Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Awkwardness hits me as I feel Freya’s leg brushing against mine under the table. I doubt she does it on purpose – she can’t seem to sit still – but it still triggers something inside of me.
I keep it buried deep, looking at Annabelle, not Freya, the memory of last night far too strong.
“So,” Annabelle says, her hands clasped around her mug of coffee. “Are you going to explain just what’s going on here?”
“I love your daughter, Mrs. Abrams,” I say, unable to mask the fierce note of possession in my voice. “The truth is, I loved her the moment I saw her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want a family, a future…and I….”
I was about to say I think she does too, but I don’t want to speak for my woman.
“I’ll always keep her safe,” I finish.
Annabelle stares at me for a moment, blinking twice as if she expects me to disappear. Freya shifts next to me, finally drawing my gaze, her hair combed but still adorably messy, her mouth tight as she bites down.
“Freya?” Annabelle says.
“I want the same,” Freya replies, looking at her mom with a visible effort. “I love him, Mom. And I know what you’re going to say. How can that be possible? We’ve only known each other for a few days. I wish I had a simple explanation.”
“Try any explanation,” her mother says, keeping her tone neutral, giving nothing away.
It’s difficult to read Annabelle as she raises her coffee mug and slowly blows on it. There’s some tautness in her jaw as she places it down, but that’s all. She doesn’t take her eyes away from Freya.
“The moment I saw him….”
Freya’s voice is low, tears beading in her eyes.
I resist the urge to reach over and brush my hand across her cheek. I’ve been so concerned with Mr. Red and keeping Freya safe that I haven’t given much thought to the idea her mom might tell us no.
What if she does?
I don’t want to be with Freya without her only surviving parent’s blessing.
“The moment you saw him?” Annabelle prompts.
“I wanted him,” Freya says. “But not in an intimate way. Or not just….”
She cuts herself off, sucking in a breath through her teeth.
“It’s okay.” Annabelle lays her mug down. “What were you going to say?”
“I wanted to be with him. I was already picturing a future together. I’ve never felt like that, Mom. You always said you wanted me to find somebody special, someone I really cared about and who really cared about me.”
“Of course, I want that for you.”
“That’s what I’ve found,” Freya says, looking at me, her lips twitching into a love-filled smile that has my mouth mirroring hers.
“Well.” Annabelle sighs. “You certainly look in love. But all these things you’re talking about… a family, spending your life together, you do understand these go beyond infatuation, don’t you?”
I nod, turning back to Annabelle. “Yes, Mrs. Abrams, I do.”
“So you believe you love her and will keep loving her for the rest of your lives together?”
“Yes,” I say, without hesitation or doubt in my voice.
“What if this lovey-dovey feeling passes? What then?” She leans forward, looking closely at me, making me grateful Freya has a mother who cares this strongly for her. “What if you wake up one day and this infatuation has passed? Will you still want a life together?”
“Mom, I’m sorry,” Freya murmurs. “But it’s not infatuation.”
Annabelle throws her hands up. “How am I supposed to think of it? You said it yourself. You’ve only known each other a few days.”
“With all due respect,” I say, “Freya is right. I’m not an expert in love, but I don’t know what is if this isn't it.”
Annabelle folds her arms, looking at me for what feels like a long time, then turns to her daughter.
Then she turns back to me.
It’s like she’s studying us both, looking for cracks, signs we’re leaping too eagerly into something we can’t possibly know will work out.
But that’s just the thing. I know we will be together forever, and so will Freya.
“Have you ever been in love before, Felix?”
“No,” I say without a pause.
“But I presume you’ve had girlfriends in the past…considering your age.”
“Does the age bother you?” Freya asks, her voice getting breathy and tense. “Because Dad was….”
“The age doesn’t bother me. And I’m very well aware of how old your father was. I don’t care if there are two decades between you any more than I cared about my dear late husband being fifteen years older than me.”
Her tone gets darker, sadness tinging it. Despite the quality of the emotion, I can’t help but respect her loyalty. She’s grieving for this man even now, part of his memory still alive within her.
“So, Felix?” she says after a pause.
“I’ve never been in love,” I tell her. “But yes, I’ve had girlfriends. My last one was around eleven years ago. The truth is, Mrs. Abrams, I stopped searching for love because I didn’t think I was capable. Some bad stuff happened when I was a kid. Maybe it was that I thought. I served in the military and saw my share of nightmares. Maybe it was that….” I shake my head. “But it was none of those things. I was waiting for Freya. I never loved, and thought I couldn’t, because I hadn’t met her yet.”