Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Stella is one of my favorite dancers, but if she keeps up with this, she might lose her spot.
“Umm….”
“He better be,” Shelly grumbles. “She hasn’t been around enough to touch any of the food in our kitchen all week.”
Stella’s smile is blinding. “So he’s been makin’ sure you get breakfast, lunch, and dinner?”
Breakfast and dinner, mostly, I think but don’t say. “Umm, we eat together, but he has work too.”
“Mm-hmm,” Maria hums. “He’s spending all his free time with you and taking care of you while he’s doing it. Definite boyfriend material!”
“Hold up!” Stella holds up a finger. “We skipped one important step in the boyfriend test. I know the baby is due any day now, but have you gotten physical with him? Even if it’s just kissin’?”
“Don’t you all have work to do?” I ask, knowing I’m now bright red.
“Oh, avoidance. It must have been good,” Lana says.
“How was it?” Shelly asks.
I shrug one shoulder. “Amazing, even if I don’t really have anything to compare it to,” I reply quietly, and everyone’s eyes drop to my round belly and the ripple of my shirt where my baby girl is kicking. I know these women have seen enough of the ugly side of the world to understand how I could be having a baby and never really been kissed.
“Oh, honey,” Maria whispers, and my throat gets tight as she turns away to blot under her eyes with a tissue.
Watching her, I startle when Stella takes my hand, and my gaze meets hers for a moment before she squeezes my fingers then leaves the room and Lana does the same.
I take a seat in Stella’s now empty chair and try to fight back the tears I feel creeping up my throat as I watch Shelly put the finishing touches on her makeup. “I know we’re complete opposites and I haven’t been the best roommate, but I’m damn proud to call you my friend. You deserve the best, and if Justin’s gonna give that to you, he’s got my stamp of approval,” she says quietly.
Tears spill down my cheeks as she comes over and squeezes my shoulder before walking out of the dressing room to head out on stage for her set. I know Shelly and I will never be best friends, but I owe her a lot. Without her allowing me to live with her, I’m not sure where I would’ve ended up living. Finding a job would’ve been harder too, since she’s the one who introduced me to Johnny. And I might never have met Justin, which would’ve been a tragedy, considering the way he makes me feel.
“Lover boy might have gotten the thumbs-up from Shelly and the rest of your girls, but I need to meet him before I can sign off on this relationship,” Johnny says, and I spin my chair around to look at him as I wipe my cheeks.
I smile, thinking about how he’ll react to Justin, whose nothing like I expected, not from just looking at him. And if Shelly hadn’t told me he was nice, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to get up the nerve to accept that ride from him. Lucky for me, he’s the kind of guy who won’t mind being checked out by a brute and a bunch of dancers, if that’s what it takes to make me happy. But that doesn’t mean I’m in a rush to make it happen, at least not until I’m sure what’s going on between the two of us.
Chapter 4
JUSTIN
TWO WEEKS. TWO weeks of mornings and evenings with Aubrey, and every single one of them have left me feeling completely fucking unhinged. I want her more than my next breath and know from the look in her eyes when we talk or when I kiss her that she feels the same thing. I breathe deep, finishing my set of reps. Working out isn’t helping like I thought it would. I have never been a gym rat, but with her, I’m turning into one. It’s my outlet, my way of getting rid of the pent-up energy I’m now carrying around.
Drying off my face and chest, I pick up my cell and frown when I see she’s called me more than once. If she’s calling me over and over in the middle of the day, then something must be wrong. She’s always careful about using her phone, since she’s on a cheap prepaid plan with limited minutes. And so far, she’s refused to let me buy her a new one or add her to my plan. The only reason I’ve let the argument slide is because she spends all her free time with me, so I haven’t pushed the issue yet.
I call her back and my heart drops when she doesn’t pick up. “Fuck,” I grunt, shoving my shit into my bag and dragging my shirt on so I can head out to my Rover. After I toss my bag into the back seat, I climb behind the wheel. My cell rings, and seeing her name on the screen loosens some of the tension in my muscles as I answer, “Aubrey, baby, you okay?”