Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70518 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Something sour twisted in my gut, but I didn’t dare say anything because she looked so damn excited. Hell, if I wasn’t a professional athlete making nearly seven million dollars a year, I’d probably be interested in going with her. But I couldn’t. I also didn’t think her starting over in a foreign country so far away from me was going to work now that we’d found each other.
Except maybe she didn’t feel the same way I did, which kind of sucked.
“You can’t move to Italy!” Sawyer finally said what I’d been thinking, eyes just like his sister’s narrowing angrily. “You’re all I have, Luce. And I refuse to let him chase you, not just out of Spokane and away from your job, but out of the fucking country.”
“But I want to,” she said softly. “It’ll be an adventure. I’ve always wanted to travel, I have money saved up to renovate the villa, and maybe I can turn it into a bed-and-breakfast or something. Then you can come spend the off-season with me.”
“Absolutely not.” Sawyer folded his arms across his chest. “I won’t allow it.”
Lucy’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in them I’d never seen before. “Last I checked, you aren’t my father and—as you pointed out—I am a grown woman. I don’t need your permission.”
“Goddamn, Lucy!” Sawyer started to yell but I put a hand on his arm.
“Wait,” I said, trying to wrap my head around being the voice of reason. “The conversation about Italy is separate. But the more immediate situation is Lucy’s safety. Nate cannot be allowed to just terrorize you. And you do not know for sure he won’t find you in Italy if he has friends in law enforcement. Then what?”
Lucy scowled. “I’m just exploring my options and figuring things out. If Europe doesn’t work out, there are tons of sleepy little towns all over the US where I could disappear for a while.”
I felt like I was missing something about this story, but Lucy had been attacked today and Sawyer was already in a foul mood, so I didn’t want to dig any deeper right now. However, I was going to press the subject of her coming home with me, whether Sawyer liked it or not.
“That must be Boone,” Lucy said when the doorbell rang. She’d invited him at the last minute since there was so much food leftover and Boone loved to eat. She got up to answer the door and I wasn’t surprised when Sawyer grabbed my forearm as I tried to follow.
“What the fuck are you doing with my sister?” he asked.
“Dating,” I replied, forcing myself not to react to the way he was holding my arm. I didn’t like to be manhandled and he was one of the few people who could get away with it. For a short time, anyway.
“I told you she was off-limits.”
“She is not a child and we do not need your permission.” I was willing to let a lot slide when it came to Sawyer, but not my relationship with Lucy. It hadn’t been long, but she was already too important to me.
“This is a huge betrayal.”
“I have betrayed nothing,” I said, yanking my arm free. “I care about her. I like her. I will never let anything happen to her. I will treat her a thousand times better than that fucker who’s trying to hurt her.”
Sawyer sighed, shaking his head. “I know that. I’m sorry. But I don’t want…” He lifted his hands. “I know how we think. How we are. Professional athletes. Until we find the right one, the woman that’s going to be our forever, we’re dogs. Look at Rory. I don’t fucking want that for her.”
“I am not like that. When I am with a woman, that’s it.” I made a slashing motion with my hand. “Unless and until it doesn’t work out, I will be good to her. Faithful. Kind. Whatever she needs. You have my word.”
“Does she like you enough to not move to Italy or Bumfuck wherever?”
Now I was the one who sighed. “It is too soon for this conversation.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.”
It was a fun evening hanging out with Sawyer, Lucy, and Boone, despite the faint tension in the air. Sawyer was annoyed about our relationship but resigned to it, Lucy seemed on edge about everything, and I was trying to walk the line between supportive and protective. The two were hard to mesh sometimes.
“So get this,” Boone said when the movie we’d watched, Avengers: Age of Ultron, ended. “I heard from Missy yesterday.”
We all turned to stare at him.
“She said she wants to talk.”
“Please tell me you said no,” Lucy whispered, her eyes wide. She’d become very protective of Boone since Missy had dumped him, and it was cute seeing her taking on the role of big sister.