Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
He opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again.
“What?” My heart races as my anxiety starts setting in.
“I mean...we’ll need to talk about things, but I was hoping we could move there soon.”
We aren’t even engaged. Twenty-four hours ago, I didn’t even know he wanted to be with me. And now he’s asking me to give up everything I know to start a new life with him.
I’ve never been late for work in my life, and no matter how much I want to be here having this conversation with him, I can’t be late on the day our CEO is coming.
“I’m so sorry, but I have to take a quick shower and get to work. Can we talk later?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“When will I see you again?”
He considers. “I’ll be at the ranch for a few days getting work plans figured out. Then I have to go back to Minneapolis and get my house there listed and hire movers.”
I sigh softly. “So not for a while.”
“Yeah. You want to take advantage of me one more time before you go?”
I respond by straddling him, my knees on the bed as I look down at him. Our gazes lock and he slides his hands up the backs of my thighs, over my ass. He sinks his hands into my hips.
It’s only been a few hours, but my body still aches for him. Even though we have a lot to talk about, we only have a few more minutes together, and this is how I want to spend them.
Kate Ryker is beautiful. Her blond hair comes to her shoulders and her blue eyes have just a hint of crow’s-feet when she smiles, which makes her look both pretty and wise. Her smile is flawless and warm, her body lean with curves in all the right places.
“How are you, Trinity?”
We just finished an Allura group meeting, and now I’m alone in Gloria’s office with her and Kate. I can tell Kate isn’t just perfunctorily asking how I am; she genuinely cares.
“I think I’m doing pretty well overall. I’ve given up on expecting things to be the way they were before. It’ll never be the same, and that’s okay.”
“Some experiences change us.”
I smile, thinking of Linc blowing me a kiss as I was walking out of my bedroom earlier. He was planning to get a couple more hours of sleep, and it was difficult to make myself leave him.
“That’s very true. And sometimes people change us, too,” I say.
Kate and Gloria exchange a knowing smile.
“You mean the hockey player?” Gloria asks. “Lincoln?”
“He flew in last night and surprised me.”
Gloria claps her hands together, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “I’m delighted to hear it.”
“That explains the wet hair,” Kate says with a laugh.
My cheeks warm. I took a record-setting two-minute shower and caught an Uber to work, applying my makeup on the ride. I didn’t have time to do anything but run a comb through my hair.
“He bought a ranch in Wyoming,” I blurt. “For us. Because I said my dream was to have an animal rescue one day. I meant, like, in thirty years.”
Kate meets my gaze, her expression amused. “And let me guess, he didn’t ask you about it beforehand?”
“No! He hasn’t communicated about his feelings over the phone at all. I was so upset, thinking it was over between us, and then he shows up and says he loves me and we now own a ranch in Wyoming.”
“That sounds about right. He’s the team captain, right?”
I shrug. “I mean, he was? But he just decided to retire. He dropped that news on me last night, too.”
“He’s used to being in charge and having people follow his lead. My husband is the same way.”
I knew she was married to a retired hockey player—Jason Ryker—but I’d forgotten that he was also once a team captain.
“How does that work for you and your husband? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind at all. Ryke can be...domineering at times. I say it’s one of his best and worst traits. When we disagree and he thinks he’s right and I think I’m right...well, buckle up.” She laughs. “But he has so much more heart than any other man I’ve ever known. Everything he does is for our family. Our kids think he hung the moon.”
Her voice is filled with pride and affection. She shrugs and shakes her head as she continues. “I mean, I kind of agree. I think he’s the best. But we’ve had to work things out before, like any couple. He once surprised me by reserving an Italian villa for a month during the summer, and I had some meetings scheduled then that I couldn’t miss. He doesn’t always understand why the company is still important to me even though we’re well-off financially. But he got over it and took the kids on a friend’s boat for the few days I had to be gone, and it ended up being a wonderful trip. Now he asks me before he schedules trips.”