Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 359(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Another far worse realization settled like a heavy blanket on top of me. What if no law school was interested in me? What happened to my future? With a glance at the large decorative clock on the wall, I had about thirty minutes before Beau was due home. A strong, jaw cracking yawn overtook me, revealing my exhaustion. Relentless hours spent on finding the answers were to blame.
My eyes drifted closed as I sorted through the devastation of the last week. The worry didn’t last long as assorted images of Beau flitted across my mind. My love had only grown stronger even amidst all the chaos. I cherished him in a way I didn’t fully understand but drove me to be a better man. Right now in our lives, the unsettled emotion Beau held in his gaze bothered me a lot more than having to figure out how to stop my father’s destructive actions.
I saw the strain he was under. He believed he was the cause of my current problems. Of course, it didn’t help that I had spent every waking moment for the last two or three days fixated on countering my father’s moves before he destroyed me. The dark edges of sleep lulled the running commentary in my head to nothing more than a background hum. I let it take me under.
Beau
“Dash,” I murmured, resting a firm hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake. “You can’t keep goin’ like this. It’s time to go to bed.”
His head tilted toward me, eyes closed, smiling in the direction of my voice. Then his eyelashes fluttered open. One of my hands rested on his shoulder, the other on the desk. What Dash tried to hide, I could still see written all over the concerned set of his handsome face. He was worried over the lengths his father was taking.
“I like your ball cap on backward. It fits your face. Reminds me of the night we met,” Dash said with fatigue still in his voice. He found my hand and threaded our fingers together. “You look tired.”
“I am. It’s been an exhaustin’ week. Did you find anything new?” I asked, taking a seat on the edge of the desk, forced there because Dash didn’t let go of my hand.
“Yes and no,” he said vaguely, slowly rising to his feet. “Dr. Harris contacted me today and wants to stop by our house tomorrow evening. I want you to be here to listen to what he has to say. Does that sound all right?” he asked, swiveling our hand-hold until he began to pull me from the office. “You’ve been shouldering a lot—”
My sudden burst of laughter startled him, halting his ridiculous words and his steps. He pivoted around on the heels of his loafers, his quizzical gaze locked on mine. “What?”
“Nothin’,” I answered, no amount of talking could change his thoughts, I’d tried. I continued moving us to the bedroom. “You’ve been goin’ at it from mornin’ to night. You’re going to bed. I brought home pork and beans and hot dogs.” I winked at him to show my confidence, paired with an unwavering belief in my skill at creating a delicious homemade dinner for the two of us. “I’m on supper duty. I mastered my skill at makin’ a mean beanie-weenie while in my dorm room. I also make a pretty decent Kraft Mac & Cheese.”
Dash’s brows lifted in faux excitement as he circled an arm around me. We walked side-by-side toward the bedroom. “Mmm, that sounds delicious. I was thinking of ordering in from the dumpling house, but your idea’s good too. I guess. I’ve never eaten a beanie-weenie.”
Once we reached the bedroom, Dash released me, but I didn’t let go of him, drawing him into the circle of my arms. He automatically wrapped his arms around me.
“You need to take better care of yourself,” I said.
With a thump, his forehead hit my chest, a heavy breath exhaled slowly. “I’m honestly getting worried. I’ve sent messages to different law schools, none are responding. But that’s not the worst of it. If I lose this house…” He lifted his gaze to meet mine, his head falling between his shoulder blades. “I designed this home for us, envisioning years together here. Nothing’s going as planned. I apologize for everything.”
“Don’t say that,” I told him firmly. “You know what to do to stop all this.”
“Please don’t leave me,” Dash pleaded, cutting to the chase, his voice filled with emotion.
“It’d be the right thing to do, but I can’t unless you tell me to. And we see where that’s at.” I bent to kiss his lips and reached for the hem of his polo shirt, freeing it from his waistband. “Every day that I come home and you’re consumed with worry, that’s only there because you wanted a relationship with me… Dash, it’s hard.”