Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85211 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
“Yeah.”
“And that’s because of you. So, thank you for that.”
After dinner was over, we said goodbye on the sidewalk.
Cleo hugged me tightly. “Thank you so much, Sicily. I know you were instrumental in this.”
“I may have given him a couple nudges, but he’s the one who did it, so I don’t deserve the credit.” I got him back into his old routine, but I wasn’t entitled to the spotlight, because he was the one who cut Marc open and fixed his heart.
She squeezed me into her side before she patted me on the back. “Now, we just need to tell him about his new apartment. How do you think he’ll handle that?”
I watched Dex embrace Derek, and then they patted each other on the back before Dex picked up one of the boys and kissed him on the cheek, being a loving and affectionate uncle. “I’m not sure. But he’ll handle it better now than he would have a couple weeks ago.”
A black SUV pulled up to the curb, and a driver opened the back door.
Deacon looked at his daughter. “Daisy, we’ll take you home.”
“I’m fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Look at all these taxis going by.”
Dex nodded to his dad, silently volunteering himself.
“Have a good night, everyone.” Deacon let Cleo get in first before he scooted beside her. The door closed, and they took off. Then another SUV pulled up, and Derek and his family did the same thing.
I guess it made sense that they all had private drivers since they were billionaires.
Then it was just the three of us.
“Oh, taxi.” Daisy placed her fingers in her mouth and gave a loud whistle.
Dex turned to me. “I’ll take you home. Where do you live?”
My eyebrows rose up my face. “You did a twelve-hour surgery today, Dex. You don’t need to get me home.” He didn’t need to worry about me at all, not when I was the one whose job was to take care of him.
“Come on. It’s late and dark as hell. I don’t mind.” He looked past me at his sister, who’d just waved down a cab. “Besides, I’ve got to get her home too. Not a big deal.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Daisy flip him the bird before she got inside. “It doesn’t look like she needs you to take her home.”
“Well, that’s too fucking bad.” He jogged to the cab and waved his arms so the driver wouldn’t pull away. He opened the back door then turned to me. “You want the middle seat or the window?”
“I’ll take the middle seat.” I was surprised a man of Dex’s height could fit in the taxi at all. I scooted over to the middle and sat right next to Daisy.
“He doesn’t know it’s the twenty-first century, does he?” Daisy asked. “Where women open bank accounts on their own, have mortgages, get their own taxis…”
Dex sighed from his seat by the window.
I smiled at her. “I think it’s cute that he wants to look after you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that because he’s your boss.”
“No, she’s not,” Dex said. “Because she strong-arms me all the time.”
We spend the cab ride in silence until we pulled up to her building, which looked pretty nice.
Dex opened the door.
“I can walk my ass up there on my own, thank you very much.” Daisy left the cab and shut the door.
“Hold on,” Dex instructed the driver, watching from the window until his sister made it into the lobby of the building. “Alright, go ahead.” He turned to me. “So, now where do you live?”
I told him the address.
Now that Daisy was gone, I scooted over to the other window.
Dex relaxed against his window, as if the exhaustion had officially kicked in, or maybe it was the pizza…or the beer.
After a couple minutes, the cab pulled over.
I opened my wallet to pay the fare, but Dex had already pulled out a couple bills and shoved them through the slot in the partition.
“Dex, I can make it up on my own.”
“I don’t mind.” He opened the door and stepped out. “Let’s go.”
My apartment was messy and not exactly ready for visitors, but he would probably just drop me off at the front door. We walked into the building and took the stairs to my floor before we headed down the hallway. He was in his signature hoodie and jeans.
“Now that I’m working like this again, not sure if I can stay in Brooklyn. I’m dreading that long drive home.” He walked beside me, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Guess my mom was right…she’s always right.”
I stopped in front of my door and got it unlocked. “Well, maybe this is the right time to tell you that your parents got you an apartment here in Manhattan.” The door swung inward on its own, and I stepped inside to put my purse down.