Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“No, you’re not. You didn’t go dark. We texted the entire time you were sick and even when you weren’t. I’m still sorry I got you and Parker sick.” What I thought could be a pregnancy scare from my best friend ended up being a virus. That still doesn’t account for her not having a period the same time as me, and while I’m a nurse and know things, she asked me to drop it, so I did.
“True, but still. Are you going to be at work tomorrow?” I ask. She works at this cute coffee shop I love, only a few blocks in the opposite direction of my house from the hospital.
“Yep, I’m opening and closing every day this week.” I’ll kill two birds with one stone, seeing my best friend as well as grabbing coffee and a new book to read. The shop has the cutest little bookstore off to the side. Last night, my lunch break was so boring because I didn’t have a book to read. The hospitals cell service is spotty, the Wi-Fi is even worse, and I was too tired to walk down the block during the hour I had.
“Good. If my shift doesn’t run over, I could go for a Millie special. Decaf, though.” I yawn as I walk towards my apartment. Parker wanted to have a car waiting for me when my shift was over. We had words. I won that round. I only live a brisk fifteen minutes away from the hospital. He wasn’t thrilled, but it was a hill I was going to die on to get my way. There was no reason to have a car and driver waiting, today especially. He’d have waited hours for me when he could be doing other things.
“I’d love to see you, you know that. Is Hudson letting you up for air today?” I laugh into the phone. Attempting to go home was funny at best. Anytime I’d bring it up, he’d practically tie me to the bed, wring out another orgasm from my body, and then said if I left his house, he’d only follow me home.
“Barely. Hey, I have a question that you may be able to help me answer.” The end is in sight. Four more blocks, and I’ll be in the comfort of my apartment, able to wash the day away, close my blackout curtains, and pass out.
“I’m all ears.” Some might be annoyed that Millie is on the phone at work. Not me. The girl is a multitasker through and through, an AirPod in her ear to talk to me while making the most intricate drink known to man. I really hope she’s able to pull the funds together to buy The Coffee Shack.
“We went to Emilio’s, right? Well, it was different.” It’s the only way to describe it. “People stopped what they were doing, no eating or talking, cameras at the ready. Which I get because of Dad, you know, but it was like they had never seen Parker Hudson before. So, being the nosey person I am, I asked. His answer was vague at best, another moment that I probably shouldn’t have asked out in the open, where eyes and ears are prominent.” I take a breath because I’ve dominated the entire conversation, and I want to make sure Millie is still with me.
“Keep going.” She knows me so well, too well, really.
“Anyways, Parker made it seem like his past was all about learning lessons. Like I said, vague. I need to bring it up again. There was a tightness in his jaw, plus the fact that once the conversation was over, it was over.”
“Well, you know I’ve spent time with Ezra. The story I have, which I can’t delve deeply into, it’s not my story to tell. Their childhood was rough, and by rough, I mean Parker and Ezra were the ones to get themselves and Parker’s mom out of the equation,” Millie proceeds to tell me before continuing, “It was so bad Krista adopted Ezra, raised him as her own. Anyways, fast forward to their twenties, the Four Brothers are at the top of their game. Something happens. Ezra wouldn’t exaggerate during our pillow talk, and I didn’t ask. One day, Parker is enjoying being in the limelight, the next he’s pulling back. He’s done with being the frontrunner besides Ezra, Theo, and Boston. All the articles vanish from thin air, you know, a Mr. Taylor type scenario because these men are that good. Now you tell me, what makes a man do something like that?”
“A freaking woman.” Millie goes quiet when I hit the nail on the head, meaning she’s got a customer in front of her. I remember the run-in with Ezra and Parker’s mom, Krista. A scenario that could have avalanched into the worst volcano eruption ever. Parker took care of that without getting upset, seeing me through the issue at hand. There’s something to be said for a man who can heal his own trauma and not bring it into the next relationship he finally decides to have.