Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Georgiana, oh my have you grown up into a beautiful young woman,” Lincoln said as she pulled me into her arms and gave me a bear hug. That nagging guilty feeling started at the back of my mind once again, but I pushed it away.
“It’s so good to see you again, Mrs. Shaw.”
Lincoln laughed. “Call me Lincoln, please. I hope you’re hungry. I’ve made a lasagna and Stella made at least four desserts!”
I smiled. “How are Stella and Ty Senior?”
“You know Brock’s parents—still going like they’re twenty-five even though they’re in their upper seventies.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some work I need to catch up on,” Blayze stated as he stepped up to his mother and kissed her on the cheek.
Lincoln frowned. “You’ll do no such thing, Blayze. We have a guest, and it’s her first day here. I’m sure work can wait.”
Blayze sighed, but he respected his momma enough not to argue with her.
“Now, you take Georgiana here back to your house so you can both get cleaned up. Dinner will be ready at seven sharp.” Lincoln looked back at me. “I do have to warn you, Morgan is beside herself with excitement to see you. She heard you were in Paris for a fashion week or something?”
I nodded. “That’s right. I do some freelance work for Vogue.”
Lincoln raised her brows. “Wow, two totally different areas of reporting.”
Laughing, I shrugged. “I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do so…I’m doing both.”
“Good for you!” Lincoln said. “But don’t be surprised if she tries to consume all of your time.”
“No worries at all.”
Brock walked up and leaned down to kiss his wife. “Missed you, babe.”
She reached up and kissed him. “Missed you more.”
“If you’re ready, Georgie?” Blayze said, causing me to pull my gaze away from the happy couple.
“Yes, of course.”
As we started down the pathway toward Blayze’s truck, Lincoln called my name. Turning, I smiled.
“Tonight is off the record. Whenever you’re in my home, you’re a family guest. I expect anything shared between the family stays in the walls of my home.”
For a moment, I was completely taken aback. Not that I thought Lincoln’s request was rude, or that what she was asking was out of the question, but that she could issue a warning with such a sweet smile on her face.
Clearing my throat, I replied, “Of course.”
Blayze might have been upset with me, but he walked up to the passenger side of the truck, opened the door, and even took my hand to help me up into his truck. My chest fluttered at the show of chivalry.
When he got in, I was ready for the cold shoulder again. He’d been polite all afternoon, but I was sure it was because we’d been with his father. So when we started down the road toward his house, I wasn’t expecting him to speak.
“I want to apologize for the way I treated you earlier.”
I turned my head to look at him as he went on.
“I was blindsided by all of this, and to be honest, I’m not really fond of you poking around in my private life. I get wanting to interview my uncles—they were once in the public eye—but I chose not to do that. I don’t really understand why your magazine wants you to interview me so much.”
I cleared my throat. “First, it’s not my magazine. I’m not a staff writer for them.”
“But you want to be?” he asked.
Once upon a time that had been a goal of mine, but I was finding that the writing wasn’t fulfilling anymore.
“I’m not sure.”
He frowned. “I thought that was why we were doing this interview.”
I decided to change the subject. “You were in the public eye for a while, though. You rode and competed in high school and some of college. You were set to move up to the Unleash the Beast tour.”
“That’s not what I wanted, Georgie.” His voice was clipped and had an angry tone to it.
Deciding it wasn’t worth it to argue with him, I simply said, “I understand. Will you tell me?”
He looked at me for a brief moment. “Tell you what?”
“The real reason you’re not bull riding.”
“I do bull ride. All the time.”
I sighed and shook my head. It was useless. I didn’t even want the information for the stupid article. I wanted to know for myself at this point.
“Tell me something,” he said. “Why are you—sorry, the magazine—so damn interested in me and why I’m not riding?”
I swallowed hard and tried to put a neutral expression on my face. “Honestly, I have no idea why they’re interested in you. Maybe it’s your looks, and they think your face will sell magazines.”
He laughed and shook his head. We spent the rest of the ride back to his place in complete silence.
Once we got back to Blayze’s house and I heard him get into the shower, I called my father. It went to his voicemail.