Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
My mom and Heather’s room is just down the hall from mine. Heather stops me before I can tell them goodnight, her hand on my arm. “Hey, I just wanted to say that Darius really is nice. I’m not just giving you a hard time.”
“Okay, yeah, thanks.”
She gives me that look that says I shouldn’t be thanking her for anything. “I also wanted to tell you, and please don’t get choked up and start bawling on me, that none of us know how long we have. That’s token advice, but when you get something like this, it gets a heck of a lot more real.” Of course, I immediately choke up and have to sniffle back the tears that are ready to spill. Heather is still holding the cat, but she grasps my hand in hers and looks at me with her huge blue eyes. At least they’re dry. “If you want to go for it, I think you should. You guys clearly have a spark, and sparks shouldn’t be wasted. Plus, he’s hot and nice, and that’s a rare combo. Oh, and rich. Even rarer.”
“We’re just trying to make things work by being friends. We didn’t expect even that much, so it’s already a bonus.”
Heather clicks her tongue at me and slowly shakes her head like I’m being an obtuse moron.
“Goodnight,” my mom says, putting her hands on Heather’s shoulders. “Your sister will get things figured out, I’m sure. No use rushing a good thing either. Although, for the love of god, Everleigh, we can all tell you have a crush on that man, and he likes you, too. The attraction between you two is sizzling so hot that the rest of the room heats up. We all can see it. You’d be great together. Don’t let him go just because you think you need to be on a timeline or because things didn’t start out that way. You didn’t expect to be friends with him, yet you are. You didn’t expect it to be more, but maybe it could be that, too. Anyway, we’ll all be cheering you on if you decide to make your marriage legit.”
“Two against one.” Heather amends that by lifting B&E Cat’s arm and saying, “Three against one.” She winks at me. “Night, sissy. See you in the morning.”
“Goodnight,” I grumble.
In my room, I change into pajamas and fall into bed. As soon as I close my eyes, I start reliving the dance, followed by every other moment Darius and I have shared since I met him. I thought it would be hard to sleep, but I must have been overtired from all the excitement of having my family here because I could literally feel my body melting into the mattress, which is just the right firmness, my cheek sinking in the world’s softest pillows.
I haven’t been truly happy in a long time either, but tonight, despite the few lingering worries I have about my sister and what this contracted marriage is turning into, I can’t pretend there isn’t a bubble of blissful radiance that surrounds me.
Chapter thirteen
Everleigh
Everleigh
Abrief shake to my shoulder from a warm hand has me leaping out of bed and tumbling to the floor, but I land on all fours like the feral cat my mom and sister have claimed as their own. I go into a deep crouch, channeling my inner ninja. I’m going to fuck up that big shadow in front of me, and I’m going to do it now.
But then that shadow moves, and the lamp clicks on from the nightstand. It’s just Hans. In my room. In the dead of night.
What the fuck?
“Sorry. I’m sorry I scared you.” He holds both hands up in a very I swear I’m not here to hurt you or do any other funny business stance. The only thing that stops me from screaming is the black wall of desperation painted over his face. He’s not his usual playful, asshole self, and there is no trace of an accent in his voice at all. Okay, maybe just a little. German, I think. “I had to come get you. It’s serious.”
“What?” My heart goes pitter-pattering down the corridors of my chest, and shadows line those walls—panicked, monstrous shadows. “What’s serious?”
“It’s Darius.”
Now my heart doesn’t beat at all. It just stops cold. “What about Darius?” I can barely get the words out, and they’re mostly just my breath. I’m so scared of bad news. Primed by my past, when someone looks at me the way Hans is currently looking at me, it always, always, always means something shitty is going down.
“He has these nightmares. Usually, I just wake him up, but sometimes, it takes days before he’s right again. He’s good at hiding it and falling back into a routine, but it’s…think about that minute in the car multiplied by a thousand. He doesn’t talk about them, but it’s pretty obvious he relives the accident.”