Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 88(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
I hold my hand out. “Is that really so surprising? Like you said, I’m your wife. Don’t you think we should live together?”
He wants to. I can see it in his eyes. “I’m attracted to you, Ellie. I feel it’s only right that you know that.”
I shrug. “I’m attracted to you.”
He licks his lips. “Okay, so after you have dinner with Tara, we’ll come here, and we’ll talk about it.”
I shake my head. “I’ll skip dinner.”
He stands up, pulling me with him. “No way. I want you to like it here in Whiskey Run, and I want you to have friends here. We can talk after your dinner. Can I drop you off at the restaurant?”
I shake my head. “I think I want to walk. Clear my head a little.”
He nods in understanding. “Got it. Well, it will be dark afterward, so I’ll pick you up...”
I roll my eyes. “Gray, the diner is only a few blocks...”
He doesn’t let me finish, though. “Yeah, and I want to make sure you’re safe. Get used to it Ellie. Have a good dinner. Make sure you try their famous apple cinnamon Blaze cake.”
He kisses me on the forehead and is out the door but just as quickly peeks back in. “Use the card.”
He shuts the door again, and I realize that I’m still holding the check card in my hand. I slide it into my purse, lock up the apartment, and walk the few blocks to the diner.
Dinner with Tara is amazing. She’s so funny, and by the time we get to dessert, I’m holding my sides from laughing so hard.
I take one bite of the apple cinnamon Blaze cake and moan around my fork. “Oh my God, this is so good.”
“It’s soooo good. I work at a bakery, and I still sneak over here to eat this cake.”
We enjoy the dessert, and Tara asks, “How’s the nausea? Feeling better? I have to say, you look better. You’re starting to glow.”
I had told the women the other night that I was pregnant. Of course, no one asked if it was Gray’s—they just assumed, and there’s no way I’m going to correct them. I touch my fingers to my cheek. “Oh yeah? Well, I finally slept today, so I’m sure that helped.”
“How did you and Gray meet?”
I start to stutter. It’s crazy, I know, but I need to talk to someone about this, so the whole ugly truth comes out in a big ramble.
Tara looks at me when I’ve finished. “And the baby is not his?”
I shake my head. This isn’t the first time that I’ve wished it was. “No. And he was worried about me, so we got married so I could have health insurance, which looking back at it sounds so crazy.”
She nods. “Right? Like you would have qualified to assistance being a single mother.”
I smack my hand on the table. “I know. So now I’m left wondering if he regrets all this. Is he with me because of guilt? He says no, but everything happened so quick... it’s just....”
Tara interrupts me. “I haven’t known Gray for a long time, but he’s a great guy. Like a really great guy, and whatever doubts you have going on in your head right now, you need to stop. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. The other girls noticed it too. He may have married you to help you, but I’d be willing to bet money he loves you, Ellie.”
I sit back in the booth, stunned. I know I shouldn’t let her words affect me, but they do. They give me so much hope that I start imagining the future with him.
I’m about to admit to Tara that I love him too when there is a commotion at the front door of the restaurant. Everyone turns their heads to see what’s going on, and there are two men with big guns standing there.
One starts yelling, but it all is happening so quickly that I don’t catch anything of what he’s saying. His eyes are glazed over, and it’s obvious he’s hopped up on something.
I force myself to pay attention. “Everyone do I as I say, and no one will get hurt. I want you to put your cash and jewelry on the table, and we’ll be around to collect it.”
One of the men is at the cash register emptying the contents into a bag. They both have guns, and they’re swinging them around, shoving them in people’s faces. The whole room is panicked. I literally have three dollars in my purse, and I toss it onto the table. I run my finger over my wedding ring. I can’t do it; I can’t give it up.
Meanwhile, Tara looks completely unfazed. She’s digging into her purse. “It’s okay, we’re going to be fine.”
She says it with so much confidence that I want to believe her. “How can you be so sure?”