Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
I adjust myself because my dick has a perfect memory. “Yes,” I say.
“Will is charging me double rent for Bandit to live in the shed.”
“You’re not serious.” I run a hand through my hair, staring up at the ceiling.
“I’m dead serious.”
I’m speechless for ten seconds before I fumble my first minimally coherent thought. “We’ll keep the cat.”
“Nope,” she says with a pop to her lips. “Fitz and Jamie found a different house. The one with the tree house is still for sale. I’m thinking of making an offer on it.”
“That’s exciting unless you’re buying it just for the cat. Then it’s a little messed up.” And by the cat, I mean Lola. But suggesting she’s buying a house, in a roundabout way, for my daughter seems serious. I can’t allow myself to be that level of serious with someone I have to sneak into the house through a window.
Jesus. Maybe she is my dirty little secret.
“I used to have a tree house, minus a roof,” she says. “It was a platform with a railing. I’d lie on my back, staring at the sky, and that’s when I fell in love with flying. I’d see planes and birds in the sky and wanted to spend my days in the clouds too.”
I can’t help but grin, imagining young Maren in a tree, staring up at the blue sky and dreaming of flying. “Buy the house,” I say.
“You think?”
“I do. Real estate is always a great investment. Interest rates are pretty good. Go for it.”
“Okay. I have to message my Realtor,” she says in a rush.
“It’s late.”
“I know, Ozzy. But I don’t want someone else scooping it up.”
I laugh at her excitement. Joy is timeless. It doesn’t matter if someone is five or fifty. It sounds the same, and it’s unavoidably contagious.
“Go message your Realtor. Good night.”
“EEK! Sorry, I let that slip. Okay, good night.”
I drop my phone to the side and continue staring at the ceiling. I think of Brynn, and I wonder if she would have liked Maren. Or would she say I’m letting Lola get attached to someone who could die because she has a high-risk job? Can I live the rest of my life wondering what Brynn would think?
Chapter Twenty
Maren
I haven’t told anyone.
Not my parents. Not Will. Not Fitz or Jamie.
For some reason, I want to tell Ozzy first.
Thursday night, when I pull into his driveway to pick up Bandit, I can barely keep my hands and the rest of my body from shaking with excitement to see him. This is a foreign feeling to me and a little scary. I’ve liked other guys, maybe even loved one or two, but this is next level.
“Calm down,” I whisper with a deep breath before knocking on the front door.
It’s no surprise but no less disappointing when Tia opens the door. She offers me a polite smile that’s just shy of believable.
“Hi. Hope I’m not interrupting dinner,” I say.
She steps aside. “Dinner was over an hour ago.”
I mirror her less-than-genuine smile. “Okay. Good to know,” I say.
Her face wrinkles, and I ignore it because I don’t care what it means or what she thinks of me; I just want to see Ozzy and Lola.
“Lola walked to the park with Amos, but they should be back soon because it’s getting dark,” she says, heading into the living room. “Your cat and Ozzy are downstairs.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, slipping off my shoes before making a beeline straight to the stairs just as Ozzy appears at the bottom.
I smile.
He smiles.
My heart tries to break through my chest as I descend the stairs. When I reach the bottom, Ozzy hooks my waist and swings me around the corner so we’re out of sight. Before I can even gasp, he kisses me.
I claim his hair with my eager fingers, and he grips my ass. Absence makes everything grow fonder.
“That’s not fair,” I whisper, out of breath, when he releases my mouth.
Ozzy’s expression morphs into something sexy and naughty while he presses his forehead to mine. He slides his hands up my back to my arms before softly cupping my neck. “You’re not fair. I’m dying, and you have the audacity to show up with your hair all . . . woven like some goddess. And your skin smells like a flower garden. And all I want to do is remove your clothes, but we don’t have time for that, so I’ll be taking yet another cold shower after you and your feline friend head home.”
I peck at his lips and giggle while my hands cover his. “Woven? Do you mean braided? And if I recall correctly, the last time I left here, I was the one who needed a cold shower.”
Ozzy’s face bleeds mischief.
I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his chest. “Besides, it’s only two more sleeps before we have all night together. And guess what?”