Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Chapter 18
Ralph
I know I shouldn’t have called her, and I should have just googled a recipe, but none of them looked easy. And when she was in the kitchen, I watched as she just added things here and there. It was the best meal I had in my whole life. I’ve craved it for the past nine days since she left me a fuck ton of leftovers that I destroyed the day after.
“Guess who’s coming over?” I say to Ari, who sits with her toys around her, wearing a gummy smile. “Candace.” I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even understand me.
I just finished working out, and the only thing I did was shower because Ari started screaming bloody murder. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I don’t look like I was expecting anyone. I turn off the stove as I wait for Candace to arrive.
For the past ten days, I’ve buried myself in training. After I got over the guilt for leaving Ari too long, I finally let Miranda stay more than three hours. I pushed it to four, and I went hard on the ice. Every day, I’d push myself so hard that my lungs would burn when I got off the ice. I would go home, eat a fuck ton of carbs, and then do cardio and weight training when Ari would nap. Then I would set her up to play if I had more to do. I pushed myself hard all the time because all I wanted to do was call Candace and talk to her about nothing and everything. It was crazy how she pulled me in without even trying. I had to keep myself busy to keep from calling her. She texted me here and there, and with each text, it was professional. I always wanted to keep the conversation going, but I stopped myself.
I was shocked by just how easily and readily I opened up to her. The minute I did, I felt lighter but then I thought about how Cassie would fight with me about being more open with her, and I felt guilty about sharing shit with Candace. I tried to do it, I really did, but I just couldn’t get there with her. Something would stop me, and I didn’t even know what it was.
The doorbell rings, and a smile fills my face as I think about her standing there outside my door. I rush over to pick up Ariella, who hits my chest and says my name. “Let’s go see who is at the door.” Kissing her neck, I speed walk to the door, the whole time my heart pounds and my smile just gets bigger and bigger.
Clicking open the locks, I open the door to see her standing there. She is so much prettier than she has been in my thoughts and especially in my dreams. “Well, hello there.” She smiles at me, and then when she looks at Ari, her smile gets even bigger. She’s dressed in ripped blue jeans that are cuffed at her ankle and a black sleeveless shirt tucked in the front with flip-flops to show off her bubble gum pink toenails.
“You got bigger.” She rubs Ari’s cheek, and I don’t know why, but I bend to kiss Candace on the cheek. “Hi,” she says, leaning into me and then kissing my cheek back. Just the smell of her makes my cock rise. I thought it was stupid when I watched the other guys kiss her cheek and and doing it right then might have been stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. Fuck, I even wanted to kiss her lips.
“Hi.” Stepping back, I walk in and close the door behind her, watching her ass move perfectly in those jeans. She turns around and sets her purse on the floor, then reaches out her hands to grab Ari, and Ari reaches out for her. Candace smiles so big it makes her blue eyes get even lighter. Ari then grabs her face and goes in to suck her cheek.
“Oh my goodness.” Candace puts her hand on Ari’s back. “I think I’m in love,” she says, hugging her close to her chest. Ari just squeals and giggles when Candace nuzzles her neck. “She smells so good.” She finally looks at me, and I have to say seeing her just love on my daughter pushes something else inside me. I put my hands to my chest and walk down the hallway into the family room.
“Let’s see what your daddy did.” She turns Ari around in her arms so she faces out, and Ari kicks her feet. When she gets close to the stove, she turns Ari back on her hip, and I just don’t know what to think of the way she is protecting her.
“I put butter in a pan with garlic, and then I cooked the shrimp,” I say, gesturing to the pan. “I don’t think I put enough oil or butter.” The shrimp doesn’t even have any coating on them.