Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“What can I say, Henrietta? I like beautiful things.” And Sasha was a very beautiful woman, but also off-limits. “She hasn’t given me an answer yet.” I tapped my fingers anxiously on the counter before I picked up the fork and took a big bite of scrambled egg whites.
“She’ll say yes because she’s a sweetheart, but maybe you ought to do something to sweeten the deal.”
I frowned. “She has a blank check, Henrietta.”
“Don’t be dense, Alex. I’m talking about a ring. A big fat one that will make her eyes sparkle with joy, that will make her feel special even though this is all transactional.”
Transactional.
I hated that word, but I couldn’t deny the truth of it because I was giving her something to compensate her for giving me her life for a year. Possibly two.
“You’re right, Henrietta.”
“I usually am,” she said smugly and set a platter of extra food on the counter in front of me. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I grunted, eating while I thought about whether or not I wanted to buy my real fake wife a ring. A ring. Would she read too much into it, or would she appreciate it like Henrietta said?
By the time I made it halfway through a second helping, I had my answer. I called the best jeweler in the city.
“Neal, I need a ring. Something nice and big, for a woman not like your usual customer. Think you can help?”
He laughed. “Never thought I’d see the day, but yes, Mr. Witter, I can help.” Neal was my go to guy for goodbye trinkets when a woman tried to make things more than they were. Broaches, earrings, necklaces and bracelets were my thing. Not rings.
Never rings.
“Excellent. Meet me in an hour.” Apparently I was about to buy an engagement ring.
Chapter 14
Sasha
Why is this so hard?
I mean, I spent all night lying in this comfortable bed staring at the ceiling making a mental pros and cons list for marrying Alex Witter.
The pros were that this would be something I could do to help someone and it would give Dixie’s young life some stability. Then again, on the other side of that coin was that this relationship had a guaranteed expiration date which wasn’t all that great for stability. Which brought me to the next con, which was my inconvenient attraction to my maybe future husband. I could deal with that, I was sure I could, but the problem was that Alex was more than a gorgeous face and a hot body, he was a hard worker, a nice guy who was shaping up to be a good dad.
That could lead to me getting attached, which was a short path to getting my heart broken.
I could do this, I tried to convince myself as Dixie slumbered in my arms. I could just bury that attraction down so deep that it would never be unearthed.
“I guess I have my answer.”
With that decided, I kissed the top of Dixie’s head and settled her in the crib with the monitor watching over her. I hooked the other end in my back pocket and went in search of my husband-to-be.
It shouldn’t be too hard since Alex hadn’t left the house in more than a week. Apparently the press had been camped out in front of the building, eager to get photos of the city’s newest celebrity couple.
It was laughable really, because I was no one’s idea of a celebrity, but apparently being close to one made you a celebrity by default. But thanks to the tabloids I knew that Alex was around here somewhere. He wasn’t in his office, gym or in his bedroom which left the kitchen.
“Looking for Alex?” Henrietta smiled as if she knew something, which was unsettling.
“Yes. Have you seen him?”
“He’s up on the roof. I’ll keep an eye on Dixie.”
“Thanks.” I held up the monitor. “I have this too just in case you have other things to do.”
She smiled and patted my shoulder. “You’re a sweetheart, Sasha. We could use more of that around here.” Without another word, she shuffled off probably to hold Dixie close and get some of her sweet baby magic.
I smiled at just how eager she was to spend more time with the little girl. That was a good thing, having more people to love that baby. I vowed to make an effort to give her more time with Dixie, even if that meant pitching in around the penthouse.
But first, business.
I made my way up to the roof using the staircase in an effort to burn off the last of my nerves before I approached Alex. At the door, I nearly ran into a middle-aged man with a gorgeous head of silver hair.
“Excuse me.”
He smiled wide and stepped to the side. “No, excuse me, ma’am.” He nodded and stepped through the door.
The sound of his humming faded slowly as I turned to scan the rooftop until my gaze landed on Alex. He sat with his legs extended and his face turned towards the sky. Damn he really was a handsome man. Unfairly good looking, especially when combined with his charm and his body.