Total pages in book: 20
Estimated words: 18990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 95(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 18990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 95(@200wpm)___ 76(@250wpm)___ 63(@300wpm)
There’s a giggle.
I pause outside the kitchen, listening. Atlas hasn’t laughed like that in ages. It fills me with warmth to hear the sound.
As I step into the kitchen, I spot her in the arms of Eric. Instantly, the warm feeling disappears.
“Dad.” Atlas starts like she’s been caught doing something wrong. She moves to step away from him.
He tightens his hold on her waist, keeping her body pinned against his.
I glare at him. I know Eric will treat her right. But I don’t appreciate the twenty-year age gap between them. Even if it is the same number of years between me and Katie.
“Michael.” He meets my stare.
“Are you going into work today?” Atlas asks me, lightly smacking at Eric’s arm.
He releases her but not before he brushes a kiss across her forehead.
I grab the coffee pot and take a deep breath. I can’t help but wonder what Nicole would think of the pairing. Atlas was her pride and joy. Would she be happy her daughter found a boyfriend after being single for so long?
“I’m traveling to see a client today. I’ll be gone tonight.” I turn toward her while sending Eric a “don’t fuck my daughter” look. “I’m trusting you’ll be alone in this big empty house tonight.”
She accepts a bite of scrambled egg from Eric’s fork before taking a sip of her orange juice.
I scowl at him.
He shrugs, and I can see it in his expression. He really is in love with her. That wasn’t just something he was saying in the hotel room.
I tip my head toward her, willing him to take care of my daughter.
He nods, accepting my wordless blessing.
Atlas misses the silent exchange, still caught up in her discussion of my work schedule. “Katie is off work. She texted me. We’re going shopping with Lacey this afternoon. I hoped you had the day off too.”
The realization that Atlas has heard from Katie leaves a sour taste in my mouth. “Is she…?” I don’t know how to finish that sentence anymore. I just know that I want Katie in my arms. In my office. In my bed.
My phone rings, and the number is from work. I answer quickly, hoping it’s her but it’s only the human resources department.
Katie sent in her resignation two hours ago.
Now, I realize my “giving her space” idea was stupid. If I want to earn her trust, I need to be showing up every day. Not giving her time to sit around, letting her doubts about us grow louder and louder.
I have to find her. I have to tell Katie that letting her walk away from me was a mistake. One I’ll never let her do again.
Katie
Lacey and Atlas are taking me out shopping later. I’m looking forward to it more than I’ve ever looked forward to shopping with my mom.
But in the meantime, I want to get some words down. It’s time to say goodbye to Michael and getting this story written is an essential part of that.
So, I settle on Eric’s couch with my laptop and I start writing the scene. Only nothing seems to come out right. I know what’s supposed to happen but it’s not working.
The scene feels forced and after a few minutes of struggling, I close my laptop. I wrote a grand total of fifty words and even then I’m pretty sure I’m going to delete them.
“Maybe the problem is Michael,” Lacey suggests. She’s busy applying makeup for our day out.
“I feel like the words are all stuck inside of me. They want to come out, but I don’t know how to say it all.”
“Maybe it’s because there’s all this unsaid stuff between you and Michael. Think about it. If you saw him one more time, what would you say?”
I whisper, “I love you.” Then I slump my shoulders. “But Lacey, he doesn’t want to hear those words from me.”
“Why not?” She sounds surprised.
I hate having to explain this. “I don’t have anything to offer him. I’m not sexy like my mom. I’m not brave like Kitty. I’m not strong like you.”
Lacey turns to me and puts her hands on my shoulders. “You’re the woman who just walked away from everything she’s known. You’re the woman who wrote a twenty-seven-part series beloved by fans all over the world. You’re the woman who just this week quit her job to chase her dream. That’s definitely sexy, brave, and strong.”
I laugh. “I have been busy lately.”
He was right. Michael was right when he labeled the problem as my insecurities.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I think again about how I left him standing in the hotel. “Do you think he’d want me back?”
“There’s only one way to know.”
11
KATIE
After a quick makeover from Lacey, I change into a sky-blue sundress with a red sash. I’ve never worn this outfit before. I always thought it was too sexy. But today, I want to be flashy. I want to be seen.