sex in, like, six months.”
The second the words are out of my mouth, I immediately regret them. My face heats with embarrassment, and I wish for the floor to open and swallow me up.
But before I can think of something to say or a way to make my exit, Ryder says, “I haven’t had sex in two years.”
I’m taking a sip of my tea when he says this, and without meaning to, I spit my drink out, making him chuckle.
“Two years?”
“Yep,” he says, “not since the weekend Addie was conceived.”
“Holy shit.”
“I got my ex pregnant twice in a three-month time period. I think I’ll stick to books for now since I don’t have the best track record.”
I choke out a laugh at his admission, and he glares playfully.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh, but …”
“Yeah, yeah.” He waves me off. “Laugh it up. At least I know I’m not knocking any more women up while reading these books.”
“True.” I think about what he said, and before I can filter my thoughts, I ask, “What happened to the other baby?”
His smile morphs into a thin line, and I instantly backtrack. “I’m sorry. It’s not my business …”
“It’s okay,” he says. “She miscarried. We had only been dating for a short time, and I wasn’t feeling it. But when she said she was pregnant, I tried to do the right thing and proposed. We were planning the wedding when she lost the baby.”
“I’m so sorry.” I can’t imagine losing a baby.
“I was torn between relief and sadness,” he admits. “Nora lost it. Though, looking back, I have to wonder if it was all an act so I wouldn’t end the engagement.”
My features must convey my shock because he further explains, “I told her I didn’t want to try again for a while, hoping once she felt better, I could call off the engagement, but before that could happen, she begged me to go away with her. We were drinking, and instead of being smart about things, I let my dick lead the way.”
“It happens to the best of us,” I say, taking a sip of my tea.
“Yeah, but what I didn’t know at the time was that she was trying to trap me. She was monitoring when she could get pregnant and timed it perfectly. I used protection, but she tampered with the condoms.”
I gasp at his words. “Why would she do that?”
“Because I’m worth billions,” he says casually. “She knew it was the only way to keep me.”
“That’s horrible.”
“It’s life. We got married, and she had Addie. But life with me wasn’t what she had expected, and she quickly regretted her decision. She hated being a mom and being married to me. When Addie was four months old, she signed her rights over and walked away.”
The sadness in his eyes and defeat in his voice have my heart dropping into my stomach. I’ve only known Ryder for a short time, but he’s one of the most selfless, caring men I’ve ever met.