Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
And my heart starts to hammer in my chest. Without another thought, I pick up my phone to call Brady. To rail at him. How could he do this without checking with me first? He has no idea the danger he just put us in.
We have to move, is all I can think. I have to go straight home and pack our things and get us the hell out of here.
Before I can dial his number, Erin’s calling.
“Hey,” I say, trying to act casual. “I can’t talk long.”
“You need to come to the ranch,” she says. “We all just saw the commercial, and everyone is pissed off. No one gave permission for them to use you, Daisy, or anyone else’s faces in the ad, and the men are on the warpath.”
Thank God. Brady didn’t know.
“I just saw it.” I swallow hard, trying to calm down despite the panic making its way through my body. The panic attack is right there, and I need to keep it at bay. “It’s a beautiful commercial, but yeah. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“We’re all here, Abbi. Even Chase is leaving work early to come here. We’re making a big dinner, and we can all be together to discuss the next steps. Trust me, this wasn’t on purpose. As a mom, I’d be freaking pissed.”
“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” We’ll be safe on the ranch, and then I can figure out what to do next. “I’ll be there in thirty.”
I lock the door and hurry out to my car, and as I’m driving out to the ranch, Brady calls.
“Hey,” I say as I answer.
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that they were going to put you and Daisy in that fucking commercial.”
“We’ll talk about it when I get there.” I swallow hard. Shit, I’m going to have to tell them everything. I don’t have a choice. “It’s going to be okay.”
But I don’t believe that. I don’t believe for a second that everything’s going to be okay after this.
“Wait. How did you know about it?”
I clear my throat. “Your old pal Jen came into my office to check me out and told me about it.”
“Fuck.” His voice is tired and irritated. “I’ll take care of her.”
“She was also sure to make it clear that you left her for a fat-ass bitch.”
He snarls as I blink quickly, fighting the tears that want to come.
“Quite a nice girl you had there, Cowboy.”
“Fuck that and fuck her. I’ll take care of her, baby.”
“I did that myself. She won’t make any more trouble.”
“Are you almost here?” he asks.
“Yeah, five minutes.”
“Okay, babe. Love you.”
He clicks off, and I want to succumb to the tears. He loves me. And I love him so much, I can’t think straight. I don’t want to leave him. I don’t want to give up this life that Daisy and I have worked so fucking hard for.
But I don’t see any other option. Janet will find us, and she’ll take Daisy away from me, and that can never happen. It won’t happen.
Because I’ll disappear again.
I pull up in front of the farmhouse. Before I can even open my door, Brady’s rushing out the front door and down the steps to me.
I step out, and then I’m in his arms, and he’s holding me tightly, kissing my head.
“I’m so sorry.” He kisses my forehead. “About the whole situation, but especially about Jen. She’s a mean bitch, Abs, and I’ll make sure she knows that she fucked with the wrong girl.”
I pat his back, already trying to mentally distance myself from him. God, this is going to be the hardest thing I ever do. “I don’t really care about her and her jealousy. It’s actually a really beautiful commercial and makes this place, and your family, look amazing.”
“But they showed you and Daisy,” he murmurs, anguish in every word. “And I didn’t say they could do that. Abbi, I didn’t know.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” I step out of his arms, already missing him so much, and try to smile up at him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” He scowls and frames my face in his hands. “Talk to me, Blue Eyes.”
“Let’s go inside.” Again, I step out of his grasp. “We’ll talk everything through.”
“Baby, I understand being upset. I know how you feel about Daisy’s face being shown.”
You don’t know. I want to scream it at him. But I just nod and walk ahead of him into the house, where everyone else is already waiting.
“Abbi,” Joy says with a bright smile. She hurries to me and wraps me in a hug, and I just want to lean into her and sob.
But I don’t.
“We’re going to sue the fuck out of them,” Ryan says from across the room. His hazel eyes, so much like his brother’s, are feral with rage. “By the time I’m done with them, I’ll own that entire goddamn company.”