Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
“It’s all good. We can stay wherever you want.” He picked her cell up off the nightstand. “Call Brandy and your mom, arrange things, and we can leave whenever you’re ready. Does tomorrow morning work for you?”
She bit down on her lower lip.
“What?” he asked.
“This might be the most spoiled thing ever but I’m going to ask Ian to send his jet.”
Dex burst out laughing, but in a warm, fuzzy kind of way. She was adorable. “It is spoiled. But you should ask him anyway.”
She accepted the phone and he waited while she made a bunch of calls. She spoke to Brandy, who thought it was a great idea, her mother, who couldn’t wait to see her, Ian to arrange the jet, and she texted some other siblings.
“Ian wants us to have dinner with him and Riley one night,” she said.
Dex forced a smile. “Oh, joy.”
She burst out laughing. “Don’t worry. He’s much more pleasant when Riley’s around.”
He studied her and he relaxed, too.
“What?” she asked. “You’re staring.”
Shrugging, he said, “I like seeing you like this. Chill and excited.”
She met his gaze and suddenly she was in his arms, hugging him tight. “It’s because of you, Dex. Thank you.”
She tilted her head back and he brushed her hair from her face. “My pleasure, beautiful.”
And he’d never meant words more.
Chapter Eighteen
Dex was right. Going to Florida lifted a weight off Samantha’s shoulders. Stepping off the plane and inhaling the humid air told her she was home. Though she loved New York, there was nothing like family.
Instead of going to Dex’s house first, they rented a car and drove to her mom’s house. She passed through the gates and as soon as he parked, she was out of the car and rushing up the driveway.
Her mother greeted her at the front door, wearing a pair of white Bermuda shorts, a collared shirt tied low at the waist, and her hair pulled back in a low ponytail.
“Mom!” Suddenly feeling like she wanted to cry, Samantha threw herself into her mother’s arms. “It’s been such a mess.” Tears leaked from her eyes and though she ought to be embarrassed, letting out her frustration and pain felt cathartic. Her mother had always been there for her and now was no different.
“Shh. It’s going to be okay. Let’s go inside and we’ll talk.” She rubbed Samantha’s back as she did when she was a child. “But first, aren’t you going to introduce me to the good-looking man at the foot of the stairs?” she asked in a quiet voice.
“Oh right.” She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with her fingers before turning to face Dex. “Dex, this is my mom, Emma St. Claire. Mom, this is Dex Sterling. He’s a friend of Ian’s and he’s been there for me throughout this crisis.”
“I’m aware.”
Dex stepped forward and shook her mother’s hand. “Ms. St. Claire, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here. And thank you for being there for Samantha. I felt much better knowing she hasn’t been alone. Now, let’s get out of this heat and you two come inside.”
Her mother’s husband, Michael Brooks, walked out of the kitchen and joined them. Her mother had kept her maiden name during both marriages.
Samantha walked over and gave him a friendly hug. “Good to see you,” she murmured.
“It’s good to see you, too. We’ve both been worried and I’m glad you’re here.” Michael was a good man and her mother adored him. After the nightmare that was Samantha’s father, her mother deserved it.
She smiled. “Thanks, but I’m okay.” She left out the hospital visit. She’d save that for her mother when they were alone.
Emma introduced the men, then Michael suggested he and Dex go sit beneath the awning by the pool where they had an overhead fan. Samantha knew he was giving her time with her mom and Dex seemed at ease, so she agreed.
Following Emma into the kitchen, her mother poured them both a glass of lemonade and they settled into the barstools at the island.
“You look tired,” her mother said. “You have dark circles under your eyes.”
Samantha swallowed hard. “Don’t panic, because you can see I’m fine, but yesterday I fainted and wound up in the hospital.”
“What?! Why didn’t anyone call me?” Emma asked, her voice high and frantic.
The last thing Samantha wanted was to upset her mom. “Because I’m fine. I just hadn’t eaten and my blood pressure dropped. It was that and stress, which is why Dex insisted we get away.”
“I like that man,” her mother said.
Samantha felt her cheeks heat. “I do, too, Mom. But there was a time I liked Jeremy, too.”
“Do you really think Dex is anything like your ex-fiancé?”
She immediately shook her head. “But it’s so soon after the almost-wedding. Which I am so sorry for. I shouldn’t have let things get that far, Mom. It cost you—”