Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 91937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91937 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
I step away from him and see Aiden trying not to smirk. “Is there anything else for me to do?”
“Yeah,” Brady says, “bus the tables and then make sure the dishwashers are going. We’re heading out.”
“You got it, boss,” Aiden replies, turning and walking toward the table.
“Brady,” I hiss at him, “that’s my job.”
“Yeah, and I just handed it over. You haven’t eaten at all, and it’s getting late.” He pulls me by my hand to the closet, opening it and grabbing my purse. “We have to go.”
“Night,” Brady calls over his shoulder.
“See you two tomorrow,” Aiden calls out by the time we’re walking through the swinging door to the back parking lot. Brady opens the door for me and helps me in, and by that, I mean he almost picks me up to put me in the truck.
I slap his hands away when he’s about to buckle me in, and he just laughs, closing the truck door. “You’re just leaving him to close up?” I ask of Aiden.
“He’s worked in bars his whole life, and he’s helped out in the summer. He’s back in town for good. If things go right, he’ll be taking over the night shifts for me.” I swallow down the lump that grows with his last statement. There will come a time when it’s not just me and him. I’ll move out of his house, and eventually, this between us will fizzle out. I look out the window at the night sky, seeing a couple of stars. When we get back to his house, I wait for him to walk up the steps before I follow him.
“You okay?” He looks over his shoulder at me.
“Yeah.” I nod. “I guess I’m just tired.” I try not to think about the fact he knows me better than I think he does.
He pulls me by my hand up the stairs and walks right past the bed toward the bathroom. He lets my hand go when he walks in and turns on the lights before making his way to the bathtub. He turns the water on, touches the stream to see if it’s warm enough, and adjusts it before looking at me. “Get undressed and take a bath,” he orders me. “I’m going to go grab you something to eat.” He kisses my neck before walking out of the room, but comes right back in. “Do you need me to undress you?” He winks, making me laugh. “I’ll be back.” I stop him from leaving the bathroom by holding his hand.
“How about you take a bath with me and then we can both get something to eat?” I want this moment with him. I stand in front of him. “We can take a bath together and then”—I get up on my tippy-toes to kiss his neck—“we can eat.” His eyes shine with mischief. “Food, we can eat food.” I move away, peeling the shirt off me and getting naked in front of him before stepping one foot into the water and then sitting down. I pin my hair on top of my head and look over at him. “Do you not want to take a bath with me?”
He quickly gets naked, giving me a chance to take him all in as he steps into the tub and turns to sit between my legs. His back is to my chest as he crouches down while my legs wrap around his hips. “Why are you still single?” I close my eyes and want to drown myself in the bathtub when I hear the question that just came out of my mouth.
“I guess I just haven’t met the one I want to do everyday life with,” he answers. “I want to be married just once. I want a love like my parents’, a love that is around even if she isn’t. I want it to consume me, and all I can think about is nothing else but that person.” He rubs my legs, and I feel the golf ball-sized lump forming in my throat. This man, who every time I get quiet, makes sure I sleep or nap. He makes sure I’ve eaten. He’s the most thoughtful man I’ve ever known. “What about you?” he asks me. “Do you ever think of falling in love again?”
“I do.” I clear my throat. “I know what I want and what I need. But it’s not only about me this time. It’s about the man accepting another man’s child. Even if Winston and I are not together, he’s going to be forever in Wyatt’s life until Wyatt tells me he doesn’t want him in his life. So, whoever it is has to be okay with that.” He turns his head to look at me. “When that time comes, I’ll know.”
He turns in my arms and pulls me into his, making me straddle him. “Kiss me,” he urges in a whisper, and here in the middle of the bath, this man asks for me to kiss him. It takes a full five seconds for the kiss to become more, and we end up making out until the water is ice cold.