Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 154728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 619(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 774(@200wpm)___ 619(@250wpm)___ 516(@300wpm)
Until now.
Now looking at Kane.
Clearly, she was not impressed with the muscles, the handsomeness. She wasn’t even intimidated by the new aura of coldness and danger that blanketed him. Nope.
She didn’t seem to look like she recognized him. And she hadn’t let on that she’d read any articles on who I was either. I’d been so sure that the entire world was closing in on me that I forgot there were plenty of people just living their lives, too busy to get caught up in tabloid scandals.
Thank God. I needed anonymity.
Kane, on the other hand, seemed to be … surprised at the blatant hostility without any room allowing for his fame. His face went blank, eyes a little wide before he recovered.
Kane’s arm was tight around my waist.
“Yeah, I’m the baby daddy.” Kane recovered quickly, meeting Fiona’s stare with an easy smile.
She tilted her head, not anywhere near charmed by the megawatt smile. “And you’ve been where the past four months?”
My body stiffened, and I opened my mouth to cut in, if only to avoid the drama of the situation, and my stomach was actually rumbling.
“Babe,” a low voice interrupted Fiona’s interrogation.
I hadn’t noticed Kip rounding the counter until he was grabbing his wife and laying a kiss on her.
I’d never seen Kip without a backward baseball cap on, sandy-blond hair escaping from it. He was in paint-stained clothing most of the time or a tee sporting the logo of the construction company he owned. He was ridiculously handsome, tanned and had crinkles at the edges of his eyes that reminded me of Kane.
Though the logical part of me felt happy to see two obviously good people in the kind of love I didn’t think existed, it had been extremely hard to look at it. I’d averted my eyes and ignored the burn in the throat that had nothing to do with pregnancy heartburn.
Right then, with Kane at my side, it felt infinitely more uncomfortable. He was there. But he wasn’t. We were in front of two people who seemed utterly in love without complication or pain, and it made our issues all the more heartbreaking.
Kane was watching the two people essentially making out in front of us.
It was important to note that Kip had their baby, June, strapped to him in a baby carrier, and she appeared to be sleeping.
He let his wife go, but not before gently tucking her blonde hair behind her ear in an exceedingly touching gesture that somehow felt more intimate and precious than the make out session from moments ago.
Kip turned to acknowledge me with an easy smile. “Avery,” he winked. “Looking absolutely beautiful. Glowing, in fact. You better take me up on building your crib and installing the car seat; I’m practically an expert now.”
I wanted to smile, I really did, but it felt traitorous with the man at my side.
The man who Kip had just noticed, his smile freezing and his blue eyes going wide.
“Holy fuck, you’re Kane Rhodes,” Kip exclaimed, hands on the bottom of the baby in the carrier. He spoke loudly, almost yelled, yet the baby didn’t so much as twitch.
“Dude, I’m a huge fan. Huge.” He leaned over, presumably to shake Kane’s hand, but Fiona grabbed onto her husband’s wrist.
“Uh-uh,” she tsked. “We are not huge fans. Not of men who abandon their pregnant women for months at a time.” Her tone was hostile yet coated with a protectiveness that made me feel warm.
It was all so strange. We weren’t’ friends, I’d made sure of that. But there she was, nostrils flaring and seemingly ready to go to battle for me.
Kip’s demeanor instantly changed, looking stricken. I didn’t know the man well enough to decipher the subtleties of his expression, but he looked almost hurt.
He looked down at his sleeping daughter.
Turning to her husband, Fiona’s expression changed too, softening. “Babe,” she whispered soothingly. “Not the same.”
The two shared a look that again felt intimate, special.
“You don’t know that,” Kip retorted. “Things are always much more complicated than they seem. And I think you’ll find out that Kane has a pretty good excuse as to where he’s been these past few months.” He gave Kane an empathetic smile. “Glad to see you’re out, bro. And now I know why you look so fuckin’ familiar, Avery,” he added, eyes on me. “I probably would’ve figured it out sooner, but little June here doesn’t like to sleep unless she’s right here.” He peeked down at June again. “And my brain is eating itself these days.” He winked at Fiona. “But it’s worth it. So fucking worth it. Trust me, you won’t die from lack of sleep. Not immediately anyway. You may see the effects when you’re seventy or some shit, but we’re living day to day here, baby.”
He leaned over and kissed his wife on the neck. “And may I say, you look so fucking hot today. You’d think you got at least a full five hours.” He looked at me and Kane. “Five hours is considered sleeping through the night in our house. Anyway, look how hot my wife is. Wouldn’t she look even hotter pregnant like you, Avery?” His eyes rushed to Kane. “Not that I’m calling your woman hot, well, objectively, she is. But I can only have sexual feelings for one woman on this planet.” He craned his head toward Fiona who was smiling and shaking her head.